As the Raven Union consolidates its grip on most of the country, London holds out for now, with Alfred profiting from running a club in the ‘neutral zone’ as well as from other, more illicit activities. A dangerous mission gives him an opportunity to add some much-needed capital to his ‘escape fund’ to leave the UK behind once and for all.

The first season of Pennyworth quickly established itself as not just an origin story for Batman’s butler, but one set in a very different version of reality to the one we know. Between the public executions broadcast live on TV, the portrayal of a young Queen Elizabeth and the open fascism of the Raven League, this certainly wasn’t sixties London as anyone remembers it. Still, it was stylish and mostly well done and the central performance of Jack Bannon really helped you to sympathise with the character even when he sometimes crossed the line.

Which makes this opening episode of the new season a little odd. It’s still leaning heavily into the gloriously insane alternate history take. The League have taken over most of the UK, with small pockets of resistance dwindling fast, and they’re being every bit as overtly awful as we would always have expected them to be. It’s in the characters themselves where things have become very different.

Take our lead – Alfred was always a little bit mercenary, ready to do whatever it took to get the desired result, but it seems that being forced to kill his father and seeing the mess that his country has quickly become have driven him over the edge into something else entirely. This is a man who has no qualms about playing both sides of this conflict, running a club in neutral territory seeming to be a flashing neon sign as to where his interests currently lie. His one concern is making enough money to get himself, his friends and his mum to America, and he really doesn’t seem all that concerned how he gets it.

Then there’s Martha and Thomas, both of whom seem to have shifted as well, albeit more subtly. It seems that being shot has turned Thomas into less of a detached cynic and more of an idealist. He rails not quite openly against his agency paymasters for their determination to stay above the nuances of the internal UK conflict, a far cry from how he was back in season 1. Martha, for her part, has become much harder-edged and more cynical, even as she continues to fight the apparently lost cause of the No Name League in their ever-shrinking territory.

The one constant of the main cast is Paloma Faith’s Bet, who remains as randomly unpredictable as ever. Working in a Raven League interrogation centre seems a perfect match for her particular skillset and proclivities, but as ever with the eccentric northerner, you can never quite be sure what she’ll do next.

Overall then, it’s feeling a little like the series is undergoing a quite substantial change of direction, both in terms of its main characters as well as its overall setting. At this point it’s getting increasingly difficult to see what the eventual stepping off point from this to the Wayne family butler we know and love will be, but one thing seems certain – the ride to get there will never be less than interesting.

Verdict: Stylish, noirish and mixing the familiar with the new. An intriguing start to the second season. 8/10

Greg D. Smith