The Prime Minister has an idea to deal with the Raven Society and No Name League once and for all, but he may not have thought this one through. Alfred finds himself backed into a corner and offered a job he’d rather not take but can’t easily refuse. Martha and Thomas get involved a little over their heads.

When you’ve left your main character surrounded by police officers carrying big guns before fading to black, it stands to reason they’re going to be stuck when the next opens. Alfred finds himself with the choice of ratting out Bet, who saved his life, or going to Newgate Prison. It doesn’t take a genius to guess which way he’ll go, and the subsequent events give Bannon and the writers the chance to have a little fun with the character, with one scene seeing him marching into a room full of dangerous-looking folks asking to see the boss, and the next leaving us in little doubt as to how that conversation went.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister hits on the idea of ridding himself of both the No Name League and the Raven Society in one swoop after the embarrassment of the country seeing Harwood not only return but command the loyalty of the police last time out. An open election in which all parties – these two included – may participate. Any keen students of history may recognise the massive flaw in this plan.

Harwood remains sceptical of the offer, but is persuaded by Bet and Peg to seek an alliance with his former sworn enemies to try to even the score and stand a proper chance at victory. Between this and the reaction of his wife and staff as he returns home to the ancestral pile, it’s clear that the Sykes sisters command more than a little affection from the master of the Raven Society, and it’s really quite something to consider how these siblings have moved their way up the ranks. Polly Walker and Paloma Faith are both obviously having a riot playing these two, and after Bannon, they are without doubt the most entertaining characters in the show.

Having sufficiently recovered (apparently) from their recent ordeals, Thomas and Martha both decide to get back to work. However, Thomas is reluctant to involve Martha directly in his own work, leading to a little bit of tension between the two of them, escalated further when Martha takes matters directly into her own hands. I’m thinking more and more that we really are seeing the future Mr & Mrs Wayne based on the chemistry between the two, although I’m still having problems reconciling that idea with what we know about Batman’s parents. Time will tell, I guess.

With a massive spanner threatening the Prime Minister’s plans, Alfred finds himself offered a job in exchange for his freedom. It’s a messy job, and not one he’s keen on, and that’s before the full stakes are revealed to him late in the game. His choices are stark and whatever he does, he may have a hard time living with it.

Running in the background, we have several other sub plots – “Edward and Mrs Simpson” mainly hanging around being obnoxious and making even Harwood wonder why he bothered, a secret in the Pennyworth household and the ongoing (and I’m sorry, slightly dull) saga of Sandra the barmaid and her inability to forget Alfred and find herself a new man. No offence to Harriet Slater, who is evidently doing her best with what the script gives her, but this is easily the least interesting part of the show. By contrast, Ian Puleston-Davies and Dorothy Atkinson continue to delight as Mr & Mrs Pennyworth – I’m almost convinced there’s at least a limited series worth of storytelling in these two, and Mrs Pennyworth in particular is pure gold in every scene she’s in.

Verdict: I hate to sound like a broken record, but whereas it still won’t win any awards for originality, it does do what it does with a fair amount of style and flair. There’s also a cheeky, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference that gave this reviewer a quite chuckle. 8/10

Greg D. Smith