Every second ofThe Penguinshould be middle - roll - inducing . The serial is , on paper at least , an exercise in staring franchise expansion . come in two years after Matt Reeves’The Batmanhit theaters , the unexampled HBO drama pick up almost exactly where that cinema leaves off . It follows Colin Farrell ’s smooth - talking mobster , Oswald “ Oz ” Cobb , as he undertake to fill the headpin - sized kettle of fish left in Gotham City ’s criminal underworld by the murder of his longtime boss , Carmine Falcone ( work inThe Batmanby John Turturro and here , in flashbacks , by Mark Strong ) . Its fib is one that could have easy been tell offscreen in the gap betweenThe Batmanand its 2026 subsequence , The Batman Part II .
The Penguindid not , therefore , needto be made . The selection to go forward with it reeks — whether justifiably or not — of the very same IP - drive fashion of thinking that has descend to dominate Hollywood decision - qualification . It is a testament then toThe Penguin‘s quality that it rarely provokes annoyance or frustration . anchor by two opposing , tearing lead public presentation , it ’s an vastly entertaining , at times ridiculous crime play that falls short of its influence , but still emerge as something distinct , surprisingly demented , and worthwhile . It reaches , in other words , for the heights ofThe SopranosandBoardwalk Empireand ends up land closer to Marvel’sDaredevil .
In its opening moments , The Penguinseamlessly pulls viewers back into the world ofThe Batman . Not only does it begin with a newscast that efficaciously recaps the climax of that 2022 film , but it also keep up Farrell ’s Oz as he walk first through his now - flood former topographic point of commercial enterprise , the Iceberg Lounge , and then down to its hidden club , The 44 Below . This sequence givesThe Penguinthe chance to rejoin to some of its parent film ’s most recognizable positioning and , in one instance , even reprise a memorable shaft fromThe Batmanwhen The 44 Below ’s lift doors undefendable to show Oz standing in the center of it . At times , The Penguinstruggles to really match the immersive mightiness ofThe Batman , but its prologue leaves no room for questions about when or where the HBO serial publication is set .
Oz ’s pilfering of his dead boss ’ part is break by a chance coming upon with Carmine ’s son and successor evident , Alberto Falcone ( played with easy sleaze by Michael Zegen ) . The conversation they divvy up elegantly sets the stage forThe Penguin‘s story , as well as prove the mien of more than a few other criminal figures who stand between him and his goal of becoming Gotham ’s preeminent offense lord . His competitor admit , among others , Alberto ; his sister , Sofia ( a stunning Cristin Milioti ) , who has just been liberate from a multiyear hitch in Arkham Asylum whenThe Penguinbegins ; Johnny Vitti ( Michael Kelly ) , the slimy underboss of the Falcone mob ; and Salvatore Maroni ( Clancy Brown ) , the gruff , imprisoned head of the Falcones ’ vainglorious competitors . Oz quickly gets to bring undermining and pit Gotham ’s crime bosses against each other , but as is the case in every mob show likeThe Penguin , not all of his move leave in the exact outcomes that he expects .
There is something that divide Oz from all of his enemy and irregular friend , though . AsThe Penguinmakes well-defined early on , he does n’t come from money the same way that Alberto and Sofia do . He ’s a poor kid from Gotham ’s underrepresented East Side who has had to fight and genuflect for every criminal promotion he ’s received . This afford Oz a scrappiness that seems contradictory to his waddling , stout form and which is only betrayed by the constant squinting of Farrell ’s eyes and the scrape that mar the right side of his balding head . Unlike all ofThe Penguin‘s other criminals , Oz does n’t want to rule through fear , either . As he explain in the serial ’ first installment , he ’d rather be a gangster who is enjoy and treasured by his biotic community .
The Penguinuses Oz ’s desire to be love to explore how insecurity and neediness can result in a dissimilar kind of monstrousness than we typically see in the crime genre . It does this primarily through Oz ’s reach , codependent relationship with his prickly , proud female parent , Francis ( a fiery Deirdre O’Connell ) . In one of its more obvious court toThe Sopranos , The Penguinreveals that Oz is , among other thing , a mama ’s boy whose lifelong search for his mother ’s attention and approving turns out to be one of the key sources of his darkness . His engagement with Milioti ’s Sofia for control of the Falcone conglomerate only bring that darkness nigher to the surface of Oz ’s purposefully harmless window dressing . Unfortunately for him , Sofia ’s wrathful nature and caustic relationship with her now - drained father make her a in particular dangerous , unpredictable opponent .
The Penguin‘s characterization of Sofia , who takes pride in dressing in luxurious furs and fancy dresses even when she ’s making violent exponent move , is n’t subtle . Like all ofThe Penguin‘s characters , she ’s a pulpy trope whose comic script ancestry are never in doubt . Despite that , Milioti manages to ground Sofia in recognizable shades of anger , treachery , and defeat . As a performer , she also is n’t afraid to have fun or lean into the more idiotic corners ofThe Penguin‘s comical book world and oversized vogue of storytelling . She very nearly steal the serial from Farrell , who is — like he was inThe Batman — unrecognisable under his level of prosthetic makeup and Oz ’s thick , New York - revolutionize Italian accent . Just when it looks like Milioti might take the air aside withThe Penguin , though , the series ’ final installation begin to cut into deeper into Oz ’s heart of darkness than ever before and , in turn , give Farrell the chance to sink his teeth even further into a villain who might have been submit as little more than a impersonation in a less vulnerable or more vain actor ’s hands .
With the help of Farrell , The Penguincreator Lauren LeFranc and her fellow collaborators notice the right dividing line between humanizing their protagonist and making him a truly sympathetic fig . The serial publication does n’t shy out from the rake - black emotional abyss at the center of its story , and its committal to really showcasing the full degeneracy of Sofia and Oz ’s rivalry is admirable . It is , in fact , the thing that makesThe Penguinleave more of a lasting home run .
Throughout its eight episode , The Penguindoes fail to recapture the graduated table and visual richness ofThe Batman . Its Gotham frequently reckon a whole slew like New York , rather than a spectacular , original foundation , and the show ’s aesthetic picket in comparison to what Reeves andDunecinematographer Greig Fraser achieved inThe Batman . While it lacks the cinematic mightiness ofThe Batman , though , The Penguinis held together by a similarly cohesive vision .
This is a show made by a team of artists who were clearly on the same Thomas Nelson Page from the very rootage about what they were setting out to do . The event is a comical book - adjacent law-breaking drama that not only fend on its own , but also — likeThe Batman — offer a visual sense of a world that is even grimier and ill-gotten than it seems .
The Penguinpremieres Thursday , September 19 on HBO . young episodes release weekly on Thursdays . Digital Trends was given other memory access to its entire eight - episode season .
