Explosive
Summary
The Penguin is one of the best shows of the year giving us a compelling villain origin story and making Oz the most psychotic iteration of this character we’ve ever seen. I wish there was more Batman in it, but I feel like this is just setting up the next movie. It’s impeccably acted with plenty of shoot-outs, explosions and graphic kills to make it worth checking out.
Plot: Following the events of The Batman (2022), Oz Cobb, a.k.a. the Penguin, makes a play to seize the reins of the crime world in Gotham.
Review: One of the most memorable aspects of Matt Reeves’ The Batman was Colin Farrell completely unrecognizable as classic Bat-villain The Penguin. Set in a more grounded universe this isn’t The Penguin from the comics and in this new limited TV series it feels more like The Sopranos than anything superhero related.
Batman isn’t even mentioned and despite all the various shoot-outs and explosions he never makes an appearance either which is strange (although the finale sets things up perfectly on that front). If you watch this just as the rise of a gangster series then The Penguin is one of the best shows of the year.
Farrell is once again phenomenal in the role of Oz Cobb AKA The Penguin and despite at times coming across as sympathetic, by the end of this series you realize what an absolute monster he is. He is a master manipulator and is convincing in his dealings with the local hoods as he twists things to his own advantage.
One of the most engaging aspects of the show is Cobb’s relationship with his new henchman Vic who is a kid who lost everything after The Riddler flooded the city which ended up killing Vic’s family. At first Vic isn’t sure if this is the life for him but as it goes on he realizes that he’s good at what he does…
The near show stealer here is Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone; you’re never quite sure what is going on in her head which makes her unpredictable and scary, yet somewhat sympathetic after what her family did to her. She is what she was made into, so a part of you is kind of rooting for her to take over the city.
On the action front we get multiple shoot-outs, some explosions and no shortage of graphic kills. This is not your PG-13 Gotham show but a hardcore gangster drama with a serious bodycount and constant swearing. It’s well paced and Gotham feels like it’s mostly in chaos and that everything could just crumble at any second.
Aside from never seeing Batman, there isn’t much else to complain about as The Penguin is faultlessly acted with a superb cast, including the always fabulous Clancy Brown and there is an atmosphere of impending violence through every episode.
Overall, The Penguin may not feel like it takes place in the world of comic book Batman, but as a gangster show it’s immediately arresting with stunning performances and plenty of graphic violence for all the family. If we do get a second season I’ll be there for it…