The following review contains spoilers for the first episode of The Penguin, “After Hours”
The Batman ended with Gotham City ravaged by flooding thanks to the Riddler and his followers. Now, The Penguin is picking up just a couple weeks later in the middle of the wreckage. News broadcasts talk of a power vacuum in Gotham’s organized crime scene, opening up a narrow window of opportunity that Oswald Cobb (Colin Farrell) will have to fit his hulking figure through if he wants to take what he feels is rightfully his. With the stage now set, it’s time for The Penguin (the guy) and The Penguin (the show) to “yes and” the events of The Batman while sustaining what made the film so moody and captivating.
And they do so to great effect, only hampered by a clearly smaller budget. Wide shots of Gotham don’t hit the same when the eyes are drawn toward obvious CG buildings and street signs. Seeing Gotham by daylight doesn’t help either, with much more of “After Hours” showcasing the city during the day than The Batman ever did. But what matters is that the continuity between the movie and the series feels intact. Thankfully it does, supported by the noir-style direction of Craig Zobel, and the thrilling, understated score of Mick Giacchino (the son of Michael Giacchino, who scored The Batman).
Going into the premiere, I (along with everyone else) assumed The Penguin would share a lot of its DNA with The Sopranos. And it certainly does: With all the brutal crime, sweaty men, sex workers, New Jersey accents, and mommy issues packed into the premiere, there’s obviously a ton of inspiration coming from the classic HBO series. But I was surprised by how much it reminded me of another popular franchise from the premium-cable channel – Game of Thrones and its current and future spin-offs – with its with its shaky loyalties, big reveals, and the one person who thinks they were born to rule. It may not prove to be as high quality as those series, but from the first episode, The Penguin sets the pins in place and swiftly rolls the ball down the lane by the end. Placing those pins up is a lot of work, with character and storyline introductions for Oz, Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), Sophia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), and some other Falcone family members whose names will definitely be tough to keep track of (which also reminds me of Game of Thrones). “After Hours” might be a little overstuffed, but it definitely never feels boring, and there isn’t a character introduced that I don’t want to know more about.
Surprising no one, it also allows for a lot more time with Oswald Cobb. Where Farrell only saw a few (albeit spectacular) moments of screen time in The Batman – despite the hours in the makeup chair those scant scenes required– now that he’s in it for the long haul, he’s able to sink more deeply into the prosthetics. Farrell truly personifies this character now, and it’s amazing to watch the emotions and mannerisms he’s able to convey through all that silicone. The torture scene at the end of the episode is a particularly impressive display of both acting and hair-and-maekup craft. Not just because it’s the one moment where we get a full body suit of Oz, but the barbed wire used to torture him with cuts through his armpit with an unsettling amount of realism. It’s horror-movie levels of impressive.
“After Hours” is an episode with a lot of violence both physical and emotional, made all the more harrowing as we watch it play out through the eyes of our onscreen surrogate, Victor. Not based on any comic book character, Vic has the most freedom of anyone in The Penguin to chart his own course, and so far, he’s like a mobster Harry Potter – a lower-class newcomer into this life of crime with a natural penchant for it. He’s an endearing character, which means if there are more notes being taken from Game of Thrones, he’s in for some hard times. Sophia Falcone is a force all her own, and a methodical, calculated juxtaposition to Oz’s more wild and frenetic style of problem solving and leadership. The casting of Cristin Milioti – whom you might know from Palm Springs, Black Mirror’s “USS Callister” episode, or the final seasons of How I Met Your Mother – is pitch perfect. She does the “subdued crazy waiting to erupt” very well, and episode one only teases what that eruption could look like.
