Epix
After a rather smashing debut, the new DC Entertainment / Epix television series Pennyworth slows things down a little bit as Alfred begins the launch of his own security company. The premiere gave us a great set up of The Raven Society and rogue’s gallery of baddies from Lord Harwood to Bet Sykes, but all of that was put on the back burner to simmer a bit this week … not that some intriguing things didn’t happen with that. More in a moment.
This week saw Alfred and his girlfriend Esme trying to readjust to their lives after the events of the pilot. Esme is still a bit haunted by her encounter with Bet, but she’s forging on with a role in a new play. Alfred seems to believe she is going places with her career and he graciously — and rather awkwardly — tries to tell her that whatever comes her way, he’s not going to do anything to hold her back. She seemed to take that as him saying that even if she has to sleep her way to the top, he’ll allow it. She wasn’t too keen on that idea and insisted that whatever does or doesn’t happen, she’s perfectly happy with him.
Esme makes her debut and Alfred is thrilled with her performance, even if he didn’t get the play, but he’s busy focused on his work now and doesn’t have much time to attend the play again or come to an after party. We didn’t see anything of Thomas Wayne this week aside from one short scene at the nightclub where he first met Alfred, again giving him a proposal for a job, this one above board but Alfred wants to work for himself. After Esme’s play, Alfred was approached by Detective Inspector Aziz warning him about being approached by someone about a job, and if he was contacted he should alert Aziz immediately. Alfred assumed he was referring to Wayne, but he claimed he had no contact with anyone. Aziz said if that was true, he just gave a civilian some very sensitive information. I’m sure this will come into play at some point.
While hanging out at a local pub with his mate ‘Dave Boy’, Alfred witnessed a young man come barreling into the pub with an entourage demanding to have Sandra, the pub owner’s daughter, draw him a pint. The young woman is obviously terrified of the man. He obviously has a thing for Sandra and uses intimidation to get what he wants. After he leaves, Alfred asks Sid who that was and Sid says his name is Jason, the nephew of The Man from White Chapel, a man whose name they never say aloud. ‘Dave Boy’ volunteers Alfred’s new security service to help rid the pub of any more visits from Jason, but Alfred does not want to get involved. Whoever this Man from White Chapel is, he’s not someone you want to mess with (and anyone with any historical knowledge of White Chapel knows this is the area where Jack the Ripper did his dirty business).
Alfred sees how desperate Sid is to protect his daughter and finally agrees to help, playing a customer upon Jason’s next visit. After an exchange of words and vague threats, Alfred tosses a drink in Jason’s face and bolts out the door, leading Jason and his gang into a trap where they are all taken down by Alfred, ‘Dave Boy’ and ‘Bazza’. ‘Dave Boy’ and ‘Bazza’ take Jason to a room, blindfolded, and make threats to him if he doesn’t tell them his name. But they don’t want to know his real name, they want him to call himself ‘Weasel’. When torture is threatened — and ‘Dave Boy’ brings out a bag of mundane things like a metal bowl and fork to simply scare the crap out of Jason so he cracks — Alfred makes his way to Jason’s uncle, John … Ripper, apparently carrying on the family tradition. Alfred makes a case that for him to slip in so quietly to Ripper’s mortuary, he has terrible security and maybe he could help. He also lets Ripper know that he has a very weak link in his organization.
Just as Jason is spilling his gut, figuratively, to ‘Dave Boy’ and ‘Bazza’, Alfred and John enter the room, hearing him basically give up his uncle. John is not pleased, and Jason is even more terrified when his blindfold is removed and he sees his uncle there. Uncle John is not happy but he goes a bit easy on the boy because he’s family. He does insist, however, that he leave London immediately. He doesn’t say ‘or else’ but that is certainly implied. Back in Ripper’s office, Alfred is still trying to discuss security but falls right into a trap as the floor beneath his chair opens up. Is he about to become Ripper’s next victim?
Apparently not as he returns home to Esme. It’s very early in the morning and she’s quite on edge from a letter she has received from Bet Sykes, remarking how they should put the past behind them because they could be great friends. She was sure the person trying to get into her flat was Esme but was relieved it was Alfred. Seeing the letter and how frightened she is, Alfred surprised Esme by popping the question! I felt a sense of dread during this entire scene, concerned that the pair were standing in front of a window the entire time, waiting for something to break through killing Esme in Alfred’s arms. I may not be wrong moving forward because the actress playing Esme, Emma Corrin, is not listed as a series regular in the credits, just a Guest Star. Could Esme be not long for this world?
Epix
While that was the main thrust of this week’s episode, we still got a bit with Lord Harwood being interrogated/tortured, questioned as to who was the head of The Raven Society. Refusing to answer, he finally admits it’s him. The Prime Minister is quite pleased that they’ve had the leader of this group that apparently wants to ‘Make Britain Great Again’ but being of such a high profile he has to proceed with caution on how to deal with Harwood. He instructs his men to send Harwood to ‘The Barbers’ … but to keep him alive. That doesn’t sound good.
Meanwhile, Bet is in a cell in the Tower of London facing execution for her crimes. She sweet talks the guard into being her friend until her time comes and he finally relents. The two play cards together and she comes across as a genuine person wrongfully accused. She even allows him sexual favors when she loses the card game. But there is a price. She wants him to deliver some letters for her. He says he can’t because she’s a prisoner, and she reminds him that he can’t have sex with the prisoners either and she will make sure it all goes south for him if he refuses. He relents. The first letter was the one Esme received. The second went to her sister Peggy (Polly Walker), a goodbye letter before her execution.
The day has arrived and it’s like a sporting event, broadcast on TV to the nation with the Pennyworth family and Esme watching intently as prisoner after prisoner are hanged and gutted before the cameras. (Was this a real thing? It’s unclear exactly what year the series takes place in the 1960s but the last executions in Great Britain were in 1964. It seems unlikely that such a gruesome event would be telecast to the masses.) Before Bet is brought out, and she’s being executed as an anonymous citizen to keep the whole Raven Society thing under wraps, a couple of guards stop her. When they bring her out, the prisoner is carrying on hysterically … something very uncharactistic for Bet. Esme and the Pennyworths watch and as Bet’s guts spill out, mother Pennyworth asks if anyone wants some tea. Just another day, eh. But Esme and Alfred now have a burden lifted from their shoulders. But do they?
After the execution, the two guards — who are also masked — approach and enter a truck. Once inside the cab, they remove the masks. It’s Bet and Peggy. The anonymous prisoner was apparently one of the other guards. Something tells me that worry I have for Esme has gained more traction.
What did you think of this episode? Sound off in the comments below!
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