James Das

HBO’s The Penguin excels beyond being a comic book story as it presents an excellent depiction of power, morality, and human ambition with a rich layer of anecdotes. The miniseries spreads over eight episodes and focuses on Gotham City’s criminal world and how Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot, was a timid henchman who gradually became a feared kingpin in his subculture. Once again, Colin Farrell plays the Penguin, who has metamorphosed into a sociopath filled with realism, suffocating irony, and absurd comic characteristics. The narrative continues in the vein on which Matt Reeves’ The Batman has focused but does not limit itself to only one direction rather combines the gangster genre, crime stories, and thriller into one cohesive story. The story starts with Elia Kazan’s characters at each other’s throats awaiting the throne of Gotham after the demise of si Corrispondenza, Carmine Falcone. Seeing that… Dominick's crown is not very large, with only room for one head, he has plans to conquer the city’s underworld. Then he says something that is so apropos that everybody agrees with him: “I’ve been the guy behind the guy for too long. Now, it’s my turn.” Dom dominates the underworld as he seeks vengeance. Several criminals fight for Gotham, it tries to retain itself while it rots within. The story unfolds one power struggle after another waiting to show the lengths Oz goes to execute his plans. The story is also about walking down memory lane at the same time when Oz has recurrent himself about what happened in the past, particularly his mother. The part of The Penguin cannot be performed better, Colin Farrell has fully embraced this character. He manages to keep a balance in portraying the grotesque image of the character with some humane emotions making it possible to regard Oz in a very horrifying yet endearing manner. His cynicism comes through in lines like “Trust is the most dangerous weapon in Gotham”; while other lines, deeper lines such as the source of his mother’s love, show him as a more complete person. Farrel’s change is complete and not only physical but also emotional as he becomes a man of contradictions who was rejected at one point in his life and has an insatiable thirst for validation. Other characters especially Sofia Falcone played by Cristin Milioti are among many highlights in the series. As the strong woman seeking revenge for her brother, she proves to be more than a match for Oz and it is her relationship with him that crackles with the most tension. Their verbal battles bring some of the best parts of the series to the fore: so many layers of the story and its development are present in the battles themselves. Sofia mockingly says “You’re not a king, Oz. You’re just another pawn in Gotham’s game” and this quote defines their further relationships and the power balance perfectly.