In Review: PENNYWORTH: THE ORIGIN OF BATMAN’S BUTLER (S1 – EP5) – Rhyme ‘n’ Reason

Synopsis: In Rhyme ‘n’ Reason, Alfred is asked to protect a foreign diplomat from a fringe country. While Bet Sykes gets a little closer to finding John Salt.

The Story

After having rescued Thomas Wayne from the Tower of London in last week’s show. Alfred is finding that work has dried up a little so he goes to the Prime Minister to see if there is any covert work available. Thankfully, Aziz is able to offer something that needs to be hush-hush. A diplomat from a fringe Asian Country needs protecting while she is in London. As Aziz fears that the Bigger Asian country that she is in opposition to might try and have her killed. Of course with little else on his plate as an option. Alfred volunteers his services, but lets Aziz know that spying is extra. 

Meanwhile, Dave Boys’ relationship leads him into the realms of experimenting with mind-altering substances in hopes that it will give him a better appreciation for Art and get him into his new girlfriend’s good graces.

Elsewhere, Bet Sykes finally catches up with John Salt thanks to a little help from former Raven Society PM Frances Gaunt. But the John Salt she finds is a much more upgraded version. 

Acting

Anna Chancellor makes a brilliant return as Frances Gaunt and has some brilliant scenes with Paloma Faith’s Bet Sykes who continues to be a stand-out character in this show. We also get a great performance from Jing Lusi as Zahra Khin who is the diplomat that Alfred (Jack Bannon) is put in charge of. 

Overall

Rhyme ‘n’ Reason offers up a fun story in which Bet Sykes finally catches up to John Salt and Alfred finds himself a new love interest. How it connects to the overall story arc is a little convoluted as we only really see one scene that features Doctor Glubb. And we also get a few scenes where Thomas Wayne and Martha struggle to rebuild their relationship. Hopefully things become a little clearer in next week’s episode.