HBO’s new series “The Penguin” debuted last Thursday to overwhelming critical acclaim with a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The series picks up right after the events that occurred during the most recent Batman movie, “The Batman” from 2022 starring Robert Pattison. At the end of that movie the Riddler (Paul Dano) destroyed the seawall surrounding Gotham leading to wide scale flooding and destruction.
It’s in the direct aftermath that viewers are introduced to the beginning of “The Penguin”.
Much like the movie that precedes it this show immerses the viewers in the same gritty, grimey and grainy feeling world of “The Batman”. Unlike the movie though, Batman is nowhere to be found (for the first episode anyways). Instead this story is centered on the rise of the supervillain ‘Oswald Cobb’, otherwise known as the penguin.
If you’re unaware by now that’s actually Colin Farrell in the body suit and intense makeup as the penguin. And without going into the story I would like to highlight what an excellent job HBO did with the bodysuit and makeup for Farrell’s Penguin. As there is one scene where Farrell’s character is fully nude (in a classy way), and viewers can see just how much effort was put into the overall look of Farrell’s character. According to abc.com Farrell had to spend upwards of three hours a day in the makeup chair.
This is very much a crime drama and seemingly not a superhero/villain series. And so far it’s an excellent one, with one of the best opening episodes I’ve seen. Without going into the story I will give a couple reasons for that. First, so far there are no boring characters dragging the show down, and just when you think one just popped up, they become fascinating. Second, unlike many other shows these days “The Penguin” does not dangle a ton of potential storylines that will probably never be unraveled, or tied off in a lame fashion.
Perhaps the most compelling reason to watch is the excellent acting across the board. Farrell’s performance is so good he completely disappears into his character, and he’s not alone. Farrell is joined by a cast of excellent actors, the best of which so far is Cristin Milioti who plays the late Carmine Falcone’s daughter. Viewers may remember Milioti from one the funniest movie scenes ever where she and Andy Samberg perform a dance-fight in a dive bar from the movie “Palm Springs” (2022).
Between the two excellent performances of Milioti and Farrell, the supporting cast so far, and the compelling backdrop, HBO’s new show “The Penguin” is off to a great start. Two fins up.
