Although The Batman sequel is seemingly far away, fans of both DC and the universe put together by Matt Reeves have much to look forward to with The Penguin. If the first episode is anything to go off for the rest of the series, we are in for an absolute treat of an actual television series. With seven more episodes, this tough-as-nails drama hooks you right in from the first few minutes. Max has an insanely intriguing series on their hands with The Penguin premiere and the rest of the season up ahead has so much potential.
[Warning: Spoilers discussed for the premiere of The Penguin below!]
The Penguin premiere doesn’t beat around the bush
Even with an hour-long episode, no time is wasted in the premiere episode of The Penguin. The brief rundown of the events from The Batman paints a good picture of what is going on in Gotham City. It doesn’t try to hammer past events over your head; instead, it immediately shows what the fallout from The Riddler’s (Paul Dano) actions mean for those who survived the events. Even within the first few minutes of the episode, Oswald Cobb (Colin Farrell) refuses to hold back and guns down Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen) right on the spot for disrespecting him.
If that wasn’t enough, Cobb quickly goes against “The Family” and pays a visit to Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown) in prison, offering his services. What was once Maroni’s ring, a trophy for Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong) passed down to Alberto, is used by Cobb to signify his turn against the Falcones. This was such a strong and calculated maneuver, further expanding Cobb’s ambitions as it was definitive proof of Alberto’s murder. Of course, Alberto’s sister Sofia (Cristin Milioti) has a lot to be suspicious of regarding her brother’s sudden disappearance.
“After Hours” is a vigorously strong start for The Batman spinoff
I’ll admit, seeing an hour-long runtime did excite me quite a lot from the start. But seeing it used well did so much more than just getting extra minutes. The brisk recap of the events from The Batman is refreshingly framed with Oswald’s grasp of what this means for his career and the opportunities presented. “After Hours” can be condensed to a handful of conversations between various strongly written characters played out by great performances. Victor Aguilar’s (Rhenzy Feliz) silent but powerful display was enhanced by his slight stutter that helps sell his fear and greenness.
As mentioned earlier, Oswald faces Sofia and has a very tense conversation over her accusations of Oz’s involvement in Alberto’s disappearance. Her self-declaration of being “rehabilitated” from Arkham made her vastly more terrifying, along with the scene at the restaurant. Sofia’s self-awareness of her reputation might equally match her crimes, which is a chilling moment of realization. Between her makeup, outfit, and eerily calm demeanor, Milioti simply put is a perfect casting. Fans of Batman: The Long Halloween comic series will find a lot to love with Sofia’s characterization in this episode.
Another pivotal scene has to be the one with Salvatore Maroni, with Brown’s iconic deep voice selling the disgust and lack of respect he has towards Oz. Keeping the facts straight, he shoots down Oz’s suggestion of working for Maroni’s family and reminds him of the past times when he double-crossed them in the past. It’s the closing moment of their conversation that contains the biggest punch. Oz returns Maroni’s ring that the Falcone’s claimed when Carmine ratted out the Maroni’s to the GCPD for a massive drug bust.
There is a lot to look forward to after The Penguin premiere episode
So much was set in motion just in this first episode alone. Oz has a new alliance with Victor, who already proved his loyalty by quick thinking and action at the end of the episode. In a double shocker, Victor manages to get Sofia to blow her gasket. Delivering Alberto’s corpse and framing it in such a way that the hit could be perceived to have been done by the Maronis in retaliation. Oz intelligently establishes an alibi earlier on with Eve Karlo (Carmen Ejogo) shortly after murdering Alberto, perhaps saving him in the future. Offering his services to a rival family, Oz is already planning on ensuring that he remains in the game. With the Drops operations moving out of Gotham, his forward-thinking with a “new and revolutionary” drug can put him on top of the game.
It’s absolutely fantastic that they gave Colin Farrell his opportunity to shine with not only an iconic villain but an equally fascinating character. It’s rightly deserved, and he is such a force in this series, which makes the rest of the season so exciting to watch. We are only one episode in, and it feels as if we can only go higher in this story.
The Penguin is a wonderful placeholder while we wait for a sequel to The Batman, and what this could mean for Batman (Robert Pattinson) is crazy to think about. If Oz has his way, there will be so much going down in Gotham City that could warrant either more spin-offs for another season of The Penguin.
The Penguin is now streaming on Max! Are you excited to see Colin Farrell back as The Penguin? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus and join our Discord server where we have discussion forums for this series and many more!
DC Showcase: Penguin: Pain and Prejudice Comic Review
