Max series The Penguin’s first season recently concluded on Sunday, November 10 with an excellent finale. The show is by far one of the best shows of 2024, diving into the gritty underworld of Gotham and exploring the iconic antagonist The Penguin—Oswald Cobb— at a deeper level. The Penguin adds unimaginable depth into Matt Reeve’s The Batman universe, furthering the excellence of the grounded take on the world of Gotham and adding dimension to a character constantly displayed as campy and over-the-top.
The Penguin takes place directly after the ending of The Batman, where flooding by the movie’s antagonist The Riddler causes immense harm to the underclass. Moreover, there’s a power grab in the Gotham underworld after the death of secondary antagonist Carmine Falcone, which is where The Penguin comes into play. He bloodies his hands with those he cares about and those he doesn’t. At first, viewers are inclined to sympathize with The Penguin and at the same time root for him despite his wrongdoings. This is demonstrated when he is treated like nothing by several crime families who see him as a means to an end, as Oz (The Penguin) fights an uphill battle with the powers that be. In addition, Oz kindly takes under his wing Victor Aguilar, who has lost his entire family due to the flooding, and treats him with respect. Lastly, it’s shown that for the most part, Oz is doing his crime adventures for his mother, who suffers from Lewy body.
However, by the end, Oz has completely turned into a truly evil entity without it being shown in an over-the-top comic and gimmicky way. Oz betrays everyone he cares about even though he reaches the top, and despite the development of a father-son duo of Victor and Oz, Oz mercilessly kills Victor and robs him of his money. Moreover, viewers see the perverted nature of Oz’s relationship with his mother, as he asks his “girlfriend” Eve to dress up as her and affirm his actions, despite his mother in a previous episode asking to be killed if she’s left in a vegetative state, Oz refuses to do so. Instead, he forces her to stay stuck in her body in a Penthouse overlooking Gotham to justify Oz’s cruelty that led him to the top. This makes the audience begin to dislike Oz, and only hope in the next Batman movie, he rightfully receives his punishment.
Showrunner Lauren LeFranc spoke to the Cosmopolitan regarding the ending, saying, “I felt like that showcased Oz’s delusion. I knew based on where I needed to get Oz, and his trajectory for the end of the show to go into Matt’s film, there was a rise to power story. He needed to achieve a level of power, but to me, that meant he had to have a personal cost.” This cost is clearly shown when he loses everyone when he reaches the top.
This story would not have been possible without the incredible acting of Colin Farrel as Oz, Rhenzy Feliz as Victor, Cristin Milloti as Falcone, Deirdre O’Connell as Francis Cobb, and many others. Each actor demonstrates how each character has a story to tell, making the show such an incredible watch. Every ounce of emotion was poured into these characters, and you can tell what their intentions are from their little ticks and posture when they walk.
While the Penguin has many antagonists, Cristin Milloti adds an exceptional layer of emotion and depth to Sofia Falcone, who was used by her father, Carmine, to cover up his crimes. This leads to her transformation into Arkham Asylum; unlike any other adaptation that shows Arkham, viewers can truly see the horrors of where Sofia Falcone is tortured and broken by the end of her imprisonment. When she is released and fights vigorously to reclaim the Gotham underworld and her independence, you can’t help but root for her.
In an interview with Jackson Luken from Batman News at Comic-Con, Miloti says, “Sophia is such a wonderful example where you get to see how she’s driven mad… and how the world can drive someone mad… and how pain can drive people to do terrible things.”
Unlike many comic-book adaptations that rely on the overuse of CGI to make their films have a semblance of entertainment, The Penguin uniquely focuses on story and development. Moreover, The Penguin doesn’t rely solely on cameos from popularized characters such as Marvel, Star Wars, or even many DC films. Instead, it barely teases Robert Pattinson’s The Batman with the bat signal shown as a warning to the corrupt city of Gotham. Showrunner Lauren
Overall, I give The Penguin a 9/10. My only complaint is that the show starts relatively slow, but picks up the pace very well. The rest of the franchise’s fanbase and I sincerely hope The Penguin is recognized for its amazing acting, cinematography, and storytelling.
