REVIEW: The Penguin – Episode 1, “After Hours”

Television Reviews

The Penguin, the HBO miniseries extension of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, is garnering a similar reaction to the film that spawned it. It’s getting near-universal acclaim, as “grounded” superhero fare always does, but is it really that good? Based on the premiere episode, “After Hours,” I don’t see it, at least not to that degree. It’s not bad, and some aspects of it are engrossing and have the potential to get even better as the eight-episode run rolls along, but it can’t escape its central problem: its main character.

In the wake of crime boss Carmine Falcone’s assassination at the end of The Batman, Gotham City’s Mafia underworld seeks to fill the power vacuum. A series of figures emerge to take command: Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegan), Carmine’s drug-addicted son; Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), Carmine’s possibly insane daughter who’s just been released from Arkham Asylum; Johnny Vitti (Michael Kelly), Carmine’s underboss; and Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown), Carmine’s chief rival, languishing in Blackgate prison after losing control of the organized crime landscape to the Falcone family. Caught in the middle is Oswald Cobblepot… sorry, Oz Cobb, who struggles to survive in a suddenly tumultuous sea of hungry sharks who regard him as little more than a minnow. But will the brewing chaos be his undoing or his chance to take over?

I forget if they mentioned this in the film, but The Penguin establishes the titular character’s last name as “Cobb” instead of “Cobblepot” in an effort to make the character more “grounded,” according to producer Dylan Clark. I hate this kind of thing; these people want to capitalize on the popularity and iconography of these characters and their world, but they’re so goddamn full of themselves that they think it’s beneath them, so they water down the fantastical elements to make it “high-minded.” That’s why the symbol on Batman’s chest looks less like a bat in each adaptation. This can be done to an extent, but it’s a fine line to walk, and Matt Reeves’ Batman world smugly crosses that line too far for my taste. (It also bugs me that so many comic book fans eat this up, like they think it validates their fandom, but to each his own.)

The Penguin does this quite often, marching to the beat of its own drum, picking from the comics as it pleases and changing whatever it takes to make it feel like you’re watching anything but a comic book adaptation, heaven forfend. And it mostly works – certainly more so than it did in The Batman – turning the elements drawn from the page into compelling new interpretations. But in one instance, the show devolves into a petty mockery of what’s come before, and unfortunately, that is Colin Farrell’s Penguin (which I’m sure he’ll never be called on the show). He’s the same broad, goofy take Farrell delivered in the movie, and it’s not only annoying on its own, but it clashes with the rest of the ultra-serious tone. Farrell’s performance is like a caricature of Danny Aiello, a lousy comedian doing an over-the-top impression of a movie gangster. It was bad enough in The Batman, but now, he’s the main character, and he’s in virtually every scene. Farrell has indicated in the past that he finds roles like this beneath him, that it’s not “serious acting,” and he does it for the money. That shows in his performance, and he clearly looks down on this material, which is probably what Matt Reeves and company saw in him. Even when the show is at its best, Farrell ruins it with his hammy line delivery and weird, exaggerated facial tics, and I don’t see this problem going away because it’s his show.

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Moreover, this version of the Penguin is not a very compelling character. The premise of the show prepares you for a brilliant manipulator pitting all these criminal factions against each other in his bid to rule Gotham’s crime world. And I think the show believes it’s doing that to an extent. The problem here is that Oz Cobb is not all that bright – in fact, he’s kind of dumb. He’s a slave to his emotions and impulses, and the way he escapes trouble usually boils down to blind luck. The opening scene of “After Hours” has Oz stumble on Alberto Falcone, who is about to become the new head of the family, and when Alberto mocks him while they share a drink, Oz shoots him dead. I know this is meant to be shocking and up the stakes immediately, and it does, but it also makes Oz look like an idiot right off the bat. Now, he’s got to scramble to cover this up, and again, he lucks out when he finds a bunch of punk kids trying to steal the hubcaps from his car and is able to force one of them to help him. He also impulsively steals Alberto’s ring, which he took from rival boss Sal Maroni. This helps him later, but again, it’s just luck. Oz didn’t know he’d need the ring; he took it just because, which was idiotic because if the Falcone family found him with it, they’d know he killed Alberto, and he’d be dead. He isn’t even planning on making a power play; he just wants to survive long enough to go on the run. It’s his mother who convinces him to hatch a Machiavellian scheme to take over the families. It’s hard to root for a character like this or to care if he succeeds.

At the other end of the spectrum is Sofia Falcone, played brilliantly by Cristin Milioti. This is a different version of Sofia from the comics, certainly physically. But she’s just as devoted to family, only this time, she’s loyal to her brother Alberto more than to her father. And it works, mostly because Carmine was killed off in The Batman. Now that Alberto is dead, Sofia wants to find his killer and get revenge, which puts Oz in a tough spot. Sofia also just got out of Arkham Asylum, and Milioti plays her with an air of mystery. You’re not quite sure if Sofia is really insane or if she’s pretending to be to keep people off balance, and her more outlandish actions could either be a put-on or the work of a psychopath. While Alberto is missing, Johnny Vitti is in charge of the Falcone family, and he and his lieutenant appear willing to tell Sofia what to do and where to go, at least when she’s home. Is Sofia playing the role of a mentally disturbed woman so she can try to wrest control from Johnny? Or maybe she’s really as crazy as she seems. I don’t know yet, but finding out is the aspect of The Penguin that most interests me. Every time Milioti is on screen, she takes over the show, and Sofia feels like she’s more dangerous than anyone else in Oz’s orbit. Frankly, I wish the story were about her.

Everyone else is just fine. Nobody really stands out, even great actors like Clancy Brown and Michael Kelly. This isn’t necessarily a fault of the show, though; it could be because “After Hours” is the first episode, and The Penguin is putting the pieces in place for payoffs later on. And that’s okay; I’m willing to wait and see what happens on that score. Now that Oz’s gambit has begun, I imagine he’ll have to deal with everyone more as he manipulates them, which should give them more opportunities to stand out. And while I’ve been fairly negative, I don’t dislike the show. The look and filmmaking are quite good; The Penguin was filmed on location in New York City (and partly at the famous Silvercup Studios), and it shows. This is the kind of realism I don’t mind, and the feel of Gotham City as merely a renamed New York works, perhaps partly because The Penguin tries so hard to separate itself from its comic book origins. There’s also a timeless aspect to this version of New York/Gotham that I appreciate; when Oz and his new sidekick, Victor Aguilar, tour the seedy part of town or when Oz sits in his car across from the diamond dealership that acts as his front, it could take place today or in the 70s, and it creates a cool ambiance. There were also a couple of moments that made me laugh, like the use of a certain Dolly Parton song; Farrell’s many attempts at humor fail, but these are genuinely funny. And, finally, there is a consistent sense of danger that permeates “After Hours,” with Oz constantly feeling like his number could be up. The one advantage to his goofy portrayal is that he always seems like he’s outmatched and a hair away from certain death, especially when he’s in a scene with Sofia. Ultimately, there’s enough to keep me watching, and I think they could make something of The Penguin. They just need to get the Penguin sorted.

Let us know what you thought of the series premiere of The Penguin in the comments!

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