reviews
Penny Dreadful: Two Seasons of Soulful, Gothic Horror
It is a mashup of various well-known and obscure literary characters (drawing many comparisons to The League of Extraordinary Gentleman) and often suffers in its plotting, but it is an undeniably entertaining show.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
Penny dreadful: a pejorative term used to describe cheap popular serial literature produced in 19th Century Britain with subject matter focusing on the sensational exploits of detectives, criminals, or supernatural entities.
Penny Dreadful: a Showtime series drawing upon many characters from 19th Century Irish and British fiction dealing with the sensational exploits of detectives, criminals, and supernatural entities.
Penny Dreadful is in no way a perfect show. It is a mashup of various well-known and obscure literary characters (drawing many comparisons to The League of Extraordinary Gentleman) and often suffers in its plotting, but it is an undeniably entertaining show. It serves up the Gothic horror in excess and in a fun way and is filled with performances that vary from frightening to dreary to camp.
The first season began with hardened explorer Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) and enigmatic and mysterious Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) on the quest to find Murray’s daughter Mina who has been abducted by demonic vampires. They assemble a team of very different and unlikely companions in their quest, including brash American sharpshooter Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), arrogant genius Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), and Murray’s mysterious ally Sembene (Danny Sapani). They form a team of people with each one holding their own secrets and demons brought together to fight off supernatural entities that threaten Victorian London.
If it hasn’t become clear in my previous articles, I am most interested in shows and movies that are less about plot and more about characters, and this show is no exception to that. Penny Dreadful gets away with its plotting problems through its exploration of compassion, pain, discovery, and its examination of this “found family.”
The reason that it succeeds in the way that it does has to do with the differences in the acting styles of the team, which unexpectedly works much like how those in a real family have their own differences and nuances. Dalton tends to underplay a lot of his character’s emotional reactions, though his eyes reflect just how much torment and pain lies within him, all fitting with his role as hardened explorer looking for redemption. Hartnett, who has been pretty absent from Hollywood lately, plays Chandler as the tough guy he was hired to be, but hints at the darker secrets of his character and has his fair share of tender moments with his romantic interest, Brona, and ally, Vanessa. Treadaway plays up the young doctor’s arrogance as well as his struggle with the demons that came with creating Caliban as his creature returns to stir up trouble for him. Sapani, in a very mysterious and quietly powerful role, plays Sembene as very reserved, and his eyes tell that he knows much more than he is letting on.
The true spectacle, though, comes in the form of French actress Eva Green, who has been quietly making a name for herself in English-language films like Casino Royale, Dark Shadows, 300: Rise of an Empire, and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (she’s often the best part of all her films, even when they are critical and commercial flops). Here she gives a truly bravura performance, completely inhabiting the character of Vanessa Ives. Ives is a deeply religious woman filled with rage, who finds herself faced with, and even possessed by, many demons (literal demons, not figurative demons). I could go on and on about how great she is, but it is easier to just watch her standout scene in the second episode of the series, “Séance” (pictured above). During a party, a professional spiritualist named Madame Kali (Helen McCrory) holds a séance where Vanessa finds herself possessed by a demon, resulting in some of the best minutes of television I have ever seen. The lengths that Green goes for this scene alone is incredible, the physical contortion of her body and the vocalization that she employs to portray the demon and Murray’s son as she torments him, show just how fantastic of a character actress she is. And the dedication she gives to this performance doesn’t just end with this scene, it goes into the rest of the series as she deals with the aftermath of her possession and future possessions.
Despite the plotting problems of the first season, the second season (which I’ve only seen the first two episodes of so far) takes all of the things that worked so well in the first season and plays to those strengths. This focus of the show has fully shifted from Dalton’s character to Green’s, while Dalton continues to anchor it. From what I’ve seen so far, Vanessa is still dealing with the repercussions of what she experienced last season, and now that the quest for Mina has unsuccessfully ended, we are allowed to explore her struggles fully as we continue to be immersed in a story full of malevolent supernatural beings of Gothic literature (now including werewolves and witches and wax museums!).
The biggest problem of the first season was the lack of a true main villain, and that problem has been solved in the second season in the form of spiritualist Evelyn Poole (AKA Madame Kali from “Séance”) who appeared occasionally in season one and now sets out to destroy Vanessa with her witch daughters. Poole is played with just as much commitment and wonderful mystery and craziness as Vanessa by Helen McCrory, who has had my attention since her role in the Harry Potter franchise as Narcissa Malfoy. Here, she proves to be a true match for Green when it comes to portraying demonic possessions. In the very first episode of the second season, we are treated to simultaneous worshipping to respective deities from the two women, and it is simply haunting as they appear to give their whole selves into the worship. They are perfect together.
In its second season, Penny Dreadful ups the ante when it comes to the bloody and supernatural drama of its world while utilizing its broad roster of fascinating and mysterious characters to tell a story unlike any other on television. I can’t wait to get back to more episodes of this beautiful Gothic fantasy.
AuKing Mini Projector Key Details
The Auking is a 1080p Mini Projector with built-in speakers that is compatible with Smartphones and laptops.* (Notice the asterisk) The ports are HDMI, USB, VGA, AV, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s $99.99, but you can usually catch it on sale for cheaper.
This projector is pretty popular online. There are tons of glowing reviews for it on Amazon, but I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you care about what I think. And what I think is that this projector is kinda bad.
Also, keep in mind I believe that this projector is being sold on amazon with different branding and shells, but essentially, they’re all the same projector.
These are just some I’ve found.
ALVAR 8000 Lumens Mini Portable Projector
TMY Projector 7500
Projector with WiFi, 2022 Upgrade 8500L
Mini Projector, Aokang 7500 Lumens HD Portable Projector
These all pretty much the same projector with different housing and branding
It is most certainly not for everyone, and it’s not for everyone who loves projectors. The projector has some issues with only a few positives.
Android smartphones are compatible, but only certain Androids, which they don’t tell you before purchasing.
List of Phones compatible with the projector
I’m guessing it’s “compatible” with all iPhones, but oddly enough, they don’t mention it. But I think it’s a safe bet to say that it is. Because saying the Aukling is compatible with smart devices and mac books is technically true, and it’s somewhat misleading.
It has no built-in features to make it compatible with other devices, just an HDMI input. This, combined with poor image and audio quality, means you’d be better off saving your money and buying something a little more expensive.
AuKing Mini Projector Full Break Down
The Auking has an HDMI port, which means it’s compatible with any device that can output through HDMI. But unfortunately, it doesn’t have any ports or software that would intrinsically allow smartphones to project video.
To get your iPhone or Android phone to connect to the projector, you have to do it through HDMI. So, you’ll need a USB-C to HDMI adapter for android and Mac Book or a lightning port to HDMI if you’re using an iPhone. The instructions also recommend a wireless dongle so you can connect your laptop or smart device via BlueTooth (more on that later)
Now here’s the thing, the projector only comes with a regular HDMI cord, so you would have to buy the other cords separately. They don’t mention that before you buy it, so it feels very misleading. Regarding the wireless adapter they recommend, you must connect to it via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, most streaming services have copyright features that won’t allow you to stream content via BlueTooth.
You could connect a chrome cast, Apple TV, or a Roku and mirror or cast your phone to that, but if you don’t have those devices on hand, you’re out of luck.
This means the easiest way to use this device would be with your windows laptop unless you have one of the cords they recommend.
But how does it perform once you get it set up and running? It’s ok.
We have to set our expectations for this price range. The project shows saturated color palettes well but struggles with darker colors.
Darker scenes come out looking grainy and blurry.
While brighter colors look ok.
But all things considered, the video quality will be worse than whatever you have connected to the HDMI. To its credit, however, the projector is bright enough to watch it outside with minimal light pollution.
The audio can be pretty loud, but loud doesn’t necessarily mean good. It does sound like it comes from out of a tin can, but it’s clear enough to hear what’s going on in a movie, so you don’t have to only rely on headphones.
Despite its small size, the Auking’s fans can be pretty loud when it’s on. (Imagine starting up your first-gen PS4 and trying to play Cyberpunk).
This projector isn’t for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. However, if you’re a person who wants a bigger screen, you can buy a cheap 22′ monitor and connect you your phone or laptop to it, and the image quality would be better.
Verdict
In most cases, I suggest you save money and get something more expensive, like the ANKER Nebula capsule.
If you find yourself in a situation where you need a projector immediately, this will be ok. For instance, a backyard BBQ where it’s more about the people you’re around than what you’re watching or a party where you want to keep the kids distracted while the adults use the TV (shame on you).
Other than that, it’s worth saving your money.
FAQ
How do I connect my phone to my mini AuKing projector?
Through USB-C to HDMI cord or lighting to HDMI cord
Does AuKing projector support Bluetooth?
Rest in peace, watermelon.
The latest episodes in ‘Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid’ were very interesting to watch.
One was definitely a fanservice episode, and heck, even the producers know that! Episode 7’s title contains the phrase ‘The Fanservice Episode, Obviously’, so that cracked me up.
Episode 7 focuses on the elements of anime that will appeal to any nerd out there. By that, of course I mean bathing suits and comic conventions! Cue the beach episode!
Tohru and company decide to go swimming for the day. Kanna’s adorable as always, while Lucoa doesn’t realize just how sexual she is toward a small boy.
Like, really? You think wearing a very sexy swimsuit in front of a lot of kids on a beach is okay? And why do you insist on torturing Shouta with your breasts? It’s obvious that he’s tempted, but stop trying to seduce small children.
Of course, they’re dragons, so hilarious antics ensue. Tohru and Kanna get carried away in a swimming race, making water splash up everywhere. Also, a crab and watermelon are murdered. RIP.
However, one aspect that I thought was a nice touch was the backstory we got for Tohru. It wasn’t much, but Tohru and Kobayashi have a deep and meaningful conversation about their family’s lives, as well as how humans and dragons are different from one another. Fanservice episodes usually focus on that alone, but fortunately that’s not the case here.
The second half of Episode 7 focuses on Comiket. Tohru and Kobayashi help Takiya run a booth, and we learn that Fafnir is also participating by attempting to sell powerful curses. Wow, didn’t see thaaaaat coming at all.
Tohru notices otherworldly creatures in their true forms at Comiket, as they reveal that this is a great way to show their true forms. With Kobayashi’s permission, Tohru exposes her wings and tail, appearing to others as if she’s cosplaying as, well, a dragon maid.
Episode 7 was very nice because there were many heartfelt and adorable moments.
Meanwhile, Episode 8 FINALLY introduced the dragon that I keep on mentioning in my reviews. Her name’s Elma, a dragon who is a rival of Tohru’s. Elma accuses Tohru of disrupting the human’s ways and tries to force her to return to the dragon world. This doesn’t succeed, however, as Tohru sends her to an open field and leaves her there.
Unable to get back home, Elma stays in the human world and begins working at Kobayashi’s company. Kobayashi teaches Elma how to use computers and technology so that she can keep her job. Of course, this prompts Tohru to become jealous, smelling the scent of another dragon off Kobayashi like a dog does with a human. I won’t reveal how the episode ends, but it ends in a positive manner for Tohru.
Overall, I really loved these two episodes because they made me feel warm and fuzzy. They appealed to the emotional senses through a heartfelt conversation between Kobayashi and Tohru. Elma is also an innocent sweetheart who only wants to bring harmony to the human and dragon worlds. And I can’t wait to see more of her in the upcoming episodes.
I feel like in these two episodes alone, we learned so much about Tohru and her feelings for Kobayashi. She really wants to understand the human world and will do anything to stay with Kobayashi.
I’ll up my rating to a 4.7. These episodes were both fun, and we finally got the new dragon! Bless.
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