TV Review: The Penguin
The City Will Be His
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the TV miniseries The Penguin. To better keep up to date with my thoughts on movies as well, follow me on Letterboxd.
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PLOT
Via Google: The transformation of Oz Cobb from a disfigured nobody to a noted Gotham gangster.
REVIEW
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m not the biggest fan of television series. Besides not having the time to binge endless shows, I often find myself frustrated or let down as a series drags on. That said, this is that special time early in the year when my new movie-watching queue is relatively small. It’s the perfect opportunity to catch up on TV shows or miniseries that generated enough buzz to pique my curiosity.
This past Tuesday, I spent the day catching up on The Penguin, a Max streaming miniseries intended to bridge 2022’s The Batman and its planned sequel. If you don’t know by now, that film is my second favorite of that amazing year for cinema. It would also easily make my personal list of favorite films of the 2020s overall. I genuinely believe it’s the best on-screen adaptation of the Caped Crusader I’ve ever seen. Batman happens to be my second favorite fictional character of all time - only behind Godzilla, of course. So, you can imagine how excited I was to dive right back into this version of Gotham, even if the main plot revolves around one of Batman’s villainous foes rather than the hero himself.
I had heard great things about this miniseries since it aired back in September and October of last year. It piqued the interest of someone like me, who isn’t usually excited about television. With all the hype surrounding the series, combined with my love for the source material and the preceding film it builds off on, I went in hoping to be blown away. Unfortunately, while I was entertained enough to see it through, I ultimately found The Penguin more underwhelming than I had anticipated.
Let me start with the positives, because I don’t want to be misunderstood as outright disliking this miniseries. Overall, it was a decent way to spend the day, and there’s quite a bit it gets right. I’ve always loved the lore and mythology surrounding Gotham, a city so plagued by blatant corruption and violence that it feels unsalvageable, yet still inspires good cops, prosecutors, and, of course, Batman himself to fight for it. It was nice to return to that gritty world and immerse myself in its mythos once again.
The soundtrack is a definite highlight. The score not only complements the tone of the series but also serves as a natural companion to the 2022 film, enhancing the connection between the two. Despite the limitations of a TV production budget compared to a big feature film, the production design is impressive. Gotham feels just as dark, grimy, and alive as it did in The Batman. The episodes consistently end on strong cliffhangers that make it hard to resist diving straight into the next one, which is a testament to the pacing and storytelling structure.
There are also some standout moments of cinematography. For a smaller TV project, it achieves a level of visual sophistication that rivals bigger-screen adaptations at times. The moody lighting, the framing of key scenes, and the atmospheric use of Gotham’s urban decay all add to the show’s aesthetic appeal.
And, of course, the performances deserve special praise. Cristin Milioti shines with the material given as Sofia Falcone, bringing nuance to her character despite some limitations in the material. Rhenzy Feliz is compelling as a young man taken under Penguin’s wing (and I promise, no pun intended there). Deirdre O’Connell goes all out as Oz’s fiercely opinionated and mentally deteriorating mother, delivering a performance full of intensity and raw emotion. But unsurprisingly, the real standout is Colin Farrell. He once again transforms completely into Oswald Cobblepot, thanks in no small part to the phenomenal makeup that turns him into one of Batman’s most iconic foes. Farrell’s performance is captivating, and he brings a mix of menace, charm, and vulnerability to the character. Honestly, I still believe he deserved an Oscar nomination for his work in the 2022 film, and he’s just as compelling here.
But beneath all those positives lie some significant issues that troubled me from the first episode to the last. The screenplay stumbles in key areas, particularly in character development, motivations, and tone. While it’s clear Oz isn’t meant to be a good person, the series sometimes takes his villainy to almost cartoonish extremes, especially when it comes to his backstory, making him seem devoid of even a sliver of humanity. This one-dimensional portrayal often detracted from what could have been a more complex and compelling character study; though I do believe Farrell tried his best to get that out of the character.
Then there’s Vic, the young man Penguin ropes into his world. Despite Rhenzy Feliz’s solid performance, his character’s arc feels aimless. By the end of the series, Vic’s ultimate fate left me questioning his entire purpose in the plot. He felt less like a meaningful addition to the story and more like a plot device that ultimately went nowhere.
Sofia Falcone, while portrayed excellently by Cristin Milioti, also suffers from inconsistent writing. Her sudden character shifts often felt unearned, making it difficult to buy into her development. At times, her arc veers into what I can only describe as "try-hard" territory, where her actions and dialogue seem overly forced in an attempt to establish her as a formidable antagonist.
And then there are the plot contrivances, moments that strain credibility and pulled me out of the story. These lapses in logic or outright luck for certain characters occur frequently enough to disrupt the narrative flow. Combined with a pacing issue that sees the series spinning its wheels in places, the story often feels like it’s treading water rather than moving forward. Honestly, this miniseries could have been trimmed down to half its length. A tighter, more focused script would have done wonders for the pacing and overall impact.
In the end, while I found The Penguin entertaining enough, it didn’t live up to the critical hype or justify its existence as a bridge between The Batman and its sequel. For die-hard Batman fans, it’s a decent way to pass a rainy day, but it’s not something I’d go out of my way to passionately recommend either. It’s good, but not the great masterclass in what television can be as others claim. My overall grade for The Penguin is a okay but unremarkable, straight up, B.
GRADING
