‘Penny Dreadful’ E.P. John Logan Says Season 3 Is All About The Locations

After a long wait, Penny Dreadful premiered Season 3 on the Internet first, followed by a television debut on Showtime, where the series is more traditionally seen. The series showrunner, John Logan says fans of Penny Dreadful eager to know what to expect need only watch that first episode to get a feel for the season as a whole, specifically citing the way in which each of the main characters was off in a different location. London, Africa, America, and the Arctic were all seen in that first Penny Dreadful episode, and Logan says that’s indicative of what can be expected throughout Season 3.

Penny Dreadful Showrunner John Logan Says There’s Variety In Exploring Different Locations

Sending the Penny Dreadful characters off to different locales was no accident, revealed Logan. The series executive producer and creator said it was never his intention to keep following the same story year after year, so sending the different characters off on their own missions was his way of creating something new for Season 3 of Penny Dreadful. Logan suggested that the many travels of each person will allow them to explore vastly different experiences, yet keep the gothic feel to which Penny Dreadful fans have become accustomed.

“I’ve always just loved Westerns, and I’ve always known, from the beginning of the series, that I wanted to take Ethan back home for a final reckoning with his demonic father, who Brian Cox plays later in the season, brilliantly,” says John in addressing the unique feel of Ethan’s story arc.

Even so, Logan suggests that the group will not remain separated for long on Penny Dreadful, hinting that some danger will draw them all back together at some point in the season.

“I thought it would be really exciting to see how they all functioned separately and were drawn together. Tonally, the way that the Penny Dreadful vibe is, it was easy for me to weave it through different geographies, because it was still the same characters.”

Penny Dreadful Will Explore The Romances Of Vanessa Ives

The primary lead of Penny Dreadful is, of course, Vanessa Ives, played to perfection by Eva Green, and Logan confirms this in describing the series as one woman’s journey to faith. That journey has run afoul with Ives experiencing a crisis of faith that has caused her to burn her crucifix and seek out the services of an alienist (Patti LuPone), though this Dr. Seward seems even more unconventional and eccentric than Vanessa. It’s only through such drastic therapy that Ives may find her way back from the darkness in which she now dwells.

Meanwhile, Logan confirms that the zoologist Vanessa meets in the first episode of Penny Dreadful‘s third season will play a far more important part than it may seem so early on in the third installment of Penny Dreadful.

“And she begins a romantic relationship with a man named Dr. Sweet, who Christian Camargo plays, who’s a zoologist,” says Penny Dreadful‘s John Logan. “So she attempts to heal her mind and her heart simultaneously. It’s a very active season for Vanessa. She’s taking real steps to make herself better.”

The return of Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) farther down the line on Penny Dreadful will create friction for Vanessa, because, while she falls deeply in love with Dr. Sweet, Ives also can’t deny the chemistry that exists between Ethan and herself. Vanessa will be caught up in a love triangle, seemingly making up for her lack of love interests in past seasons of Penny Dreadful.

The next episode of Penny Dreadful airs on Sunday, May 8 on Showtime.

[Image via Showtime]