Bad news for Sir Malcolm this week, but something is not right in the way he takes the news. Dorian invites everyone to a ball he’s throwing to show off his latest conquest to the world and Ethan is worried because a full moon is coming and you know what that means.
We begin with the maid finding Sir Malcolm’s wife dead and she screams upon finding her body. Victor (Harry Treadaway) wakes up to Lily (Billie Piper) humming cheerily after their night of passion and she is making breakfast. She kisses him and Victor has this expression on his face of what the heck did I just do. Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton) is still asleep, but Evelyn (Helen McCrory) wakes up and cuts a piece of his hair (you just know she is adding this to her voodoo doll collection) and says to herself that this is going to be a challenging day for him. Angelique (Jonny Beauchamp) is putting on makeup and gets startled by Dorian (Reeve Carney) starting at her…he mentions that they should go out shopping, but Angelique tells them that they need to be discreet. Dorian tells her that he likes to celebrate the unusual and that he gets a thrill of the forbidden… that gives him the idea of throwing a ball because Angelique deserves a proper coming out.
A carriage approaches and it’s Sir Malcolm arriving home…Vanessa (Eva Green), Ethan (Josh Hartnett) and Sembene (Danny Sapani) have been waiting for him to arrive. Vanessa tells him the bad news of his wife Gladys passing away…that she took her own life. Sir Malcolm isn’t even shocked or phased by this news he almost looks cheerful and he’s humming while Evelyn in her home is dipping his hair she took in blood and while speaking the Verbis Diablo she puts it into the voodoo Sir Malcolm doll and the heart of the doll starts pumping again and she kisses the doll.
Lavinia is working on some wax figures when she senses Caliban (Rory Kinnear) because seriously he is always looming in the shadows. She touches his hand and mentions that his hand is cold, she tells him she knows he is kind…but why is she frightened of him she wants Caliban to answer but in the nick of time Mr. Putney comes to tell that them that he is expanding this room for a new attraction.
The gang are very concerned with Sir Malcolm’s behavior, Sembene tells Ethan and Vanessa that this isn’t Sir Malcolm. Someone knocks on the door and Sembene tells Ethan that he has a visitor and it’s Mr. Roper wanting to talk to him. Mr. Roper toys with Ethan asking if he is planning for battle because he sees all the weaponry…he tells Ethan that he was once a Texas Ranger and that he always fulfilled his warrants. Ethan tells him that he is not returning back to America, but Mr. Roper seems to disagree saying that that he will. Ethan mentions that if he ever shows up here again that he will kill him and Mr. Roper retorts back saying that he has a tale to tell that one night he can slip in the house and scalp every person in it and mentions to him that he will start with Vanessa first.
The Putney family is having dinner, Lavinia mentions that something is wrong with Caliban …she mentions that his hand was cold and explains to her father that it felt like he really isn’t alive, which intrigues Mr. Putney very much (remember he is trying to start this freak show attraction).
Vanessa and Victor are decoding more of the Verbis Diablo relics, Victor is skeptical of all of this but Vanessa mentions that this is the language of the demon and that it must have a purpose. They converse some more and Victor mentions something and Vanessa tells him that he speaks in the same way like Mr. Clare…Victor nervous wants to know more about this encounter and she mentions that Mr. Clare breaks her heart that he is like a kindred spirit to her. She then asks Victor how his cousin is doing and he kinda gets a bit startled by this but Vanessa tells him that he can’t fool her with the way he feels about Lily. He mentions to her that he has always felt like a disjointed or freakish thing, but that now he’s like everyone else. But mentions it’s complicated that there are always complications. Dorian arrives with an invitation to the ball and finally meets Victor…he tells Vanessa that he wants her to attend so she can meet Angelique and accepts. Vanessa goes to Sir Malcolm to tell him about the ball and asks Vanessa if he should shave his beard because he feels it makes him look old. She wants to know if he is alright because she tells him that this is not the way she expected him to be…he mentions that the will not be attending his wife’s funeral and he’s excited by the ball and Vanessa is just weirded out.
Mr. Lyle is at Evelyn’s and she accepts Sir Malcolm’s offer to be his date for the ball. Mr. Lyle is weary of her going because Vanessa is going to be there…Evelyn tells him that he has grown quite fond of Vanessa and he mentions that he in fact has that she is unique creature. Evelyn tells him that she didn’t turn from God, but that he turned away from her and that now she must carry on and earn the reward from the Master, which is to live forever while the world suffers. Lily is making dinner when Victor arrives with the ball invitation and she is happy about the invite and Victor tells her what’s the worst that can happen. (You know that with this show there are a lot of things where the worst can happen).
Ethan is at Putney’s seeing the attraction of the Mariner’s Inn Massacre when Inspector Rusk approaches him…and mentions that there is an old trope of the murderer always returning to the scene of the crime and that he knows that Ethan is somehow involved and he that he will prove it. Ethan wishes him luck and leaves the place and looks a bit alarmed. As Ethan arrives to the house Vanessa asks that if he can accompany her to the ball he mentions what day is it and she tells him Friday and tells her that he can’t.
Everyone starts arriving at the ball and mingling… Mr. Lyle is there with Hecate where he comes with the conclusion that she is up to something that she has her own agenda. Dorian and Angelique arrive and everyone is looking at them and they begin dancing and everyone proceeds to do the same. Victor and Lily arrive and she is truly enchanted with the whole thing…she tells Victor that she has the funniest feeling that she has been here before and he tells her that he doubts it (Ha! If you only knew Victor). They dance and then both meet up with Dorian and when they both look at each other both are surprised. Dorian asks Lily to dance and he mentions that he has the strangest feeling that they’ve met before (Come on Dorian you know full well it’s Brona) he looks intrigued with her while Victor and Angelique are both looking a tad jealous at what is happening in front of them.
There’s a full moon tonight and Ethan goes to Sembene and asks him if he will help him with something. Vanessa arrives to the ball solo, where she meets up with Victor and is presented to Angelique. Dorian and Lily come over to them and Victor wants to dance with her but Lily tells him that she wants to stay and talk and this scene just got a bit awkward. Dorian and Lily continue to dance while Victor is raging on the inside and Vanessa holds his hand and tells him “Be still your heart” and then gets is weird feeling as Sir Malcolm and Evelyn arrive. Vanessa remembers Evelyn and she tells her ever since Sir Malcolm got reacquainted with her that it’s like he’s a changed man at quite an alarming rate. They are both going back and forth with words.
Ethan and Sembene head downstairs to the basement and Ethan grabs the shackles and tells Sembene that he needs to chain him and that he needs to sit across from him and that whatever happens that he must not move away from the chair that he needs to watch what happens. Mr. Lyle is talking to Vanessa…who is noticing that there is trouble in paradise for Victor and Lily as Victor is scolding her for the behavior with Dorian. Mr Lyle notices that Hecate and witch sisters are preying on Vanessa and mentions to her that she should not go home alone and that he will escort her back because it isn’t safe. Vanessa and Hecate both see each other and Hecate is approaching her…Vanessa is starting to see everything get distorted around her and then blood begins dripping everywhere it’s a blood rain (man did they use a crap load of blood for this scene) and Vanessa faints…Victor runs to her and is trying to wake her up. Back in the basement Ethan is shifting and Sembene watches and approaches him and gets spooked by werewolf Ethan who jumps at him and Sembene looks horrified and that’s it end of the episode (why did they end the episode here?! I needed more!).