Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels Season 1 had too much story to tell and not enough interest or insight to see it all through

The A.V. Club

"What began as an exploration of how pernicious a city’s infrastructure can be has, after 10 episodes, ended in tedious recapitulation," says Danette Chavez, adding: "What’s missing, aside from Santa Muerte—who has yet to be identified as an ally or combatant in Magda’s war even after 10 hours of drama—is the early, admittedly faint, promise of the story about to unfold. With City Of Angels, Penny Dreadful creator John Logan says he set out to capture humanity’s capacity for cruelty, be it through social engineering and redlining, developing weapons of mass destruction, or a criminal justice system that exists to protect one segment of the population while disproportionately punishing others. It was an ambitious endeavor, but ultimately ill-conceived, as the season-one finale proves that City Of Angels has taken us for a ride; a lurching journey full of dead-ends and unsatisfying detours."