The Penguin
There is a new king in Gotham and his name is Oswald Cobblepot or should I say The Penguin. But that’s not how this story starts. So let’s go back to the beginning, technically the end of The Batman Movie. Gotham is in shambles after the devasting flood that could have destroyed the whole city. Batman is nowhere to be found and the criminal underworld is in flux because of Carmine Falcone’s death. The head honcho of head honchos is gone so the streets are in limbo waiting for someone to make a move. Some people see the lay of the land only as problems to be solved but those with ambition see opportunity. That crossroad is where we find the story’s main character, The Penguin.
Now I enjoyed watching this show for many reasons. But before I get into all of them I have to say that the most impressive thing about The Penguin is this. They recreated the same level of aura and presence you felt while watching The Batman for the first time. The city of Gotham felt alive no matter who we were following in the story. And that transfer of power if you will is no easy feat. It doesn’t take much for spinoffs to get left with the slightest of ease. So kudos to them for keeping the feeling authentic throughout the show.
But let’s dive into how a mid-level gangster became a monster that took down Gotham’s biggest crime families. But let’s be honest about The Penguin’s meteoric rise. This man is super lucky. I can’t tell you how many times while watching this show I thought this bird was cooked. But before that could happen by some miracle he got saved by the bell. And by the bell I mean, Vic comes and saves the day. And don’t even get me started on the way they did my man’s Vic cause I’ll mess around and flip a table or something lol. But all jokes aside the plot armor was super thick on the side of Oswald throughout the series.
I give him credit though there were plenty of times when he created his own luck. Being in the right position and having the right "friends" is part of the game. He continuously found ways to outsmart his opposition & stay a couple of moves ahead. This leads me to my next point. They do an excellent job of developing their characters. They do it in a way that is conducive to the overarching narrative. Every change in mood is highlighted. You can almost see the gears turning in each character’s head before they make their next decision. Because ultimately it can mean life or death. They leave room for the script to really breathe. Plus it allows these actors to really bring these characters to life. Each episode felt purposeful and curated to make the biggest splash possible.
Granted this series was more about the mental gymnastics than the action sequences. Characters like The Penguin and Sofia Falcone do this all the time to justify their actions. The level of delusion and resolve is astounding. But I have to say outside of the Gotham series. This is the most physically imposing version of The Penguin we have ever seen. I mean Colin Farrell really turned him into a monster. But he was not the only monster we got to see every week. No not by a long shot.
Cristin Milioti’s portrayal of Sofia Falcone was the wild card of this series. From the way they introduced her to the person she became after reuniting with her old driver Oswald. I have to say that her performance was a masterclass in the art of descending into madness. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that her storyline was perfect. But if you ask me it did begin to stall after her grand entrance to the belly of the beast that is Gotham’s underworld. The contentious dynamic between her and The Penguin created some powerful moments. Those moments will live rent-free in my head for a cool minute.
My only real issue with The Penguin as a series was how the content loop weakened the closer we got to the finale. What I mean by that is that players were getting picked off left and right towards the end. There was not as much room for interpretation along the way. Meaning the writing was sort of on the wall for how things were gonna end. Now that is not inherently a bad thing cause you know sometimes less is more. But things became a lot more predictable at the end.
Fortunately, they pretty much made all the right decisions on how they chose to end the series. Other than that I don’t really have much else to say other than The Penguin is must-see TV which is why I gave it a 10/10 G-Files Score. Trust me when I say this you won’t regret watching it. Even if you have never seen The Batman you will still enjoy watching this show cause it’s good all by itself.
