The Following Contains Some Spoilers forThe PenguinThe Penguinhas been a massive success by almost any metric, but its accomplishments as a part of Matt Reeves’Batmanuniverse are worth acknowledging. WhileThe Batmanwas a perfect introduction and a stellar standalone story,The Penguinallowed fans and artists to explore the new take on Gotham. The central perspective through which viewers see Gotham’s underworld is Oz Cobb’s, but the shifting presence of Sofia Falcone adds an entirely new point of view that can distinctly alter the vision.
The performances stand as one of thefinest parts ofThe Penguin. The show wouldn’t be anywhere near as engaging without Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti. While a lot of the characters feel a bit too indebted to stock archetypes, Oz and Sofia are remarkably three-dimensional. They’re very lively characters with distinct perspectives and lifestyles. Despite the limited series format,The Penguingives viewers a thorough examination of their lives and the actions they take to change them.
Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti
Streaming On
HBO Max
AsThe Penguinenters itsback half with “Homecoming,“the series' ability to split its focus remains admirable. That episode saw Oz Cobb commit horrible violence upon the Maroni family while Sofia rebrands her new empire. These two adventures do not feel especially similar. They’re both crime dramas, but one story keeps viewers in the world of reasonable revenge while the other dips into the darkest underbelly of violence. One also depicts the kind of overwhelming success one usually expects from a protagonist, while the other centers heavily on failure. It’s a juxtaposition that plays with comedy, horror, action, and drama across the two narratives. It’s also a great way to bifurcate the series and reflect the internal worldsof its two main characters.
The Penguinhas two main characters
At its core,The Penguinsees both thetitular Oz Cobb andhis rival/partner Sofia as the protagonists. Sofia has the more traditional story. After an incredible betrayal from her father, who died inThe Batmanbut remains integral to the series, Sofia must contend with her nightmarish reputation and ascend to an empty seat atop her father’s empire. It’s a revenge story that also sees her seek vengeance for the loss of her brother. In a lot of shows, she’d be the protagonist and Oz would be the antagonist. There’s a very reasonable case to be made for Sofia as the hero and Oz as the villain that the show isn’t interested in making. There are no heroes. There are a few decent people caught in the shuffle of Gotham’s underworld, but there are no heroes. The show is about watching Oz claw his way up through the lowest tactics he can find, but it’s also about watching Sofia reclaim the impossible birthright she only lost through treachery. These are two very different stories vaguely in the same genre that only occasionally intersect. It’s not just thejourney of two different characters; it’s two distinct views of the world they happen to share.
How doesThe Penguin’s tone work?
The Penguinis an eight-episode limited series that often veers wildly between tones. It refuses to maintain consistency, but it still has an enjoyable emotional journey. It’s still satisfying as the showfollows its lead characters. Part of the fun comes from the lead characters, both of whom are in states of flux. Life violently wrenches them from one extreme to the other as they employ their unique skills. It’s easier to see this in Oz. He’s simultaneously capable and incompetent, consistently forcing him through one disaster after another. As soon as he successfully lies, cheats, steals, or kills his way through one near-death scenario, the consequences of his actions catch up with him again. Sofia’s journey is a little more consistent. She’s on the climb, but she has the skills and prestige necessary to accomplish a few things. She’s a victim of everyone else’s push and pull.When she works with Oz, she experiences a taste of those savage ups and downs. Switching between the two of them guarantees an inconsistency in tone, but those stops and starts feel far more natural to the viewer than they do to the characters.
The Penguinis an inconsistent show, but that isn’t a weakness in this case. The savage pushes and pulls serve to create a level of tension more familiar to horror films. The audience stays on the edge of their seats as they wait for Oz’s actions and Sofia’s reputation to come back to bite them. Even as thetwo lead characters circle each other, things won’t suddenly become straightforward. There will still be violent ups and downs that will feel jarring at times.The Penguinis pulling its audience on the same unpleasant journey it applies to its characters, and that only works because those characters are so compelling.
