The Pentaverate is a comedy series based on a reporter’s attempt to cover a centuries-old secret society called ‘The Pentaverate’. It is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
The world issues have been tackled by a secret society named The Pentaverate since the 1347 Black Plague. Five chosen individuals have always been the heads of the organisation. The current generation has recently lost a member.
They select a nuclear physicist to work on a shield that would filter the sun’s rays and prevent global warming. Ken Scarborough, a Canadian journalist looking for a hard-hitting story to cover decides to do an expose on them.
However, he gets embroiled in an internal conflict which could spell doom for the entire world.
Performances
It’s hard to keep your eyes off Mike Myers, and only partly because he plays most of the characters. Ken and the four existing members of The Pentaverate are the most striking characters.
A lot of his scenes have impeccable comic timing. And considering that the story has also been created and written by him, it’s very nearly a one-man show and he is the single biggest reason to give this a watch.
Keegan-Michael Key, as Dr. Hobart, Ken Jeong as Skip Cho, Debi Mazar as Patty Davis are some other notable performances as they fit right in this crazy world of Myers.
Positives
Apart from Myers being the biggest highlight himself, the show has a number of hilarious moments that make you stop and just enjoy the joke.
The absurdity has been dialled up quite a few jokes and the scenes are borderline ridiculous. If this is your kind of humour, you’ll enjoy every minute of it.
The self-awareness adds to the humour. With cameos from Shrek, Reed Hastings and Rob Lowe, among many others, you just never know what will come next.
The quotes at the start are mostly hits. Every episode also has a different intro, with the narrator, Jeremy Irons, literally toying with the audience and it works well.
Myers and director Tim Kirkby make sure not to drag the series. The six episodes are more than enough to entertain the viewers and build adequately on the premise.
And while it isn’t exactly a thriller, the plot keeps you engaged enough to want to know what happens next.
Negatives
While a lot of the jokes land, some just fall flat entirely. It’s all about powering through them. The first episode isn’t the greatest and doesn’t build anticipation for what’s coming next.
The stereotype humour becomes tedious very quickly and is a bit overdone.
Verdict
The Pentaverate’s humour won’t appeal to everybody. But if it is what you enjoy, you’re in for six entertaining episodes.
Rating: 3/5
Also Read: The Pentaverate summary and ending explained