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Recap / Penny Dreadful S 1 E 5 Closer Than Sisters

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Vanessa, through a letter to Mina, relates their backstory. The Ives and Murray families were neighbors and friends, to the point where Vanessa and Mina were considered closer than sisters, and it was accepted as a foregone conclusion that Vanessa would marry Mina's frail brother Peter. As a young girl, Vanessa caught Malcolm and her mother having an affair. Although she kept it a secret, she says the experience led her to embrace her dark side, culminating in seducing Mina's fiancé the night before their wedding. The families severed ties after this, the strain of which caused Vanessa's clairvoyance and mediumship to manifest. She was committed to an asylum, an experience which left her mostly catatonic. Vanessa recovered with the assistance of an evil spirit that took Malcolm's form. Sometime later, Vanessa encountered Mina, who forgave her for her transgression, but revealed that she had already been kidnapped by the master vampire. This inspired Vanessa to seek out Malcolm and begin their search.

Tropes:

  • Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted completely by Vanessa. When she is hurt/possessed, you know it, and the effects are visible after the incident.
  • Bedlam House: Vanessa was sent to one in an attempt to cure her mysterious illness.
  • Big Fancy House: The Iveses' and the Murrays' family houses.
  • Bilingual Bonus: Malcolm and Sembene have a short exchange in Swahili.
  • Calling the Old Man Out:
    • Vanessa lays into Malcolm for how hypocritical he is, claiming she doesn't understand blood and evil when she's been possessed by a demon and thrown into an asylum, and that her darkness isn't going to leave when they find Mina.
    • In a brief moment earlier in the episode, Vanessa's mother is shaming her for her encounter with Charles and Vanessa points out how hypocritical this is.
  • Coitus Uninterruptus: Vanessa gets caught having sex with Mina's fiancé, but Vanessa just stares at her as she continues.
  • Continuity Nod: While wandering through the maze, Vanessa sings "The Unquiet Grave," which is the same song she sings while possessed by Peter in "Séance."
  • Origins Episode: For Vanessa.
  • Pseudo-Romantic Friendship: Mina and Vanessa before the betrayal. They are inseparable and are even seen sleeping in the same bed, and it's implied that Vanessa didn't want Mina to marry because it would mean losing her.
  • Traumatic Haircut: In the asylum, Vanessa's hair is cut short so she can be trepanned.
  • Truth in Television: How mentally ill patients were treated back then.
  • Whole Episode Flashback: The entire episode consists of Vanessa's memories as recounted in an unsent letter to Mina.

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