After quite a hiatus from screens big and small, SNL vet Mike Meyers makes a welcome return to Hollywood, this time in the Netflix series The Pentaverate. The mind behind Wayne’s World and the Austin Powers franchise returns as creator and head writer of the series, and just like in Austin Powers, the actor portrays multiple characters, perhaps his most in one project to date.
The universe that The Pentaverate inhabits is filled with storied lore and legend dating back to the 14th century. According to Meyers’ Pentaverate, in 1347, when the black plague ravaged all of Europe, five “learned” men realized that rats were the cause of its spread (an unusual idea at the time). Labeled as heretics by the church, which believed the plague to be a punishment by God, the five formed a secret society called the Pentaverate to influence the world for the greater good.
With such an ominous origin story, the Pentaverate begins 700 years of clandestine work with the help of the Liechtenstein Guard, a security force that protects the organization from being exposed.
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Five is Their Lucky Number
To join the organization one must swear off their previous life entirely, which the Pentaverate help facilitate. The Pentaverate identify an individual worthy enough to join the organization in Dr. Hobart Clark (Keegan-Michael Key), and they kidnap him and fake his death, a service unsolicited by new members. Potential members are then given a choice: join the Pentaverate or die (truly die).
Dr. Hobart Clark is a brilliant and well-known nuclear scientist on the cusp of realizing and harnessing the power of fusion, so it’s extra comical when the Pentaverate give him a particularly humiliating fake death (he “dies” from attempting to kiss his own anus). After which, Clark is flown to Pentaverate HQ for his initiation into the organization where he must decide whether he will help the group tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges for the betterment of mankind.
The Pentaverate are working to address climate change and need Dr. Clark’s help to divert the energy of the sun away from earth, which they believe will cool it by 4 degrees and solve climate change.
Dr. Clark is distressed and initially refuses to join, taken aback with the ridiculousness of the organization: They and their staff are headquartered in 21st century New York City yet still clothe themselves in medieval gowns and practice absurd rituals that seemingly serve no purpose.
Here’s a taste of Clark’s initial impression of the bonkers Pentaverate:
Clark: “Want to talk about dysfunction? Y’all just kidnapped a black man!”
Baldwin: “We’ve been kidnapping white men for years.”
At the same time that the Pentaverate are moving into the 21st century by becoming equal opportunity employers, another Mike Meyers character shows himself as the protagonist of the series. Ken Scarborough is a Canadian journalist who won’t fall in line at work (the station wants action, not fun community set pieces). As a result, he’s lost his job and is determined to find a juicy story to convince his boss to take him back.
After hooking up with Anthony Lansdowne (also Mike Myers), a conspiracy theorist and superfan of Rex Smith, a character parody of Alex Jones, Ken Scarborough and his colleague Reilly Clayton (Lydia West) head out to expose the Pentaverate, who, despite their best efforts have become known to those on the fringes of society.
When a unexpected turn of events causes the group to bring in yet another new member mid-series, the cast is destined to clash in what could be the end of the Pentaverate.
Will the Five Members of The Pentaverate Make Your Top Five?
The series has quite a stable of well-known comedic talent (aside from Mike Myers). In addition to the pitch perfect Keegan-Michael Key, Ken Jeong plays Skip Cho, a casino mogul who doesn’t appear until the third episode but has a very important role to play. Jeremey Irons narrates throughout while also breaking the 4th wall on several occasions–as does Netflix. And Rob Lowe and Maria Menounos pop up for some fun bits as well.
While the reviews so far have been less than favorable, fans of Mike Myers’ work as Austin Powers will be pleased. Even if Meyers et al won’t be winning any Emmy’s, the series starts strong and ends satisfactorily.
It’s not clear why critics have judged the series so harshly. Given Myers’ well-known style and comedic sensibilities, what else was expected from the mind behind So I Married an Axe Murderer, a project where he also played multiple roles? Anyone who enjoyed watching Dr. Evil and his ragtag group of spy-villains attempt to extort “one mil-leee-on dollars” from the helpless and incompetent governments of the world will no doubt love The Pentaverate. And those fans are in luck because Netflix has already greenlit a Season 2.
Despite what the reviews say, it’s just nice to see the man behind the voice of Shrek back at it again.
Judge The Pentaverate for yourself, it’s streaming now on Netflix.
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