The Penguin: A Riveting Spinoff That Easily Surpasses Its Parent Feature (Blu-ray)

The Show:

When Matt Reeves unleashed his vision of the Caped Crusader, simply called "The Batman," back in 2022, it ended up being something of a mixed bag at best. It was a well-made film, earning Oscar nominations for Visual Effects, Makeup and Hair, and Sound, but its three-hour meandering mystery left quite a lot to be desired. However, one of its most intriguing (and vastly underused) elements was the character of Oswald Cobb (aka The Penguin), as played by recent Oscar nominee Colin Farrell. His fascinating, gritty take on the character screamed out for more, leading to a miniseries all his own, and featuring yet another simple title, "The Penguin." With a different creative team at the helm, will this ambitious idea for a spinoff find more narrative success than its parent feature, or will three meandering hours simply turn into eight?

Picking up shortly after the destruction of Gotham's seawall and the assassination of Carmine Falcone, Oswald "Oz" Cobb (Colin Farrell) decides to go rooting through Carmine's stash of goods (dirt, jewels, etc.) at the Iceberg Lounge, but is caught by Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), the heir of his father's criminal empire. He starts to tell Oz about his plans for a new drug, but after Alberto mocks his ambition, Oz guns him down. While trying to get rid of the body, he comes across a group of kids trying to steal his car rims, but is only able to catch one, Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), whom he ends up recruiting to help with the body and other things.

Oz thinks it would be a good idea to skip town once he learns that the Falcones are planning to take over his drug operations, and with Carmine's daughter, Sofia (Cristin Milioti), newly-released from Arkham, the situation becomes even more dangerous. After Oz's mother, Francis (Deirdre O'Connell), encourages him to stay, he decides to attempt a partnership with Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown), who is currently serving time in prison. The meeting goes well, but Oz is captured by Sofia shortly afterward, blaming him for her time in Arkham and the disappearance of her brother. However, a clever staging of the body by Victor points the finger elsewhere, ultimately leaving Oz free to continue plotting his rise to power.

With the disappointment of "The Batman," it's easily understandable how a spinoff miniseries might cause some hesitation, but with Matt Reeves merely being one of several executive producers, a different team of writers, and creator/showrunner Lauren LeFranc (who has worked on well-received shows like "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Chuck") at the helm, there was reason to be optimistic, especially given that there was so much left to explore with such an intriguing character.

What we get with "The Penguin" is nothing short of the complete opposite of its parent feature. It's a riveting, compelling, and rather entertaining look at Oz's desperate attempts to become the kingpin of Gotham, dealing with a multitude of setbacks and surprises on the way that have him trying to out-maneuver his opponents at every turn. Those setbacks and surprises are what keep viewers glued to the screen, watching to see how Oz and his allies are going to bounce back (or if they'll even be able to bounce back at all), giving us a front row seat to a grand power struggle that has plenty of twists along the way to keep it engaging.

The writing (which earned a WGA Award for Best Limited Series) is certainly a big part of what makes the series so successful, but it likely wouldn't have worked nearly as well if not for the outstanding lead performance of Colin Farrell, who completely disappears under the incredible makeup. As mentioned, he had been rather under-utilized in "The Batman," which makes it wonderful to see him get the chance to delve much deeper into the character, filling in his personality and backstory in the process. It's hardly a wonder why he received Critics' Choice, Golden Globe, and SAG Awards (with an Emmy very likely on the way) for his work.

Also very much worth mentioning is Cristin Milioti's incredible turn as Sofia Falcone, a woman with a rather complicated past who's now trying to make up for everything that's happened to her. Her performance perfectly captures the sadistic, twisted nature of the character, making her quite a fascinating villain to watch. Just like with Farrell, it was no surprise that her work was highly-praised, garnering her a Critics' Choice Award, as well as Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations.

Overall, "The Penguin" is quite the pleasant surprise, and just goes to show that you don't always need Batman to tell a compelling story in the dark, crime-filled world of Gotham (a fact which the "Gotham" TV show had already proven for the most part). What LeFranc and her team have done is rather extraordinary, taking a minor character from the main film and making a miniseries around them that easily surpasses it. It's quite an accomplishment, one that's worthy of all the accolades it has (and will) receive, and one that Reeves will hopefully note very well as he continues work on his upcoming sequel feature.

Video/Audio:

"The Penguin" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.00:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of outstanding quality. This is a show that can be very dark at times, but the picture remains beautifully clear & sharp throughout all eight episodes. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, Warner Bros. has done a marvelous job in both areas for the show's physical home release.

Special Features:

Disc 1:

Inside Gotham (3 Featurettes, 15 Minutes)

Introducing the Penguin (5 Minutes)

The Origin of Oz (4 Minutes)

Welcome to Gotham (4 Minutes)

Disc 2:

Inside Gotham (3 Featurettes, 21 Minutes)

Disc 3:

Inside Gotham (2 Featurettes, 16 Minutes)

Gotham Re-Envisioned (5 Minutes)

Becoming the Penguin (3 Minutes)

Who is the Hangman: Portrait of Sofia Falcone (4 Minutes)

Hearts of the Penguin (4 Minutes)

A Tale of Two Gothams (4 Minutes)

Victor Aguilar: The Making of a Henchman (7 Minutes)

The three-disc set comes with a plethora of featurettes, totaling just over 90 minutes, which delve into numerous areas such as the main characters (including Gotham itself) and the creation of the show, as well as giving you an inside look into each episode. Definitely more than enough material here to please anyone looking to learn more.

Conclusion:

"The Penguin" is a rather extraordinary accomplishment that takes a minor character from its parent feature ("The Batman") and builds a miniseries around them that easily surpasses it, taking the viewer on a compelling journey through the power struggles between Oz & his enemies and incorporating a multitude of surprising twists & turns along the way to keep the audience engaged, ultimately making for a grand series that's easily worth the eight-hour investment.

Score: 4/5

Now available on Blu-ray.

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