After Matt Reeve's The Batman became a big hit, HBO greenlit a spinoff miniseries about the villain Oswald "Penguin" Cobb (Colin Farrell). Farrell's performance was one of my favorite parts of the movie, so I was curious. But since the movie was two years ago, my enthusiasm waned. When I heard that the show premiered, I didn't make it a priority to watch.
But I have to say, Penguin was really good.
Be warned that this is a very violent and vulgar show. It is very much in the mold of classic mob entertainment like Goodfellas or The Sopranos. If that type of movies and shows are too distasteful to you, then you will want to avoid this show. I was also annoyed that there was some brief nudity, which makes this show difficult to recommend.
The story takes place in the immediate wake of the end of The Batman. The flooding of Gotham and the death of crime boss Carmine Falcone has caused chaos on the streets with an outbreak of crime and gang wars. Oswald (or "Oz") was one of Falcone's lieutenants who sees an opportunity to rise up in prominence. However, he has several obstacles. Falcone's drug-addict son Alberto (Michael Zegen) has been put in charge. In addition, decisions are being made to move most of Oz's operation is being taken away from him. And the biggest chaotic point is the arrival of Sofia Falcone (Christin Millioti): Carmine's insane daughter who has been released from Arkham.
I cannot help but think about the classic line from Game of Thrones: "Chaos is a ladder." In the aftermath of the disaster in Gotham, things are all in disarray. Oz looks to capitalize on this, but he is playing an incredibly dangerous game, one that could kill him as easily as elevate him. When he thinks of running and hiding, his senile but domineering mother (Deirdre O'Connell) humiliates him and puts steel in his spine. Also in a dark twist on the Jason Todd story, Oz finds a teenager named Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) trying to steal his car. Oz then forces him to assist in his dark quest. One of the things that makes this relationship so fascinating is that you really get the feeling that Victor may not live to see dawn (I will not spoil if he does or not).
The writing for this episode is excellent. Oz is very complex. He is a corrupt, vicious man. But he has very human aspirations and you can't help but want him to have some success in the face of overwhelming obstacles, even if his goals are terrible. The plot doesn't glorify him, but you can see that he aspires to be someone who is loved more than feared. Unfortunately, that love seems out of his grasp, so he chooses fear. He is a smart man, no doubt. But his flaw is that if he is pushed too far he acts emotionally. In one of the early scenes we see him lose control. He revels in his actions at first, but when cold reason begins to take hold he understands the hole he has just dug for himself.
The production value looks great. The director does an excellent job of showing us the difference between the street-level enforces and contrasts that with the posh lifestyles of their bosses. The directing is sleek and tense all around.
But what really makes this show work are the performances. Colin Farrell is mesmerizing as Oz, and I don't use that description lightly. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He reminds me so much of Robert DeNiro in The Untouchables. He carries in him the same intelligence and menace, but he also lets you behind that danger to see a real character underneath with just enough humanity to make us emotionally invest in him despite his crimes.
I also have to say Millioti is fantastic as well. She doesn't try to be a hyper-masculine girl-boss that stands toe-to-toe with Oz. But her menace is horribly believable. This is very hard to achieve. I remember when I watched The Last of Us and Melanie Lynskey was the leader of an an insurgent army. She would boss around men twice her size who cowered in front of her, but it rang false and artificial. Because of that, I couldn't buy into the story. But Millioti brings a simmering insanity boiling under her calm surface. She is scary because she is a crazy person backed by violent men and dirty money. On top of that, she is as smart, if not smarter than Oz and Millioti knows exactly the right buttons to push to keep us on edge.
Because of the darkness of the tone, the show may go down a path too disturbing for me and cause me to tap out.
But for now, I am incredibly excited to see what happens next.
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