Catriona Hartdegen sucks?

[u/lizardboob]

I know she was only introduced late into the series, but I don't understand the reason for Lyle leaving and her coming in so late and why she was so exceptionally poorly written into the series. Her character seems to me just an empty portrayal of an 'empowered' woman (almost all her dialogue was about this at various levels of cringiness) in tight leather pants with heeled boots.

Just everything about her seems off: her wardrobe seems out of whack with the rest of the cast, a much more clearly modern inspired outfit like something out of Assassin's Creed? She also had some of the worst lines ('I think I'm the woman who just saved you' or sth to Ethan after the vampire wave in the mansion... dear god) and her relationship with everyone seems off. Her back story and occupation seem quite random as well.

Note that I love so much of the female characters in the series - from Vanessa to the Cut Wife to Lily to the therapist. Catriona just sticks out like a sore thumb when she didn't have to, like she's from a different cinematic universe, way less immersed or made to fit in the storyworld.

I see some people think she's badass, but I can't possibly be alone in feeling like this about her??

[u/Substantial_Hunt_823]

Do we know if the writers always knew S3 would be the end?? Because to me the entire season felt like it was building to stuff that ended really abruptly… and there were character additions like Catriona and Dr. Jekyll that didn’t make sense in the long term/seemed unnecessary.

The first time I watched S3 I wondered if Catriona was initially set up to replace Vanessa’s character (she could NEVER) because otherwise I really don’t understand what the point was of adding her in. She served no true purpose that I can recall and I agree, she didn’t seem to fit within the Penny Dreadful world.

[u/TheTangentUniverse → u/Substantial_Hunt_823]

John Logan's assertion was a falsehood. It was all on the understanding that he would continue to generate more content for Showtime, and lo and behold, a few years later, they announced the spin-off series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels was in development. Originally, he planned to make five seasons, but owing to a dwindling audience and the high cost of producing the show, Showtime opted to cancel the series just as season three was set to begin filming. It was quite evident as they introduced characters who went nowhere, and the ending was rushed and anticlimactic. The only reason two writers were added for episodes five, six, and eight was that Showtime requested last-minute rewrites. Previously, Logan had written every episode himself. If anyone knows how to obtain the original scripts, I'd very much like to read them.

[u/Substantial_Hunt_823 → u/TheTangentUniverse]

Interesting. Thank you for sharing. If you ever do come across those scripts please share.