'The Pentaverate' Review: Mike Myers' Netflix series is thoroughly absurd and enjoyable
Netflix stunned the world when it announced that Mike Myers will finally be making a return to the small screen after a gap of more than 10 years. Myers has been one of the most iconic comedians in Hollywood and he is known for his unique yet absurd style. So, it doesn’t come as a shock that the comedian has chosen a venture like ‘The Pentaverate’ to stage a comeback.
The Netflix comedy series revolves around a Canadian journalist named Ken Scarborough (Myers) who gets to know that there is a secret society named ‘The Pentaverate’ that takes all the decisions of the world. However, it’s not easy to get there because it’s being led by five of the most influential people in the world and only they choose who will be joining the secret society. If you feel like you have heard something like this before, then you must remember that Myers came out with the movie ‘So I Married an Axe Murderer’ in 1993 and the series takes the inspiration from it.
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I had very high hopes for ‘The Pentaverate’ and it didn’t disappoint me. Myers is back in form with the Netflix show and gives us something that is absurd yet funny.
The show begins with Professor Clark (Keegan Michael Key) getting abducted and taken to a secret location. As soon as he reaches there, he finds out about The Pentaverate and the five men leading it. Clark is really nervous about joining the group, but the group’s executive assistant Patty (Debi Mazar) tells him to join the group. He chooses to be a part of the group. Meanwhile, Ken Scarborough, who was once the most celebrated journalist, is really close to getting fired from the job. He asks her boss to give him the last chance to prove his worth and he’ll get a big story.
He meets Reilly (Lydia West), who is accompanying him to Canadian Conspiracy Convention, where all the conspiracy enthusiasts meet. That’s where they get to know about Pentaverate. So, he gets really curious and embarks on a journey to expose them.
In the process, they get to meet really interesting people and get to know why The Pentaverate exists. However, they don’t know that something evil is being planned inside the group and it will be lethal for the world.
The best thing about the series is that it doesn’t shy away from taking a bold route. Just like, the show says that America’s photo quality is better than Canada and whenever we see shots of Canada, they are all fuzzy. Meanwhile, when they reach the US, the video quality becomes crystal clear. It also takes references from ‘The Matrix’ movies and introduces the concept of the “blue pill” and “red pill”. Even though these jokes might not feel funny, when you see them on the screen, you’ll definitely laugh out loud.
Also, keeping the episodes just under the half-hour mark is absolutely brilliant. It is fast-paced and filled with quirky jokes. But it also gives us a glimpse of how bizarre the human race has become.
Mike Myers plays eight different characters on the show and is simply outstanding. You can’t teach all this, the man is so gifted that he can do anything. He is undoubtedly a legend. On the other hand, Lydia West is promising as Reilly. She is energetic, and vibrant, and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Myers.
Meanwhile, Debi Mazar is absolutely brilliant at Patty and showed why she should be seen in more projects. Keegan Michael Key and Ken Jeong have done what they do best: make people laugh.
‘The Pentaverate’ might not be Myers’ best, but it has the trademark style that he is known for. The show is absurd, weird, and watchable.
'The Pentaverate' is currently streaming on Netflix.
