"The Penguin" debuts on HBO and it's fantastic in every way

September 24, 2024

Courtesy: HBO

"The Penguin" is the latest adaptation of the character based on the DC Comics exclusively developed for HBO. The eight-episode series, which debuted on September 19 and will release weekly Sunday episodes through November 10, is a spin-off from the film The Batman (2022) and stars Colin Farrell reprising his role from "The Batman" in the titular role as Oswald "Oz" Cobb / Penguin. The series follows the next chapter in The Batman saga, as The Penguin's quest for power and control takes center stage in Gotham City.

Alongside Colin Farrell, the series features a stellar ensemble cast. Christin Milioti plays a significant role, as does Rhenzy Feliz. Deirdre O'Connell, Clancy Brown, Carmen Ejogo, Michael Zegen, Berto Colón, James Madio, Joshua Bitton, David H. Holmes, Daniel J. Watts, Ben Cook, Jayme Lawson, Michael Kelly and Mark Strong round out the cast with excellent performances.

Courtesy: HBO - Colin Farrell

The series opens in the wake of the Riddler's explosions collapsing the seawall, producing massive flooding, leaving the city with an escalating death toll and crime. With the death of Carmine Falcone, Oz Cobb is motivated to fill the power vacuum in the criminal underworld of Gotham City, with aspirations to rise to the top, he relays his plans to Alberto Falcone, Carmine's son, who mocks him and, in a fit of unexpected rage, kills him. While attempting to dispose of Alberto's body, he threatens one of the street kids, Victor Aguilar, into helping him. After they successfully dispose of Alberto's body, Victor begs for a chance to prove his usefulness, and Oz gives him the opportunity to work for him. Later, he encounters Sofia Falcone, Alberto's sister, newly released from psychiatric hospital, Arkham Asylum. She is initially mistrustful and questions him about Alberto's disappearance, leading him to visit Carmine's enemy, Salvatore Maroni, in prison. When Sofia abducts and tortures Oz, he is determined to take control of the Falcone empire.

Courtesy: HBO Christin Milioti

This series came with the highest expectations, and the introductory episode met and exceeded those expectations, debuting with critical acclaim. The first episode immediately sets the tone of the series with its grit. Colin Ferrell is nothing short of extraordinary in the role of The Penguin, completely immersed, embodying himself so expertly it is hard to imagine it's Ferrell beneath the prosthetics. Ferrell has a clear vision for the character that is superb in its delivery, fleshing out the character that The Penguin did not receive with previous iterations of the character often used as a mere foil for Batman, mostly playing second fiddle to other popular villains such as The Joker, The Riddler and even Catwoman. Here, Ferrell has full command of a nuanced character that is extremely violent but can be vulnerable with his mother and even Victor, who he genuinely cares for, humanizing the character. When he tells Victor, "What do you think, you think I hire any shmuck off the street?" That was him basically saying I love ya, kid. Ferrell's interpretation of "The Penguin" brings complexity and charisma to the role with an excellent supporting cast, which sees Cristin Milioti owning every scene she's in.

The gritty streets of New York, where the series was filmed, provide a level of authenticity to the city of Gotham, fully immersing the series in the interpersonal relationships of the characters. The visual landscape of the slums, teetering the city on the edge of hopelessness, allows "The Penguin" to thrive as Ferrell expertly tows the line between monster and anti-hero, fueled by his ambitions but hindered by his own insecurities. With a performance so sublime in its perfection, Ferrell's Penguin demands that you feel connected to the character, that by the end of the series, you're actually rooting for him to succeed to be the biggest criminal kingpin Gotham has ever seen, even though you should not.

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The Penguin airs on Sundays on HBO and streams on MAX

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Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, The Penguin is produced by 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Executive producers, Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, Craig Zobel, Bill Carraro, and Daniel Pipski; writer and showrunner, Lauren LeFranc.