'Penguin' takes flight as Farrell poaches kingpin status

Deep in the Iceberg Lounge hatches The Penguin, an underdog story of how Oswald Cobb rose to power in the aftermath of 2022’s The Batman. In the second entry in Matt Reeves’s so-called “Batman Epic Crime Saga”, Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) returns as his unrecognizable alter ego, picking up just a week after the events of The Batman, leaving new waters for him to dive into.

 In the wake of the Riddler’s attack, Gotham’s streets are found recovering from the disastrous effects that left part of the city submerged and the underworld in panic. After the assassination of the head of the Falcone crime family, Carmine Falcone, the film showed a glimpse of what was to come as Oz stared out the window of the Falcone apartment in the Iceberg Lounge, Penguin’s typical roost in the comics. However, this promised prosperity does not last long as the new don, Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), is brought in to take his father’s place.

The avian themed mobster Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot made his debut into comics in “Detective Comics #58” in December, 1941, as an art thief working under another mysterious villain, but when Batman and Robin try to take Cobblepot down, he flees the nest. Before appearing in his own spin-off series, the Penguin has had numerous iterations over the years, including the sewering-dwelling Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) variant in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, an animated female mafioso in the noir-inspired Batman: Caped Crusader, as well as Robin Lord Taylor’s fan-beloved take on the character in Gotham. However, the main version that Farrell’s interpretation of the character seems to be working towards is entirely a new creation, yet still reminiscent of what came before.

Although rooted in a deep and pervasive comic book mythos, The Penguin defies what’s expected of a presumed “comic book show”, much like Tony Gilroy’s Andor, giving deeper meaning to what has been seen as a tired genre for nearly half a decade. Airing at the same time as the MCU’s Agatha All Along, The Penguin leaves its tophat and umbrella cane at the door, evolving into a crime-drama character study much more in line with The Sopranos or Mindhunter than anything else in the superhero zeitgeist. With showrunner Lauren LeFranc at the helm for all creative decisions made in the series, the serial shows the twisted mind of Oz in every decision he makes.

The first episode begins with a bang as Oz guns down Alberto, serving as the inciting incident for the entirety of the show. At the same time of Oz’s poor decision-making, Alberto’s sister, Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti,  Palm Springs) is released from Arkham Asylum after being imprisoned for her alleged murders of at least seven women, being branded “The Hangman”. As both the secondary protagonist and the main antagonist of the series, Milioti becomes Oz’s foil, a satisfying contrast between someone born into crime, dealing with the corrupting forces at play, and someone so wicked to the point where he is beyond humanity. Revealed through flashbacks and in conversation, Sofia’s story provides a look into how easily power can find a scapegoat, with Sofia being imprisoned by her own father, sparking a vengeance against her entire family, and more importantly, Oz. 

Joining in on Oz’s climb to the top is his young protege, Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz, Encanto), found while he is trying to boost the rims off of the Penguin’s “plum”-colored Maserati Ghibli. In an inverse of the other well-known rim-boosting young man in DC Comics (that being Jason Todd, Batman’s second Robin who tried to steal the rims off of the Batmobile and eventually dies), the Penguin takes Vic under his wing, leading the orphaned survivor of the Riddler’s attack on Gotham more into crime. 

Squawk! Spoilers ahead!

With Sony’s many attempts of heroizing various Spider-Man rogues, Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, or the response to 2019’s Joker, certain groups of fans falsely idolize the psychotic and macabre due to relatable and charismatic features they may find in the characters. This is also commonly found in an outsider’s perspective when viewing what they perceive to be objectively attractive murderers, such as Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, and- more recently- the Menendez Brothers; however, when it comes to Oz, it is no secret the Penguin is by no means someone to empathize with.

For Oz, the phrase “nothing comes free in life” is especially true to his being, with every single relationship having some form of transaction at play, usually in Oz’s favor. Anything and everything he does is for pure selfish gain and glory including: his “lady friend” whom he pays off, his own mother, as well as all of the rival gangs. Tragically, as soon as Vic outlives his use to Oz and Oswald realizes that having him around only leads to weakness, he is strangled, lifeless and without an identity to float in the river. Along with this, as soon as Oz’s mom (Deidre O’Connell, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is stuck in an unresponsive and vegetative state following having a stroke in combination with her Lewy body dementia, he yet again hires his sex worker girlfriend to dress as his mother to have him tell her she’s proud of him. Fulfilling his incestuous and Freudian tendencies, Oz’s unhealthy connection to his mother fuels his determination to rise to the top. 

Another major issue the series tackles is the aforementioned plot with Sofia Falcone, with her arc paralleling many women who have had their own reputations ruined by men in power. One of the most documented cases was with Pamela Anderson, having an infamous adult film leaked, yet she received nearly all of the blame, with barely any of it going towards her husband at the time, Tommy Lee. Nearly three decades later, Anderson continues to attempt to shake off the defamation of her character. Even more infamous than Anderson’s own scandal was with that of the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton. Despite Clinton being a married man and the president of an entire nation, his affair with Monica Lewinsky left a lasting scar on the former White House intern’s character. Extending even further into the past, the memories of the women hung during the Salem Witch Trials remain dirtied by the accusations of practicing witchcraft. 

In many ways, Sofia Falcone reflects these women in their attempts to break free from the stigma placed upon them. Sofia would later change her name to her mother’s maiden name in order to distance herself from her father, and burn her family’s portrait and home as well. As Sofia tries harder and harder to shed off the legacy, it becomes more and more apparent that doing such a thing is impossible in the world in which she lives in. Attempting to outright flee the country, Sofia is stopped, and put back into Arkham, being framed for all of the events which occur in the series by none other than Oz. With a man such as Oz winning in the end, it repeats the unfortunate reality which many have faced before and still do not attain the true justice they deserve.

With a cheekily placed Batsignal lighting in the sky in the final shot of The Penguin, not all hope is lost for the future of Gotham City. With the advent of Matt Reeve’s The Batman Part II in 2026, and Farrell already being confirmed to appear in five to six scenes, fans could only hope that this bird’s beak will be broken and his feathers will be truly ruffled by the big bad bat. 

A+: In a series of twists, turns, betrayals, drug empires, and hilariously demented storylines, this flightless bird soars into the spotlight.

by Evan Parfitt 

Published December 2nd, 2024

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue III