The Nevers is a new show on HBO/Max. Because I’m really enjoying it I want to contribute to its buzz, so I’m jumping in. It’s a little early, four episodes dropped so far, to judge a character’s Enneagram but I think Penance is fairly settled.
She’s an inventor, specifically for electricity. We know that she was a natural innovator before becoming “touched”, the word for someone (usually a woman) who’s been gifted by events on a certain day in Victorian London. Now she can see the flow of electricity all around her, helping her design mechanics that can shape that pattern.
She’s an incredibly kind heart, a Christian specifically. Helping is important to her. She’s loyal to the other Touched. She and Amalia run an orphanage, a gathering place for the Touched whose families are horrified by them. She would never do or say anything to hurt someone unless they were an evildoer out to torture (which is a plotline).
Although she will join Amalia, the warrior of the group, in battle, her inclination is as more of a Q: the inventor. In some ways her function is to keep Amalia on the right course, knowing what is just and gentle.
Penance is no Body Type. Her inclination for invention is an important trait. She’s curious. Her kindness, her connectedness to all the other Touched, suggests a Heart Type. However, as thoughtful to others as she is, she can also be socially awkward. She’s not averse to interaction, but she’s more of a loner. I think we’re looking at a Head Type.
Her curiosity, her daring, her social consciousness, suggest a Seven. The actress herself, as wonderful as she is, doesn’t physically represent a Seven. She’s too willowy for that. However, as of now four episodes in, I will call Penance as I see her.
I can’t wait to see if my opinion changes as the season progresses!
UPDATE: The writing on episode five became too chaotic and unstructured for me. I’ve stopped watching with much regret.