The Penguin Episode 1 Review: Batman"s Gotham Hasn"t Been This Well Done In Decades

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2 years after The Batman brought a grungey new take on DC"s Dark Knight and reopened Gotham City for business, HBO"s The Penguin is back to remind us all why we loved that movie so much. That episode 1 achieves that while expanding the world and turning the light of the Bat Signal onto Colin Farrell"s Oz Cobb without Robert Pattinson"s Bat is a hugely impressive start.
The Penguin episode 1 takes up a week after The Batman"s explosive ending, with the Falcone mob family picking up the pieces from the death of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Farrell"s Oz Cobb - shorn of most of his original DC comics surname - returns as an opportunistic and aspirational mobster, intent on exploiting any weaknesses he can. He"s joined on The Penguin"s cast by some great newcomers who immediately make a mark in episode 1.
The Penguin TV-MA
Cast Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O'Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi Release Date September 19, 2024 Seasons 1 Writers Lauren LeFranc Directors Craig Zobel See at HBO Max The first episode is all about reaffirmation and reassurance, and in the hands of showrunner Lauren LeFranc and director Craig Zobel, it"s a very strong start. On the back of the season opener, there should be few concerns about the trajectory of the rest of the season. And for those inclined to read a full review of the season, you can read ScreenRant"s The Penguin review here.
Colin Farrell's Performance Is Outstanding The Penguin Is A Complete Transformation With Subtle Details Close It"s a grand performance, marked by Farrell"s stunning transformation - to the point that it"s still shocking that it"s even him under the make-up - and his exaggerated physical quirks, but Oz Cobb is a triumph of subtlety too. Hidden under layers of prosthetics and padding, Farrell is forced into using his eyes more, and with the slightest of looks, he reveals everything about Oz beneath his surface.
Like The Sopranos, which it"s inevitably impossible to overlook as a comparison piece, The Penguin immediately sets out to get under the skin of its tough guy lead. In both Tony Soprano and Oz Cobb, we"re presented with ideas about performative machismo and the contradiction of what"s behind them. Even without the added depth that will come with later episodes, you immediately get a sense of who Penguin really is.
Everything about this messy, complex character feels intricately planned
There"s always a danger with spin-offs dedicated to villains that you peel back too much and destroy their mystique - the Anakin Skywalker effect, let"s call it - but The Penguin episode 1 sets its stall out clearly with a reminder of who Oz Cobb is and why he"s not DC Comics" familiar Penguin. Oz is a fringe player, granted power because it"s "good for business", who wears his insecurities just under his skin.
Thanks to Farrell"s excellent performance in the first episode, you"re immediately gifted that insight. It"s in the way he dresses, how he holds himself around more powerful people, and in the briefest of moments like checking how he looks in his car window reflection before a mob meeting. Everything about this messy, complex character feels intricately planned, and exquisitely realized by Farrell.
The Penguin's New Characters Offer Mostly Very Strong Support The Penguin Avoids A Big Spin-Off Issue Close The other danger with spin-offs is that they have to leave behind the main cast of the original by design. There is no Batman here, apart from a brief mention during the opening news reel that establishes how broken Gotham is. That"s important, because it also gives Robert Pattinson"s Dark Knight something of an alibi for not showing up as the criminal underworld jockies for position. Just about, anyway: there"s enough going on in episode 1 that he"s not much of a miss.
Into the vacuum left by Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright, and Andy Serkis come the prominent figures of Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguillar, Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, and Michael Kelly as Falcone underboss Johnny Vitti. They"re the most significant new figures, alongside Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), Deirdre O"Connell (Francis Cobb), Eve Karlo (Carmen Ejogo), and Milos Grapa (Band of Brothers alum James Madio). Their impact varies, with some straying into the territory of under-nourished mob caricatures (the upstart heir Alberto and the Sopranos-lite Madio in particular), but Milioti and Feliz stand out.
The only other complaint with the cast, and the slightest issue with Farrell"s performance too, is the accent work. At times, they can get a little cartoonish, and it"s the only time the magic really slips. For Farrell, it"s just about covered by the fact that Oz is projecting - peforming to fit in - but O"Connell"s Francis Cobb (his mother) exaggerates a little too much.
Sofia Falcone & Victor Aguillar Promise Big Things

Image via HBO Sofia arrives not quite fully formed, with the burden of her past (and an extended stint in Arkham Hospital for the Hangman Murders), and a barely concealed animalism that"s hard to pin down at this stage. She offers an immediate and urgent threat to Oz"s plans for criminal conquest, not least because of her name, but also because of her suspicions of him. Milioti is excellent, suggesting depth to the character that will come to be revealed.
Feliz arrives with all sorts of background warning alarms about Scrappy Doo syndrome, given he"s presented as Oz"s sidekick. But impressively, The Penguin handles his introduction very well by nailing his narrative function to the mast. He is a means for Oz to reveal his philosophy for success as well as being a stand-in for the audience. As he is drawn into Oz"s world, so are we, irresistibly, and Feliz"s subtle performance sells that well. His stutter - a vulnerability that ingratiates Oz - also feels very authentic.
The World-Building Of Gotham Is The Best In Decades

Image via HBO Say what you will about Christopher Nolan"s Dark Knight movies, but they didn"t do particularly well by Gotham. The most famous city in DC lore was a blank canvas behind Christian Bale"s Batman, lacking the character of Burton"s more grandiose architectural vision. The Penguin"s version lacks the gothic and baroque excess of Burton and Schumacher"s design, but it is built to feel claustrophobic.
We"re given a look at both sides of Gotham: the luxury of the rich communities, which Oz aspires to make his own, and the devastation of the poor communities that were most affected by Riddler"s bombs in The Batman. The choice to set those sides in conflict, while painting everything in moody, muddy colors (which can get a little distracting) is a richly rewarding reintroduction to Gotham. There"s an understated otherworldliness about how it"s shown that redoubles all confidence in not only Matt Reeves" Batman universe, but in the creative team chosen to expand it.

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