Paradise Lost

**Paradise Lost** is the ninht episode of the second season of *Pennyworth* and the nineteenth episode of the series overall. It aired on Epix on April 4, 2021.

## Synopsis

*With less than 48 hours, Alfred, Thomas and Martha concoct a plan to infiltrate Raven headquarters with Dave Boy and Lucius to steal Project Stormcloud.*

## Plot

The war between the English League and the Raven Union has now reached a turning point. The new Union leader, John Salt previously gave the League an ultimatum: surrender or he would deploy the devastating Stormcloud weapon in London. However, The Queen and Prime Minister Aziz weren’t ready to give up just yet, but Salt got the approval of the entire Raven Union council to go ahead with his barbarian plan.

Elsewehere, Thomas Wayne, Lucius Fox and Martha Kane visit Alfred at his mother’s house. While Alfred is still recovering from his fight with Gulliver Troy, the trio recruits him and Dave Boy for a dangerous mission: break into the Raven Union headquarters and steal the “Project Stormcloud” before that it can be used.

Since this plan involves sneaking directly into the belly of the beast, this quest is a suicide mission, and the entire crew treats it as such.

As a result, on the eve of the battle, everyone involved in the aforementioned mission spends one last night to find what little comfort they can in their war-torn city. Alfred reconnects with his ex-girlfriend Sandra. Lucius ends up sharing a drink with Aziz, and Thomas and Martha Wayne finally admit their love and agree to get married.

The next day, Thomas, Lucius, Alfred, and Dave Boy drive to the Raven Union headquarters. The quartet can walk through the gates considering that Thomas is an agent of the CIA, an organization that is technically on the side of the Union.

Thomas informs the Union that he has brought back his missing scientist, Lucius Fox. They are allowed to pass and, although they are meant to be taken directly to John Salt, they dispose of their security escorts once they are inside and leave. Not wasting any time, they are eventually able to also sneak into the “Storm Cloud Project” lab.

Alfred and his crew secure the “Stormcloud” weapon, and then move to get out. However, Salt eventually realizes that something is wrong, and the four men are captured before they can escape the compound. Dave Boy, Thomas, and Lucius are locked up in cells, but Alfred is taken to Salt’s office. The leader of the Raven Union sees Alfred as a man of honor, and offers him the opportunity to join his side. Alfred refuses, but Salt has Arthur try and persuaded his son to switch sides.

Father and son meet once more and, although Alfred is surprised to see that his father is still alive, he is unwilling to join him or the Union. Instead, Alfred scolds Arthur for his beliefs, his loyalty, and what he did to his mother.

Later, Alfred locks himself in with the rest of his friends, and at that point, they feel as if they have failed, and that no one will come and save them.Unexpectedly, Bet nd her sister Peggy come to their aid, after also infiltrating the Raven Union compound while using Salt’s girlfriend to break through the doors and move freely within the building. The sisters have been on a quest to fulfill Lord Harwood’s wish to destroy Salt and reinstate Frances Gaunt as the just and rightful leader of the Union.

Bet and Peggy head to the prison wing and drag Frances out of her cell. However, before they can leave, the presence of several Raven Union soldiers forces them to hide in another room, in which Alfred, Thomas, Lucius and Dave Boy are locked. Beth recognizes Alfred fondly, and lets him and his friends out. When Gaunt learns that they are on a mission to steal the “Project Stormcloud”, she insists that they help, and they all end up on the same side temporarily.

Now that they are armed, Alfred, Thomas, Lucius, and Dave Boy attempt to complete their mission, but are once again captured. The four men are taken to Salt’s chambers, where each has a chance to join the Union. They all decline the offer, as expected, but Arthur asks Salt to give him a moment of privacy with his son, to try one last time to have him join them. Salt accepts and goes to his rooms to wait.

Arthur approaches Alfred and, although at first it seems that he is trying to recruit him for the Union, he lowers his voice and asks his son if there is a possibility that his mother will forgive him. Arthur just wants to see his wife again, and Alfred really believes that his parents can reunite, and this pushes Arthur to switch sides. He tells Alfred that he has a gun hidden inside his pocket. Alfred takes it and uses it to shoot the soldiers who are holding him and his friends prisoner.

In the end, Alfred, Thomas, Lucius, Dave Boy, and Arthur drive away from the Raven Union headquarters with the “Project Stormcloud” weapon finally secured. Their mission has been a success, while Salt remains in the dark about facing retaliation for what he did to Lord Harwood at the hands of Beth Sykes.

## Cast

* Ben Aldridge as Thomas Wayne
* Emma Paetz as Martha Kane
* Hainsley Lloyd Bennett as Bazza
* Ryan Fletcher as Dave Boy
* Dorothy Atkinson as Mary Pennyworth
* Ian Puleston-Davies as Arthur Pennyworth
* Polly Walker as Peggy Sykes
* Ramon Tikaram as Inspector Victor Aziz
* Edward Hogg as Colonel John Salt
* Harriet Slater as Sandra Onslow
* Jessye Romeo as Katie Browning
* Paloma Faith as Bet Sykes

Special Guest Star* Anna Chancellor as Frances Gaunt

* Simon Manyonda as Lucius Fox

Co-Starring* Jessica Ellerby as The Queen
* Sally Tatum as Miss Dixon
* Tristram Wymark as General Nelson Thursday
* Jessica Claire as Vikki Dufrench
* Sharon Ballard as Ruby Carmichael
* Nathan Clough as Sergeant Riley
* Suzann McLean as Scientist
* Johanna Allitt as Cell Guard
* Cai Dale as Soldier
* Anah Ruddin as Receptionist

## Trivia

* This episode is also the penultimate episode of the second season.
* Unlike in her previous appearances, Anna Chancellor as Frances Gaunt was credited as Special Guest Star for this episode; compared to being given a guest star credit in her previous appearances.