When a grisly murder shocks Los Angeles in 1938, Detective Tiago Vega and his partner Lewis Michener become embroiled in an epic story that reflects the troubled history of the city.
After watching the original “Penny Dreadful,” I was bummed when it ended after only three seasons as I felt there were still many avenues the show could have continued down but when the show’s creator, John Logan, announced a spin-off series titled “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels,” and that it would take place in America, I was excited to see it but after viewing the first season, I was disillusioned, to say the least. While the original show dealt with the supernatural and 19th-century British and Irish Gothic figures, such as Dracula, Dorian Gray, Mina Harker, Abraham Van Helsing, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I felt that “City of Angels” could resurrect some legendary creatures from American folklore, like Bigfoot, Mothman, the Enfield Monster, Goatman, and the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp. The possibilities were endless so imagine my surprise, and disappointment, when “City of Angels” turned out to be nothing more than a 1930s noir crime drama, with a hint of the supernatural.
It takes place in 1938, 50 years after the original show, and begins with the grisly murder of a family found dead in the L.A. River. It is assigned to the LAPD’s first Chicano detective, Tiago Vega (Daniel Zovatto), and his Jewish partner Lewis Michener (Nathan Lane). The deaths suggest the family were killed in a Mexican ritual and Tiago and Lewis must move forward cautiously as a large number of white people and especially the LAPD in the Los Angeles and surrounding areas, hold the Chicano community in contempt, and with racial tensions mounting, a riot could break out at any moment. As the two men begin their investigation, they discover a plan by councilman Charlton Townsend (Michael Gladis), to erect California’s first freeway, which will run directly through Tiago’s neighborhood of Belvedere Heights, displacing many Chicanos who live there, including his mother Maria (Adriana Barraza), sister Josefina (Jessica Garza), and two brothers, Mateo (Johnathan Nieves) and Raul (Adam Rodriguez).
Lewis unearths evidence that a German architect, Richard Goss (Thomas Kretschmann), who is also an agent for the Third Reich, is colluding with Charlton Townsend to help build the freeway, with more planned for construction later on. Goss is convinced that Hitler and his army will invade and eventually reign over the United States as he employs a young American scientist, Brian Koenig (Kyle McArthur), who is designing a better V2 rocket engine, and during the process, also discovers how to build a nuclear bomb. Tiago’s investigation of the murder case takes him to the Joyful Voices Ministry, where it is run by Adelaide Finnister (Amy Madigan), and her daughter Molly Finnister (Kerry Bishé), a charming and alluring radio evangelist. Tiago and Molly slowly fall for each other and start a romance that they have to keep secret as a relationship between a white girl and a Chicano man, would be frowned upon, especially by Molly’s overbearing and domineering mother.
In the midst of everything that is going on, we are introduced to Magda (Natalie Dormer), a supernatural demon that can inhabit any human form she wants, and her sister Santa Muerte (Lorenza Izzo), an angel who helps people, protects them and then takes them to the afterlife when they pass away. Both angel and hellion have been fighting a war for centuries and Magda is ready for the world to destroy itself, once and for all, stating that “All mankind needs to be the monster he truly is, is being told he can,” and proceeds to take on various human forms to help her vision become a reality. She appears as Alex Malone, councilman Charlton Townsend’s political aide, as Rio, a prominent member of the Pachuco gang who are on the verge of starting an all-out war with the LAPD, and as Elsa Branson, a German woman who seduces a German doctor, Peter Craft (Rory Kinnear), the leader of the German American Federation who lives in an upper-class suburb of Los Angeles and who has a checkered past as a Nazi. Even though her personas are different, her agenda is the same: to decimate the world by whispering into each of her companion’s ears, exactly what they want to hear and give them exactly what they want so she can prove that they are all monsters, unworthy of compassion and empathy.
When Tiago takes Molly to a local Chicano dance bar, he realizes that his mother and sister and two brothers just happen to be there as well and as they have all conflicted with each other over the course of the show, they finally make amends and have a pleasant evening with each other, dancing and drinking and telling stories. When Rio, one of Magda’s personalities, who has tried so hard to tear the family apart, sees them coming together, stronger than ever, she instigates the Pachuco gang into a huge brawl with locals and the LAPD, and the Vega family are put to one final test. As all the intertwined stories conclude, Magda and Santa Muerte face off against each other, waiting to see how all involved will deal with the persecution and oppression that they face.
“Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” misses the mark completely. As a fan of the original series, I expected more of the same, after all, when “Penny Dreadful” is inserted into the title, you can’t help but expect certain elements and narratives that were the embodiment of the previous show to materialize and when they don’t, it becomes frustrating when you realize it’s nothing like its predecessor. I gave it three stars because as a 1930s noir drama, it succeeds. They might as well have taken “Penny Dreadful” out of the title and completely removed any and all supernatural references, then the show might have been better received. The acting, for the most part, is admirable with Nathan Lane and Natalie Dormer stealing the show. Lane’s haggard and gruff Lewis, who is tired of all the bullshit going on within the police department, and on the streets themselves, is engaging yet sympathetic. He takes Tiago on as his partner when nobody else will, simply because he is Chicano. Natalie Dormer exudes menace and detestation, having to pretend to be a good person just so she can get inside the heads of her companions, and when they occasionally disagree with her opinion or recommendation, she sinks to new levels of depravity, just to get them back on track.
The setting and locales of 1930s Los Angeles are impeccable and the best attribute of the entire show. The overall look and ambiance transports you back to 1938 and sometimes makes you yearn for simpler times, although the show makes it perfectly clear that much of what we’re experiencing today, specifically racial tensions, was very much a part of that timeframe too. While the finale wraps up many elements brought to light during its season and sets up season two, Showtime recently announced that it would not be renewing the series, and a big part of that, I feel, is that it resembled very little to its predecessor, and that is what people were looking for with this new iteration. If you are expecting the scares and excitement of “Penny Dreadful,” you will be sorely disappointed, but if you want a good old fashioned 1930s noir crime drama, then you will be pleasantly surprised.
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