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There are no secrets in London apparently, at least not where Alfred is concerned. The question is, who is blabbing about his business … or is he just so unaware of his own actions? Right off the bat, he’s surprised Thomas Wayne with the $15,000 needed to get him, his mum and Dave Boy to the United States. Thomas, who somehow seems the only one clueless to what’s going on around him, didn’t think Alfred would be able to come up with all the cash and had an in-kind job prepared to help make up the difference. But he’s set now with three seats and he doesn’t need nor want the job despite Wayne promising some good money.
So Thomas has a meeting with Prime Minister Aziz, and he’s quite blunt with his message that London’s defeat is inevitable and that’s why the US is supporting the Raven Alliance. Martha doesn’t take too kindly to that stance, pinning it all on Thomas, but Aziz reminds her that Wayne’s personal feelings are probably different than those he is representing in an official capacity. Nevertheless, Thomas needs Aziz’s assistance for that job which turns out to be the extraction of Lucius Fox from the Raven stronghold. Thomas suggests the best man for the job is … Alfred Pennyworth, of course, and Aziz assures him that won’t be a problem. But …
He wants something from Wayne, who has casual contact with Aleister Crowley. All he wants is a messaged delivered: John Ripper is coming to kill Crowley. Thomas agrees without question and the deal is set, but Martha is confused as to why Aziz wants to give Crowley such a message. Aziz says Crowley is coming for his job and Aziz wants to keep it. Aziz is also a bit suspicious of Martha’s sudden illness, becoming sick twice in the same morning. Is baby Bruce on the way?
Wayne apparently delivered the message to Crowley, because not long after his meeting with the Prime Minister, Aziz smashed a fly on a piece of paper on his desk and drew a pentagram around it. He had that ‘message’ delivered to Ripper which set his plan in motion. Applying a full face of makeup to walk his dog, Crowley was met on the street by Ripper who demanded he get in the car. Crowley kissed Ripper on the cheek, leaving a big, red lip print. Ripper accused him of trying to scare him with his Satanic mumbo-jumbo and threatened to stab Crowley right there, but … he suddenly went unconscious. Crowley asked the driver to pull over, and when he looked in the back window, Crowlet stabbed him in the eye with Ripper’s knife, the got in the driver’s seat and drove off, leaving the dead chauffeur on the sidewalk.
Ripper wakes up in the forest buried under a pile of leaves with a wooden cross marking his ‘grave’. He realizes Crowley drugged him (it was the lipstick) but calls out that he’s not scared. But Ripper then sees himself awaken again from the same pile of leaves, and hears voices calling out to him. Suddenly a zombiefied Aziz and Queen appear, commenting that it appears as if Ripper has had some sort of mental breakdown. The scene suddenly cuts to Ripper cowering behind a chair in Aziz’s office, Aziz suggesting Ripper needs to spend time in Bedlam to recover. He then walks over to Ripper and quietly tells him that he did this to Ripper before the guards take him away. It seems Aziz has secured his position as Prime Minister.
But things are so ducky for Alfred. He’s finally worked up the courage to tell Sandra that he’s leaving, and completely breaks her heart. (He gets a punch in the face from her father later for his actions, to which Dave Boy comments it was well-deserved.) And while minding his own business at the club, the police burst in, guns drawn, taking Alfred quite by surprise. They are followed by the Queen and Aziz who make him an offer he can’t refuse — they need Lucius Fox extracted from the Ravens HQ. Attempting to refuse the offer, Aziz reveals that they know of Alfred’s little dalliance with the wife of a very dangerous man, Gulliver Troy. (They also know Alfred is planning to leave for America.) Imagine what would happen should such a man learn of this betrayal. Aziz and the Queen have Alfie between a rock and a hard place, so he has no choice but to take the job. He also tries to warn Melanie who has to play along on the phone while Gully is nearby, telling her husband that it was just her hairdresser. Does he believe her?
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Dave Boy reluctantly joins him, as well as Martha, and they converge at a small diner awaiting their target. Unfortunately, there are other civilians in the line of fire which complicates things but Alfred assumes they will be able to take Fox without issue. Not so easy as he arrives with three Raven guards and more stationed outside. Martha attempts a distraction, and Alfred attempts to chat up the men without resorting to violence, but it becomes clear that isn’t going to be the case. Martha gets the mother and baby to leave the diner before the gunfire breaks out. The Raven guards are dispatched, inside and out, and Dave Boy gets grazed on the arm by a bullet but they manage to remove Lucius and get him to Thomas Wayne unharmed.
News of Fox’s extraction is not met with much concern by Lord Harwood, thinking the man is just some underling but others are concerned that he knows too much about Stormcloud. Harwood, however, is more concerned about Frances Gaunt, and those within his ranks who support her. He thinks Gaunt has been trying to manipulate him and s blind to the fact that Colonel Salt is the one playing on his fragile state of mind, warning Harwood that there are traitors in their midst and Harwood will know as soon as one of them comes to him with concerns about Gaunt’s imprisonment. A young lieutenant has already voices his concerns to Salt, so he knows the young man is prepared to talk to Harwood. And when he does, Harwood immediately goes off the deep end, calling the man a traitor and bashing his head in with his cane while others look on horrified. The field marshal comes in and sees the dead man on the floor, telling Harwood that he was one of his top and most trusted officers. The marshal has no choice but to order Harwood restrained and confined to his quarters … just as Salt had hoped. While Harwood and the marshal had agreed Stormcloud was just leverage and never to be used, Salt obviously has other plans on his agenda. And Lucius tries to convey this danger to Wayne, but he thinks Lucius is over-reacting.
Back at The Delaney, Alfred is conflicted about everything, but mostly about the deaths that happened during the mission. He doesn’t notice his mum is sitting in a booth, so she gathers her things and tells him she promised his father that she would always look after their son but she can’t do that if he’s thousands of miles away. Mary Pennyworth is going to American with her son on the condition that there are no gun and he gives her some grandchildren.
At Martha’s apartment, Patricia Wayne is there painting a nude man. Literally. On his bare body. Patricia bluntly remarks that she hasn’t told him yet, has she? Martha looks surprised and wants to know what Patricia thinks she has told Thomas. Patricia flat out says Martha is pregnant, which she denies then wants to know why Patricia thinks that. Patricia says she has that glow … and her tits look fabulous. Martha admits she is pregnant and has not told Thomas. But … is this baby Bruce Wayne? If the show is following Batman canon, Bruce does have an older brother, by three years, Thomas Wayne Jr. who grew up to be the antithesis of Batman, the villainous Owlman. It will be interesting to see where all this goes and if Alfie, his mum, Dave Boy, Thomas and Martha make it out of London by the rapidly approaching end of the season, and if London survives at all with Salt manipulating his way into power.
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