The Penguin is a fantastic mafia epic! In the also excellent The North Water, Colin Farrell was almost unrecognizable. In the film The Batman and now in The Penguin, the actor goes even further. He must have needed a lot of time in make-up to portray the role of Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin). The role that Colin plays is very convincing. His walk, his posture and his typical head movements fit perfectly with the image of this DC Comics character. This television series is mainly about the person, his relationships and how this villain tries to seize power in Gotham.
Oswald gets that chance because Carmine Falcone dies in the movie 'The Batman'. This ending will be continued with this television series. While the Falcone family struggles with the power vacuum, Oswald sees opportunities to gain absolute power. One of the problems he faces is the return of Sofia Falcone (an excellent role from Cristin Milioti, How I Met Your Mother). Sofia has just been released from Arkham Asylum and, in addition to revenge, she also has absolute power in the crime world of Gotham in her sights. To do this, she has to go deep and even enter into unexpected alliances.
The Batman and The Penguin are excellent examples of what DC Comics (actually) stands for.
The Penguin is more of a mafia epic than a superhero series. Batman is nowhere to be seen. However, several well-known DC characters appear. The strongest side of The Penguin is that it is much more about the background of the various main characters. Oswald's special and loyal relationship with his mother is highlighted. It explains why Oswald became The Penguin. His unbridled ambition and drive for action stem from his past. Sofia also has a special story. Her evil and vengeful nature comes from a very painful past. It will not surprise anyone that Oswald is also central to this.
What makes the story so strong is that the weaknesses of the various characters are not avoided. Oswald develops a special relationship with the young Victor (Rhenzy Feliz, Marvel's Runaways). Victor regularly comes to Oswald's aid. It helps The Penguin to escape a number of life-threatening situations. On the other hand, it also makes The Penguin, like his relationship with his mother, vulnerable. Sofia is especially vulnerable because of her family. Their role in the past means that Sofia cannot trust any of them. That means she has to find her own way alone. It means that she sometimes has to accept special alliances to get where she wants to go.
What makes the story so strong is that the weaknesses of the various characters are not avoided.
The Batman and The Penguin are excellent examples of what DC Comics (actually) stands for. It is dark, normally much darker than Marvel and has excellent storylines. The atmosphere of the series fits exactly into the picture described. To be honest, with a few exceptions, I was quite bored with superhero series and films. However, The Penguin shows that there is much more than the standard stories that we receive nowadays.
Due to a very busy period I unfortunately have not started The Penguin yet. Due to the high scores and also because of this review I hope to start this series as soon as possible. Thanks for this review Ron.
