This episode was truly something else. I was enjoying "Penny Dreadful" very much even before watching this, and even thought "Seance" would stand as the season-high episode, but "Closer Than Sisters" takes it to a whole new level.
It's not easy to make a "flashback" episode, so choosing this to be one — more than that, to focus solely on a single character's past for it's entirety — was a bold move but that ultimately paid off.
If the screenplay was great, focusing on Vanessa and her complex personality and conflicts, I must say that a great part of this episode's success must be thanks to Eva Green's absolutely stunning performance. Giving life and depth to the character, she went through the most horrific, outright cruel and brutal moments (wich I won't spoil here for you) to the most tender and sad scenes. Everything was so raw, so natural that it seems she LIVED through those moments. This is an Emmy worth achievement and I'll be baffled if she isn't at least nominated.
The art direction on this episode also deserves mention. "Penny Dreadful" looks gorgeous and we all know it by now, but the landscapes, the long, haunting corridors and mansions and a particularly eerie maze... everything, the costumes, the atmosphere of dread, even when the characters were just talking — the feeling that something wrong was about to happen was palpable.
"Closer Than Sisters" reaches out for too much at some points, but it never seems gratuitous as everything is realized with such passion and commitment. To dive into Vanessa's back-story was a great move, as it fuels the season to new expectations and shines a light into the story. This is the best episode of the season for me and overall one of TV's best this season.
