Grand Guignol is the eighth and final episode of the first season of Showtime's Penny Dreadful and the eighth episode overall.
Synopsis[]
After a vision of the Grand Guignol, Vanessa, Sir Malcolm, Ethan, Dr. Frankenstein and Sembene explore an empty theater - only to be confronted by their worst nightmares.
Plot[]
Vanessa believes the vampire nest has moved to the Grand Guignol Theatre where the Creature works. After everything that’s happened and, perhaps with Sembene’s earlier words in mind, Malcolm swears that if he can save his daughter, he will, but if not he will end her suffering. Malcolm and Vanessa plan to round up the others and attack that night. Malcolm goes to buy a new gun before he and his group invade the vampire nest. He runs into a lady friend, Madame Kali, from the seance and flirts outrageously with her. After hearing that Vanessa has recovered, Dorian makes his way over to the house. Apparently during the weeks that Vanessa was "ill" Dorian tried to come visit then went travelling, but he never fell out of infatuation with her. He tries eagerly to get in good with Vanessa since the last time they spoke she went running out the door, as is his confusion when she doesn't seem to want anything to do with him. Dorian tries again later, inviting Vanessa to that greenhouse where they had innuendo-laced conversations about flowers, and Vanessa shuts him down hard. She kindly takes the time to explain what Dorian is feeling right now, since he’s presumably never felt it before in his long, long life: rejection. Back at Ethan and Brona's apartment Brona’s condition worsens. Ethan is overcome with grief and tries to make her as comfortable as possible. He calls on Victor in hope that he can do something to help.
Later at the Grand Guignol Theatre Caliban has messed up the staging during a play rehearsal, earning the ire of the Simon the lead actor. Maud, the actress with whom Caliban is obsessed, goes to comfort him in his little mini-loft, saying she knows her boyfriend can be awful, but he makes her happy, in his way. Caliban says he believes happiness is for others, not him. Maud tells him not to hide his face from her, and gives him a friendly kiss on his head. Caliban misinterprets her feelings for him and decides to paint makeup on his face to look more alive, and tries to kiss her. Frightened, Maud rebuffs his advances, leading to Caliban slamming her violently against the wall. Caliban is fired from his job, with Vincent Brand telling him to go, even though he would rather fire Maud and keep him. He gives Caliban a hug good-bye as he ventures out into the world alone again with nowhere to go until he goes to Victor.
At first Victor intends to end the Creature's life before he hurts him or others, but then he listens to the story of loneliness, loveless and takes pity. Victor puts the gun down and tells the Creature that he can stay with him for now. Victor leaves to tend to Brona, who may die at any moment. He sends Ethan away and then suffocates Brona to death. When Ethan returns, Victor tells him that Brona had died gracefully. He then offers to see to the removal of the body once Ethan had grieved for her. After Ethan is done grieving and leaves Victor's mortuary, he is stalked all around the city by a pair employed by Ethan's father named Warren Roper and Mr. Kidd. The men have chosen the wrong day to bother Ethan, since Brona just died – Ethan gladly takes the opportunity to unleash some rage. Their first encounter, Ethan smashes their heads in and runs away.
When the team – consisting of Vanessa, Malcolm, Sembene, Ethan, and Victor arrives at the theatre and are ambushed. It takes some doing, but the team is successful in fighting the creatures back. Malcolm kills the Master Vampire and the rest of his brides die along with him. Mina appears out of nowhere to embrace her old friend Vanessa, thanking them for saving her. Before she reveals her true face: Mina has been turned into a vampire, and is now faithfully following the Dark Amun-Ra and she intends to take Vanessa with her. Malcolm shoots Mina to get her away from Vanessa. When Mina pleads with him for her life "I’m your daughter", Malcolm announces that he already has a daughter and shoots Mina dead. Later, Malcolm and Vanessa share in their grief over Mina as they embrace in his old expedition room.
Again Ethan is cornered by the same two men from earlier and this time they aren't so lucky, Ethan bends over a table, hiding his face, before partly turning into a werewolf and massacring everyone in that bar. In Victor's laboratory, Victor reveals Miss Croft to the Creature, intending to make her his bride. In the final moments of the episode, Vanessa approaches a priest in a church and asks him to perform an exorcism. The priest replies, oddly enough, that being touched by the devil makes one special, even if it is in a bad way. Vanessa asks herself the question, does she want to be like everyone else? Normal? The episode then cuts to black before she gives her answer.
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