The Penguin: Gotham’s grimiest crime drama

DC live-action films have a troubled history; they never seem to find the right direction. Never seemingly finding the right direction, the DCEU never really kicks off quite like Marvel’s MCU, despite having popular characters from Superman to Batman. The constant changes in direction, cast, and tone never really made most DC films feel coherent as a universe. That is until director Matt Reeves’ The Batman came onto the scene.

The Batman, which featured Robert Pattinson as a young, enraged version of the Caped Crusader, propelled Batman into the grittiest Gotham City setting ever seen on screen. Colin Farrell’s Penguin, albeit only appearing for a few scenes in the film, had such an impact through his performance that it warranted a separate limited series for his character.

It was one of those ideas that could have gone wrong, as did many DC spinoff shows in the past (as did many DC spinoff shows in the past, like Gotham after season 3), yet it’s safe to say that The Penguin might be the best DC television outing to date.

What Worked

Farrell delivers one of his career-best performances as Oz Cobb, a ruthless and manipulative mobster who seeks to seize control of Gotham’s underworld amid the power vacuum in the aftermath of The Batman. Throughout the series, Oz Cobb is humanized beautifully until he does something utterly atrocious that makes you want to hate him again. His distinctive accent adds depth to the character and pays homage to The Penguin from the Batman Arkham games.

While Farrell’s performative brilliance was expected, as we already witnessed glimpses of it in The Batman, Christin Milioti’s chilling portrayal of Sofia Falcone takes you by surprise. Milioti embodies her character's unhinged and complicated nature, switching from sweet and likable to cold and unhinged instantly. Her performance in Episode 4 of the series is genuinely one of the best acting performances in the show. The episode, which focuses on Sofia Falcone’s origin story, also earned an all-time high 9.5-star review on IMDb.

The story borrows elements of various mob shows such as The Sopranos and even has storytelling arcs similar to shows like Breaking Bad but blends these seamlessly with classic Batman story arcs like the infamous The Long Halloween series. The supporting actors also do a stellar job and feel like integral parts of Gotham’s dark and grim underworld. The world-building is second to none, where Gotham City has never felt so real and alive on screen as it does in Reeve’s Batman universe.

What Didn’t Work

There is not much that didn’t work in the series. While the world-building was stellar, one felt something was missing, maybe the presence of a tall shadowy figure on the rooftops. For a series that is based in the Batman universe, it works pretty well without mentioning Batman even once. While that works for most situations, and one doesn’t feel something amiss, there are moments when one questions the absence of the Caped Crusader.

When Sofia Falcone gasses the entire family, and the police arrive at the crime scene, you expect Batman to be there. Similarly, there are moments where a hint of Batman in the shadows would enhance the realism, as, for the most part, it feels like a Gotham where Batman doesn’t exist.

Another plotline that seems lazy at best is Salvatore Maroni's conclusion. He suddenly succumbs to a heart attack without prior signs of illness. To begin with, it seems too convenient for the writers to get Oz out of an air-tight situation that seemingly had no escape.

Verdict

The Penguin emerges as a much-needed triumph for the DC Universe as they struggle to find stable footing for their characters. Colin Farrell and Christin Milioti carry the whole series with their remarkable performances as The Penguin and Sofia Falcone while building serious hype for what is to come in Matt Reeves’ most awaited sequel, The Batman Part II.