TL;DR – We get a quieter, more character-focused episode that shows us how wild the rest of the season will be.

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

The Penguin Review –

The first episode of The Penguin After Hours had to do a lot of heavy lifting. It had to bring people into this world without the guarantee that they had watched The Batman. Now that we have situated ourselves in this world, it is time to explore some of the characters more deeply. Well, if that was the mission for the day, then the second episode did it in spades.

So, to set the scene, things are still tense in the underworld of Gotham City. The damage caused by The Riddler has created a lot of opportunities, but with the death of Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong), there is also a potential power vacuum. Well, nature abhors a vacuum, but when Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) kills Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), well, there is only one outcome that can follow. The question is: will The Penguin be able to play the Falcone’s and Maroni’s off each other, or will he get taken out in the crossfire? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

If the first episode was all about focusing on The Penguin and how he fit into this rapidly changing world, then the follow-up was all about doing the same thing for Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti). She is trying to process so many completing emotions: the rage at losing her brother, the joy of getting out of Arkham, the danger of her mind that she is not sure if she can control, and the disgust of watching the family hierarchy stumble around rather than see her as a legitimate heir. There is one line from this episode that summed everything up: “I’m not safe, I’m home”, and that is such a true if telling statement. Cristin Milioti continues to be one of the best parts of the show, and I am fascinated to see where she will take the character.

On the flip side, we have Oz Cobb, who is more than ever completely understanding who he is and where he lives in the hierarchy of the organisation. He knows that his future in the Falcone family hangs in a thread, and in the long term, it might not be a good idea to throw his all in with them. Oz is a survivor, and being that, he knows when to follow the changing winds. But this is the episode that shows just how dangerous that can be. Playing two families off each other would be hazardous at the best of times, and this is not the best of times. Watching how he responds to things going wrong, like the convoy trip, was fascinating to watch.   

At every turn, the series is making interesting choices that I love to see. For example, casting Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nadia Maroni was a fantastic choice for the series. Not just because Shohreh is a tremendous actor who has nailed every role she has been in. However, it provides the perfect juxtaposition between the Falcone and Maroni families and how they treat their female members. Nadia has power and authority, and you feel it in the episode. Sofia has none, and the Falcone’s will likely rue that decision. Then we also have Vic (Rhenzy Feliz), who is almost playing a Westley role here. He is trying to find his place in this world, which he clearly has a good eye for, if he can build up courage. At this point, I don’t know if Vic survives this season, and that makes for exciting television to watch.

In the end, do we recommend The Penguin: Inside Man? Absolutely. They continue to go from strength to strength with this season, and I, for one, would love to see where they go next. It will be interesting to see how they work not having Batman in this show and the balancing act that will come with that. But only time will tell.  

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 – Erika L. Johnson
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, Scott Cohen, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Theo Rossi & Michael Kelly with James Madio, Daniel J. Watts, David H. Holmes, Joshua Bitton, Aleska Palladino, Craig Walker, Tess Soltau & Marié Botha and Aria Shahghasemi