We recall and discuss what we saw in the second episode of the show 'Penny Dreadful: City of Angels'.

We continue watching the series 'Penny Dreadful: City of Angels'. After the debut episode outlined the situation and main plot directions, the new series delved deeper into introducing the characters, brought in new heroes, and outlined the further vector of the story's development.

Previous recaps:

Episode 1

Warning: the following text contains spoilers for Episode 2 of the series 'Penny Dreadful: City of Angels'

Mexican Passions

The action of Episode 2 begins right where we left off a week ago. Detective Santiago 'Tiago' Vega, who shot his own brother during a shootout between the police and Mexicans, goes to the hospital where Raul was taken. He accompanies his partner Lewis, even though Lewis tries to dissuade him for obvious reasons. The comrade covers for Tiago and Raul in front of the boss, saying he doesn't know who shot him.

During a conversation with Vanderhoff, the detectives were ordered to close the Hazlett case to prevent the city from descending into chaos. The boss makes it clear that he doesn't care if they find the real killers, but if a Mexican is convicted, everyone will be much calmer.

While Tiago's mother prays for her son fighting for his life, Tiago not only learns that Raul will soon have to be taken off life support, but also that their other brother, Mateo, knows who will be responsible for their relative's death.

Mateo himself later comes under pressure from the police, but is saved by a mysterious Mexican named Rico, who single-handedly threatens the law enforcement officers, and they, to the boy's surprise, quickly retreat. Rico invites Mateo to some club, saying that he has the makings of a gangster because he didn't cry for help in a difficult moment.

Evangelists, Nazis, Officials

Since the murdered Hazlett was directly connected to the local church, Lewis and Tiago go there to learn more about the victim of the 'ritual' crime. The partners split up: while Lewis talks to Miss Adelaide, who is clearly running everything, Tiago goes to a performance by the evangelist Sister Molly. The Mexican is charmed by the sweet-voiced blonde and spends almost the entire day in the company of the nice girl, who, by her own admission, doesn't know much about the deceased. One interesting thing in their conversation is Molly's remark that her mother pushed her into radio evangelism. Let's note that and move on.

Parallel to the dialogue between the mutually sympathetic young people, we are again shown the demon Magda in the guise of a German refugee relaxing on the beach with her 'son' (you remember that scene from the first episode, right?). Of course, she ends up in close proximity to Dr. Kraft and gradually continues to charm him. She does this masterfully, as later the doctor, while having rough sex with his wife, imagines his new acquaintance in her place.

Another incarnation of Magda convinces official Townsend to take advantage of the opportunity that has arisen (the death of police officers at the hands of Mexicans) and turn the road under construction into a true symbol of a bright future.

While Tiago gets closer to Molly, telling her about his dying brother, Lewis, along with several comrades (Jews, notably), goes on a stakeout of German Nazis, including the already familiar Hitler associate Richard Goss. Lewis himself, in the company of crossword enthusiast Dotty, follows a Cal Tech student to a laboratory with explosive substances (Chekhov's gun, no doubt). Their equally elderly comrades follow Goss and his partner. The hapless observers drive dangerously close to the surveillance target, for which they are punished with bullets to the forehead.

The Spirit of Santa Muerte

At the end of the episode, Maria, the mother of Raul and Tiago, tries for not the first time to summon the angel of death, Santa Muerte. It seems she succeeds again, but instead of the divine force itself, the woman notices that her son, who was lying at death's door, disappears from the bed. In the closing scene of the series, Raul appears before his mother in a rather ominous guise, and, let's be honest, this bodes no good.

A Brief Summary and Impressions of What We Saw

The first episode of the new old show was extremely rich and atmospheric. It outlined several storylines at once, and it looked mysterious and ominous, in the best traditions of that very series 'Penny Dreadful'.

The second episode, however, turned out to be quite slow, chaotic, and somewhat boring. There are still many events, but following them isn't all that interesting, and the characters, by and large, haven't shown anything new. The intrigue surrounding the Hazlett murder hasn't received proper development, and as the main driver of the plot, it still looks vague.

Supernatural elements are virtually absent in this episode; the theme of Nazism infiltrating the States looks too superficial at this stage. In short, the second episode didn't support the show's promising start and seems like treading water. We can only hope that in the next episode, John Logan (the showrunner and screenwriter of the project) and his colleagues will remember that viewers need to be entertained. Give us bread and circuses! And more interesting dialogues than the one between Tiago and Molly.

Teaser for the third episode:

Did you like the second episode? What do you think Magda is really up to? What do you think happened to Raul?