THE PENGUIN – Miniseries (2024)

To paraphrase a different Batman universe quote, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain… with their own TV show.” The Penguin, an eight-episode limited series, boldly ventures into the prestige television space, a realm few comic book projects have dared to tread.

This hotly anticipated spin-off series has been in the works for two years, after Colin Farrell’s captivating portrayal of the devious gangster Oswald “Oz” Cobb in Matt Reeves’s The Batman (2022). Farrell’s performance and extensive make-up transformation were standout moments in the three-hour superhero epic despite limited screen time.

Though delayed by COVID, The Batman received favourable reviews and box office success, grossing $772M worldwide. It built upon the grungy urban decay of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy (2005-2012) while offering a more grounded, less “super” take on the superhero genre. Reeves’s hyper-realistic Gotham City, a metropolis where the ruling class and its citizens have turned their backs on progress, provided fertile ground for a spin-off.

However, the HBO miniseries’s success wasn’t guaranteed. With Farrell’s portrayal garnering significant attention as Oz, there was a risk that spectacle would overshadow substance as the character transitioned to the small screen.

Thankfully, despite a slow start, The Penguin maintains the film’s attention to detail and style, developed by veteran TV writer Lauren LeFranc (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). With Reeves and Farrell also involved as executive producers, the show seamlessly continues the world and central character established in the movie.

The series picks up immediately after events in The Batman. Gotham City is reeling from the Riddler’s attacks, Carmine Falcone is dead, and Oz wants to seize control of the city’s power vacuum. His rise is complicated by the appearance of Sophia Falcone (a revelatory Cristin Milioti), who emerges from Arkham Asylum as his primary adversary. Both characters share a desire to rule Gotham through a new designer drug and seek revenge on those who’ve wronged them.

Both characters have long memories filled with grudges, justified or otherwise. They’re perfectly crafted foils, drawn to illicit the utmost ire from one another, despite the fact they’re so similar. Both see Gotham City as a wasteland waiting to be conquered, and neither expects to see anything worthy of redemption in the world, or in themselves.

Oz started in the Falcone family as Sophia’s driver, a lowly position given to an overlooked outsider. Their connection, and the thorny details of their past, make their scenes crackle with tension. It is one of many examples of how Oz has been primed with resentment and anger over decades, waiting for his moment to strike out on his own.

As their dynamic shifts from enemies to uneasy allies and back again, they engage in a violent cat-and-mouse game. Through visceral flashbacks, we uncover the depth of their history and the inevitability of their rivalry. At times, the series feels like a two-hander, highlighting the exceptional performances of Farrell and Milioti.

The series reimagines the origin story, presenting The Penguin as neither a hero nor a villain, but a product of his environment; a man raised in a world without fairness or justice. He’s an anti-hero in a world of anti-heroes, leveraging his perceived weaknesses into surprising strengths. After years spent being sidelined, mocked, and underestimated while watching the Falcone family’s wealth slip through his fingers, Oz uses the chip on his shoulder to foment his own empire. One filled with the vengeance of Gotham’s forgotten.

This journey is further explored through the character of street kid Victor Aguilar (a winning Rhenzy Feliz), who becomes entangled in Oz’s underworld. He’s won over by Oz’s charisma and becomes so devoted to him that he makes the tragic mistake of trusting him. As more of Oz’s lies come to light, alienating everyone from him, Victor remains the only character who sees any good in him. Which makes him more of a target than he realises.

His fate is tragic, as is everyone’s by the end of episode eight. His empathy becomes his downfall, there is no place for a soft heart in Oz’s world. But Victor’s ending in particular feels like a missed opportunity, rather than a cautionary tale.

The only remaining tie to his own humanity is his formidable mother, Francis Cobb (Deirdre O’Connell). She’s tough, but mentally fraying after a lifetime spent grieving the deaths of her other sons, about whose demise Oz is suspiciously circumspect. She’s Oz’s only link to a world outside his desperate game for power, and he does everything in his power to keep her to himself — even the unforgivable. In her, Oz sees an opportunity for his redemption, but even this hope is corrupted by his own lies and machinations.

Early scenes between mother and son are difficult to parse, feeling out of place and somewhat forced into a world with so many plates already spinning. But the pathos we feel as their tenuous bond continues to unravel after a series of stunning revelations leaves Oz, and the audience, under no illusions about who he truly is.

He’s a protagonist made up of contradictions: narcissistic and sycophantic, unfeeling and sensitive, ignorant and crafty. But above all, he’s a myth-maker. There’s nothing he won’t say or do to protect the version of himself he wants to be the truth.

Farrell’s portrayal, while occasionally verging on a broad Tony Soprano impression, shines in these moments of deception. His lies are obvious, brazen even, but it’s a marvel watching his adversaries fall for it over and over again. They’re forever sucked in by his ugly kind of charm, which Farrell lends him generously.

However, the true revelation is Cristin Milioti (Palm Springs). She slinks in and out of frame, hinting at a ruthlessness just visible in her gaze. Costumed immaculately by Helen Huang, Milioti looks both sumptuous and dangerous. Her performance as Sophia Falcone is fierce, wounded, and utterly compelling. She provides a formidable antagonist for The Penguin, particularly in the standout fifth episode, which showcases the full extent of her rage and the depth of her betrayal.

Despite a slow start, the series ultimately delivers a compelling narrative. The world-building and exposition in the early episodes may feel familiar, but the payoff is worth the wait.

USA | 2024 | 8 EPISODES | 2.00:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

writers: Lauren LeFranc, Erika L. Johnson, Noelle Valdivia, John McCutcheon, Breannah Gibson, Shaye Ogbonna, Nick Towne & Vladimir Cvetko (based on characters created by Bill Finger & Bob Kane).
directors: Craig Zobel, Helen Shaver, Kevin Bray & Jennifer Getzinger.
starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown, Carmen Ejogo, Michael Zegen, Berto Colón, Theo Rossi, Shohreh Aghdashloo & James Madio.