Eva Green
The Season 3 premiere of Reuters

Season 3 of "Penny Dreadful" premiered on Sunday, May 1, and the dark drama did not disappoint viewers, as towards the end of the hour the show introduced a new threat that's going to make life miserable for Vanessa. Eva Green's character seems to have attracted the attention of Dracula, and the next episode, titled "Predators Far and Near," will further delve into what the monster wants from Miss Ives.

The previous season saw Vanessa shattered after she lost her faith, and Season 3 is all about she trying to make some sense of her life. As a first step, she has started consulting psychotherapist Dr Seward, the character played by Patti LuPone, who will help Vanessa come out of the dark phase she has been stuck in. The second step, according to showrunner John Logan, is to fall in love, and the perfect candidate is Dr Sweet, the zoologist.

Will this complicate her relationship with Ethan when they finally reunite? It might, said Logan. "The pull between Ethan and Vanessa is so strong," the showrunner told Entertainment Weekly. "She genuinely falls in love with Dr Sweet, and why wouldn't she? It's a challenging situation for her."

As for who Dracula is, fans have come up with a number of good guesses, with many pointing out that Dr Sweet might be the Dracula in disguise. "The reason why I say this, is because of the two vampire familiars outside the museum," one fan wrote on Reddit, explaining why Dr Sweet could be the Dracula. "The guy familiar who signalled the boy familiar to sell Vanessa the ribbon, there was really no reason for it, other than to get her to stop in front of the museum. It seems like they were intentionally leading her to notice the museum."

The official synopsis for "Predators Far and Near" (via Spoiler TV) reads:

Lily (Billie Piper) and Dorian (Reeve Carney) rescue a young woman. Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton) continues on his journey with the enigmatic Kaetenay (Wes Studi). Meanwhile, Ethan gets some unexpected help from Hecate (Sarah Greene). Dr Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) and Dr Jekyll (Shazad Latif) hatch a plan. Vanessa's relationship with Dr Sweet (Christian Camargo) grows but, unbeknownst to her, evil forces are tracking her every move.

"Penny Dreadful" airs Sundays on Showtime.