Showtime's Penny Dreadful has been exploring the dark recesses of Victorian London for five weeks now, blending the supernatural in its complicated exploration of good and evil.

Penny Dreadful Explores 'Space Between Life and Death' On Showtime?

In last Sunday's episode, Closer Than Sisters, the showrunners elected to tell the story behind the mysterious Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) entirely through flashback. This gave insight into her upbringing, as well as the challenges she faced within herself.

Creator John Logan has admitted that Ms. Ives's struggles are both "supernatural" and "psychological." In shaping the episode, he believed that her portrayal was crucial.

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"It was important not to create a victim," explained Logan. "She has to be complicit in the wickedness that's a part of her."

Delving deep into the darkness of Ms. Ives's mind, Logan added that "it was great uncharted water for us to explore how does Vanessa manifest her demons" and ultimately the episode represents the battle for "the soul of Vanessa Ives."

As the series returns to the present for this week's upcoming episode, What Death Can Join Together, the inner workings of the different characters will continue to be explored. Will Ms. Ives be saved?

An overarching theme for Penny Dreadful includes the divide between life and death, as well the dark secrets that isolate people. Everyone on the show has a secret, from Ives's "wickedness" to Frankenstein's Caliban.

Earlier in the season, Ms. Ives claimed that they had all "been brutalized by loss" and that it had "made them brutal in return." With such brutality embedded in the bones of this narrative, can anyone on the show truly find happiness?

Penny Dreadful airs on Showtime Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

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Penny Dreadful, Showtime