'Pennyworth' episode 8 review: 'Sandie Shaw' sheds light on Raven Society's uprising and provides Alfred an unlikely ally
This review contains spoilers for Ep.8: Sandie Shaw
Jason Flemyng is an absolute delight in 'Sandie Shaw' as he takes center stage as Lord Harwood, leader of the Raven Society. The episode is thrilling and sets up the last two episodes of the season perfectly, and something tells us there will be a new season as there are still plenty of storylines that need tying up. We have broken down 'Sandie Shaw's talking points to understand how it lays a platform for the remainder of the season.
Raven Society's uprising
'Hello England' says Harwood icily, to a crowd that's assembled after the Raven Society calls for a public rally to build a new England. While Prime Minister (Richard Clothier) tries his level best to put an end to the proceedings, Harwood still gains upper hand and plots to replace the queen with another suitable leader, should she not support a few of the Society's moves in future. Parallelly, there is no whiff of what their competitor, the No Name League, is up to.
An unlikely alliance
Not many thought Alfred (Jack Bannon) and Bet Sykes (Paloma Faith) would team up, albeit reluctantly, to exact revenge on Captain Curzon (Charlie Woodward) for Esme's (Emma Corin) murder. Bet argues with Alfie that she loved Esme as much as he did and that he needs her help in tracking down Curzon. A bit of digging leads Alfred to deduce Detective Inspector Azeez (Ramon Tikaram) was in cahoots with Curzon's father and was hiding information about his whereabouts.
Azeez plans to capture Alfred by baiting him. He offers Curzon and his nanny up so that he could take down the hero. Things go awfully wrong for the detective when Bet plays spoilsport and makes an entrance when Alfred is interrogating Curzon. Sensing Azeez's plan, Alfred kills both the murderers, much to Bet's chagrin.
The end of the episode sees him mourning for Esme when Azeez and his men surround him.
The Wayne-Kane relationship
It looks like Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge) is still not over the fact that he pummelled someone to the point of death. Kane asks him about his CIA connection to which there is no definite answer. The series is yet to establish how the two end up marrying as there are no signs of a relationship yet. So far, it is about solving missions and that's pretty much it.
The final verdict
A cliffhanger ending there, no doubt, with Alfie surrounded by Azeez's men. And he's got no back-up. 'Sandie Shaw' gave the much-needed focus on the Raven Society and their intentions to introduce a new England. 'Pennyworth' has been termed "unpredictable" by fans and the episode is just another example. Eight episodes have seen the show live up to its billing as an intriguing and thoroughly entertaining prequel, and is a must-watch for those religiously following it.
'Pennyworth' airs Sundays on EPIX at 9 pm.