Alfred, Bazza and Daveboy are on a mission to track down whoever it was that stole their money. Crowley’s devious plans have unintended consequences. Bet and her new friend continue their journey.

‘Who would be stupid enough to steal from Alfred, Bazza and Daveboy?’ is a valid question in context, and one that I thought I knew the answer to, given certain cues from the show itself. But things are never quite that straightforward in the world of Pennyworth, and it takes a fair old while to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

Along the way, Alfred reconnects with a face from his distant and recent past, finding out some things he hadn’t known about them along the way. He’s also started to have some of his weird vivid dreams again, something which we haven’t seen since Season 1 and I wonder if this is going to be made into a part of the character overall going forward. At any rate, he’s still as hard-edged as he was as this season started, with the only thing on his mind getting his money back so he can go to America and escape, even if his old mum doesn’t want to go (and is actually quite pleased at the idea he’s lost his cash and therefore won’t be able to).

Meanwhile, Thomas’ little mission for Crowley ends up with consequences that apparently nobody involved had ever contemplated, though why is beyond me given the person targeted and the nature of the targeting. Perhaps Thomas is really a lot more naïve than he’s been given credit for, or maybe he just didn’t think too closely on the potential outcome of his actions. Either way, when Martha deduces his involvement, she’s none too happy and happy to tell him as much. Sparks continue to fly between the two we ‘know’ to be destined to become young Bruce Wayne’s parents.

And there’s Bet and Katie, the latter of whom seems to be slowly coming to accept that if Bet isn’t actually her friend, maybe she’s at least someone worth sticking close to. Bet continues to be absolutely the most compelling of the characters thanks to her unpredictability and the absolute commitment to the role that Paloma Faith brings. There’s one telephone conversation in particular that really does showcase just why the character is so fascinating.

At Raven League headquarters though, things are not going at all as Lord Harwood wants, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that Salt is a lot more insidious than he seems, and not just because he wants to encourage London to be attacked with poison gas. One senses tensions at the top beginning to surface for the fascist oppressors.

Verdict: A tight, pacy episode with some genuine shocks. 8/10

Greg D. Smith