God, she was something else, wasn't she?
If you watched Penny Dreadful during its original run on Showtime, you know that Vanessa Ives wasn't just another gothic heroine in a corset. She was the sun around which every other broken, monstrous planet in that show orbited. Eva Green didn’t just play the role; she inhabited it with a kind of raw, vibrating intensity that made you wonder if she was actually okay after the cameras stopped rolling.
Honestly, the show was basically a three-season-long siege on one woman’s soul.
The Mystery of Vanessa Ives
When we first meet her, Vanessa is an enigma. She’s helping Sir Malcolm Murray (played by the legendary Timothy Dalton) find his daughter, Mina. But it’s quickly obvious that Vanessa isn't just a friend of the family. She’s the target.
While the show is a "mash-up" of classic literary monsters—Victor Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, Dracula—Vanessa is an original creation by series creator John Logan. She is the "Mother of Evil," the incarnation of the Egyptian goddess Amunet. Depending on which brother of the fallen you ask, she's either the bride of Lucifer or the bride of Dracula.
Talk about a bad dating pool.
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But what people often forget is that Vanessa’s "darkness" didn't start with a demon. It started with a choice. She saw Sir Malcolm having an affair with her mother in a hedge maze. To get back at him, she seduced Mina’s fiancé. That act of "wickedness" is what she believed opened the door to the devil. It’s a very Victorian, very Catholic way of looking at trauma—the idea that one sin makes you a permanent vessel for evil.
The Seance That Changed Everything
You can’t talk about Vanessa Ives in Penny Dreadful without talking about the seance in season one. It is, quite frankly, a masterclass in acting. Eva Green contorts her body, her voice drops an octave, and she starts spitting out secrets that no one should know.
She wasn't just "possessed." She was being unmade.
Critics at the time, including those from The A.V. Club and Nerdist, were floored. They called it a "Master Class" and were genuinely annoyed when the Emmys ignored her. She did eventually get a Golden Globe nomination, but the lack of major hardware for that performance remains one of the biggest snubs in TV history.
Power, Faith, and the "Verbis Diablo"
One of the coolest—and most terrifying—parts of Vanessa's character is her command of the Verbis Diablo, the "Devil’s Tongue."
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Most "damsels in distress" in horror movies just scream. Vanessa fights back with the same language used to torment her. She learned the craft of the "Daywalker" from the Cut-Wife (Patti LuPone) on the moors of Ballantrae. That episode, "The Nightcomers," is probably the best hour of the entire series. It shows us that Vanessa isn't just a victim; she’s a witch who chose the light even when the dark was easier.
Relationships: The Wolf and the Father
The chemistry between Vanessa and Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) was the heart of the show. He was the "Wolf of God," her protector, and eventually, her executioner.
- Ethan: He saw her as a woman, not a prophecy.
- Sir Malcolm: He saw her as a daughter, but one he constantly put in the line of fire.
- John Clare (The Creature): He saw her as a fellow outcast. Their scenes in the basement of the cholera hospital are some of the most human moments in a show filled with monsters.
That Ending: What Really Happened?
Okay, let's get into the controversy. The finale of Season 3, "The Blessed Dark," came out of nowhere. Showtime hadn't announced the show was ending. Then, suddenly, the words "The End" appeared on the screen.
In the end, Vanessa Ives chooses to die.
She realizes that as long as she lives, the world is at risk of falling into eternal night. She surrenders to Dracula not because she’s weak, but because she’s tired. When Ethan finds her, she asks him to kill her. They say the Lord’s Prayer together—a final act of faith—and he shoots her.
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A lot of fans felt betrayed. They felt like the "patriarchy won" because the strong female lead had to be killed by the male hero. Salon even wrote a scathing piece about it. But John Logan has always maintained that the show was always about Vanessa's struggle with her faith. To him, her death was her finding peace. She finally got to be with God.
Expert Insights: What We Can Learn from Vanessa
If you're a writer or a fan of character studies, Vanessa Ives is the ultimate template for internal conflict.
- Embrace Duality: Vanessa wasn't "good" or "evil." She was both. She had dessert for breakfast and prayed the rosary, but she could also summon a storm of scorpions.
- Physicality Matters: Eva Green used her entire body—her eyes, her posture, the way she breathed—to tell the story.
- Themes of Isolation: The most powerful people are often the loneliest.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you’re still mourning the end of the series, you should check out the Penny Dreadful comic books. They actually continue the story and dive deeper into the prophecy of Belial. Also, if you haven't watched Eva Green in the film Proxima, it shows a completely different side of her acting range—one that is much more grounded but just as intense.
Ultimately, Vanessa Ives remains a landmark character because she refused to be simplified. She was a saint, a sinner, and a queen of the dark, all at the same time.