“The Penguin” (2024), starring Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobb, takes viewers back into the world of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” (2022). The series shows Oz in a state of hunger, as he hopes to rise to power in Gotham City’s criminal underworld. Oz’s plan to accomplish the task involves pinning both of Gotham’s notorious crime families, the Maronis and the Falcones, against each other.
Episode One: “After Hours”
The pilot is set one week after the Riddler terrorizes the citizens of Gotham City in “The Batman,” where he assassinates Carmine Falcone and blows up the seawall surrounding the city.
The production for “The Penguin” is nothing short of remarkable. When Oz enters the flooded Iceberg Lounge, the audience can feel like they are there with him with sea water up to his waist. When Oz and other characters roam the mean streets of Gotham City, the audience is there with them too.
“The Batman” and “The Penguin” perfect Gotham City’s look. It is a grungy cesspool with crime littered in every dark alley, and Oz is one of many who became one with that life instead of fleeing from it.
Farrell brings his version of the character to life. Farrell channels his inner Tony Soprano but is constantly disrespected by others who think less of him like Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), Carmine’s son and heir-apparent.
With the support of his elderly mother Francis (Deirdre O’Connell), Oz decides not to leave Gotham and aspires to become a well-respected and feared mob boss. Instead of killing him, Oz brings along a homeless teenager named Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) to assist him after Oz found him and a group of juvenile delinquents trying to steal the rims from his car.
Aguilar and Farrell have terrific chemistry with each other, and their relationship is one of the highlights of the series so far. They have a parallel bond to Batman and Robin, but one for creating crime.
The pilot also introduces Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) and Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown), and both performers embody their characters flawlessly. They don’t have a lot of screen time, but as the series goes along, they will for sure appear more often and have crucial roles in the plot.
The pilot for “The Penguin” is an excellent re-introduction to who Oz Cobb is and what his goals are. The new characters are interesting and the story is intriguing.
Episode Two: “Inside Man”
The pilot for “The Penguin” introduced Sofia Falcone as one of the major characters of the series. In the series’ second episode, viewers unfamiliar with the comics learn more about who she is. We discover that Sofia was released from Arkham Asylum and was a serial killer dubbed “The Hangman.”
Milioti plays Sofia with perfection. There are moments where the audience thinks Sofia will crack, but she doesn’t. Milioti also has the case of the Michael Meyers eyes, referring to the first “Halloween” (1978) where Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) referred to Michael Meyers having no life in his eyes.
Sofia, who is constantly suspicious of who will betray her after what happened to her father, creates tension for Oz as he is trying to destroy the whole Falcone family. Sofia hires a retired detective to investigate a recent heist by Maroni’s crew on Falcone’s drug shipment. The detective finds a man named Ervad, one of Maroni’s henchmen.
Oz was a part of the heist and is the mole Sofia is suspicious of. Oz is against the clock and must get to Ervad before he can start talking. This entire sequence of events is amazing to watch and is a testament to the superb direction of Erika L. Johnson. By the end of the episode, Oz is able to plant evidence on someone else to make the Falcone’s believe he was the mole.
Oz also punishes Victor for failing to follow his orders thoroughly and threatens to kill him if he messes up again. Farrell’s acting shows that Oz can quickly turn to the dark side if those working for him don’t comply with his commands.
Episode two gives the audience more to chew on in terms of characters, and a storyline that gets juicer with the turns it takes.
