TV Review - The Penguin

Originally published on thirdsonginpodcast.com, November 21, 2024

I am an unabashed fan of Batman. My comic-book-guy origin story involves 9-year-old me getting my hands on a story of the World’s Greatest Detective back in the 70s. I found the book in a drug store and leafed through it there on the premises. I was hooked immediately, completely mesmerized by the art and story, created by Neal Adams and Denny O’Neil, two legends of the form. I was drawn into the mythos of Batman from that point on. I memorized who his allies were, I knew who his enemies were, and I reveled in the minutiae of the rooftops and dark alleys of Gotham City. But, for me, everything revolved around the Caped Crusader. Every once in a while, the Batman comic would tell a tale about someone other than Batman and, frankly, I couldn’t give a shit. For me, they were unnecessary, extraneous stories, and I just put down the book and waited for the next issue.

Later, (mostly during the 30 or so years I wasn’t reading comics at all), DC Comics published a number of titles that were set in Gotham but didn’t involve the Batman, or even other members of the so-called “bat-family” (Nightwing, Batwoman, Batgirl). They centered on the gritty, crime-ridden City of Gotham itself, and generally followed members of the Gotham police force and the organized crime bosses who ruled the underbelly of the city. I recently tried to read a few of those back issues and, again, didn’t really enjoy them. Clearly, I needed to see Gotham as background, viewed behind the cape and the cowl of my favorite super-hero.

So I wasn’t particularly interested in watching “The Penguin” when I heard that HBO Max was streaming a companion TV series to the newest incarnation of Batman on the big screen. Don’t get me wrong, I like Robert Pattinson’s Batman, and I think director Matt Reeves’ take on Gotham’s greatest hero is excellent. I enjoyed the film tremendously, and not just because it gave us my favorite Catwoman of all time. I liked the dark, gritty depiction of Gotham, and could not get enough of John Turturro’s portrayal of the Boss-of-Bosses, Carmine Falcone. I even enjoyed Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb, (“the Penguin” is the mean-spirited nickname given to Oz, inspired by his limping gait), even though I couldn’t believe that the handsome Irishman was anywhere under all the makeup and prosthetics.

I just couldn’t imagine an entire season of a television series about the Penguin–even Farrell’s Penguin–without Batman anywhere in sight.

And I was wrong. Farrell’s Oz is a nuanced and complicated, (and very ugly), character who you can’t take your eyes off. And he’s not even the greatest revelation of the series. Cristin Miloti has created an original femme fatale in Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Carmine and a truly intimidating and fearsome villain in her own right. The show is a slow burn, and it started with a first episode that didn’t really allay my concerns about the nature of a Batman-less Penguin show. However, after the first two episodes introduced us to the main characters, episode three lit the afterburners and the show became intense and addicting. The violence is startling at times, and the conflicts between characters are complicated and dramatic. The casting is excellent and the acting is fantastic. The season finale finishes with a jaw-dropping event that was visceral and painful to watch. Somehow, creator Lauren LeFranc has provided us with a story that is solidly grounded in Gotham City, with nary a mention of the Bat himself.

I never thought I would say this, but I don’t care if he ever shows up.

Tom Polacek (November, 2024)