The Penguin

Last weekend, the season finale of The Penguin aired on Max and HBO. The Penguin follows Oswald Cobb as he attempts to make a name for himself in the Gotham Underworld after the death of crime boss Carmine Falcone. This show is set in the same universe as Matt Reeves' The Batman, which I very much enjoyed. It stars Colin Ferrell as The Penguin, who did a great job in the role in The Batman. Needless to say, I was very interested in this show.

I thought this show was very much a success. This show takes the world of crime and gangsters from the likes of The Godfather, The Sopranos, and Goodfellas and brings it to the world of Batman. We get to see a true deep dive into the world of Gotham's underbelly from the way different crime families operate to how they pay off different government officials. You would think that a gangster show in the DC universe would feel a bit derivative of better things but it is totally effective here. I like how this show manages to humanize Oswald while not trying to turn him into a hero. He is the protagonist of the story but that does not make him a good guy. The show is all about his drive to become the head of the Gotham underworld as he attempts to open up his own crime group. It also shows a bit of a softer side to him as the show explores his relationship with his mother and his brotherly relationship with Victor. The show also does a great job of pushing the idea of actions having consequences. The whole evolution of the Sophia character is all about what other people, including Oswald, did to her and turned her into the character she becomes by the end of the show. The movie also tackles ideas of people on the sidelines making a name for themselves which is the main motivation for Oswald. He was the side man to Falcone but decided it is time to make a name for himself. I also like how this show ties into the Batman movie while still being its own isolated story. You don't need to see The Batman for this show to make sense, but there are several elements to the show that show the impact of what happened at the end of The Batman. I also thought that the side characters, Victor and Sophia, got an adequate amount of time to devoted their characters. They each had their own episode devoted to their character but it never felt out of place or like it was stopping the main story. Finally, just like the movie, I thought Colin Ferrell was fantastic as The Penguin, he has so much makeup and puts on such a unique performance that you can't even tell that it is him.

I don't really have any issues with the show. It is exciting and intriguing from beginning to end. Overall, this is a great addition to The Batman universe that builds out a key character while not turning them into a villain or even an anti-hero.

Score: 9.5/10 Grade: A Recommendation: Check it out