Penny Dreadful just aired the fourth episode of the season, leaving us utterly confused and a little bit in heat.

Unique orchids

The episode starts with Dorian Grey in a brothel, sitting with a man and a woman. Later that evening, he reaches a secret room behind one of the paintings to find another large painting that he sits in front of.

Vanessa heads to a green house and meets Dorian Grey, and they get all flirtatious as she smells a flower and tells him what it’s saying to her. It said, to Vanessa, a pleasing thing, but Dorian points out it’s nightshade and very deadly. Dorian takes her to see the rarest orchid on earth, flirting again before leaving.

Victor talks with a hematologist, Professor Van Helsing, about the blood they procured from the corpse. Van Helsing says that the blood shows signs of something that will assist the person with the eating of blood. He knows about Malcolm’s search for the cure, and he understands the thing they’re trying to cure intimately.

Caliban arrives outside of Van Helsing’s, waiting for Victor and wanting him to make a female, but Victor says it will take time and money. Caliban then says his bride must be beautiful, and Victor gets sassy when Caliban pins him against a wall, pointing out how fragile he is compared to Caliban and his kind.

Ethan and Brona are in bed again, talking about how she was engaged to a man who wouldn’t look at her when they sexed. She explains that one night he got really violent and she went to her mother, but Brona’s mother said to marry him anyway. That’s when she ran away. He wants to make her happy, so he takes her to the theater to see a show.

Everyone’s a little bit gay.

Victor and Malcolm end up sedating the creature they have in the basement. Ethan is there and he doesn’t like the idea of experimenting on him, but Victor says they will start with transfusion. Victor asked Ethan to contribute his blood but he wouldn’t, so they took Malcolm’s.

When they are waiting for the experiment to work, Ethan gets upset that Malcolm and Victor are talking about the recent string of murders. Vanessa arrives, and then the creature wakes up. When he does, Vanessa offers him a fruit but he screams about how he needs blood. They wonder what to give him when Malcolm’s servant comes in with a live cat, twists his neck and gives it to him.

As Ethan and Brona are at the theater, it’s revealed to be the same theater that Caliban works at, and they’re showing something titled “The Transformed Beast.” And it turns out Dorian is also there, on the balcony. Across the balcony, as well, is Vanessa.

During intermission, Brona and Ethan meet Vanessa, and Dorian meets the three of them. It’s clearly an awkward moment for Brona, so she leaves and Ethan runs after her. She falls in the street and explains that they’re kidding themselves when they’re having a romance, and she wants him to wake up. From that moment on, she will only let him screw her after he’s paid, ending their romance.

Dorian shows up after Brona leaves, and Ethan asks if he’s ever wanted to be anyone else. Dorian says yes, and if he wants to be someone else he should follow him — so he does. Meanwhile, Brona falls over in the street, starts coughing and passes out.

Dorian takes Ethan to a betting place, where they bet on how many rats a dog can kill within six minutes. Everyone there is really, really into it, but Ethan can’t take it and goes to the bar. A bunch of Brits say that he’s in Britain now, so he’ll have to deal. But when they touch him, Ethan retaliates and starts attacking them.

Dorian takes Ethan back to his place to clean up and shows him his collection of colognes that make him feel like a different person. Dorian then starts concocting absinthe, and they toast to Vanessa.

Ethan explains his times in the Indian Wars. Dorian shows him some of his music, and Ethan starts remembering all of the events in the past few days. He then kisses Dorian and takes off his clothes.

In the middle of the night, the creature is singing to himself when his master arrives and lets him free, but out of our sight. He escapes the basement and Malcolm and Victor start hearing noises upstairs, but the creature follows them up. His master attacks them in the prayer room, but the creature tells him, “She’s not here!” so he leaves, but the creature gets thrown against the window and dies.

Vanessa comes back, and Malcolm tells her that the master arrived. Vanessa thinks Mina is manipulating her, but she’s not the only reason that his daughter would be playing them.