TL;DR – This was a fantastic opening episode that captivates us with its character work and worldbuilding as we dive back into the deep end of the Gotham underworld.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this series.

The Penguin Review –

Back when the DCEU started to fracture, we got a bunch of interesting works, as it felt like people were rushing to stake a claim over parts of the DC canon. One of those productions, now relabelled as an ‘Elseworld’, was The Batman, probably one of the better looks at the caped crusader on the big screen. I quite enjoyed the romp through Gotham City and how much the cast threw themselves into the roles. Well, today, we get to jump back into that world as we see the aftermath of what happens when a power vacuum is created.

So, to set the scene, one of the casualties of the calamity that occurred in the conflict between Batman and The Riddler was the death of Gotham’s main crime boss, Falcone (Mark Strong). Overnight, the stable criminal underworld of Gotham was through into chaos as every person with an inch of criminal credibility started to claim new turf. It is a gold rush across the streets of Gotham, but one of the leading contenders is Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell). If the world can take him seriously that is. Though, you should underestimate The Penguin at your own peril.   

There is always a concern that when you take something that worked well on a film budget and time frame and bring it into the TV world, you will lose something in that transition. Budgets don’t always scale down, and narratives don’t always scale up. However, The Penguin shows that it gets that potential problem in the opening conversation between Oz and Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen). Because it is all character work as we spiral deeper into the underworld of Gotham. It is paired back, but when you’re called The Penguin, you need to spend time marinating the character.

This only works if the character of The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot/Oz is compelling, and if this first episode only did one thing, it would be that. Colin Farrell is instantly captivating as he throws himself into this role. Part of this must be the fantastic prosthetic work that would be like putting on utterly new skin. But then you have to be able to emote under all that makeup, and you feel the complexities of a man finding himself in the middle of a significant transition. He is a character who plays small but dreams big, and that is a dichotomy that Colin captures in his performance.

Then there is the supporting cast, and I have yet to find a weak link in this first episode. Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone entirely captures the scene the moment you hear her voice come from off camera. There is a formality hiding barely contained rage that feels like it could explode at any moment. Then we have the press-ganged protégé of Penguin in the form of Victor “Vic” Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), who spends most of the episode manoeuvring for his life. He is the audience surrogate into this world and might have one of the realest conversations when he discusses not being able to chop a head off because he overthought which side to start from.         

The production holds up from the film, which was one of my biggest concerns. One of the clever moments is how the series transitioned from the night-based feeling of The Batman into the light of morning. It was thematically appropriate, given it was a narrative transition, but it also helped shift things visually. I also loved the musical score that was not hiding in the background but was there as an accent, including one moment when that cello was almost used as an audible slap in a scene. Congratulations to Mick Giacchino because you nailed it.     

From a thematic perspective, I liked the nods to class, which seemed to be one of the underpinnings of a lot of what was going on. I thought it was just going to be a bit of lip service thrown out in a new report or to frame how Oz can outmanoeuvre all those people who now live in their mansions and don’t know how to get their fingers dirty anymore. It was a little disappointing right up until they committed to the bit with Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5. There is wanting to dip your toes into a thematic issue, and then there is diving in the deep end, and I am glad The Penguin committed.

In the end, do we recommend The Penguin: After Hours? Absolutely. I was captivated by this world from those opening moments till the credits rolled. We got a fascinating world and a cast that was there for what was going down. More than anything, I am looking forward to seeing how this gang war is about to explode as someone pulls the strings without people knowing.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen The Penguin yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Penguin
Directed by – Craig Zobel
Written by – Lauren LeFranc
Created by – Lauren LeFranc
Based On – Characters by Bob Kane & Bill Finger and The Batman by Matt Reeves & Peter Craig
Production/Distribution Companies – Acid and Tender Productions, 6th & Idaho Motion Picture Company, Dylan Clark Productions, Chapel Place Productions, Zobot Projects, DC Studios, Warner Bros. Television, HBO & Binge
Starring – Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown, Carmen Ejogo, Michael Zegen, Berto Colón, Michael Kelly & Mark Strong with James Madio, Joshua Bitton, David H. Holmes, Daniel J. Watts, Ben Cook & Jayme Lawson and Eugene Solfanelli, Eric Berryman Alex Anagnostidis & Myles Humphus