Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
For months I’ve taken up the attitude that EPIX’s Pennyworth can not be a real show. The series is Rome creator Bruno Heller’s latest journey into the world of Batman prequels. But Pennyworth goes back far further than Gotham, though, to the origins of one Alfred Pennyworth. Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler and mentor is reimagined as a war vet making ends meet as a doorman in a warped, nonsensical version of swinging ’60s London. There, he meets a young Thomas Wayne, and gets wrapped up in an insane underground war between rival political factions dead set on taking over the UK.
Pennyworth is strange, and bizarre, and totally unasked for. It is also the perfect antidote to the somber self-seriousness of peak prestige TV. Pennyworth is, I’m horrified to admit, really fucking fun.
The first thing you need to understand about Pennyworth is that none of it makes any sense. It’s set too early to be a prequel to Heller’s Gotham, and seems as far away from the world of DC comics as humanly possible. Pennyworth also seems to exist in a reality where time isn’t a concept. Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) seems to be a World War vet?? who lives at home with his parents?? in a version of the 1960s where blimps and Amy Winehouse music exists??? After helping American Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge) escort his drunk sister out of a club, Alfred and the yank exchange cards. It’s all well and good until a secret society attempting to kill money man Wayne discovers Pennyworth’s vistaprint card and assumes the men are connected. Soon Alfie’s girlfriend Esme (Emma Corrin) is abducted as a hostage to be exchanged for Batman’s dad. What does this have to do with the Caped Crusader? Nothing really, but boy is it bonkers fun.
Where else can you catch a show that so blithely ignores the rules of reality for the sake of fun? Pennyworth is full of feathered showgirls, old time-y punches, secret societies, and thick cockney accents. Pop star/actress Paloma Faith is delivering a delightfully deranged performance as Bet Sykes, an unhinged femme fatale whose preferred torture methods include caning rich dudes in the face and creepily slow dancing with her female prisoners. Alfred’s parents get mad at him for coming home with a bloody nose, but later gleefully kick a man together, as a family, while he’s down. A man walks through London wearing an opulent red cape — I think he’s important, but I’m not sure, because I honestly had no clue what was going on. Pennyworth is insane, and I was laughing and clapping all the way through the super-sized 71-minute-long premiere. Yes! I loved it when Emma Corrin clocked Paloma Faith with a TEAPOT!
Is Pennyworth good? It’s pretty to look at, well-paced, and the performances are fine. Both Bannon and Corrin do their best to ground the nonsensical stakes of the show in something approaching earnest emotion, with Corrin doing a slightly more convincing job. However, it’s not good. Pennyworth is too bananas to be art, too messy to be well-made. Still, if you’re looking for the kind of television that will deliver thrills over deep thoughts, Pennyworth is your ticket. It’s a whiplash-inducing, hyper-stylized spy drama that has nothing to do with Batman. It is simply Pennyworth.
