The Penguin breathes like the brooding lovechild of Chinatown and The Sopranos, cementing Colin Farrell’s stamp on the title character.
Director: Craig Zobel
Genre: Crime, Drama, Fantasy
Number of Episodes: 8
U.S. Release: Series Premiere on September 19, 2024 on Max, followed by weekly episodes (finale on November 10)
UK Release: September 20, 2024 on Sky Atlantic and NOW, followed by weekly episodes
As someone who often leaves the house wearing a knitted The Batman sweater, I was eager to tuck away at HBO’s The Penguin. This series is an excellent extension of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, delving further into Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobb’s (Colin Farrell, of The Killing of a Sacred Deer) power struggle within the criminal underworld of Gotham. The series follows the aftermath of the flooding of Gotham City, as seen in the final act of The Batman, as well as the death of vicious crime lord Carmine Falcone (John Turturro, of The Room Next Door).
Farrell, an executive producer, reprises his role as the disfigured gangster nicknamed ‘Penguin’. Gotham plunges into chaos, ushering Oz’s quest for power while wrestling with thorns from his past that threaten his attempts at control in Gotham.
Farrell completely disappears behind an impeccable prosthetic, resembling an older, grizzled penguin with a scarred beak. But it’s more than the makeup and waddle that make Farrell’s Oz a noteworthy protagonist; there are complexities that lay beyond his rage and dry humour, which began in childhood. Oz was raised by his now ill mother, Francis (Deirdre O’Connell). Their relationship is somewhat strained when, throughout the series, truths from Oz’s upbringing reveal themselves, and it becomes clear his motives derive from a deep-rooted want to prove himself to Francis and be more than what is expected of him.
At some point, the curved scars across his face earned him the nickname ‘Penguin’, a name he’s called throughout the series and appears deeply offended by; “he laughed at me,” Oz laments in episode one. He feels like the butt of a joke, concealing hurt behind his short temper. But what makes the anti-hero point-of-view so gripping is that Oz’s arch moves in a circle; he never really learns or grows from his experiences. Every time you think you’ve caught a slither of his humility, he does something horrible to quickly snap you out of it.
Oz forms a mentorship with Victor (Rhenzy Feliz, of Encanto), a teenager caught stealing parts off of Oz’s plum Maserati. He blackmails Victor into doing his dirty work, but they soon develop an unlikely bond and it seems as though Oz keeps him around because he’s lonely. Victor wants to be seen as valuable to Oz and Oz wants to be viewed as someone with great power and intent. This dynamic works excellently because it gives Oz room to be vulnerable.
The Penguin also introduces Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti, of Palm Springs). Swaggering her carefully messed Joan Jett hairdo, Sofia is dealing with the power vacuum left behind by her father’s death. Hungry to upend her father’s legacy, Sofia is constantly underpinned by the men in her life who don’t believe she’s earned a seat at the table. Episode four in particular focuses on Sofia and her spotty criminal past, but her unflinching potential and willingness to step on toes made her my favourite character in the series. She and Oz also have a great back-and-forth frenemy-ship, where both pose a threat to one another, but at the same time, could make for each other’s greatest ally.
The Penguin is an impressive return to Reeves’ Batman universe, exploring Oz’s transformation from a disfigured hustler to a noted Gotham gangster through a deeper lens.
HBO original series The Penguin will be released on September 19, 2024 on Max in the US & Canada, and on September 20, 2024 on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK & Ireland. The show will follow a weekly release schedule, with new episodes on Sundays and the finale on November 10, 2024.
