| “ | The power of the beast is too strong. Leave this place. And never return. Or you will die. | ” |
| — Jose to Maria | ||
Hide and Seek is the eighth episode of the first season of Showtime's Penny Dreadful: City of Angels and the eighth episode of the series overall.[1]
Synopsis[]
Lewis confronts Townsend in his office and Tiago questions Adelaide, where he discovers Josefina is now a member of the Sister Molly’s congregation. Rio implores Mateo to forget his old family and embrace her and the Pachucos. Peter visits Linda at the asylum, only to find her ready for war. Townsend and Kurt go on a dangerous outing, while Peter Craft argues with members of the German American Bund. In the Craft home, Frank terrorizes Tom and Trevor as Maria fights to protect them from the demonic child.
Plot[]
The next morning in the backyard of the Craft residence, Tom is digging a hole for his pet hamster that died. Maria comes near the little boy, who hugs her tightly, asking her why things go away. She tells him that Papá Dios decides who stays and who goes. So if it’s their time to go, he sends a very special angel to take them to him. Tom, however, swears that Frank killed Friar Tuck by just looking at him. Maria tells Tom she believes him, but asks him to not repeat that statement again for his own safety. Not to Trevor and especially not to his dad; at least not yet. Maria gives Tom a necklace of a coyote and asks him to wear it and never take it off. She explains that the coyote has brought her much strength over many years. But now she will watch over Tom. Now wearing it around his neck, Tom buries Friar Tuck and hugs Maria tightly after doing so. All while Frank watches them from a distance.
At a bar, Lewis and Tiago discuss their next steps. Lewis suggests they figure out how Councilman Townsend and Miss Adelaide Finnister are connected to Hitler. Lewis wants to go and investigate Adelaide while Tiago heads to City Hall. However, Tiago believes he is better suited to go to The Temple because Miss Adelaide will likely have her guard down if it’s the spick coming in. Lewis though, says that Adelaide hates them both equally. Tiago then goes on to say that Mexicans in City Hall don’t get very far. Lewis counter it by saying that Jews haven’t fared much better either. He mentions to his partner that two more weeks, and the Nazis are gonna be marching down Spring Street round them up. He admits that this government and its dealings is like playing a game of Russian roulette because you never know who is going to get it next. Tiago suggests that right now they need to make sure it’s not them. When he then tells Lewis that he doesn’t know if they can save Los Angeles, Lewis states that they’re not trying to save her. Simply put, they’re just trying to survive it.
At City Hall, Townsend barges in Beverly Beck’s office to confront her about who will replace him after her recall. Beverly replies that this mystery woman will beat him because she is younger, better-looking, and actually wants to serve the people of Los Angeles. She also explains to Townsend that she has nothing against him, but rather the system that allows people like him to rise. She reminds him that he has no talent, no respect for governance, nor does he care about anyone but himself. Instead, what he does have is a family name. The City deserves better than Townsend. He tries to placate her by saying that they may not agree on the route that the motorway should have. But Beverly just says that he should start by calling it what it really is, which is social engineering. She is quick to say that Townsend isn’t building roads; but instead building prisons for everyone he doesn’t like, until all that’s left is rich white men who look and think exactly like him. Townsend warns her that he has some dangerous friends, but Beverly remains unperturbed. Instead, she reveals that she knows Townsend is gay and will use it against him if she has to. Because at the end of the day, old liberals like her still got a few teeth in their heads.
Townsend returns to his office and is confronted by Lewis, who asks about him and Alex having dinner with Richard Goss the night before. Lewis eventually tells Townsend that whatever game he thinks he is playing with Goss, Townsend is out of his league. Townsend asks if he is being accused of something, to which Lewis says not yet. Thus, he asks Lewis that the next time he demands his time and comes to his office, Lewis will need a legal document to do so. Lewis walks out but not before telling Townsend that they will see each other real soon. Once it’s just him and Alex, Townsend tells her to call Miss Adelaide and warn her that they’re coming for them.
Unbeknownst to him, Alex catches up to Lewis to tell the detective that Townsend knows exactly who Goss is, but he won’t give him up. Lewis asks if Townsend put her up to it, but she lies and says she would lose her head if he found out. She further reveals that Goss is from Cologne and is an architect who has been in Los Angeles for about a year. Lewis simply tells her to do better since the information she gave him is public knowledge. She apologizes and begins to walk away until Lewis stops her. He asks her what she gets out of all this. She says nothing because she already lost it all. Alex tells Lewis that her parents were in Vienna when Hitler invaded. She says that she hasn’t been able to speak to them, and doesn’t know if they’re even alive. Lewis asks Alex for her real name, and she replies that it’s Alexandra Mahler. She mentions that Townsend only knows her as Malone because she thought it sounded Irish. The two talk in Yiddish, where Lewis asks Alex to keep him informed on the times that Townsend meets with Goss.
Back at the Craft residence, Maria is out throwing the garbage when she sees Josefina waiting nearby. She apologizes to her mom for their argument the night before. Maria tells her that it’s okay, because Mexicans get mad, but it doesn’t mean anything. However, Josefina lets her mother know that she is moving out. She will now be living at the Temple. Josefina goes on to say that she wants something more out of her life. Which Maria realizes means it’s a dig at her; that she doesn’t want to only be able to work as a maid. Maria tried to talk her out of leaving, but it’s no use.
Elsa is cutting some lemons when Maria comes inside. She taunts Maria by asking her if she heard the coyote barking yesterday. She calls them such ugly little things and mentions that back in Germany, they would shoot them. Elsa then gets more vicious by saying to never let her see Maria speaking with Nexican people at their gate ever again. After all, they don’t want the neighborhood talking.
Meanwhile, Peter goes to pay Linda a visit. He brings her some yellow roses from the gift shop which are her favorite. She’s surprised he even remembers. Peter tries to make small talk, but all Linda wants to know is how her children are. Peter tells her that they’re well. She then angrily tells her cheater of an ex-husband that her hair hasn’t been washed in two weeks, and that they cut her nails so she won’t scratch her eyes out. But even worse is the fact her roommate is from Bakersfield, who has told Linda that she missed her cows. Peter then changes the subject and brings out the custody papers for the boys. He wants her to sign them, but Linda tells him that she will have her family’s lawyer take a look. Peter doesn’t think it’s all that necessary. But Linda reminds Peter she won’t be l ones up forever, and her father has some ideas on how to best litigate their domestic travails. She then tells Peter that he can keep the kids and even the house. But she vows to take his life apart when the time is right. She calls Peter a fraud, and asks him what he will do when everyone finds out what he really is. Scared at her threat, he rushes out and Linda reminds him that next time he comes, to bring a lawyer.
Elsewhere, Mateo is overwhelmed with guilt. He tells Rio that he needs to see Tiago. That he needs to tell him about Diego because the guilt is eating away at him. Mateo tells Rio that it should have been him, but she turns around and tells the young Pachuco that it had to be Diego, and is why she gave him up. That she made sure they got him to keep Mateo safe because he has something most Pachucos don’t. She asks Mateo to turn his fear into courage and make Diego’s sacrifice count. Mateo tries to leave, but Rio stops him and says that he is meant to lead them. That Mateo’s pure heart can save them, lead them out of poverty and give them a voice. Mateo admits that he doesn’t know what he is even doing. Rio comforts him by telling him to just give them all the words they need to hear so they know what to believe in. That he just needs to give them a taste of power, so they know what to want . But he also needs to give the people hope so they’ll die for him.
At the Temple, Adelaide hugs Tiago and thanks him for his work on the Hazlett case. She acts rather saccharine towards the detective as asks him to please take a seat. Tiago, doesn’t waste a second before asking her if she knows Richard Goss. She tells him that she does and refers to him as quite the elegant gentleman. Adelaide then lies to Tiago about how she met Goss by saying that the foreign man wanted to open up his heart to the Lord. Tiago mentions that Goss is Nazi, to which Adelaide acts shocked. She composes herself and tells Tiago that Jesus knows who to guide into the path, but that she had no idea. She goes on to say that she has only known Goss for a month or maybe less. But that the German man is providing the funds for her to open up a new Temple in Pasadena. Eventually, Adelaide shows Tiago where Molly is conducting some baptisms and sees her baptizing his sister.
Townsend takes Kurt to an underground, private club for same sex couples. At the private club, there are some men dancing with other men, and likewise some women dancing with other women. Kurt smiles and a few seconds later the two men hold hands. He asks Kurt if he will dance with him, and eventually the two kiss. They then go into the dance floor where they enjoy a slow dance. Kurt then tells Townsend that a place like this club wouldn’t exist in Berlin anymore. Townsend asks if Kurt has had many lovers, but rather than answering, he evades the question by saying that none of them have been like Townsend. Afterwards, he asks Kurt if he would kill Beverly for him. But before the younger man can answer, a bell rings and everyone switches to more traditional partners. It turns out to be a false alarm, but it’s used as a warning to let them know ahead of time when the Vice Squad is about to raid them. The two men get back to the topic of Beverly, with Kurt outright refusing to kill her. Townsend confesses that she knows about him being attracted to men and is using that trick to try and destroy his career. Kurt reminds him that he doesn’t work for Townsend and that he doesn’t really know what he is saying right now. Kurt reminds him that Townsend is not a killer, and if he does this, he will lose something that he will never get back. Kurt smiles as he says to Townsend that’s not the man he loves. Charlton seems to accept that answer, and the two dance cheek to cheek.
At the Temple, Molly is dying Josefina’s hair. Molly reminds Josefina that they don’t ask their followers to leave their families ever. She tries to get her to stay at home because her mother will miss her. But Josefina tells Molly that she needs this. That she’s tired of having to sneak out, of hiding and fighting with her mom about it. She feels that if she didn’t move out now, she’d just marry another Mexican, have children and only be useful when it came time to wash and clean everyone for the rest of her life.
At the Craft residence, Tom and Trevor are listening to a radio show in the living room and Maria is busy in the kitchen. Franks gives her quite a fright when he appears out of nowhere and asks her if this is what she dreamed that she’d be doing. If she saw herself cleaning toilets for the rest of her life. Maria tells Frank to go join the boys, but Frank doesn’t move. Instead he tells Maria that he knows she wanted to be a nun. But then she met her childrens’ father and had sex with him. He opens his mouth and his jaw unhinges, frightening Maria.
Meanwhile, at the German American Bund meeting, Peter is at odds with some of the members of this organization. Herman in particular asks Peter how he can defend the Jews. He reminds the others that Egbert were 100,000 Jews who fought in the German army. Herman reminds Peter that Fuehrer is intent on purifying Germany. He accuses Peter of letting the world be overturned with mongrel races. But Peter believes that they should work towards leaving their children a legacy of peace, harmony, and beauty. He does not want to leave their children a trail of blood. Herman for his part believes they should take to the radio, the streets and the shops. He wants them all to warn the Americans of what kind of people the Juden are. He wants to show America that they have a shared enemy in common and that this is all an act of patriotism. Peter counters Herman’s argument by saying that Germans also have one thing he forgot to mention and that is self-control. In other words, facts and logic over emotion are part of their Germanic soul. He further argues that all that Herman has just said in regards to war and the Jews is filled with rage. He doesn’t believe that’s a worthy emotion of any man; much less a German one. Elsa also steps in to defend Peter and reminds Herman that Fuehren is Austrian, not German.
At his apartment, Tiago is shining his shoes when he hears some knocking at his door. He opens it, only to find Molly on the other side of the door. He lets her in, but immediately tells her that she should have told him because that’s his baby sister. She promises to take care of Josefina, but Tiago is still angry. Molly admits that she couldn’t betray Josefina’s trust. But Tiago lashes out at her and says to her that his family doesn’t need Molly. That he can take care of his baby sister. She yells at her to leave, but she doesn’t budge. The two eventually talk from afar realizing that their relationship is never going to work. He asks her to leave once more, but instead she gets closer to him. She tells him that she really needs for whatever they have to be real, but as she walks away, he grabs her hand and the two kiss.
On the car ride home, Elsa tells Peter that Herman is right about everything but admits she defended him because she couldn’t sit there and let him talk to Peter like he did. Peter points out that he can speak for himself, but Elsa scoffs. She tells him that she was embarrassed for him. Elsa confesses that she needs a new life where she’s not weak or frightened. She continues her speech by spewing how she will fight for her freedom and for her country. She asks if Peter is strong enough to take care of her and Frank. Peter realizes they see things differently because to him, being German does not mean marching with Hitler. He wants peace for Germany and for America. He angrily stops the car when Elsa taunts him by asking where his pride is. He tells her that his pride is in what he does for his family and for her, and for the children he helps as a doctor. That his pride is not in the Fatherland and isn’t in his name either. He confesses that he comes from a legacy of death and destruction. Once he explains more, he admits that his actual last name is Krupp. That his family’s factories have served as Germany’s armorers for 400 years. For centuries the Krupp dynasty has made blades and bullets and the cannons for all the wars at their factories. That right now in fact, Krupp is busy making panzer tanks and Stuka five-bombers for Hitler. He finishes it all by saying that they sell death to the world and always have. He explains that in the war, he saw what those machines his family built could really do. He admits that he never truly escaped his family’s legacy, but that he won’t embrace it either.
In the kitchen of the Craft Residence, Maria is washing the dishes when she notices the water in the sink turning an all encompassing blood red color. From the living room, Tom yells out to her and when she gets there Trevor and Tom are one side, and Frank on the other. He angrily asks what is that multiple times in reference to the coyote necklace Maria gave Tom earlier that day. Frank then makes eye contact with Maria, shortly before the electricity goes out. Thus shrouding them in darkness. Tom yells out for Maria again, but she asks the boys to not move as she searches for a flashlight. She calls out to Tom and Trevor but doesn’t immediately find them. Instead, Frank plays tricks on her and scares her enough for her to drop the flashlight. A few seconds later, Tom screams for Maria again but when she rushes to where she heard his voice, there’s no one there.
When she goes inside of Tom's room, the door shuts, and she gets trapped there. A figure steps out from the shadows and it appears to be her deceased husband. She asks Jose what he is doing there and he says that it’s because of the blessed Santa Muerte that he is with her. He tells her how proud he is of her and at how well she protected their house. Maria admits that there’s a malignant force at work in the Craft residence and asks her husband how she can help them. But the person she thinks is Jose answers that there is nothing she can do. That unfortunately, the power of the beast is much too strong. He pleads with her to leave this house and never return, otherwise she will die. Instead of listening, she admits that as an old woman, she should know more than she currently does. But two things she knows: her husband would never tell her to run away and that the beast can take many forms. The beast then taunts Maria by showing her how Jose screamed as it killed him. Maria screams in return and the kettle whistles as she’s brought back to her previous place at the sink washing the dishes. Frank knocks the kettle and puts his hand straight on the fire from the stove. He screams, just as Elsa and Peter arrive back home. Elsa angrily asks Maria what she did, and Peter stays silent.
Back at Tiago’s apartment, he and Molly are laying in his bed after having sex, when someone knocking at his door wakes him up. It turns out to be Lewis who barges inside and sees that Molly is there too. Lewis asks Tiago to meet him downstairs because there’s something important he needs Tiago's help for. Once the older detective leaves , Molly asks Tiago if he thinks Lewis will tell anyone. But all Tiago says is who cares as he kisses her goodbye.
Elsa wants Peter to fire Maria for what happened to Frank. Peter tells her that he can’t afford to fire her. Elsa counters it by saying that they can’t afford to lose a child. Peter reminds her that it was an accident, and Frank was only burned and that it wasn’t Maria’s fault. Undeterred, Elsa continues by saying that Maria was supposed to be looking after them and now because of this accident, she doesn’t know if she can trust the Mexican woman. Elsa admits that she doesn’t need Peter Craft, but instead needs Peter Krupp. Their argument gets interrupted when Maria announces that she will be going home tonight. She apologizes for what happened, but Peter tells her it’s fine and to not worry. Elsa however insists that they need to talk to her about something, and it cannot wait. But rather than fire her, Peter instead gives her a five dollar raise. Maria doesn’t think it’s necessary, but Peter insists because his family could not survive without her.
Downstairs, Lewis tells Tiago that Townsend is up to his neck in whatever it is that Richard Goss is planning. He mentions that there was a big map of the new motorway in his office. Tiago also recalls that Miss Adelaide has one of those maps in her office too. Thus, their working theory right now is that the two must be working together to build the motorway. More importantly, when he did some research on Via Hermosa, he found a lot of dummy paperwork and she’ll companies. They realize that The Nazis, City Hall, the Temple and the motorway all add up to the future of Los Angeles. Thus, Lewis promises they break into the Via Hermosa offices and see if they can find any evidence that will connect everything. However, just as they’re about to get in the car, someone begins to shoot at them.
Cast[]
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Trivia[]
- Patti LuPone, who previously portrayed Joan Clayton and Dr. Florence Seward in the original Penny Dreadful series, makes a surprise appearance as the vocalist in the private club Townsend takes Kurt to.
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