The Frankenstein Chronicles - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss The Frankenstein Chronicles Here!

[Arynm]

I have watched the first two episodes and so far all I have figured out is Sean Bean has syphilis and some crazy dude is sewing kids together and maybe they move after they are dead. I haven't figured that last part out, was it a dream or are the dead,sewed together kids really moving?  Maybe someone is really trying to make a "frankenstein's monster" type thing. Mary Shelly is in this, so that is an idea.  I thought Alyc was the head of the girl he found in the river so I am confused as to why he is still looking for her. Onto the next episode I guess.

I do like it, I am just a little lost so far.

[AZChristian]

The show is dark and macabre, but we're really enjoying it.  

One interesting thing is that interspersed with the fictional characters are some true historical people.  Some of them (played by different actors) have also been featured in the PBS series "Victoria."  And some of the scenes were filmed in the ruins of a large church which looked really familiar to us.  Sure enough, we pulled out our vacation pictures of Ireland, and confirmed that we've been there!!!

John Marlett does a lot of dreaming and hallucinating (caused by the mercury treatment for his syphilis).  Just go with it.

If you hang in there, you'll see some twists and turns you don't expect.  But what we love is that they show all of this without the over-the-top CGI effects that you see in modern American shows like CSI.  Those things make my head spin.  Frankenstein makes me think.

[Hanahope]

Oooo, Sean Bean!  I'm in!  Found it on Netflix, so as soon as I finish Godless, I'll dive in.

[Vicky8675309]

I didn't see that coming. Hmm, I wonder what season 2 will be about and I'm glad it's already available. Season 1 was great....especially since I didn't predict the ending (until too late).  Binge watching is great :)

Edited March 2, 2018 by Vicky8675309

[Jordan61]

Not sure if we need to use spoiler tags but just in case...

Spoiler

As soon as they led Marlott to the gallows I knew what was going to happen. When he woke up and saw what had been done to him I was truly horrified, then even more so when Lord Hervey explained where he got the materials to make his "creation" possible. I was happy to see Alice was alive and made it home, but I just knew poor Flora & Nightingale wouldn't get a happy ending. :(

[Philbert]

I just finished watching this show a few days ago. Yeah the twist at the end of the season was a bit shocking but in retrospect it shouldn't have been. After all, this IS "The Frankenstein Chronicles." DId we really expect an ending that wasn't shocking?

[Philbert]

Well Season two turned out to be closer to season one than I had been led to believe. Overall I liked it a lot. Seems to have reached a point of closure but maybe there is hope for a season three. Certainly worth the time I took to watch it.

[pezgirl7]

I just finished binge watching this on Netflix. I definitely liked season one better. The second season didn't have a very strong plot. I actually found the storyline with Mr. Dipple and his automatons the most interesting. And I was hoping he and Esther would get together, but then he basically lied to her, telling her if she "died" she would be able to see her son, but really he just wanted a Bride of Frankenstein to keep him company. I'm very confused about Dipple though. He said he's lived longer than any other man, but I thought his father was Dr. Hervey's teacher, so he shouldn't be that old. And did he actually die, or was he just taking some kind of tonic to make him live longer? Since he could also see dead people, I'm guessing he must have died at some point too. Maybe both he and his father had been "alive" for a long time. But then was that woman really his sister?  I also read somewhere else that he is going to die now since he has no more potion, but I thought he had the formula for it written down. Also, what did the numbers on the bottles mean? They were around the 1700s. If they're numbered for how many days he's been taking it, that's only over 4 years. But if he only has to drink a bottle once a month, then that means he's been drinking it for 141 years. So many questions!

I thought the show did a great job of showing the horrible conditions that poor people lived in back then. So much dirt and filth, and the fact that an early death was pretty much a way of life.

[AZChristian]

2 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

He said he's lived longer than any other man, but I thought his father was Dr. Hervey's teacher, so he shouldn't be that old. And did he actually die, or was he just taking some kind of tonic to make him live longer? Since he could also see dead people, I'm guessing he must have died at some point too. Maybe both he and his father had been "alive" for a long time. But then was that woman really his sister?  I also read somewhere else that he is going to die now since he has no more potion, but I thought he had the formula for it written down.

Sounds like Nicolas Flamel and the Sorcerer's Stone.  Except I think Dipple is more like Voldemort . . . .  Wonder if they'll bring up horcruxes or deathly hallows if there's a Season 3.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sean Bean discusses his new show The Oath:

[Jordan61]

On 3/9/2018 at 12:31 PM, pezgirl7 said:

I just finished binge watching this on Netflix. I definitely liked season one better. The second season didn't have a very strong plot. I actually found the storyline with Mr. Dipple and his automatons the most interesting. And I was hoping he and Esther would get together, but then he basically lied to her, telling her if she "died" she would be able to see her son, but really he just wanted a Bride of Frankenstein to keep him company. I'm very confused about Dipple though. He said he's lived longer than any other man, but I thought his father was Dr. Hervey's teacher, so he shouldn't be that old. And did he actually die, or was he just taking some kind of tonic to make him live longer? Since he could also see dead people, I'm guessing he must have died at some point too. Maybe both he and his father had been "alive" for a long time. But then was that woman really his sister?  I also read somewhere else that he is going to die now since he has no more potion, but I thought he had the formula for it written down. Also, what did the numbers on the bottles mean? They were around the 1700s. If they're numbered for how many days he's been taking it, that's only over 4 years. But if he only has to drink a bottle once a month, then that means he's been drinking it for 141 years. So many questions!

I agree with pretty much all of this. I liked Esther but season 2 just felt like it was all over the place. There was the plague and the murders of the clergymen and the whole thing with the Parish Watch and Dipple and his automatons and his potions and whatever happened to Lady Hervey and it was just kind of a mess of a season.

[sharifa70]

I just watched season 1 this week, and I have to say it was a delightful surprise. I appreciated that they resisted the temptation to make it super-violent and gory (though bloody enough that I couldn’t watch during meals). I loved that I kept going back and forth between suspects, and the twists and suspense had me cussing at the tv more than once and checking the cast list on imdb to reassure myself of their safety without getting fully spoiled. And that ending? More cursing from me. Well done, show!

Can’t wait for season 2 (but I’m going to hold off so that I can savor it).

Also: Imdb is a lying bastard.

[Enero]

I just finished the first season of this. I called the killer early on based on the evidence shown, but I thought that was too obvious and was a red herring to throw off viewers. 

That said, that ending was crazy. I guess I should’ve suspected this considering the title of the show. 

Like others, I appreciate the purity of this story. Though it had aspects that were supernatural no gore and special effects were used. 

Overall I thought it was a descent show until the last 15 minutes when it did sort of go into WTF territory. I’m still intrigued enough though to give S2 a try. 

[Enero]

On 3/9/2018 at 3:31 PM, pezgirl7 said:

 I'm very confused about Dipple though. He said he's lived longer than any other man, but I thought his father was Dr. Hervey's teacher, so he shouldn't be that old. And did he actually die, or was he just taking some kind of tonic to make him live longer? Since he could also see dead people, I'm guessing he must have died at some point too. Maybe both he and his father had been "alive" for a long time. But then was that woman really his sister?  I also read somewhere else that he is going to die now since he has no more potion, but I thought he had the formula for it written down. Also, what did the numbers on the bottles mean? They were around the 1700s. If they're numbered for how many days he's been taking it, that's only over 4 years. But if he only has to drink a bottle once a month, then that means he's been drinking it for 141 years. So many questions!

I agree. There were a lot of things left up in the air about Dipple, who was by far the most intriguing mystery of this season. The potions though looked to be labeled by year. The one he drank had 1834/1835 written on the side. Then when the camera panned out to show all the bottles in the box, the first bottle had the year 1742 on it. Based on the labeling, it looked as if he’d been taking the potion every 8 years, which added up to nearly 100 years between then and the timeframe of the show. Now if he ages more slowly with the potion or don’t age at all, I’d guess he’s been alive at least 130-140 years. His dad might’ve been able to train Dr. Hervey because he too was taking the potion and thus lived way past his expiration date. But if that’s the case where is he now? Did death finally catch up to him? Or is he in hiding somewhere?

Anyway, like others I didn’t think this season was that great. It kept my interest but it was just okay. I still don’t understand why Dr. Hervey suddenly needed new hearts for his experiments? Why couldn’t he just use the heart that the person came with ala Marlott?

I too would’ve liked a clearer explanation with regards to what happened to Jemima. It is obvious she torched herself out of guilt and to ensure her brother would not resurrect her, but what led her to take such extreme actions? And what happened to her rich husband who as I understood was in part funding her brother’s research?

Again, I found Dipple had the most interesting story. I loved the voice of the actor who played him, very smooth and deep. I wanted him and Ester to have something special. They had nice chemistry, but unfortunately the lies and crazy got in the way. 

Lastly, I was hoping they’d give Nightingale a brain cell or two, but unfortunately he remained as clueless as he was in Season 1, and didn’t see the light until he had no other choice. Of course by then it was too late. His presence and death served no purpose except to tie Dr. Hervey to the murders, which they could’ve done without him if written that way. 

The show seems to have wrapped things up. So I can’t imagine what they’d do if they are renewed for a third season, not that I’d watch. At this point, I have no interest in seeing more of this. 

Edited March 27, 2018 by Enero

[Hanahope]

Hah, so Sean Bean sortof lives up to his pattern.

I had expected a last minute repreive, but the ending was even better.  Looking forward to Season 2.

It was interesting hearing the arguments on both sides of the Anatomy Act, and I can appreciate both positions.  And the information on reanimating deceased people, especially knowing current medical procedures, was pretty ironic.

[Hanahope]

I too was confused over the time line of Dipple, his unseen father, and Lord Hervey and the whole formula bit.  Dipple had the formula but Hervey had the technique?  And Dipple's father apparently was alive (or undead) at some point to teach Hervey, but not his son?  It looked like either Dipple or his father, or both had been taking the formula since the mid 1700s, and if so, why?  Does it keep the person looking young, or keep them from otherwise dying?  And what happened to his father, what was the 'sacrifice' he made for his son?  And what was Lord Hervey doing in Dipple's basement before Esther?  Just hanging out and freezing hearts?  And if there's no formula, what happens to Esther and John?

Other than the mish mash over the whole undead formula, the rest of the story was pretty good.  I did wonder how John ended up in Bedlam after he seemed to have escaped Hervey at the end of S1, but I hand-waved that he somehow was caught.

[supposebly]

Holy Hell, what an ending! I just watched all of season 1 in one day. Do I really want to watch ZombieMarlott in season2? I guess I do since I'm a sucker for Sean Bean and can't look away when he's on screen.

I was sure Flora was going to die when she was bait simply because they had shown that Nightingale is no good tailing anyone. Twice!

I guess she had a bit of a reprieve until Hervey's butler killed her. Lady Hervey is quite twisted herself. 

I did not see the twist coming or the actual killer. But I'm glad I didn't because that was quite the WTF ending! I can't believe he's going to live! And there is a second season!

[Jassyca]

New poster here. I just finished binging this on Netflix and couldn't find a discussion about this show anywhere else. Thus.. here I am.

Okay, here's my theory about the Dipples: the Frederick Dipple we saw in Season 2 is actually the same Dipple who trained Lord Hervey as mentioned in Season 1. We know (based on the bottles of formula that we saw) that Frederick has been around since the mid 1700s. During one of his conversations with Esther, he bemoaned how he has to keep moving around, unable to make long term friendships, etc.. Of course, the reason he moves around is so people don't notice he doesn't age. But even that might not be enough so, at some point, he probably has to start pretending to be someone else, preferably, his own son so he "inherits" everything he owns. Now, the question is: why does he need Lord Hervey to make the formula? Dipple's father created the original formula and let's suppose Frederick has been making it since. Maybe, while training Lord Hervey, Hervey figured out some type of improvement to the formula. Which he didn't pass along to Frederick. And it was enough of an improvement that Frederick now needs Hervey to make the formula. Frederick could probably go back to using the old formula, if push comes to shove, however maybe there's something about the improvement that's "addictive"? (Although not in the usual sense of addiction since he only needs to take the formula once every 8 years. Oh, by the way, what's the point of keeping all those empty bottles of old formula? Other than as a clue to us viewers, I mean.) Anyway, assuming I'm on the right track, I wonder what the improvement was? Obviously something to do with stem cells. We saw that Mallott was completely cured of syphilis. Maybe that's one of the things the formula's improvement brings? ie, it not only brings the person back to life but it also cures a variety of "incurable" ailments. Anyway, all that is just me thinking out loud.

 

On to other things.. I haven't seen anything saying that this will get a third season. I really hope that it does. I am in head-over-heels love with the cinematography. So beeeyouteeful!! I love that it was atmospheric and creepy without devolving into "buckets-of-blood" gore porn. Storywise, I thought Season 1 was way better than Season 2.

Spoiler

I was really sad when Nightingale was killed off. I liked that he went from bumbling rookie in Season 1 to experienced police officer well on his way to becoming a seasoned detective in Season 2. I kept hoping he would realize Mallott wasn't the killer and they would end up teaming up. But, since he was killed off, it was sweet that they showed him leaving for the great beyond with Flora. And OMG how creep-tastic was Hervey during Nightingale's death scene? Holding Nightingale in his lap, stroking his hair as he died as if to comfort him. Dude!! You just SLIT HIS THROAT! *shiver!* That was such a WTF moment but I thought it did a great job of showcasing what a nutcase Hervey was. And major props to Nightingale for hiding his notebook while dying. *sigh* he was just starting to become such an excellent character too. :'( *cries*

[Mercolleen]

I am confused as to why Hervey is against the Anatomy Act? 

[Ravan]

I preferred season 1, but still thoroughly enjoyed season 2.  Absolutely love this show and love Sean Bean as John Marlott. 

In season 1, there is a painting of Harvey's teacher and mentor Johann Dipple.  There actually was a Johann Dipple, he lived 10 August 1673 – 25 April 1734 and was a German pietist theologian, alchemist and physician.  He invented Dipple's Oil, which he claimed was the elixir of life.  The oil was mainly composed of oil obtained from boiling animal bones.  So, I am surmising that these are the same Johann Dipple.  If that is the case then what Frederick Dipple was drinking was perhap's his father's Dipple's Oil to extend his life.   Johann Dipple died in 1734 and the Frankenstein Chronicles take place 1827-1830 so let's say for arguments sake that Frederick was born around 1700, that would make him roughly 130 years old, older than any man has ever lived.  Perhaps the numbers on the bottles were the years Frederick was to drink them?  Johann Dipple had claimed his oil would extend his life to 135 years.  Without a new batch of the elixir it would seem that time has just about run out for Frederick.   

Hoping for a season 3.  The dead demand justice!!

[isalicat]

Just discovered this series on BritBox and watched both seasons in the last two months. Wonderful acting and art direction and a very creative riff on the Frankenstein trope. Sean Bean is always great at being a tortured soul.