When it was announced that Colin Farrell’s Penguin was getting his own spinoff from the Matt Reeves The Batman, I was unsure how to feel. With an oversaturation of needless and mediocre spinoffs, I was afraid The Penguin was going to follow the same path. I couldn’t be more wrong. The Penguin is a gritty and captivating crime drama as we dive into the criminal underworld of Gotham City.
After the wave of destruction the Riddler caused in The Batman, there is a power vacuum in Gotham City. The city is in ruins and the head of the biggest crime family in Gotham, Carmine Falcone, is dead and many gangs and individuals are making their vie for power. One of these individuals is Oswald “Oz” Cobb (Colin Farrell), a mid-level gangster dubbed The Penguin, who wishes to become King of Gotham City for the everyday folks who have been hurt by the rich and powerful. In order to rise to power, Cobb is willing to play dangerously with some of the most powerful people in Gotham City.
One of these adversaries who is vying for the throne is Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti). Newly released from Arkham Asylum, she wishes to become the Don of the Falcone Family after the death of her father and the fact they wrongfully imprisoned her for murder. As a character born into fortune but shaped by pain and suffering, she is much smarter than she appears, making her a worthy adversary for The Penguin. Together, Sofia and Oz play a dangerous game of Snakes and Ladders to gain control of Gotham City, no matter the cost.
First and foremost, The Penguin is not a comic book show, but a gritty mobster crime drama similar to the works of The Sopranos and Goodfellas. This separation from the source material, as well as the separation from The Cape Crusader himself, allows The Penguin to be free from any creative restrictions. In only eight episodes, The Penguin burns through a lot of story as the series is quick on its feet as it balances brutal violence, political melodrama and social commentary on a course of a dime. It never feels overstuffed and contrived as it brings you into the dark and brutal world of Gotham City. It even managed to make the audience care and root for terrible people. The Penguin is fully aware of how terrible the ensemble of characters are, yet they fleshed them out as real characters instead of archetypes and we managed to care about them.
Since his first appearance in 1941, The Penguin has always been a cartoonish satire of the ultrawealthy, until now. The Penguin strips him of his satirical roots, and makes him a deeply complicated and layered character. Within the opening minutes, the series immediately set up Cobb’s as an idealistic, sentimental and ambitious man who wishes to be remembered for helping the little people of Gotham. He even takes in Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), a gentle soul who lost his family and home from the Riddler’s floods, under his wing as he sees himself in Vic. He is even devoted to taking care of his ailing mother (Deirdre O’Connell). Yet within a single gunshot, an impulsive, ruthless and despicable monster who is driven by his own self-interest immerges. Yet, he has enough charisma and scheming charm to get away with it. This complicated character is perfectly portrayed by Colin Farrell. He gives this character performance, that makes you forget that is it Farrell buried underneath all that make-up.
Then when the series transitions to Sofia Falcone’s story, Cristin Milioti steals the show with her Emmy-worthy performance. Milioti is both externalizing and internalizing the pain and suffering that her character went through as she was a genuinely good person turned into a monster due to the abuse she suffered. Whether it is a monologue or a look in her eyes, she is a truly tragic character that Milioti plays perfectly. While upcomer Rhenzy Felizm makes a star-making performance as Victor. He perfectly encapsulates this kind and gentle soul whose naivete looking for the best in people leads down a rabbit hole where he can’t return. Then Deirdre O’Connell gives a performance that is filled with tragedy, rage and heartbreak as Oz’s demented mother. There is more to her character than meets the eye and when she has to deliver the goods, she fully delivers.
The Penguin stands as a modern masterpiece, proving that comic book adaptations can delve far beyond superheroes and world-saving missions. This genre has the power to explore profound aspects of our humanity in ways that are both insightful and unsettling. Watching a man transform into a monster in his relentless pursuit of the American Dream—at the expense of everyone around him—is as chilling as it is heartbreaking. This is a bold, ambitious story that the comic book genre desperately needs.
My Rating: A
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