When Matt Reeves Batman arrived on screen I was taken aback by Colin Farrell and his mega transformation into the iconic villain The Penguin. Then I heard he will get a spin-off series. This I was highly skeptical of. How would a Batman show work without Batman? No way where they going to bring big screen Batman to HBO. And every Batman show featured Batman in some form or the other. This was never going to make it. Boy was I wrong… oh so very wrong
Enter Oswald
The show is set directly after the events of The Batman. Falcone’s fall creates a huge power vacuum in Gotham’s underbelly and guess who is ready to fill in those shoes. Of course it will be Oswald Cobb, (yeah they dropped the full name to make it more contemporary), better known as The Penguin. For what he lacks in looks, he more than makes up in smarts.
Colin does another fantastic deliverance of the villain. To watch his performance is a privilege. The mannerisms and even little nuances that bring such added depth. Then there is the psychological side and how he brings that tone. You can often hear the continuous pain in the voice as he utters every word. The only question would be if he will sport his iconic monocle and umbrella? Well…
Mafia Vibes
The show is solid mafia series, and being set in Gotham is just icing on the cake. The show follows Oswald as he slowly moves the chess pieces into position. But even in his brilliance he is reliant on others and they don’t always measure up. The show is a very well articulated crime drama with a solid cast and every one delivers a performance to be revered by. Cristin Milioti is perfect as the heir to the Falcone’s throne. Shedding her skin from being just Ted’s wife. She owns every scene in which she step her delicate feet into. Her swings from traumatized to pure villain is nothing short of spectacular.
Rhenzy Feliz is the young actor who joins the power house of actors, and he brings what is essentially the heart of the show. Over time he forms a bond with Oswald and they slowly take the city inch by inch. His arc from low level street urchin to a fully inducted mafia henchman is quite a journey.
The Penguin Rises
Creating a show on the origin of a villain is often hard, one has to have the audience root for a protagonist who is really an antagonist in the waiting. it is no easy task. There is no redemption arc. The Penguin however, finds the sweet spot of finding Oswald’s humanity while he explores his true villainous nature.
The show takes us on this journey that shows us, how the events of any one persons life can slowly shape them into the man they will become. In the same token it shows us that sometimes no matter how hard one tries, you can never escape your fate. The duo of Sofia Falcone and Oswald are truly are captivating combination. The dubious scheming and plot threads are a spectacular spectacle to see and watch unravel before ones eyes.
Review
The show is more than I could have ever hoped for. Thrilling and chilling, yet delivering iconic scenes with dialogue than lingers long after the show is over. The ending is everything you could want but nothing that you would expect. DC Studios has delivered another classic.
