Category: The Nevers

AMALIA TRUE, EIGHT

She’s an absolutely marvelous character with a lot of mysteries to her. Who was she before? Why was she drowning herself? Is she really a widow? How did she learn to fight so well?

That’s our first clue to her Enneagram. She’s very physical. Although she obviously has a sharp mind, Amalia really likes to hit things. She’s also very quick to react. The immediate assumption is she’s an Eight.

Her blunt speaking — truths about herself and others don’t intimidate her — suggests an Eight. She only tells secrets that are hers to tell, and only if she wants to, but embarrassment won’t hold her back. 

Her detective work is excellent and she is a loyal friend. Her impulse to action, though, is what defines her. In episode four we learn a little more about why she is this way (no spoilers). A lot more unravelling lies ahead for Mrs. True. If I call her Enneagram now there’s a high possibility it will change with more information. However, Laura Donnelly is killing it in this role, and I must speak about her now. This show deserves eyeballs.

UPDATE: Episode five, sadly, shows that the writers have no idea of the marvel they’ve created. No shade to Donnelly, who is masterful, but Amalia has lost her core. I am done watching and am hesitant to recommend any of it.

PENANCE ADAIR, SEVEN

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.