Pennyworth Season 2 (2021) Review

It's taken a bit longer then I would maybe have liked but today I finished the 2nd season of Pennyworth and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees after the attack of the previous season The Raven Union and British League go to war, which sees Alfred trying to escape to America. 

Main Character 

Jack Bannon plays Alfred Pennyworth and he is fantastic, he just oozes charisma and charm. He balances the aggressiveness and class of the character and he is just really fun to watch on screen. The character goes through many twists and turns this season and Bannon conveys it really well and one day when he is done with this role, I see a big future for him because of his obvious talent. 

Supporting Characters

This show has a huge cast of characters and I felt like that began to show more this season with some characters not working as much. Ben Aldrige and Emma Paetz reprise their roles as Thomas Wayne and Martha Kent and I thought their chemistry was better this season, I still think the whole thing has been rushed for obvious reasons but there is no doubting they are good together and effective in their roles. Dorothy Atkins and Ryan Fletcher as Mrs Pennyworth and Dave Boy are also really fun and give more to do which adds so much to the show in terms of comedy value and some drama. But there are some cast that don't quite work mainly everything to do with Peg Sykes played by Paloma Faith. She was the character I liked least in the first season and it kind of feels like she doesn't have much to do and is forced on screen and is just a bit too over the top for me. Also the villains, whether it be Jason Flemyng as Harwood or Edward Hogg as Salt, they are just too over the top and lack depth for me to really care about them or their goals when there was a clear chance for that to happen. 

Story 

The story is decent, I really like Alfred's character arc and the fact that he isn't a bland and generic hero with no faults really helps and makes him way more interesting. My favourite part of the plot was the one involving him and Gully his old commander in the SAS and I kind of wish that had been the main arc of the show. It's just the whole war isn't very interesting and way too black and white in terms of good and evil which is a big missed opportunity. Also there are story arcs that don't satisfy and feel like they could have been better with being cut out. 

Script 

The script is also okay, the humour it top notch mainly because it does a lot of dark humour which fits the overall tone of the show really well. But the drama still didn't work particularly well for me, I just found it difficult to care about the story and some of the characters and that isn't exactly great for this show. 

Style 

The style is good, it doesn't hold back but never goes really brutal like other comic book shows. The action is well made and fits the tone of the show, which is well realised and feels over the top in the right ways with seemingly a greater pushing towards comic book fun. 

Overall

Overall, Pennyworth's 2nd season is a good season of television. I think I enjoyed the first season more, but this is a solid season of TV that makes this an entertaining show for sure that if you like crime shows that have a bit of comic book fun then it might be for you. 

Rating - 7/10