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After a long wait, The Penguin premiered its first episode on September 19, 2024, on HBO and Max. The episode follows Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobblepot dealing with the aftermath of Carmine Falcone's death. As a continuation of The Batman, it effectively reimmerses viewers in the world created by director Matt Reeves.
Colin Farrell delivers an impressive performance, and the episode not only stays true to The Batman but also expands Gotham by introducing new characters like Sofia Falcone and Victor Aguilar. Not to mention, it packs in a strong ending too that will have any fan of this universe wanting to immediately tune in when episode 2 premieres next week.
Note: The opinions mentioned in this article are of the writers and don't reflect Sportskeeda as a whole.
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Colin Farrell is brilliant in The Penguin episode 1
While we got to see very little of Colin Farrell's performance as Oswald Cobb in The Batman, HBO's The Penguin featured him in all his glory. Farrell delivered here exactly what fans wanted to see more from him in the film - and it's the goofy mob guy trying to make a name for himself in a city like Gotham.
He is deceiving, conniving, and smart - and Farrell portrayed this in the best way possible. Hats off to the makeup department here as well as it helped bring this version of the Penguin to life in such a brilliant way. Farrell was nowhere to be seen over here and blends in perfectly with this character.
The Penguin episode 1 introduces exciting new characters
One of the most surprising parts of The Penguin was Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar. Playing a homeless teenager who becomes Oswald's driver and enforcer, Feliz played this character with some great drive and motivation. His story reflected directly with Oswald's where he also wanted to make a name for himself, and that dynamic between both the characters feels fresh and exciting.
Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone made a great impression as well. While physically she might not represent Sofia from the comics, from a character perspective she was brilliant. Milioti presented a certain craziness to the role, and the Hangman persona from the books seemed to exist here. It's just a matter of when Sofia will showcase it again which makes Milioti's portrayal so exciting.
Clancy Brown also got one scene to shine as Salvatore Maroni here. As we all know, Sal Maroni was arrested by the GCPD in this universe thanks to Carmine Falcone ratting him out, and even with one scene at his disposal, Brown made the most of it.
The Penguin episode 1 delivers exciting new setups
Episode 1 of the series delivered exciting new setups that certainly help keep things interesting. Oswald's main drive here was to make a name for himself, and the mob story angle is something that we have seen in past Batman stories, but never in this manner. Taking us down to the nitty gritty of Gotham, the show felt fresh and exciting.
It's also brutal sometimes with its execution, and that just makes this already gritty universe seem even more grimier and dirty adding another layer of personality to it. It builds upon the concepts of The Batman, and showrunner Lauren Lefranc really knows how to utilize what's already there and expand upon it brilliantly.
While the episode for the most part remains great, there were a few shortcomings here and there. Mainly in the music department where a few leit motifs from The Batman were reused, and the main theme of the show doesn't seem as memorable.
The production can sometimes feel wonky too, which is expected as this is a show and not a movie with a huge budget. However, it still consistently tried to maintain the aesthetic that was created by Matt Reeves and Greig Fraser for The Batman.
Final verdict
The Penguin feels like a brilliant introduction back into Matt Reeves' The Batman universe. Showrunner Lauren Lefranc presents a stunning first episode that helps set the future storylines up, and Colin Farrell remains as exciting as ever in the role of Oswald Cobb.
The first episode of the series is streaming right now on Max.
