Matt Reeves’ The Batman reintroduced us to Bruce Wayne (here, Robert Pattinson) in about the only way worth watching anymore (sorry, infinitely dropping pearls after a gunshot); focusing on the nuances of his first exploratory year of donning the cowl and becoming The Bat. It’s a gritty but generally realistic Batman who isn’t magically capable of maximum human potential, thanks to the power of montage. Pattinson’s Batman isn’t afraid to fail or be messy. An early Batman needs early villains; it’s great to see early career Batman facing off with villains like Edward “The Riddler” Nashton (Paul Dano) and Oswald “Oz/The Penguin” Cobblepot (Colin Farrell).

Photo Credit: Macall Polay/HBO

The Penguin, a spin-off sequel series following the middling Falcone underling with big, Gotham-conquering dreams, chronicles the Batman baddie’s rise to power. It’s a stunner of a season that expands the world of The Batman in layers one rarely sees in DC properties, and a tremendous showcase for Farrell and Milioti.

Immediately following the events of The Batman, Gotham is a changed city. The Riddler’s war on the city has flooded districts and littered the city with bodies. It also created great upheaval among Gotham’s underworld following the death of crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen) is the heir apparent of the Falcone empire, before a moment of antagonism against the ambitious Oz Cobblepot results in Oz shooting Alberto dead. The act sets in motion a chain of events throughout the Falcone family, especially amongst his newly-released-from-the asylum sister, Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), who will stop at nothing to see her brother avenged. It also unlocked Oz’s long-dormant lust for domination of Gotham’s criminal underworld. The two are set on an inevitable collision course over the city’s shadows.

Cristin Milioti and Colin Farrell in The Penguin
Image Courtesy of Max

The Penguin Is A Tense, Stunning Showcase for A Villainous Duo

The Batman is an adeptly scripted and directed film full of large characters and even larger events. While Farrell’s Oz is memorable, however, he’s written as an underling with a big personality, but he’s an underling nonetheless. The primary reason why he left such an outsized impact is due to Farrell’s exciting portrayal, nothing more. This limitation of an otherwise extraordinary film is a primary lesson that The Penguin learns well. Farrell continues to give a committed and excellent performance, while the series gives him a vastly more interesting and revealing arc in a true criminal origin story. This Oswald is ambitious, vengeful, a little Freudian, a bit of a mentor, but desirous of being a populist king. It’s a stellar role, and Farrell puts in spectacular work.

Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone and Colin Farrell as Oz Cobblepot in The Penguin
Image Courtesy of HBO

Cristin Milioti’s Sofia, the counterpoint to his criminal ambitions, similarly puts in stunning work. She’s regularly excellent in entries like Palm Springs, The Resort, or the stunning “USS Callister” episode of Black Mirror, but she is frightening and spectacular as the Falcone heiress. Betrayed and abandoned by her family after she learned a heinous secret, Sofia emerges as a true monster… and Milioti is truly frightening as the less-than-hinged mobster. There’s charisma, sure, but malice, and a thousand-yard-stare that would make Kubrick proud, setting up a wonderfully performed battle of wills.

The Penguin is an Excellent Look at Gotham’s Post-Ridder Underbelly

Colin Farrell in The Penguin
Photo Credit: Macall Polay/Max

The scripting works well, with strong dialogue, an excellent set up, and a largely tight structure. The cat-and-mouse between the Falcone and Maroni leftovers and Oz’s growing plans creates a lot of potential for drama and escalation. The slight over-the-top level of plans and personalities elevates the otherwise grounded drama versus run-of-the-mill crime series. Oz’s mentorship of young Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) gives both a novel aspect to Oz and his softer side, while providing an opportunity to voice the series’ exploration of vicious rags-to-riches aspirations. It’s a grounded series with excellent, cinema-grade cinematography, that really feels like an extension of the world of The Batman.

The biggest issue with the series is that the structure has some slight issues, especially in the back half. Victor is so important in the front half, but towards the back, he’s clearly ejected from the narrative and forgotten about it at times for clear plot device purposes. Additionally, the final three episodes, while full of strong performances and set pieces, also have some repetitive plot elements. The continued return to psychological elements builds to exciting elements, but it lasts too long. The seventh episode in particular involves strong character work, but some of the plotting seems thin, stretched over too many episodes. These are minor issues in an otherwise excellent season.

Clancy Brown and Colin Farrell in The Penguin
Image Courtesy of Max

The Penguin is a properly cinematic and stellar TV outing, exploring sides of the Batman-verse that we rarely see. It’s marked by a set of exceptional villain performances, high drama, and action. It builds the consequences and world of The Batman out with true spectacle. Best yet, The Penguin provides solid character work, transforming Cobblepot into one of the most interesting characters in the Batman universe and building Sofia into a fantastic adaption. It has occasional structural issues, but they’re predominantly outweighed by smart plotting and exciting developments. It’s an excellent season of TV, and the most exciting thing to come out of the Batman-verse since, well, The Batman. 

The Penguin premieres on HBO September 19.

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