Original caricature by Jeff York of Colin Farrell in THE PENGUIN, flanked by Cristin Milioti and Rhenzy Feliz (copyright 2024).
Can we just give Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti their Emmys now?
It’s hard to imagine that those performances let alone other sublime aspects of the TV miniseries THE PENGUIN will be bettered when it comes to the Emmy Awards next summer. I’d hand show creator Lauren LeFranc an Emmy too for the series, as well as her incredible writing throughout all eight episodes. Reserve one too for Helen Shaver’s brilliant direction of Episode Four, not to mention the incredible production design by Kalina Ivanov in that episode, let alone the entire show.
THE PENGUIN was nothing if not impressive as hell, and surprising at how great a Batman spinoff could be without Batman anywhere in sight. Instead, this series concentrated on Batman’s supervillain enemy Oswald Cobb (AKA The Penguin), and his rise to power. It was a triumph for HBO and set the bar for all things DC from here on out. For my money, it was the best DC Comics adaptation since the classic BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES launched way back in 1992. LeFranc, et al. made a Batman adaptation for the ages with this one and Robert Pattinson wasn’t even on the call sheet.
So, what made THE PENGUIN so exceptional?
For starters, it was humble in its ambitions, and in today’s “More is more” methodology in Tinsel Town, that made all the difference in the world. Most of the Batman movies, even the highly-praised ones by Christopher Nolan, were all awash in too much story, too many villains, and too many inconsistent tones. BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES succeeded by and large from only having 22 minutes to tell the story in each episode and there was nary any fat to be seen because of it. Same with THE PENGUIN. It was tightly constructed with no wasted scenes, characters, or narrative, even though it had 60 minutes to play with for each episode. LeFranc ensured that this miniseries was a singularly focused story about the power play for control of the mob underworld in Gotham and concentrated only on those beats and plot points that illustrated Oz’s rise to the top.
What also made the show so exceptional was that mob driver Oswald Cobb hardly seemed like a genuine threat to anyone. Hobbled with a club foot, the mouth-breathing oaf was someone everyone made fun of up and down in the Falcone crime family, his employers. Oz’s fellow gangsters mocked his handicapped gait by calling him “The Penguin” to his face. But as written by LeFranc and played by the superb Colin Farrell, “Oz” may have been grotesque and uncouth, but he was also a shrewd participant in the game of crime. Always watching, always listening, and patiently waiting for his chance to make a move up the ladder, Oz was a helluva lot smarter than he looked and he was a chilling portrait of vengeance. Still, he wasn’t the only one in this series.
Sofia Falcone (Milioti) had a similar arc too. See, Oz ratted on her once she discovered that her father, mob boss Carmine (Mark Strong), was also a serial killer who liked to strangle showgirls. (The bastard did the same to Sofia’s mother.) When Oz blabbed to Carmine to curry favor, the don responded by locking Sofia up in Gotha’s Arkham Asylum, not to mention taking the blame for all those women’s deaths. (Episode four focused on her backstory there where Milioti gave the best performance on television this year.) When Sofia finally got out ten years later, she was consumed with vengeance, similar to that of Oz, and anxious to settle scores with both him and her family.
LeFranc and her team could’ve played this all as a straight-up revenge tale and it likely would have been wonderful, but they turned THE PENGUIN into something much, much more. It became a detailed and nuanced psychological study of what turns people evil. Both Oz and Sofia were utterly pathological, you see. Irredeemable and reprehensible. Yet, they were also relatable and pitiable. After all, LeFranc is arguing here that no one is “pure evil,” no matter if they’re Charles Manson or Oswald Cobb. They become such horrid beings because of the horrors experienced in the trials and tribulations that formed them.
THE PENGUIN demonstrated week in and week out how unflinching both Oz and Sofia were in their ruthlessness, some of it horrifying, some of it so outrageous it was funny. The mushroom used to fuel their new street drug was played for comedy with the little caps having all kinds of trouble in freezers, fires, and F-150’s. In addition, the show constantly surprised us with numerous twists and turns that few could see coming, yet all of such shocks felt both real and earned. Sofia’s crazy hair and styling were hard to pin down too, letting her look suggest how deeply round the bend she was going with each subsequent episode. It all made for an edge-of-your-seat show that zigged, zagged, and gobsmacked. Even Oz’s last act involving his teen apprentice Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) floored me, yet it made total sense.
If you’ve yet to watch THE PENGUIN, binge it ASAP. And if you have seen it, pray that DC will keep trying to equal it. (Their track record is…mixed to say the least.) It would also be wise of HBO to bring these wise guys back for a second season. Sure, filmmaker Matt Reeves has plans for Oz and Sofia in his follow-up to THE BATMAN, but THE PENGUIN series just set the new gold standard for DC and WB. And speaking of gold, I’m ready to hand out those golden statuettes to everyone involved with the show right here and right now.
