The Penguin: A Brutal Descent Into Gotham’s Really Grim Underworld
HBO’s The Penguin is a brutal, stylish, and unflinchingly dark crime saga that delivers everything I hoped it would after watching The Batman.
It is set just a week after the events of The Batman (2022), and while watching that isn’t essential, you might wonder about some flashbacks and motivations. It shouldn’t really matter, but, I mean, you should watch The Batman, it’s great.
The Penguin is an eight-episode limited series that follows Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot’s bloody ascent through Gotham’s underworld. It’s not a redemption arc—it’s a descent into madness, violence, and unchecked ambition. If anything it is the opposite of a redemption arc.
The cast and characters
I had to keep reminding myself that it was Colin Farrell on screen as The Penguin. He is that good and the prosthetics are flawless. His performance is mesmerizing—slightly pathetic at times, while also being absolutely terrifying. You find yourself rooting for him, then recoiling as he commits another horrific act without a second’s thought. He’s not an antihero; he’s a full-blown nutcase of a villain whose charm makes his brutality all the more disturbing. ?
It was odd how often I forgot that I knew how it would probably pan out, and kept hoping it would end with the Penguin taking over but not being too dark or ruthless. But then he does stuff that constantly makes you reassess him as the baddie and psycho you knew he was when you started watching. You know he will be a criminal kingpin. And it gets darker as the show goes on.
Cristin Milioti is equally compelling as Sofia Falcone, daughter of Carmine Falcone. She brings a sharp, dangerous energy to the role, matching Oz’s ruthlessness with her own brand of calculated ferocity. The character is even edgier and more psychotic than even the Penguin – as least his motivations are clear, hers often aren’t. Their power struggle is one of the show’s most gripping dynamics.
The tone, style, and general world-building
I think ‘gritty’ pretty much sums up the Penguin, maybe with a dash of noir and gangster-flick. It’s a grounded, street-level portrayal of Gotham—no capes, no gadgets, just raw, human depravity. The cinematography is moody and atmospheric, perfectly capturing the city’s decay.? It matches well with the vibe of The Batman movie.
Will there be The Penguin season 2?
From what I have read, there won’t be a second season, but it isn’t completely ruled out. The big boss-man of Warner Bros Television, Channing Dungey, said in a Deadline interview:
“The Penguin is one of those things where — and it’s interesting, because when you talk with everyone involved, everyone is interested in possibly revisiting those characters and doing more — it was very much designed as a limited series. But I would never say never. I think if we can get the creative stars to line up in the right way, and the talent is available — because we certainly wouldn’t want to do this without Colin [Farrell] and Cristin [Milioti] and that team — I would say it’s definitely a possibility, but there’s nothing in the works at the moment.”
Farrell doesn’t seem keen to return to Penguin makeup, but who knows. Personally, I think it should be left alone as a great piece of story telling and an entire story in itself.
The Penguin has certainly been recieved well and has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95%.
Final thoughts
I loved The Penguin. It is well written and acted, and was impressed with nearly everything about it. You empathise with Oz throughout, even when he is doing something incredibly violent and ruthless. And the more hardcore he gets, the higher he rises. Nearly all the characters have great arcs, and you can’t help feel sorry for his sidekick Vic and the world he has been dragged into.
I think The Penguin should be left as a one off completed story. I hope HBO considers similar spin-offs focusing on other characters like The Joker, Two-Face, Catwoman, Scarecrow, or even Robin. Standalone series like this could offer fresh, in-depth explorations of Gotham’s wide variety of ‘eccentric’ characters. I don’t know how they will deal with some of the more ‘magic’ ones like Poison Ivy, but I am sure they will work it out.
It seems The Penguin and The Batman are separate from the larger DC universe being built by James Gunn, so we’ll see how it all pans out.
tl;dr – The Penguin is great. Watch it.
If you don’t have HBO you can check out The Penguin here and The Batman here. Enjoy.
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