Kevin's Watch

This early life story of Batman's butler Albert Pennyworth begins shortly after his demobing from the army, in which he has served with distinction over the course of the War (2nd) n the SAS. Shot in that kind of CGI style backdrop the work is great to look at and the story rattles along at a good pace too.

Our man is in the process of setting up in business as a Security Consultant when by chance he becomes embroiled with Thomas Wayne, father of the Dark Knight, and before you can say (think of your own batman related quip here) he's up to his neck in posh skulduggery of the closet-nazi takeover kind. The guy playing Albert is very youthful, but pulls it off nicely, even getting the Michael Caine dry voice off to a tee. The villains are colorful, especially one outwardly bored northern lady who bleeds menace from behind a veil of disinterest in a most unusual way. All in all a good hours viewing (the first episode) and if the rest of it is served up at the same level we're in for a treat.

Hahaha, the GF watched this...had no idea it was supposed to be Batman's butler. (Alfred btw. )

--A

Of course! Silly me!

Nine episodes in and I cannot remember enjoying a tv series as much for a long time. I'm putting it up with Father Ted and that Timothy Spall one about the poltergeists (Chernobyl was also brilliant - but could you say you enjoyed it?).

Funny though, it is being moderately well received on IMDb and rotten tomatoes etc- but not brilliantly scoring around sixty five to seventy percent on the aggregate scores. I read a couple of reviews that I think explains this. I think it is because the show has a slant that is going to appeal much more to the British mindset than the American. It's full of quirky cultural references to sixties and seventies England and sort of parodies an alternative history of the post-war period that has a particularly British slant to it. In this sense I to some extent agree with the reviewer who observed that the mixing in of the Batman story elements is somewhat superfluous to requirements (hard to see how they couldn't have been though, given the names of the key players) and that the story would not have suffered by being made as a stand-alone.

But still, I've enjoyed the comic-book part as well, and for my part the series is the better for it.....but I still understand how, from an American perspective, the mix of sixties UK and comic-book could be a difficult one.

Just lastly (and not wanting to labour it too much, because I mention it only as a bit of irony) I note how, in a weird skewish sort of way, the series has a slightly prophetic air about it, given what is transpiring in the country as we speak. It's not the same, and it's exaggerated - but it's there none the less......??...... And the odd thing is that it's most likely coincidental; the Ravensberg Society's sort of mirroring of the BNP and the rise of the right, while having an additional mirroring with the National Front of the pre-war period (and their clashes with the Communist Party) has to be largely a fluke, because the series must have been in production when the events they seem almost to refer to (in today's scene) were coming to pass. A case of life mirroring art mirroring life perhaps?