Chris Connor reviews the premiere episode of The Penguin…
2022’s The Batman set the franchise on a new path with Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader, after some failed attempts to kickstart a series with Ben Affleck. Matt Reeves’ noirish take on Gotham and its underbelly drew comparisons to David Fincher’s work and received a generally strong reception, netting over $700 million. One of the standouts in the films roster was Colin Farrell’s take on the iconic villain The Penguin, here a mobster running his network from The Iceberg lounge.
This take on the Batman universe now gets its own offshoot with The Penguin, as the name suggests giving Farrell’s Oz Cobb his moment in the limelight. The series picks up with Gotham in disarray following the events of the film, the city flooded in large parts and the mob reeling from the death of mob boss Carmine Falcone. Oz sees this as an opportunity to wrangle control of Falcone’s empire which in turn had benefited from the arrest of Salvatore Marone (Clancy Brown).
Its amidst unrest and gang warfare that we find Oz, opening with a confrontation between him and Alberto Falcone. Oz takes troubled teen Victor Aguilar under his wing as his driver and confidant. It is perhaps surprising how heavily the opening episode leans into this double act, keeping Oz on his own for the most part. This allows us to glean more about this version of the character than we were able to in his appearance in The Batman. This is someone desperate to leave his mark and wrestle control of what’s left of Gotham.
If The Batman was this universe’s Se7en then this show is more indebted to the works of Martin Scorsese or The Sopranos. Far from being a knock off however it has its own characteristics putting fresh spins on the lore of the universe. Cristin Miloti is a delightful addition as Sofia Falcone, fresh out of Arkham and wholly unpredictable and power crazed, scenes between her and Farrell are a treat to watch, jostling for who has the upper hand.
The Penguin’s opening episode sees the series launch in highly promising action, expanding on the ideas of the film that came before it with some brutal action but not short on a few laughs either. It looks set to be another winning entry into Matt Reeve’s Batman universe and should amply fill the gap to The Batman Part II which is due in October 2026.
Chris Connor
