REVIEW: The Penguin

The Penguin  is a series that I did not initially pay much attention to, despite my mammoth Batman fandom. I felt that The Batman was an okay movie and Robert Pattinson did a good job as “Bruce Wayne who listened to the Cure growing up.” Still, I felt that the Penguin was an odd choice to make the star of his own series. Previous “Batman series without Batman” like Pennyworth and Gotham suffered for the absence of the Caped Crusader.

There’s also the fact that this is a review for Grimdark Magazine, so the question is whether the subject is grimdark. After all, it is a comic book from a well-known family friendly property. Batman is many things but one of them is a hero and grimdark thrives with moral ambiguity, if not outright villain protagonists.

So, it’s weird that The Penguin is probably the best Batman property since the Animated Series if not ever. No, seriously, this show is fantastic from beginning to end. Colin Farrell puts on a ludicrous amount of costuming and a fake Italian accent yet somehow delivers one of the best performances I can remember. Co-stars Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone) and Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar) also turn in amazing performances. Indeed, of The Penguin’s many talented actors, Mark Strong is probably the only weak performance, and even he does a serviceable job as Carmine Falcone.

The Penguin’s premise is that Oswald “Oz” Cobb (not Cobblepot) is a mid-level Italian mobster in this universe as opposed to being the criminal mastermind he usually is. He’s a working-class crook this time around instead of a fallen billionaire’s heir and even envisions himself as a man of the people. It’s a change from the comic books but the Penguin has had multiple origins so it’s not as big a change as one might think. Besides, the fact that the Penguin is centrally tied to ideas about wealth and class in America comes through well in these eight episodes.

The short version of what happens is that Oz lets his temper get the better of him during a discussion about who is going to inherit the late Carmine Falcone’s throne. This one impulsive action sets off a domino effect of events where Oz is constantly forced to scheme as well as plot to dig himself out of the hole that he’s dug for himself. This includes recruiting a disabled young man to be his No. 1# henchman and dealing with the return of Carmine Falcone’s daughter, Sofia, who has spent the past ten years in Arkham Asylum.

For the most part, The Penguin benefits from the fact that it could be any other mob movie rather than a superhero movie. The show never acts ashamed of its superhero roots, though, and gradually the story ramps up until it starts becoming more obviously something taking place in Gotham City. Certainly, it’s not that much different than the Gotham of The Batman (2022) onscreen and has several important references to the movie. While Batman’s lack of presence throughout the show is a bit disappointing, I felt the show more than made up for it with the final shot of the show. No, I won’t spoil it but it recontextualizes a lot of the show’s place in the larger iteration of the franchise here.

Part of what makes this show grimdark is the fact that Oswald sells his idea of being a mobster of the people extremely well. Someone who was respected by the community and a friend despite the fact he wants to flood the streets with narcotics. Except, the show never forgets that this is Oswald’s opinion of himself and we get numerous reminders that he is ultimately an utterly ruthless gangster. Some of which are genuinely shocking right up until the end.

Sofia Falcone is almost the co-protagonist of this film as we follow her own journey from victim to villain and discover numerous twists as well as turns regarding her past. Cristin Milioti is someone that manages to keep you guessing as to who her true allegiance even as we discover how hideously wronged she was by her father as well as mobster family. Sofia also has a fabulous wardrove throughout the show and the costume designers deserve kudos.

Feliz’s Vic is also a character that I think a lot of us can relate to, particularly in our teenage years. He’s someone who knows better than to be involved in organized crime but is quickly swept up in the excitement as well as lifestyle of Oswald Cobb. This Penguin has some serious, uh, issues, as they’ll come out but he is also friends with a prostitution ring madame as well as owner of a wealthy nightclub. At eighteen, I would have been rather easily swept up as well.

In conclusion, The Penguin is just a damn good show and everyone should check it out. You should definitely watch The Batman (2022) before you watch it, though. While you can follow events pretty well without it, it ties together in several surprising ways.

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