The Review: The Penguin

The Penguin 10/10

This series was fucking great. This is gonna be full of spoilers. When I first heard that this was going to be a thing I rolled my ass, scoffed, knocked papers off my desk Malcolm X meme style. Why was this happening? Did it need to happen? Why does DC have so much money to throw away? Seriously, they have far too many series and most seem like ass and the one I did like got canceled (Swamp Thing) and is available only on Tubi of all places. I had no need to watch this. But I did and after the first episode realized that I needed to shut my whore mouth and continue watching this because it was nothing like what I expected.

This takes place weeks after The Batman movie. A lot of the city, mostly the poor parts, were flooded by Riddler's crazy ass. Oz (I will refer to him as this the rest of this) is sneaking into a penthouse to find some blackmail material when he is found by the Falcone's son, Alberto. They get to talking and Oz tells a story of a guy that used to run his neighborhood when he was little and how loved and respected he was. Alberto laughs in Oz's face for thinking that is the type of adulation he wants and then says that is what Oz wants. Oz shoots his ass dead. When heading to his car because he can't leave the body these kids are trying to steal it. Oz catches one of them. This is Vic.

I really thought “Oh, great. A spunky ass teen that is gonna be someone for the youths to relate to!” Thank god I was wrong. Vic stutters badly when he is nervous and begs not to be killed. Oz is like “Bet. Help with this dead body. And you my driver now.” We get to witness turn from this kid that runs from danger every chance he gets to straight up murdering a guy by the end of the season. Oz is a terrible influence.

Battling Oz is Sofia Falcone aka Sofia Gigante aka The Hangman. She got screwed over. When we first see her she seems...off. Turns out that Oz helped her get locked up in Arkham for ten years. See, her dad Carmine is the same dude from the movie that was choking women left and right. Remember he tried to choke Catwoman like he did her mother (Carmine is HER dad too!). When Sofia starts questioning about her mom's death which was allegedly a suicide and talking to reporters he is like “Oh, my poor daughter. You sick and need help.” While riding with Oz she is taken by cops, blamed for her dad's murders, and locked away. She gets her ass kicked, tortured, and eventually is like “I'm just gonna start fucking folks up.” And no, she does not know that Oz killed her brother. She thinks it was another family. When she gets her revenge against her family I sat with my mouth open for five minutes in shock.

Later in the series we start finding out all the shit. We see what happened to Vic's entire family drowning in the flood. Oz lies and says his mother is dead because he knows she would be a target and used against him. She is alive and suffering from dementia and other things. She calls out to her dead sons. Oh, god. We find out what happened to Oz's brothers and I didn't think he could get worse until the last episode where he fucks over so many people. The three people he screwed that came to mind in that episode alone makes him worthy of being top three worst villains in television.

This show managed to show a side of Gotham that I have read in comics and in some of the animated Batman movies. Seeing the city during the daytime is somehow worse. Sofia was a standout in this and I didn't realize that I had seen the actress in many things, most recently Made For Love. Some people are upset about this possibly not getting a second season and I honestly don't think one is needed. This showed Oz's life from childhood to present day and that is enough for me. If he pops up in the next Batman movie he needs to get his ass kicked with the swiftness for the shit he did in this show. This man killed or got so many people killed. Introduced new drugs. Is torturing his mom. Killed a kid. Wait. Plural. Kids. Set a mother and her son on fire. I was liking him in the first couple episodes until I realized that I am not supposed to nor do I wanna see another set of episodes about him. This show was incredible and it should be left at that.

Colin Farrell as Oswald "Oz" Cobb/The Penguin

Cristin Milioti as Sofia Gigante

Rhenzy Feliz as Victor "Vic" Aguilar

Deirdre O'Connell as Francis Cobb

Clancy Brown as Salvatore "Sal" Maroni

Carmen Ejogo as Eve Karlo

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