The Penguinisn’t a superhero show, but no one was necessarily expecting that. This is something of a new frontier for comic book movies. Instead of digging deeper into the existing heroes or establishing new ones,The Penguinboldly centers on the titular minor antagonist fromThe Batman. The show’s new look at Gotham’s gritty underworld feels alive and engaging, but the real treasure ofThe Penguinis Oz Cobb himself.
Creator and showrunner Lauren LeFranc broughtThe Penguinto HBO. She previously worked on shows likeChuckandHemlock Grove. LeFranc also has her name onMarvel’sAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.That series feels like an interesting comparison piece toThe Penguin, but it’s clear that LeFranc’s interest in crime and the fighters thereof is a bit more nuanced than many other creators in the space. The result stands well above anything that one might have expected from the character.
Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, and Rhenzy Feliz
8
Streaming On
HBO Max
The Penguinis a character study of a man constantly jetting from one knife’s edge to the next. Colin Farrell returns to the role ofOswald Cobb, a low-level soldierin the Falcone crime family. The story picks up shortly after the end ofThe Batman, leaving Oz’s boss dead and half of Gotham underwater. Oz is a hustler by nature, consistently angling for a new position and more respect. This puts him into an almost-comical string of seemingly unwinnable conflicts with much bigger threats. His primary rivals are Carmine’s daughter Sofia, fresh from Arkham with a bad reputation, and the old kingpin Salvatore Maroni, currently serving the prison sentence Falcone stuck him with. Oz’s primary strategy involves talking himself out of frying pans and into fires, gradually working his way up and rapidly falling back down. It’s a brutal tale of ambition and greed that drags every imaginable emotional extreme out of the Penguin. Oz even brings a new young ward, underprivileged youth Victor Aguilar, on hisbreakneck tour of Gotham’s worstunderworld haunts.
The Penguin and the Hangman
The brilliance ofThe Penguincomes almost entirely from its two lead characters. Oz is one of the most textured and sincere characters ever to come outof a comic book adaptation. Everyone and their mom knows an Oz in their real life. He’s usually a questionable uncle, a coworker who has been on the job too long, or an unscrupulous super in a friend’s apartment building. Those figures are rarely operating on the scale of Oswald Cobb. He’s a monster, but he’s so believably human that his actions often read as understandable extremes. He is far too ambitious, conniving, and endlessly deceitful. Oz’s greatest talent is talking his way out of the near-death scenarios he previously talked his way into. It is endlessly engaging to watch him just barely convince a dozen armed maniacs not to kill him, only to discover that one of the false promises he made will set up the next disaster. In quiet moments, he’s still a delight. At one point, he angrily chastises someone’s driving minutes after torturing them.Colin Farrell is perfect, but he’s not the only one killing it here.
The other titan of the piece is Cristin Milioti. Milioti is probably best-known as the titular mother fromHow I Met Your Motheror the star ofPalm Springs, but she’s astonishing here. Sofia Falcone wasn’t the most impactful character in the comics, but her role in the show has been massively expanded. Sofia emerges into a tumultuous period for Gotham’s criminal element. She spent a considerable amount of time in Arkham for a series of brutal murders, leaving her something of a pariah. Sofia stands as an outsider to every community. She has the power of her father’s army, but her actions are far less predictable. She’s a perfect foil for Oz. She grew up with everything and wants for nothing, but the world looks at her with the hate and fear they usuallyreserve for folks like Oz. They get every opportunity to play off of each other, and it’s excellent every time.
There are some weaknesses toThe Penguin, but they barely stand out against the stellar narrative, characters, and storyline. It’s essentially a long mafia movie with some of the strongest characters in the genre. The writing can get a bit repetitive, and some of the action beats don’t land perfectly, but it all works in context.The Penguinis undoubtedly trying to take on a bit too much, but that fits the character quite well.Fans ofThe Batmanwill loveThe Penguin. It’s a stellar new evolution of the universe, a deeper exploration of this version of Gotham, and one of the finest character studies of recent memory. The Penguin’s rise to power deserves an audience, and Oz is willing to go to any extreme to get it.
The Penguin
Set in Matt Reeves' Batman Universe, one week after the events of The Batman, this is the origin story of Oswald Cobb, AKA The Penguin, one of Gotham City’s most notorious crime bosses. Presented by HBO Max. Starring Colin Farrell.
