The Frankenstein Chronicles

I stumbled across this show on Netflix, having been unaware of its existence. Anything having to do with Frankenstein piques my imterest, so I tuned in and found it immensely satisfying. it captured all the thrills of a Gothic horror story, with a reanmated corpse or two, ghosts, scenes inside the insane asylum, Bedlam, and a killer who takes the hearts of his victims.

The first season, set in 1827, has river policeman John Marlott (Sean Bean) finding a body of a young girl washed ashore. The coroner tells him it as parts of eight children stitched together. He and his partner (Robbie Campbell track down leads, including the novel Frankenstein. Bean goes to the author, Mary Shelley, who is reluctant to talk, acting as if her book is now an albatross around her neck.

I don't want to spoil how this all turns out, other than what appears to sew up in the fifth episode turns out to not complete the story, with a twist in the sixth and final episode. Also, to discuss the second season, I have to be circumsoect, suffice it to say the killer and mad scientist succeeds in bringing a corpse back to life.

The second season finds Bean looking into the murders of clergymen, who have had their hearts removed. There is a turf war with the newly established police force and the parish watch, who claim jurisdiction. The Dean of Westminster, where the crimes take place. is an oily character, so it's fairly easy to see he knows more about the murders than he's letting on.

There's also incidents of plague in a slum, and Bean discovers the source and unravels the nefarious plot. New characters in this season are Frederick Dipple, a gentlemen who has an unhealthy obsession with automatons, and a seamstress (Maeve Dermody) who forms an attachment with Bean.

The series does well with historical figures. In addition to Shelley, we meet Sir Robert Peel. The police force is his idea (and the reason why British police are called bobbies). One minor problem is that Charles Dickens is a character, when he was a newspaper reporter going by the name of Boz. The problem is that Dickens was only 15 years old in 1827. A forgivable bit or artistic license, as he is an important character.

The Frankenstein Chronicles is creepy, scary, and gripping and is a must see for Frankenstein aficionados as well as fans of general horror.