Rewatched the first season today (as there's a marathon on). I liked this show immensely when I first saw it, and while it may lack in truly original ideas, it makes up for that all with tremendous characters and world design. Eva Green's Vanessa Ives steals this show as a woman with psychic powers who occasionally gets possessed by a (The?) devil. Sir Malcolm recruits Vanessa as well as Victor Frankenstein and Mr. Chandler to help him track down his daughter Mina and the master vampire that took her.
In short: this show is what would happen if a quality adaption of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen were ever made. The pacing is slower (this helps the show feel less modern, IMO), but the shocking moments don't suffer for it. There's a rich back story developed among the characters (Vanessa and Sir Malcolm's relationship is probably the most complex in the series). The first season telegraphs some of its twists too much, but the show is so stylized it doesn't ruin the moments.
Also, the show is creepy. It's a Victorian horror show (the Nightmare fuel page scratches the surface). Part of the entertainment in watching is the anticipation of what new horror the show will unleash next. Everything (even an orchid in a freaking botanical garden) takes on an air of foreboding.
Series Season 1 Review
Rewatched the first season today (as there's a marathon on). I liked this show immensely when I first saw it, and while it may lack in truly original ideas, it makes up for that all with tremendous characters and world design. Eva Green's Vanessa Ives steals this show as a woman with psychic powers who occasionally gets possessed by a (The?) devil. Sir Malcolm recruits Vanessa as well as Victor Frankenstein and Mr. Chandler to help him track down his daughter Mina and the master vampire that took her.
In short: this show is what would happen if a quality adaption of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen were ever made. The pacing is slower (this helps the show feel less modern, IMO), but the shocking moments don't suffer for it. There's a rich back story developed among the characters (Vanessa and Sir Malcolm's relationship is probably the most complex in the series). The first season telegraphs some of its twists too much, but the show is so stylized it doesn't ruin the moments.
Also, the show is creepy. It's a Victorian horror show (the Nightmare fuel page scratches the surface). Part of the entertainment in watching is the anticipation of what new horror the show will unleash next. Everything (even an orchid in a freaking botanical garden) takes on an air of foreboding.