‘Pennyworth’ Season 1, Episode 3 ‘Martha Kane’ Review: Thrillseekers

Pennyworth Security seems to be going down the dark path in terms of clientele. After having a deal with the Man from White Chapel himself, the business receives yet another deal too good to pass. Initially, it involves a chaperone job, but things get messy quickly. On top of that, their personal lives get in their head.

On Sunday’s episode of Pennyworth, Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) accepts a job from the mysterious Martha Kane (Emma Paetz). While Alfie is away, Deon ‘Bazza’ Bashford (Hainsley Lloyd Bennett) deals with Wallace ‘Dave Boy’ Dougal’s (Ryan Fletcher) breakdown. Elsewhere, Bet Sykes (Paloma Faith) thinks about Esmé Winikus (Emma Corrin) as Lord Harwood (Jason Flemyng) barely survives slow torture.

PTSD and Alcoholism

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While Alfie was away on the job, Bazza and Dave Boy had much time to spare. This situation presented quite a problem to Dave Boy, who resorted to alcohol when passing the time. Also, Dave Boy dealt with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, just as much as Alfie and Bazza did. At some point in the episode, Dave Boy woke up to his drunk self, covered in his excrement.

To make matters worse, Dave Boy scared one of the card players in the game Bazza, and a few others played. The guy shot himself accidentally as Dave Boy threw his gun back at him. The sequence presents how people face PTSD differently. While he initially was angry with his friend, Bazza understood what Dave Boy was going through and helped him limp out of the pub in a scene that echoed true brotherhood.

Back from the Dead

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Bet Sykes’ photos gave away her initial fate in the first three episodes. Regardless, her performance was flawless, making up for the mild spoiler. The twisted lady decided that Esmé is someone she wishes to befriend despite her sister, successful Dominatrix Peggy Sykes (Polly Walker) laying out the reality of the situation. Indeed, we have not seen the last of Bet in the show, although the question about her Raven Society membership remains questionable.

Lord Harwood, on the other hand, did not fare as well as Bet did. As the episode began, we had a glimpse of the Prime Minister (Richard Clothier) and Detective Inspector Aziz (Ramon Tikaram) leave Harwood’s torture chamber. Before the episode ended, we watched as a van dropped Harwood on a random street, now missing a nose and crawling for his life. His torture sessions did hint that he either is a weak leader or is working for someone more powerful. Sucks to be him.

Guns and Dishonesty

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Alfred’s customers do not usually come from their newspaper advertisements, so Martha Kane’s contract came as a surprise to him. Her offer was undoubtedly enticing but did have a suspicious feel to it, but he accepted it nonetheless. It all sounded so simple: pick up a man and his things and drive him to the airport. However, this is the catch: the man, Ian Thurso (Sam Hoare), faces charges of homosexuality and a string of other things Alfred learned along the way.

It turns out that Martha worked for the No-Name League, yet another organization with a mysterious beat to it. Thurso’s ‘belongings’ was a computer that looked a lot more like a bomb to Alfred. Also, the Raven Society wanted the machine and Thurso as well. With that, Alfred comes up with an ingenious plan that guaranteed Thurso and his lover, Sam Shay (George Parker), safe passage to America. It is interesting to note that the show’s portrayal of Martha is entirely different from her typical comic book characters. In this sense, it looks as if Martha has a closer relationship with Alfred compared to that of Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge). However, it is too early to say so for sure.

Chase our Love

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The way that Esmé could go from saying yes to Alfred’s proposal to ‘Fuck him, and Fuck you, Alfred’ is strange to note. It is perhaps in her character to always put herself first. Alfred’s meeting with Mr. Winikus (Jasper Jacob) did not go well; Alfred left insulted and unsure of their relationship’s fate. When confronted by Esmé, Alfred brings up the fact that she is an heiress to the Winikus family, along with a disturbing thing mentioned by Mr. Winikus. Esmé insisted on forgetting whatever her father and what he stood for, but this did not sit well with Alfred, hence their split.

Alfred makes it up to her after the job. The man decides to move out after another heated argument with Mr. Pennyworth (Ian Puleston-Davies). After that, he rents a large apartment somewhere in London then asks for Esmé’s hand once more. It is safe to say that the couple has rid themselves of things that hold their relationship back. With business going good in the Security Firm and Esmé starting her acting career, the couple seems to have a bright future ahead of them.

‘Pennyworth’ Season 1, Episode 3 ‘Martha Kane’ Final Verdict

Pennyworth brought about many changes to the characters involved in the future Dark Knight’s life. However, the artistic license employed in the show does not necessarily stray too far from the first stories. At any rate, one can say that the show brings a twist to a side character often on the sidelines. Based on the show’s casting and plot, one can infer that this Alfred does not stray away from two of the character’s media incarnations. Alfred could lead up to either The Dark Knight Trilogy version or the Gotham TV show version.

Pennyworth continues Sunday, August 18th on Epix.