4k-UHD/TV Series Review: The Penguin

 

The Penguin is an eight-episode series that aired in the fall of 2024 on HBO/Max. It is partly a sequel to/spin-off of the 2022 film The Batman, with Colin Farrell reprising his role as Oz Cobb/Penguin. It stars Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Carmen Ejogo, Deirdre O'Connell, and Clancy Brown in the main roles, and Theo Rossi, Michael Zegen, Michael Kelly, Mark Strong, and Shohreh Aghdashloo in supporting roles. It starts out one week after the events of The Batman, with the city recovering from the flood and with a power vacuum in the organized crime community after the death of Carmine Falcone. Penguin begins to position himself by playing both sides of what remains of the Falcone family and Maroni family. The release of Sophia Falcone from Arkham (who was imprisoned for a decade for a series of murders) throws a wrench in his plans. The series also uses flashbacks to show Penguin's origin as a kid and then as a low-level operative in the Falcone family as Sophia's driver before she is sent to Arkham.

The 4k set is a three-disc set. The eight episodes are spread across the three discs. Each disc has bonus content, including the eight "Inside Gotham" segments that played after the episodes aired on Max and included interviews with the cast and showrunners about the events of the particular episodes. Then, there are several behind-the-scenes featurettes that range in length from a few minutes to just under ten minutes and cover different aspects of the series. The A/V quality of the episodes in the UHD format is outstanding. 

The series is very well-written and acted. The writers do a great job with character development, especially for Oz, Sophia, and Victor (played by Feliz). They have to balance making Oz human and showing why he is a true villain. They do a fantastic job of making him almost sympathetic and then having him do something truly despicable to take all that sympathy away. Farrell is outstanding in the role of Oz, and Milioti is a tour-de-force as Sophia. While the show has the same look, tone, and feel as The Batman movie, it does not include Bruce Wayne/Batman, Selina Kyle/Catwoman, or Jim Gordon (although Selina is name-dropped), and we do see the Bat symbol in the sky in the final episode. It does have a lot of violence and swearing. It also has some suggestive sexual content but no nudity (although there are a couple of shots that get close to showing nudity). So, it is definitely not appropriate for young kids. If you liked The Batman movie, this is absolutely a must-watch. Even if you have not seen the film, the show provides enough context from the film to follow along with the story without getting lost. Ultimately, it is a wonderful series that is worth your time to watch.