TV Review: Penny Dreadful Closer Than Sisters Recap

Closer than sisters details the relationship of Mina Harker and Vanessa Ives through a letter that is being written throughout the episode from Ives to Harker.

The torment of Ives and Harker begins in their younger life as the friendship between the two begins through the either girls' family. Ives is constantly found with Harker in a sometimes unnerving closeness.

The two were inseparable and spoke of the futures that they saw.

The innocence of Ives was taken when she witnessed an account in which her mother and Sir Malcolm (Harkers' father), together in a compromising position.

She did not tell Mina out of respect for her and not wanting her to grow up that fast.

The account began to have a strange affect on Ives who was raised under strict Catholic beliefs as opposed to Harker. Ives began little mischievous acts such as stealing.

She even admits to growing up and noticing the beauty of Mina and becoming infatuated, envious and even having hatred towards her.

More of Ives' flashbacks include being rejected by Peter Murray another one of her younger friends and hope to be lover.

After forcing herself upon peter whom she felt both grief and love for Ives runs to her room praying for Murray to stay only to be answered by a voice of darkness as she said "God did not answer my prayers, someone else did."

This dark recollection continues the evening before Mina was to be married to Captain Branson.

Ives and Harker's strange friendship often found the two in bed together and this night was no exception until Ives left her bed with evil thoughts arising, thoughts that could not be those of her own.

Ives took to seducing Branson the night before the wedding ultimately driving Branson away from Mina and destroying the friendship.

Attempting to repair it, Ives meets Sir Malcolm seeking to make amends with Mina but being rejected in the coldness manner as he blamed her for ruining his family.

After passing out cold of illness or what seemed to be the stress from the events that took place, Ives began to have seizures or a demonic proportion. Doctors deemed the illness as inexplicable and would not give a diagnosis, that is until Dr. Christopher Banning a psychologist stepped in.

Ives' mother sought to have her put in an asylum which eventually happened as a demonic possession took place while seeking the council of Banning.

Being sedated while speaking in tongues, water hosing and a lobotomy procedure are among the pains that Ives endured during her time in the institution.

As Mina had long departed and married a Lawyer by the name of Jonathan Harker, Ives is now home in her room still suffering from the changes due to her procedure.

As she lay restrained in her bed she is visited by Murray, whom she says is going to die when he accompanies his father to Africa.

That evening following Murray's departure, Ives is visited by an demon in the form of Sir Malcolm who taunts her and seduces her into having an invisible sexual encounter witnessed by her mother.

A very clever piece of directing as now we see what was foreshadowed in the beginning by Ives witnessing her mother and Sir Malcolm.

After attending the funeral of Murray who succumbed to the fate that was predicted or maybe sealed by Ives, she encounters a haunting vision of Mina who speaks to her claiming that her actions were paid for in her sickness.

Mina then informs Ives of her venture and of Jonathan Harker her husband.

The information then turns evil as Mina admits to knowing dark thoughts within Ives' head and Mina does not appear to be the one with whom Ives' is conversing with.

As Mina recovers from her sinister state she begs to be saved by "The Master." Then as if she was swept into oblivion, Mina disappears; now Ives knows that she has to team up with the man who hates her very existence.

She meets with Sir Malcolm who expresses his detest for her.

While he hates Ives he agrees that the safety and security of his daughter is more important and he will use her if he has to to make sure she gets back home.

Ives' letter concludes as she expresses that while Sir Malcolm's love for his daughter keeps him from harming her, her love for her is enough for her to kill Mina. The letter is then addressed to Mrs.

Jonathan Harker and filed away with countless others.

The overall tone of this episode is to set the forecast for what we have to look forward to as Sir Malcolm and Ives get closer to solving the mystery and finding Mina. The motives of the two however, seem to take on a nature of its own.

Penny Dreadful has been able to top is dark, sexual and over mystical nature.

Stay tuned for next weeks Penny Dreadful at 10 PM Eastern on Showtime.