HBO’s “The Penguin” premiered on Sept. 19, 2024, defying and exceeding expectations, not just for me, but for fans of the Batman mythos and casual viewers. 

The mini-series is a continuation of the 2022 film, Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” revolving around the rise of Oswald Cobb, otherwise known as The Penguin or Oz, played by Colin Farrell, in the criminal underworld of a greatly damaged Gotham City. 

Recent superhero shows in the past four years have ranged from being amazing like Amazon’s “Invincible” and DC’s “Peacemaker,” to just all-right like Marvel’s “Secret Invasion.” A part of me feared “The Penguin” falling into the all-right but not super memorable category. 

Don’t get me wrong, I never thought the show would be awful or dull; I was just skeptical of the show’s concept. There have been several villain shows and films in the past decade; still, I’ve always felt these stories fall short because the main character is never allowed to be genuinely villainous due to the fear of them being unsympathetic. 

Before the show premiered, I felt it would be visually stunning due to “The Batman’s” aesthetics, but also fail to live up to the film.

The design for Gotham City in any Batman-related project acts as its own sort of character and sets the tone for the project. The architecture used in the ‘Reeve’s Verse’ takes influence from New York City, Liverpool and London for a gothic and gritty atmosphere. 

Not only did the show blow me away visually, but I felt the writing was incredible and on par with the film. I wasn’t expecting the show to explore the troubled psychology of its main characters and to do it so well that it sets the show apart from other recent superhero shows.

Oz was definitely the highlight of the show. Farrell completely earned his Golden Globe win for Best Actor. I loved his performance in “The Batman,” and I knew I could count on Ferrell’s acting chops to carry the show if needed. There are other performances on par with his, but the devilish charisma and swagger Ferrell brought to the character was magnetic. 

Oz shares his psyche and many of his mannerisms with another famous gangster: Tony Soprano. He has the endearing quality any protagonist would need for an audience to find engaging while still being villainous. 

The writing for Oz’s character makes me feel there could be a shift away from the ‘anti villain with slightly reasonable motives, but are still the villain at the end of the day’ to villainous characters with human dimension to make them feel layered without sacrificing credibility as the antagonist. 

Another aspect of Oz’s character which also reminded me of Soprano is his relationship with his mother Francis, played by Deirdre O’Connell. The Penguin’s relationship with his mother has been an interesting element in the character’s recent comic book history, but this show took it to a whole other level. 

We get introduced to Oz’s mother in the first episode when it’s revealed she suffers from Lewy body dementia and Oz periodically comes by to check in on her, unbeknownst to the other characters in Oz’s life. I say the relationship is Soprano-esque because we get to see how unhealthy Oz’s bond with his mother really is in their interactions throughout the show. 

The history between mother and son is further explored when it’s revealed Oz was responsible for killing his older and younger brother when they were children by leaving them to drown in an underground tunnel. We find out Francis knew this all along and even considered having Oz killed at one point, but backed out. 

This reveal was one of the biggest shocks in the series; not only did we learn about the feelings of hatred Francis felt towards Oz, in part because he also lied about his involvement, but also about the fact she attempted to kill him unsuccessfully in the finale.

Another figure who definitely rivals Farrell’s performance in the show and who should have gotten Best Actress is Cristin Milioti as Sofia Gigante/Falcone. Gigante’s role in the show was a massive surprise to me because the most I knew about her character from the comics was that she eventually takes over her father’s crime family and is known as “The Hangman” serial killer and nothing else. Knowing this show would do its own thing with the characters made me curious to see what the writers would change or add to Gigante.

I was surprised to see the show take a tragic approach to Sofia by revealing her to be a victim who was framed by her father and became someone almost unrecognizable. Milioti played Sofia with an equally magnetic and energetic personality that was hard not to find infectious.

The possibility of a second season would sound interesting being a fan of the show, but an in-between miniseries for the next film is ideal for this type of show. I usually don’t rewatch most new shows that come out nowadays, but “The Penguin” is a show I’ll go back to for a rewatch.