'Pennyworth' Season 2 Review: Alfred is back in an installment that promises slambang action and epic twists
This review is spoiler-free
'Pennyworth' garnered positive critical acclaim after an impressive debut in 2019. The show averaged a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience score of 95%. The new season wastes no time in picking up from where it left off and in the four episodes EPIX had shared for review, there's a lot to look forward to. The series chronicling the life and times of Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, played by the dapper Jack Bannon shifts to life in an England ensnared in a chaotic civil war.
The neo-fascist Raven Union led by Lord Harwood has fast-turned into a mass group that threatens to control the entire nation with the Northern part of London offering some fight. At the West End neutral zone, we find Alfred running The Delaney, a Soho club that has people coming in and are welcomed despite their political choices. For those who last remember the show that was termed "Explosive" and "Suspenseful", the latest installment does better by throwing in a couple of easter eggs and some interesting twists.
The new season's pilot has a bit of everything— Bannon's wicked wit, Emma Paetz's Martha Wayne in the middle of some action, Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge) is back on his feet. He didn't have a great ending in Season 1. Despite the Sykes sisters and Harwood behind bars, the leader of the Raven Society manages to order a hit on Wayne, and just when the duo share a nice, romantic moment, Wayne gets shot. A petrified Martha tries resuscitating him and just about succeeds.
Alfred has a new mission and this one would all but guarantee his escape to America, which had been his plan since Season 1. The opening episode of Season 2 titled 'The Heavy Crown' shows him trying to profit during turbulent times and is tasked to apprehend one of the Raven Union's top brass, Colonel Salt (Edward Hogg). He sets off on the mission with his trusty pals, Dave Boy (Hainsley Lloyd Bennett) and Bazza (Ryan Fletcher).
And in our promise to keep the spoilers out of episodes two, three, and four titled — 'The Burning Bridge', 'The Belt and the Welt' and 'The Hunted Fox' respectively, we'll settle by just letting you know that there's a gritty war brewing and, for the first time, Alfred does look outgunned. That said, there's also a new method of war and that isn't by getting the swords and the guns out. This one's more sinister and probably the last thing we imagined to happen on the show.
'Pennyworth' Season 2 has some new additions to the cast. James Purefoy ('Sex Education'), Edward Hogg ('Harlots'), Jessye Romeo ('Curfew'), Ramon Tikaram ('The Victim'), and Harriet Slater ('Faunutland') are set as series regulars as the show fleshes out their details over the course of the four episodes. The original cast seems to have not lost their magic touch as Bannon and Paloma Faith's Bet Sykes nail their roles to perfection.
The storyline surrounding Martha Kane and Thomas Wayne's relationship starts from the season opener and adds to the fun element of the show just like it did in the first season, but that doesn't dim the impressive action sequences or the gritty and compelling storyline that's in store. 'Pennyworth' has been one of EPIX's ground-breaking shows last year and despite the pressure to repeat the same success, or perhaps go one step further, showrunners Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon promise a solid start.
The music by Lorne Balfe and the classics just adds to the tone of the series and the action element is in no way compromised. For those who felt the blitzkrieg Season 1 finale would see more an all-talk Season 2 opener, 'Pennyworth' has a massive shocker to offer.
Much about what to expect from the new season becomes easier as the show pretty much gave out important details ahead of the premiere. Martha Kane's pregnancy was one of the major reveals earlier in the year. The new additions too had a defined role. Purefoy as Captain Gullivar Troy, Alfie’s former SAS Captain— an absolute brute of a man. Hogg's Salt is a would-be despot running around as an unassuming and faithful civil servant, Romeo as Katie Browning, an art student whose life has been ripped up by the civil war.
All this just to make the process of enjoying the show a lot easier. Needless to say, Pennyworth is back, the future butler of the Wayne family serves it hot.
'Pennyworth' Season 2 will premiere on Epix on December 13, 2020, followed by a second episode on December 20 and a two-part mid-series finale on December 27.