Episode 2 of John Logan’s Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels, "Dead People Lie Down", explored the character of Sister Molly, who is loosely based on the founder of the United States’ first “megachurch.” The episode takes place a few moments following the riot between police officers and Mexican-Americans who are protesting against the city’s attempts to displace them from their homes.
When City of Angels' leading detectives Santiago “Tiago” Vega (Daniel Zovatto) and Lewis Michener (Nathan Lane) are instructed to close the case on a homicide by blaming any Mexican-American they can find, they refuse and follow their own leads. This ends up taking them to the Joyful Voices Ministry, which is run by Sister Molly (Kerry Bishé) and her mother, Adelaide Finnister. The detectives quickly realize that there is something that the ministry is hiding from both them and the public. In order to investigate more, Detective Vega stays after the service to speak with Sister Molly.
She does not believe she actually exists to the ministry’s members, and they only view her as a singer on stage. Furthermore, Sister Molly refuses to bring attention to herself because she is far too famous with touring, radio shows, and recording music. Adelaide never gave her much of a choice, as she forced her daughter onto the revival circuit to sing lullabies of the lord at the age of four, and her role in the church continued from there.
The Real Person Who Inspired Sister Molly
Sister Molly’s life and role in the Joyful Voices Ministry was inspired by Sister Aimee Semple McPherson. She was a Pentecostal evangelist who became famous for founding the Foursquare Church. Sister Aimee was one of the first people to pioneer the use of new media in religious services, such as radio, in the 1920s and 1930s, which drew in a large crowd of people who enjoyed popular culture. Due to her charisma and talents, she became a media celebrity known across the nation for her unique services. With tens of thousands of attendees, Sister Aimee pioneered the megachurch at the Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, California.
While Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels has yet to dive into the complexities of a character such as Sister Molly, especially given her historical inspiration, it does establish that she is a prolific religious figure from the 1930s. Sister Molly utilizes similar techniques as Sister Aimee by singing and holding grandiose performances for everyone in the ministry. Episode 2 showcases the countless number of people who attended such services, just like Sister Aimee had during her time as a leader of the Angelus Temple.
As the series progresses, Sister Molly may receive an integral plot line, as it is implied that a member of the ministry may be a suspect in the homicide of one of their own. Through Sister Molly's character, Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels continues to showcase the great attention to detail that goes into creating intricate characters with historical backgrounds. Undoubtedly, there are likely many more references surrounding California’s history to come.