Three ‘Penny Dreadful’ Clips Foretell A Call To War [Video]

Warning: This article may contain spoilers for Penny Dreadful.

There’s little doubt that Penny Dreadful has been headed for an all-or-nothing kind of season finale with the souls and the lives of Penny Dreadful‘s most beloved heroes hanging in the balance. Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) has been chased from her home to take refuge with Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) in the Cut Wife’s house, while Evelyn Poole (Helen McCrory) has been clutching Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton) more firmly in her grasp with each calculated move. Meanwhile, Dr. Frankenstein has been enthralled by his latest creation, unwitting to the secret alliance formed between his two creations and the plot they had begun to hatch in the last moments of last week’s Penny Dreadful.

To say that Vanessa’s allies have been stretched thin in Penny Dreadful‘s latest episodes would be an understatement of the facts to be sure, but it seems the next episode of Penny Dreadful will see their allegiances reaffirmed in “And Hell Itself My Only Foe,” the ninth episode to air in this season of Penny Dreadful.

It seems that, after weeks of cowardice and deception, Ferdinand Lyle (Simon Russell Beale) is finally going to come clean about his betrayals and stand beside Vanessa, Ethan, Sembene, and Frankenstein in their battle for Sir Malcolm’s soul. Can Lyle be trusted?

“No one here is above guilt, Mr. Lyle,” says Vanessa, setting the issue to rest, seemingly for all time.

Meanwhile, Evelyn seems faced with treachery on all sides. Even after facing the loss of the spying Mr. Lyle, Ms. Poole still faces a not-unforeseen betrayal coming from her own daughter, Hecate (Sarah Greene). There still seems to be a fragment of respect (or possibly fear) that has kept Hecate in line, but, as can be gleaned from this Penny Dreadful clip, it may not be long before Evelyn loses the last bit of Hecate’s loyalty.

Realizing that keeping herself secreted away has only forestalled the inevitable, Vanessa makes the decision to return with her comrades in the hope that it is not too late to reclaim Sir Malcolm’s soul and spare him whatever fate Evelyn has in store for him. It seems as though this episode of Penny Dreadful could not have a more apt title, if Evelyn Poole could be said to be the personification of Hell.

Penny Dreadful‘s “And Hell Itself My Only Foe” seems to be a preamble to a war that can still spell victory for either side and it may be likely that Penny Dreadful fans will see one or more of their favorite characters fall in that battle. One thing is certain, John Clare and Lily Frankenstein will have a part to play, either for good or for ill, and it may be their own actions that change the outcome of the battle.

Penny Dreadful airs Sunday nights on Showtime.

[Featured image courtesy of Showtime/Penny Dreadful]