On The Box This Week

Warning-TV Spoilers Ahead!

If there is one thing I hate its double bill finales!
Not extra long finales what I mean is when a channel shows the last two episodes of a show together and that's what Sky Atlantic done this week with Penny Dreadful.
So I Sky Plus the two episodes and watched them on two different evenings. I like to try process what has happened in each episode and enjoy the two separate episodes, so I will review both episodes individually.
In episode 8 The Perpetual Dark, a fog/mist has descended on London and as Sir Malcolm, Ethan, and Kaetenay arrive a lone dock worker tells them to get back on the ship and go far from this ghost town. The unholy fog has killed many of London's residents and we know our hero's are not going to stop until they find Vanessa, soon they are joined by Catriona and Dr Seward.
The scene stealer in this episode was Billy Pipper as Lily as Frankenstein battles with whether or not to use the serum on her. Lily gives her heartbreaking reason as to why she doesn't want her pain to be took away. She doesn't want to lose memories however heartbreaking of her baby daughter who died as an infant. In the meantime Dorian clears his house of the band of fallen women Lily has recruited, Justine tells him she would rather die they go back to the life she lived, a wish Dorian grants her. John Clare's happy ever after doesn't last very long as his son dies and his wife demands he takes him to Frankenstein to be reborn. He pleas with his wife not to make there son suffer the same faith as he did, she tells him leave with there dead son to go to Frankenstein or don't return at all.
The big reveal was that Kaetenay is also a werewolf and was the one who turned Ethan. I have to be honest and say I guessed this from the start, also this big reveal lacked a little as it didn't have the big impact of waiting another week to see what happened next.
 Vanessa was absent for this episode, I enjoyed the fact that she was absent as it build suspense to see her in the final.
The finale was called The Blessed Dark Lily arrives back at Dorian's house where Dorian explains he no longer can feel any emotions good or bad. Lily had made him feel something for a while but a lifetime out living his loved ones has left him numb. The last scene between these two was beautifully shot, with Dorian's paintings surrounding him, as she walks away from him for the last time. He stands in the window and tells her You will be back, and I'll be here....I'll always be here.
It was poignant scene which highlights the true loneliness and sadness of Dorian. I thought this was a fitting last scene for Dorian for all his charm and confidence, he is a man who can no long see the passion in life as he continues to outlive everyone around him. Lily's final scenes felt a little rushed for me with her storyline ended with her no longer needing men she strides out of Dorian's home without looking back.
Frankenstein who saved his humanity by letting Lily go, says goodbye to his friend Dr Jekyll and bumps into the gang looking for Vanessa and agrees to help them. I was slightly disappointed in the Dr Jekyll storyline a very good actor who was slightly underused this season, but then there was so much else going on. I would of liked another season to flesh out his character, we never got to really see how his serum worked, and each episode I was waiting to see him use it on himself, alas that never happened but I did  like the twist of how he comes Mr Hyde!
Dr Seward finds out through Renfield where Dracula and his vampires are and the battle ground is set for its final battle. I did enjoy the action scenes near the end of the episode, Patti LuPone and Perdita Weeks have been a delighted to watch and added to the strong group battle scenes. It is a shame that we didn't get to see more of these characters. Ethan's journey across this show has been to accept himself, as a person who has done awful things but also as the wolf who has done awful things. He accepted his wolf Father this episode but also accepted what he had to do to bring this good versus evil war to an end. As a show that has always been based around Vanessa and her battle against the evil that haunts her, it was a shame we didn't see much of her this episode briefly with Dracula all dressed in black at the start of the episode and then at the end dressed all in white. I would of liked to have seen more of her relationship with Dracula and to know what the relationship was to each other. The ending was heartbreaking as the wolf knows he alone has to release Vanessa from the arms of darkness and into the arms of heaven. These scenes mixed with the scenes of John Clare giving his son a water burial was heartbreaking and brought tears to my eyes. Seeing John Clare so heartbroken about not only the death of his son but also Vanessa, as he hid at her graveside until everyone was gone and wept while his character narrated the poem Intimations of Immortality. Actually see THE END appear on the screen also felt a little heartbreaking as we say goodbye to this amazing show. While I felt it was a little rushed towards the end, I will really miss this show, fantastic actors, amazing scripts and beautifully shot goodbye Penny Dreadful you will be missed.

Outlander is another show that is wrapping up lose ends with only two episodes left in it's current run but at least I can be happy with the knowledge that it has been renewed for two more seasons!
This episode was written for TV by the actual author Diana Gabaldon and it was a great episode that started to wrap up some of the storylines of the season.
The highlanders are camped in North England at a cross roads with lack of men to carry on to London they are forced to turn back, a thing that Jamie or Prince Charles do not want to do.
Jamie tells Claire the news and they more or less both know history will not be changed as they hoped as the Officers outnumbered Charles and Jamie and they start the long journey back to Lallybroch for the Winter.
The most beautiful scene in this episode and took straight from the book was when Claire is sleeping and Jamie says a pray in Gaelic over her. I really loved this scene quiet moments like this are sometimes forgotten when adapting a book to screen and I am really glad it was kept in.
Dougal tells Jamie that have been banished by the officers due to Jamie's influence on the Prince, the Prince and others have left for Inverness while Jamie and his highlanders make there way to Lallybroch. They never get there because a group of English soldiers start to fire at them, they take shelter in a church but are soon surrounded. Poor Rupert is having a hell of a time, lost his friend and now his eye as he is shot in the eye, Claire saves him and give his an eye patch!
The redcoats soon surround the church and treat to set the thatch roof on fire with no other option Claire pretends that the Scots have her prisoner and bargains herself for there freedom.
Poor Jamie and Fergus don't want her to leave, Jamie especially as he is nervous he will not get her back.
Claire and the redcoats arrive at a small tavern for the night when she see Jamie's beggar friend Hugo Murno where she is able to leave a message with him for Jamie. Where the redcoats bring Claire is no other than the wealsey Duke of Sandringham's estate! He sets a trap for Claire and she quickly falls for it believing every word he says. It also turns out the sweet little Mary Hawkins is the Duke's Goddaughter and staying with the Duke until he finds a suitor for her. Claire notices a birthmark on the Dukes servants hand and immediately knows he was one of the men who attacked and raped Mary back in Paris. The Duke reveals that it was the now dead Le Comte who wanted Claire murdered but the Duke bargained with him just to have her raped but Mary got caught in the crossfire. If I didn't already dislike him I really now hated him!!
Claire asks Mary to help her as she now knows Jamie is heading straight into a trap, but Mary says she is too frighted annoyed Claire heads to the kitchen to escape herself. The damn Duke has decided to have a bite to eat and is in the kitchen himself. Mary who has got over her fright also heads to the kitchen but is ordered back to bed, but runs to the front door and tells Hugo Muro that its a trap.
Suddenly Jamie bursts in and all hell breaks lose!! Claire tells Jamie and Murtagh that the servant is the rapist from Paris and it was all The Dukes doing, Mary listening to all this cracks and stabs the servant to death. Murtagh then chops the Duke's head off and lays it a Mary's feet, Mary being very cool about the whole thing suggests they leave!
Wow there was alot going on in this episode but I really enjoyed it and am also sad that there is only two episodes left this season!

Another of my favourite shows ended it's season run this week it was of course Game of Thrones.
This show knows how to go out with a bang literally!
While I wasn't a fan of some of the story arc's this season, and how some of the smaller characters have been forgotten, I cannot deny that this was a cracker of a finale, with shocks and twists I didn't expect.
The slow, elegant first ten minutes of the episode while accompanied by a beautiful piece of music slowly build to an amazing piece of television. Love her or hate her this was Cersei's episode just as last season's final episode was about her downfall and shame this was about her rise and power. As King's Landing was getting ready for the trail of the century, Cersei calmly dressed and drank wine. The high families gathered in the Great Sept along with the Faith Miltant and The High Sparrow. Loras admits to his sins and it looks as the trial is more or less over but then Margaery reminds The High Sparrow that neither Cersei or Tommen are there yet. She knows there is something wrong and The High Sparrow all too late also knows it. We soon realize that this is something Cersei has been planning for a long time. As she has anyone who has every wronged her killed, Grand Master Pycelle was the first to go by the hands of what used to be Vary's little birds. Then as her cousin and Jamie's stand in Lancel is lead down into a cellar under the city where there is hundreds of barrels of wildfire ready to blow and blow it does wiping out half the cast in it's process! Everyone in the Great Sept goes up in flames, The High Sparrow, Lancel, Loras, Kevan Lannister, Mace and my favourite Margaery all gone!
The scene I found the most moving was surprisingly when Tommen looked on in horror as the Sept burned realizing that his wife is dead he calmly took off his crown and jumped to his death. In a poignant silent scene for a character that never had his own voice, a puppet king who was used by everyone around him, and never given the chance to grown or make his own choices. I found it quite heartbreaking and moving. Cersei on the other hand has turned to the ash she has caused and didn't seem at all moved by the death of her last child, now she really has nothing to lose.
In the North Jon tells Sansa they must trust each other as they have enough enemies, Sansa agrees but later when Littlefinger talks to her he plans seeds of doubt in her head. I know everyone hates Littlefinger but he is actually one of my favourites in the show and a character I love to hate. He did open his heart to Sansa and told her his main aim in life is to be on the Iron Throne and he will not stop till he is. So later when Jon is announced The White Wolf and The King In The North Sansa looks at Littlefinger and we are not sure if she is feeling afraid for her brother or wanting to be Queen herself?!
We also saw Bran have a vision and it confirmed what fans have been saying for years. Ned Stark is not Jon's Father but his Uncle, as we saw Ned sister's Lyanna dying in childbirth and asking Ned to take her child as Robert will surely kill it. So it confirms that Rhaegar Targaryen is his father although we didn't hear everything that Lyanna said to Ned.
Meanwhile Jamie does his best to seem somewhat comfortable in the presence of the Freys, which isn't working as we can tell he wants to be anywhere but there!! Re-watching the scene where he and Walder Frey are talking about being honorable and the future I was paying close attention to the servant girl.
Which was the most shocking scene for me turns out to be Arya, later in the episode she kills the Frey sons and bakes them in a pie to serve to Walder and then quickly slit his throat!
Olenna The Queen of Thorns escaped the fiery death thanks to her Granddaughter who told her to leave King Landing a few episodes ago, is in Dorne makes alliances with the Sand Snakes to bring Cersei down.
Back in Kings Landing Cersei as named herself Queen and makes her entrance in the Throne room just a Jamie arrives back. I am guessing by the look he throws her, he isn't happy that she has burned most of Kings Landing to the ground and there last remaining child is dead. I think this may be the last straw for Jamie and he will finally see Cersei for what she is.
So we come to Daenerys who done what we all wished she would do seasons ago but I guess she had to buy her time before she left Meereen. She quickly dumps Daario, names Tyrion hand of the Queen and with her alliances with the Greyjoys, Dorne, Tyrells, Dothraki and Unsullied set sail for Westros.
In a beautiful shot final scene which gave me goosebumps, we see thousands upon thousands of ships and Daenerys three dragons stretch out across the ocean. Westros is not going to know what has hit it when she arrives!!