Tag Archives: Penny Dreadful

Fifty Eight: Winter Has Come, at Last

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Episode Fifty Eight: Winter has come, at last
Recorded 6/27/2016
Crunchytown population us this episode.  But we soldier on!
We spend almost 30 minutes on the “Game of Thrones” season 6 finale and it is totally worth it.  If you want spoilers, listen, if you don’t, watch the episode and come back to us.  Christopher sings the praises of an epic fantasy novel,  Patrick finishes a mediocre thriller, and Andrew re-visits the Holy Grail.  We all play board games together, some of them are more complicated than others.
Trivia is “Star Trek” themed, thanks for the suggestion Smiley Aria of Dames Playing Games.
H.S.F.

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Fifty Six:The One After the Lost One

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Recorded June 7th, 2016

Hey, it’s only been a month!  Aren’t you proud of us?!  Chris and Andrew get this episode off and running with an energetic and comprehensive review of Phoenix Comicon.  Andrew does a Comicon Carry and makes new friends.  Chris continues to indoctrinate his daughters into the geek way of life.  We couldn’t have more love for Penny Dreadful if we were being bribed by the producers.  Andrew scratches the “A Song of Ice and Fire” itch with a novella by GRRM.  Chris and Andrew recommend Patrick get caught up with The Expanse.  Patrick and Chris detail their love of Overwatch with enthusiastic detail; so much so Andrew can’t even make fun of them for it.  The Trivia question goes down the rabbit hole of classic arcade gaming and the answers surprise us all.

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Penny Dreadful, Worth it

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By Andrew Schmaltz 7-18-14

Let me establish from the outset that I am not a fan of “cop shows”. And, of course, there are exceptions to the rule, I love Castle (for Fillion), I very much enjoyed SouthLAnd, and the short lived but excellent The Chicago Code. I do not enjoy “cop shows” because they tend to demand so little from the viewer. The CSIs and NCIS’s and Blue Bloods’s (which I admit I have never really watched but seems to be cut from the same cloth as its on CBS and stars a well-known, handsome male lead in his late 50s or early 60s who is competent, straight forward and very handsome) all appeal to the lowest common denominator. Tune in, watch a 42 minute mystery that is always the same. The heroes do their thing, are very smart and attractive and the killer gets caught in time for helpful wrap-up scene.

Penny Dreadful is not a “cop show”. It is a Historical/Supernatural/Mystery/Family Drama. This show not only requires an engaged viewership willing to endure the emotionally wrenching trials of the characters but a working knowledge of Classic English Language Victorian Horror Literature. The characters of Victor Frankenstein, his Creation(s), Dorian Gray, Abraham Van Helsing, Dracula all are included to varying degrees in this intriguing Showtime drama. To crib Aaron Sorkin, “this is Advanced Television Viewing”. Not easy but demanding is part of the point.

I came to this show late and binge watched which made for immediate pay off. I am normally an Event Watcher. I pay for HBO so I can watch Game of Thrones every Sunday, and True Blood and the Newsroom (I’m a life long Sorkin fan). I will watch The Walking Dead and Mad Men every week when they return. Penny Dreadful in season 2 will become Event Viewing for me. I will revel in the 7 days between episodes to talk about and theorize over the episodes. This show demands and deserves that kind of attention. I am happy to pay that price.

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