As far as I’m concerned, Penny Dreadful turned out to be the surprise of the year in terms of tight storytelling, passion, scares, outstanding performances and deep emotion. The series received an expanded follow up season with Showtime ordering a total of ten episodes up from season one’s eight.

Now, in the first released image from season two, featuring Josh Hartnett’s Ethan Chandler and Eva Green’s Vanessa Ives in a tender embrace, the press release that accompanied the photo promised that in the upcoming season, “Vanessa and Ethan form a deeper bond as the group, including Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton), Dr. Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), and Sembene (Danny Sapani), unite to banish the evil forces that threaten to destroy them. Meanwhile, Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), the Creature (Rory Kinnear) and Brona (Billie Piper) are all waging battles of their own.” While some are speculating this synopsis and the still are hinting at a romantic relationship between Chandler and Ives, I’m not so sure.

Series creator and sole series writer John Logan previewed season two of his hit series extensively this summer at San Diego Comic Con telling the crowd of fans, “Next season is very different. The cosmology and the theology of the show is much larger, and the next season they are thrown into a much more threatening supernatural show. And next year Madame Calli, who appeared in episode two and briefly in the last episode, and her supernatural world will become the big threat in the second season.” Logan also previewed season two by saying that the sophomore season would “deeply grapple with theology, because the question of whether or not there is an world beyond in central to season two.”

Penny Dreadful returns to Showtime for season two in 2015.