The Penguin is a spinoff to 2022’s The Batman and is a crime thriller mini series that follows Oswald Cobb as he tries to build a name for himself in Gotham’s crime world.
March of the Penguin
The Penguin takes place one week after the events of 2022’s The Batman. With parts of Gotham City flooded and crime boss, Carmine Falcone, murdered, Gotham’s crime empire is wide open for the taking. The series follows Oswald “Oz” Cobb, played by Colin Farrell, who was an underboss for Carmine Falcone. With Carmine Falcone and Salvatore Maroni, the leader of a rival crime family, out of the picture, Oz uses this rivalry to his advantage to build up his reputation in Gotham’s crime world. Oz also takes the orphaned Victor Aguilar, played by Rhenzy Feliz, under his wing. While Oz and Victor try to cement themselves in Gotham City, the daughter of Carmine, Sofia Falcone, portrayed by Cristin Milioti, is released from her 10-year sentence in Arkham Asylum and enacts her personal vendetta which gets in the way of Oz and Victor’s plan.
Family Lies
The Penguin is a popular villain in Batman comics, but the show tackles this character in a way that has not been done before. In the comics, Oswald Cobblepot was a deformed character due to his height, weight, and beaklike nose. These characteristics made him feel like an outcast in his rich family, eventually pushing him towards a life of crime. He uses his wealth to become a politician and intertwines the political side of Gotham with his own crime family. The main change that was made in the show was that Oz Cobb was born to a relatively poor family and that he is more of a gangster type rather than a corrupt politician. Because of these physical characteristics and poorness, no one expected anything from Oz, which became one of his main motivators for trying to build a name for himself.
It is during this time of trying to establish himself that Oz picks up the recently orphaned Victor Aguilar. With Victor growing up in a low-income household and hustling to survive, Oz sees a lot of himself in him so he decides to take Victor under his wing and show him the ropes of Gotham’s crime underworld. Audiences are also introduced to Oz’s mother, Francis, played by Deirdre O’Connell. As the show progresses, audiences are shown how important Francis is to Oz and how everything he does is to give his mother a better life. Oz also becomes a father figure to Victor which reveals vulnerabilities in Oz that were not seen in The Batman. Although Oz seems to be a character with a desire to please his family, the writers do not forget that he is a cruel and criminal character with irredeemable actions.
Top Hat
Apart from the well-crafted writing and origins of Oz in the show, Colin Farrell was a key piece in bringing Oz Cobb to life. Despite the fact that Colin Farrell looks nothing like the Penguin from the comics, the impeccable hair and makeup work designed by Mike Marino transforms him into an unrecognizable character. Farrell brings a ruthless and unpredictable aspect to Oz similar to Tony Soprano in The Sopranos which happened to be one of the influences of this show. Both Oz and Tony are mob gangsters and they have a tough-minded work ethic. They both also have unique relationships with their mother and after all the prosthetics are added, they look almost identical.
Hangman
Colin Farrell may be the lead, but Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone was an absolute scene-stealer, cementing herself as one of the most impactful characters in the show. Sofia Falcone is a relatively minor character in the comics, but the show positions her as the one thing that stands in the way of Oz’s rise to power. Sofia was sentenced to Arkham Asylum because of the murders of seven women who were all hanged with a noose, which led to the press calling her the Hangman. People who are sentenced to Arkham tend to be crazy and insane, but Sofia’s personality complicates this assumption as she always appears to be calm. Her demeanor initially makes the viewer question why she was admitted in the first place. However, as the show goes on, the audience can deeply dive into her character, revealing why she acts a certain way. Although both Sofia and Oz are unpredictable in a malicious way, Sofia is much more relatable compared to Oz due to the fact her backstory justifies her actions. Although her actions may not be morally correct, her motivations stem from a good place, and it’s difficult not to root for her.
Flightless Bird
The Penguin takes a grounded and realistic approach similar to The Batman and immerses audiences into the world that Matt Reeves has created. The overall approach works so well because the writers incorporated comic book characters into a gangster-type show and not the other way around, just like how The Batman placed comic book characters into a crime thriller film. Although Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy does the same thing, Matt Reeves’ team heavily involves the core comic book elements that give the characters and the city of Gotham so much meaning. Because of this, it appeals to both dedicated Batman fans and fans of crime drama shows.
Verdict
The Penguin was a show that was never really on my radar when it was announced. The Batman is one of my favorite DC adaptations, but the character of the Penguin never seemed interesting to me. After I watched the first episode, that completely changed. From the start, it was evident how The Penguin took all the aspects that made The Batman so appealing and translated them perfectly into a series format. The quality never changed from leaving the big screen, and each episode of the show perfectly adds enough tension and characterization to the characters for audiences to be eager for the next episode.
The Penguin is a gritty character-driven crime thriller that fleshes out all the aspects that made The Batman so memorable. With Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti at its helm, this show is a must watch.
