'Pennyworth' episode 6 review: 'Cilla Black' introduces weirdness with witches and the 'magick' of Aleister Crowley
This review contains spoilers for 'Pennyworth' episode 6: 'Cilla Black'
'Pennyworth' was known for its audacious twist in stories and being unpredictable. With 'Cilla Black' it brings forth an episode that has witches, Satanists, hallucinations , and sprinkles of normalcy. Nonetheless, it is still another compelling episode.
Before we look at the spookier and paranormal part of the story, let's get some normal plotlines out of the way. Jason Flemyng's Lord Harwood seems so much more healthy after being rescued by Bet Sykes (Paloma Faith) and Peggy (Polly Walker). He's not the nose-chopped amnesiac anymore and wants to get back to London to take care of the Prime Minister (Richard Clothier) responsible for all the torture he's gone through. What's more, he's asked the two criminal sisters to help in his mission.
On to the weirder elements now. John Ripper (Danny Webb) lives up to his end of the bargain by telling Alfred (Jack Bannon) to visit Baroness Ortsey (Felicity Kendal), a clairvoyant claiming to be a witch. It is easy to understand as we witness Alfie scoffing at her for her hocus-pocus and be the cynical chap that he's been. There's one catch when she asks him to deliver a red rose and the left hand of a murderer and in return, reveal Esme's (Emma Corrin) killer.
What follows next is Alfie taking care of a rowdy patron at the nightclub he works in. A machete standoff sees the man's left hand cut off and fall alongside a red rose. He takes the grim present to Ortsey where she offers him spiked tea. A cuppa that sends Alfie into a maze of hallucinations revealing the presumed killer — his old army Captain Curzon (Charlie Woodward).
A still dumbfounded and dazed Alfie sets out with his pals to realize that what he discovered was true. And, the weirdness doesn't end there. Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge) busy on a mission sanctioned by the CIA leaves his drug-addicted sister Patricia (Salóme Gunnarsdóttir) with Martha Kane (Emma Paetz).
Kane may be a brilliant spy but definitely a bad babysitter. The duo head to this crazy '60s Satanist rave organized by Aleister Crowley (Jonjo O’Neill). When she realizes it's time to make a movie from the party, she finds herself in another maze where there's no way out. There's still no explanation of how she wakes up naked beside a sinister-looking tree, one that gives you creeps. As she wakes up feeling indistinct, a smog-filled London looms over her.
For reasons unknown, the series has taken off on a darker path. The plot is gloomy, and the gore is as usual. However, it does go well since the narrative is tightly woven. It's still a fun show to watch, but it remains to be seen how it sets up the remaining four episodes.
'Pennyworth' airs Sundays 9 pm on EPIX.
