Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (Ep. 1)
Pupule rating: 3.4 (out of 4)
Showtime
I’ve never seen the original Penny Dreadful series, but I’ll catch up on that eventually. I toyed with the idea of seeing that first, but I didn’t want to wait. Period-piece shows are always interesting to look at for at least one episode, and the storyline here is fairly predictable. Original? Maybe.
I never read or heard about a Nazi undercurrent in pre-WWII Los Angeles, long before the major transportation arteries were built. The plan to build a major highway through a Mexican neighborhood rang a bell. It was Chavez Ravine that was pure Chicano before the city build Dodger Stadium there, displacing hundreds of families.
Netflix seems to have, at least in my limited viewing as a new subscriber, a core of stories that involve good versus evil in tangible ways. Showtime hasn't lit my fire lately, but this is a good re-entry point, maybe. There’s a fine line here connecting to Twilight Zone-ish sensibilities. Race war? Political shenanigans? Abusive police force? Or just two supernatural forces at work?
The final shot of episode one is a winner. Over the top? Maybe a little, like the riot and chaos of the final scene, but I’ll take it.
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