Penny Dreadful: City of Angels Season 1, Episode 3: 5 key moments

The Many Lives of Magda

Magda has a lot on her plate in this episode as Alex, Mrs. Branson, and an entirely new persona that we’ll meet in the next section.

Dr. Craft grows worried when Mrs. Branson doesn’t arrive for her doctor’s appointment and decides to cancel all other appointments to check on her. When he arrives at her home, he discovers Frank crying in the front yard and a bruised-up Mrs. Branson at the door.

Mrs. Branson invites Dr. Craft inside, allowing him to tend to her wounds. After she confides in him about her husband’s anger issues and Frank’s difficulties, he invites her to meet his German friends and to his son’s birthday party so that Frank can make friends. Before heading out, Dr. Craft kisses her, in which she pulls away, letting him know that it can’t happen under Mr. Branson’s roof.

Mateo heads to The Crimson Cat

Raul Vega is alive and Mateo makes sure to tell him all about Fly Rico; comparing him to Fred Astaire. Raul stops him, asking “now you want to be Pachuco?” He tries to remind his younger brother that Rico only has pride when he’s stealing cars and that if he actually had pride, he would have been standing with them during the riot.

With a turn of the conversation, Mateo informs his brother that it was Tiago who shot him. He then tells him that if he was Pachuco, he would have slit Tiago’s throat for what he did. Raul instantly jumps to Tiago’s defense, telling Mateo that their brother is split between two worlds — Chicano and cop.

Later, Mateo arrives at a hoppin’ Crimson Cat. During a huge dance sequence, Rico invites Mateo out to the dance floor. This lively scene is, quite honestly, one of the best scenes that Penny Dreadful: City of Angels has offered so far. After the song ends, Rico tells him that no one can sit with him until they have kissed the queen’s ring. This is when we’re introduced to another Magda-character, Rio.

While dancing with Rio, police being led by Officer Reilly, barges in to inform them that the city has created a curfew for Mexicans and that the patrons of The Crimson Cat are currently breaking it. Rio, in pure-Magda fashion, starts a fight by punching Reilly in the face. This gives her, Mateo and Rico a chance to escape.

Outside, Rio goes on a spiel about how Los Angeles is their city and that they are going to take it back. This obviously opens up for more ways that Magda can cause destruction in the City of Angels. Mateo’s portion of this episode ends with him officially getting the Pachuco sign tattooed on him.

Catch Showtime’s Penny Dreadful: City of Angels on Sundays at 10/11c.

What do you think about this episode of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels? Are you looking forward to any more scenes at The Crimson Cat? Let us know in the comments!