REVIEW #419 The Penguin (Season 1)

THE PENGUIN (Season 1)

SYNOPSIS

Set in Gotham during the aftermath of Riddlers flooding of the city, Oz Cobb (The Penguin) implements his plan that’ll elevate him to the top of the criminal underworld.

THE REVIEW

The Penguin transcends the typical comic book genre that we have all come to know, becoming one of the greatest debut seasons in recent times! Showing the entire world that masterful writing can exist in this larger landscape of comic book universes, if they are just willing to leave the usual tropes behind in the pursuit of something unique. As good as the writing is, the acting is what brings the text to life and boy was the acting great. We all had a taste of Collin Farrell in The Batman but we really see him thrive here! For someone wearing the scale of prosthetics and makeup that he was, his ability to communicate through his facial expressions and body language is simply remarkable. But this show wouldn’t be the same without the brilliance of Cristin Milioti, who quickly became a fan favourite. It feels unfair to not give the entire cast a personal mention because they all contributed to a sense of authenticity that made the show so powerful. 

Lauren LeFranc was not afraid to show Oz as a true villain, an antagonist that is cruel, betraying and conniving! Far too many projects focusing on antagonists decide to go down the troubled hero route, but the intentions for this show were as clear as day and its a direction that won fans over, as we slowly witnessed the true colours of Oswald. All of that was summarised through the final moments of the show, which were truly heartbreaking. All before giving The Penguin his trademark look as we see him elevated to the upper echelons of the Gotham elite. My only nit pick would be how there were zero references to Batman, we have the Bat signal at the end but I would have liked to have heard even just a brief mention amongst Oz’s thugs, perhaps a rumour of him taking down some of their crew. I also think that certain events going on in the city are just too big to have Batman simply ignore them, how can a large chunk of Gotham be blown up without it alerting him? But like I said, that’s not a big deal and I certainly think it was the right idea to not have an appearance from the iconic hero. I can’t wait to see where this universe is heading next because it’s probably the most promising universe in the comic adaptation space right now! 

Overall (9.5/10)

Thanks for reading,

Film Review Club