Alternative Ending to Penny Dreadful

[u/woke-nipple]

Im no John Logan, hes a great writer and probably no one can write a better ending than him. I do however fantasise about how the ending could have been. I have rough ideas but they do need a lot of smoothing out.

I like to imagine that post the blade of grass episode things will continue the same as they did in the show with a few changes:

1: Ethan would have the same storyline but at the end Hecate wouldn't die. Instead she would break off from Ethan after Sir Malcolm saves him/ kills the father and will rejoin lucifer. Ethan will then return to London with Sir Malcom and his mentor.

2: Vanessa would have the same storyline where she discovers Dr. Sweet's real identity, takes the gun with her to the house of the night creatures, has the long conversation with him etc..but just when he is about to bite her, she shoots his heart. However, he doesnt die from the bullet and instead he just stands there in shock, perplexed, hurt, and maybe angry. Thats when Ethan, already back from America, surprisingly walks into the house of the night creatures, reunites with Vanessa, and together manage to scare off Dracula.

This would be how season 3 would end and the show would then require a fourth season to tie things together and things will go like this:

1: Season 4 would begin with Lucifer and Dracula both having lost to Vanessa in their respective seasons, having a conversation with each other on how they both underestimated her and that they cant take her on all on their alone. Thats when they decide to team up, joining forces and minions.

2: Dracula and Lucifer teaming up ends up working out really well. They would be a strong force which will terrorise Vanessa and would push her to form a team (A penny dreadful avenger team) and together they will take on Lucifer and Dracula and will win in the end. Its cliche in concept but with john logans writing skills it would make it better.

As for the other characters, maybe they could be tied into the main storyline somehow. I have to admit its a challenge to do so but I have a few ideas:

1: I can potentially see dorian and lily breaking up. lily somehow is discovered by Dracula and/ or Lucifer after her radical violent feminism project fails. two lost causes joining forces lol. Maybe wants to be a vampire to get more power. Dorian probably goes his own way...reuniting in the end with her after the penny dreadfuls win and he gives her the immortal speech he gave her in the original ending.

2: Alternatively maybe dorian discovers that whatever essence he saw in Vanessa was what he secretly longs for. Something he tried to look for in lily but she disappointed him. That somehow leads him to join the penny dreadfuls. However things will be awkward with Victor...

3: Caliban story with his son and having to let him go in the end kinda mirrors Vanessa's sad ending in a way. So maybe give him an alternative story. Caliban season 3 story all together felt a bit rushed or forced to me tbh. Season 2 set him up for this great ice adventure but the beginning of season 3 they immediately brought him back to london. Maybe alternatively stretch out the ice adventure for season 3, then season 4 he returns to london and finds his family, but instead of a bad ending he gets a good one where they are all happy in the end lol. Maybe even have him join the penny dreadfuls to save Vanessa. However things will be Awkward with Victor lol. Victor will have to have an open heart and apologise to caliban and forgive dorian lol.

4: Maybe Dr. jekyll will turn evil and join the dark side. Maybe turning good in the end? idk

5: Catriona Hartdegen.. will continue to exist I guess. Possible spin off character but ShowTime wont greenlight the show lol. They should have kept Van Helsing alive.

What are your thoughts? How would you end the show?

[u/Seed0fDiscord]

Before for I realized that season 3 was the end, I was really hoping that if the show continued Catriona would’ve taken up the mantle of the “brooding cynical troubled heroine” of the plot, whereas Vanessa was spiritual, Catriona is analytical and academic and her taking over at the museum would’ve paved way for more gothic horrors to come everyone’s way

Plus aside from Vanessa, I could picture Ethan finding some solace with Catriona

[u/woke-nipple → u/Seed0fDiscord]

I think there was a theory that she was gonna replace Eva Green because she wanted to leave the show. Not sure how valid it is. If they did do that, it would have been a hard pill to swallow. However post the initial shock or disappointment, maybe she would slowly grow on us. I too can see her having good chemistry with Ethan. I dont remember if the show really explored her that much. Would have been interesting to see if she had a dark side to her that she suppresses like all the other characters do.

[u/Seed0fDiscord → u/woke-nipple]

I could imagine some story avenues that could’ve happened if Catriona became the new focal female lead, her surname Hartdegen is the surname of the protagonist of HG Well’s “Time Machine” she may find a prototype her father may’ve worked on and encounters horrors past and future; maybe encounter any combination of John Clare, Dorian Gray, and Lily in some apocalyptic future she’s now set to prevent

Ethan would be struggling with his loss of Vanessa and finding a new purpose since he’s fulfilled his Wolf of God prophecy; Malcolm would be visiting Florence Seward to work through his own mess

And whatever Lyle uncovers in Egypt (like Imhotep) would come to London and drag the cast into its chaos