TL;DR – A stunning character-focused episode that showed just what a powerful actor Rhenzy Feliz is.

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

The Penguin Review –

When we first heard that there was going to be a Penguin series, I was not sure how it was going to go. Sure, Colin Farrell was a great side character in The Batmanfilm, but was there enough there to build a series off? Well, if these first three episodes have anything to say about it, the answer is yes.

So, to set the scene, Vic (Rhenzy Feliz) is spending time with his family as he continues to be frustrated with his father that he won’t get paid for all the work he does. Staving off another argument, Vic goes to the roof of a nearby building to watch the fireworks with his girlfriend Graciela (Anire Kim Amoda). But it is not fireworks that go off that election day, but explosions across the city as the sea walls collapse and a surge of water crashes into Crown Heights. Today, Vic is working for The Penguin (Colin Farrell), and they are in a precarious position as two families are circling. Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) is about to make her move, but now they need the Triad’s help. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Twin narratives are powering through this episode, so that we will start first with Oz and Sofia’s big move. After a lot of manoeuvring, Oz was finally able to find out what the big new drug that was about to descend on Gotham City was. Besides this not being the first time I have heard of a fictional drug called ‘Bliss’, I liked the connection that they built here. Sophia retaking her position in the family through using a drug forced on her in Arkham gives every twist some added thematic weight. We also got some of the best character work in the series as Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti captivate in every and every moment as we unpack their shady past.  

There are a lot of moments you could pull apart here, the final chat before things fall apart or the way they bribe one of their own capo to look the other way. However, I am going to pick the way they both are trying to get the deal across with the Triad. Each of them had their own idea of how the conversation was about to go down in the club, but they didn’t gameplan it beforehand. So, both of them have to sound like a convincing partner while also not knowing how the other will respond to the probing questions. They have this weird riff session where one slip could be death, and it is compelling to watch.     

However, it is striking, given how good everyone is in this show, that there was one standout this week, and that was Rhenzy Feliz playing Victor “Vic” Aguilar. Each episode has been focused on one of the core characters, and this week was Vic’s time. However, more than that, he brings such weight to this character that he is stuck at a profound crossroads. So much emotion comes through the eyes, and you feel every conflicted movement. It is hard to watch at times, especially when he gets ripped back to the moment he watched his family die. You are with him as he has to make one of the most complicated choices in his life, one that might probably lead to his death. The ending of the episode would not have worked at all unless you had been with Vic and his story for the entire episode.  

In the end, do we recommend The Penguin: Bliss? Absolutely. This show is honestly some of the best work that has been done in live-action for DC in decades. You feel for the characters, you understand them, and you want to see their stories.  

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 – Noelle Valdivia
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, Carmen Ejogo, Shohreh Aghdashloo & Michael Kelly with Ben Cook, Anire Kim Amoda, Tess Soltau & Jared Abrahamson and Aria Shahghasemi, François Chau, Jose Guns Alves, Rocky Vega & Shirley Roeca