Staff Writer Elouise Davies offers a comprehensive review of the recent ‘The Penguin’, drawing comparisons from previous Batman related projects.
HBO’s ‘The Penguin’ brings us back to the world of Gotham, continuing on from 2022’s ‘The Batman’. Colin Farrell returns to the role of Oswald Cobblepot, now known as Oz Cobb, unrecognisable in his transformative prosthetics. Not only is Farrell visually altered, but he disappears entirely into the role and transforms into the penguin, with his gruff demeanour and familiar limp. The show allows us to see a new side of his character, showing how he is truly a genius mastermind, being able to persistently talk his way out of any situation whilst also remaining cunning and ruthless – a theme that remains throughout the show as Oz continues to scheme his way out of each supposedly dire situation and climb steadily through the rankings.
Gotham comes alive in the hands of an excellent cast
Alongside Farrell, Cristin Milioti steps into the role of Sofia Falcone. While Farrell gives a stellar performance, Milioti easily steals the show with her characterisation of Sofia. She is proved to be just as merciless as Oz, if not more so, as she is just as ruthless to her family as she is to her enemies. As well as this, Rhenzy Feliz takes on the role of Victor Aguilar, who comes from a poor area of Gotham which was heavily affected by the flood in the film. Trying to survive on his own, he soon meets Oz and begins to see him as a mentor, joining him on his journey to take over Gotham.
How does ‘The Penguin’ follow on from ‘The Batman’?
The show is set in the immediate aftermath of the film, but instead of focusing on Bruce Wayne, it takes more of a mundane, everyday approach. This humanises the city and transforms the show into a gangster series set in Gotham. Farrell provides a humane, street-level adaptation of Oz. Having been underestimated for most of his life, Oz finds himself in conflict with the Falcone and Maroni families, cunningly playing the two against each other to come out on top. Oz is a low-level mobster who sees an opportunity to climb the ladder to power and sets out to overtake the drug trade business himself. He strives for recognition and validation as he, with Victor by his side, seeks to claim power.
Sofia Falcone’s complex character
Importantly, Oz is up against Sofia Falcone, who having been recently released from Arkham Asylum, is also out to claim the top spot for her own. Episode four, ‘Cent’anni’, reveals Sophia’s history, showing us how she found herself in Arkham and just what she is willing to do for power, including dragging her own family down. This provides an interesting element of conflict to the show – it is transformed from a basic gangster series to one with a complex plot that shows these two main characters to be in conflict due to a long and complicated history together.
Elevating Sofia Falcone from an initial side character to one whose backstory has been deeply explored, allows the audience to develop a deeper connection with her, becoming emotionally invested in her story. This is important as it provides a sense of humanity to her character, proving she is not the cold-hearted killer she was initially portrayed to be, but a victim of her family’s abuse, and leaves the audience conflicted – whilst initially supporting Oz in his endeavours, one is now left with this emotional connection to Sofia, rooting for her success as well as Oz’s despite their opposing ideals.
New perspectives on Gotham
The show also allows us to see the everyday operations of Gotham that were not shown in the film. In showing us new perspectives, ‘The Penguin’ also shows how the events of the first movie affected the citizens of Gotham – for example, whilst ‘The Batman’ shows us Riddler’s reaction to his blowing up of the city, and Bruce Wayne’s heroic actions in helping some of the trapped citizens, ‘The Penguin’ shows how Oz’s new sidekick, Victor, is personally affected by the Riddler’s attack. Victor was forced to watch the floodwater ambush him and ultimately kill his family. Not only does it show us his experience during the attack, but it also focuses on how this has impacted him afterwards as he struggles to cope with the trauma.
How does the characterisation of Victor reflect the audience’s relationship with Oz?
Victor is represented as a multi-faceted character. Whilst he is on the one hand depicted as ambitiously wanting to help Oz, on the other, he is also deeply conflicted by this decision. Victor is shown to be haunted by his memories from the attack, as the audience is shown how damaging this truly was to the people of Gotham. In incorporating this personal story, it represents how dangerous this fictional world truly is.
It is easy for the audience to get lost in their love for Oz and Sofia and consequently forget the true nature of their character – ruthless killers who are unafraid to cause harm in the search for power. Oz and Sofia, if shown from the perspective of Batman, would be the villains of the story. In representing this attack on a personal level to a character the audience has already emotionally invested in, it not only humanises Victor, but also reminds us of the villainy that thrives in Gotham. This forces one to think about what Oz is capable of as compared to the Riddler.
Whilst Victor clings onto this disaster, he continues to work for Oz regardless as he promises to change both their lives. Victor’s choosing to live with the corruption in Gotham represents the idea that whilst this is a city full of danger, it is also inescapable. Victor is also shown to be from a poor area, making it harder for him to leave. Thus, the audience is left to think about the true nature of Gotham City. Like Victor, the audience is drawn into the same exciting nature of Oz’s life of crime. Once found in this environment, its corruption makes it nearly impossible to escape, and both Victor and the audience must keep coming back for more.
How does ‘The Penguin’ compare to other Gotham-related projects?
Following the example of previous Batman-related projects, ‘The Penguin’ takes a darker tone, which can be traced back to Tim Burton’s Batman adaptations, through to the Dark Knight trilogy, and ‘The Batman’, which all thrill in seeking out the darkness of the characters. Previous Batman projects have undeniably contributed to the shaping of the various adaptations of the Penguin we know today, as ‘Batman Returns’ [1992] was amongst the first to portray Oswald Cobblepot as physically deformed, taking on a more grotesque appearance than his initially attractive one. ‘The Penguin’ continues to pull from this source of inspiration, as Farrell donned heavy prosthetics and make-up to appear strikingly different across his entire body and feigned Oswald’s limp to fully transport himself into the role.
The show itself feels reminiscent of the show ‘Gotham’ [2014-2019] when it first debuted, being a police drama in which a young Jim Gordon deals with crime in Gotham City, including characters such as Carmine Falcone, Sal Maroni, and Oswald Cobblepot. While ‘Gotham’ eventually descends into outlandish villains and develops more of a focus on a young Bruce Wayne developing into Batman, ‘The Penguin’ offers a promising show that focuses solely on the actions of Oz and his war with the Carmine/ Maroni families.
Is Oz Cobb the hero or the villain of the story?
The show focuses on Gotham City, highlighting the inner workings of the city and how villainy – what Gotham is infamous for – manages to thrive at every level. Gotham is portrayed as a corrupt city in dire need of rescuing; however, the show makes it unclear as to whether Batman or the Penguin is the hero that the people of Gotham need.
In the first episode, Oz attributes his hero to a local gangster from his childhood who helped people out and was soon celebrated when he died. It could be suggested that Oz is now taking the place of his childhood hero; he spares Victor from punishment and instead takes him under his wing, going so far as to reward him for his help. Oz is shown to have a compassionate side for those he cares about, including both Victor and his mentally unstable mother, the latter of whom he is shown to consistently protect and keep safe from his life of crime. Oz’s character is punctuated by these moments of tenderness to those around him. This highlights the fact that while Oz acts out of a desire for power, to rule the city himself, he also genuinely cares about those close to him and could indeed be seen as a hero by some.
Available to watch on Sky or NOW TV, ‘The Penguin’ brings a fresh and exhilarating take to Gotham City, differing from previous adaptations, and follows on perfectly from ‘The Batman’, filling the gap as we wait for part two. Farrell provides a memorable performance of a popular comic book villain that will not be forgotten, alongside other standout portrayals such as Milioti’s Sofia Falcone and Feliz’s Victor. The show is crammed full of action and humanity to entice fans, both old and new, to keep coming back for more.
