Penny Dreadful: City of Angels 1×08 Review – ‘Hide and Seek’

With only two more episodes left in the first season of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, ‘Hide and Seek’ gave us a couple of reveals. Here’s hoping everything comes to a satisfying conclusion down the line.

After Maria banished Magda from her house, I was looking forward to seeing how Maria would deal with Magda (as Elsa) in Peter Craft’s house. I have to say that the child actor playing Magda’s demonic child, Frank, is doing an amazing job. I loved seeing Frank try and get under Maria’s skin. Through Frank, we got to know that Maria once dreamed of becoming a nun, but then she got married and began a family.

Not willing to leave Peter’s two sons alone with Frank, Maria’s doing what’s possible to keep them safe. The moment she gave Tom her coyote talisman, I feared for life. However, ‘Hide and Seek’ allowed Maria to survive her encounter with Frank. I’m a fan of Maria, and I would like her to remain a part of this series. Her latest ordeal with Magda was emotionally jarring (she was forced to see a version of her husband burn to death in front of her), but if anyone can continue fighting Magda, it’s Maria.

Moving on to the rest of the story, if you have been following my reviews, you would know that I wanted Peter’s wife to play a bigger role in the narrative. ‘Hide and Seek’ gave me what I wanted. Linda didn’t surrender when Peter came to her with paperwork giving him full custody of their children. She knows the secrets that Peter’s hiding and I hope we get to see more of her.

As for one of Peter’s secrets, well, it turns out he’s from the Krupp family. According to our good sis Google, the Krupp family has a long-running legacy. They’re famous for producing ammunition, artillery, etc. The reason behind Peter hiding his true identity is that he doesn’t want to cause more wars.

I was surprised to learn he’s all about peace and doesn’t want to follow what Hitler’s been preaching. I’m looking forward to seeing if Magda will be able to convince him to join Hitler. Peter already refused to fire Maria, even though Magda wanted her out of the house. Will Magda kill Peter if he continues to not listen to her? Let’s see.

Magda’s control over Mateo also seems to be wavering. Apparently, she wants Mateo to lead the Pachucos. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mateo’s storyline is one of the main narratives in the second season. I say this because I don’t think Mateo’s current plot thread can be handled well in just two more episodes, considering the rest of the stuff that needs to be concluded. The same goes for whatever Josefina seems to be up to.

As for Molly and Santiago’s relationship, it’s clear Santiago isn’t going to leave her. It’s not the best decision, but I can kind of see where he’s coming from. I still don’t trust Molly, though. With the Temple working with Goss, I think Molly knows or suspects he’s a Nazi. She also didn’t tell Santiago about how Josefina has been coming to the Temple. I don’t know, y’all. Santiago continuing to give her the benefit of the doubt is not a good look.     

Coming to Charlton Townsend in ‘Hide and Seek,’ he stormed into Councilwoman Beck’s office to threaten her because she wanted him replaced. I laughed when Beck told Charlton to calm down and that closeted queer people shouldn’t threaten others. It’s understandable she doesn’t like him because he only cares about himself instead of looking out for the city. 

For a while now, the show’s been hinting at Charlton asking Kurt to kill Beck, and the latest episode showed him making said request. After taking Kurt to an underground queer establishment (complete with a singing Patti LuPone), Charlton shared that Beck needed to go. I wasn’t expecting Kurt to refuse Charlton. I liked how Kurt explained that Charlton’s not a murderer and how Kurt definitely didn’t fall in love with that particular version of him.

Again, I feel like the current show is moving toward giving Kurt and Charlton some kind of a redemption arc. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kurt ends up dead as part of his redemption arc. Magda is definitely not going to be happy if Charlton refuses to do what she wants him to. Also, we’re yet to meet Charlton’s father even though he’s been brought up numerous times now.  

‘Hide and Seek’ closed with Santiago and Lewis realizing that they’re in danger. I have no idea who shot at them.

Anyway, here’s to hoping we get an enjoyable season finale and Showtime renews Penny Dreadful: City of Angels for another season.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary