Comic book shows, while typically at the bare minimum popcorn-worthy, have never much enjoyed the status of being 'classy entertainment' unlike other mediums. For example, crime shows like Boardwalk Empire, the Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and beyond, showing men at their most desperate and ambitious and power-hungry, are lauded as cinematic brilliance and among the best pieces of media ever conceived, and maybe rightfully so. Certainly for me, I'd classify Breaking Bad as one of my top ten television shows ever for constant spiking tension up throughout the episodes whilst keeping the overall plot grounded and escalating the action methodically, reaching a crescendo of bloodshed and violence that marked it as one of the television greats. So when I heard a Sopranos/Breaking Bad-esque 'villainous protagonist crime show' revolving around Oswald Cobblepott, better known by his moniker 'the Penguin' and one of Batman's chief nemeses, I was skeptical to say the least. I worried this narrative would over-indulge in comic-book excess or quippy one-liners, devaluing the seriousness of its story and character arcs. I'm delighted to say the opposite is true. The Penguin is arguably the year's best television show, an action-packed eight episode crime thriller that successfully emulates the greats it clearly takes inspiration from, portraying one of Batman's greatest nemeses as the cruel, conniving, manipulative, and ruthless overlord he is. Let's get into the specifics of what makes Penguin so great.
When it comes to villains, nowadays there's a large attempt, especially within the Marvel aspect of things, to make them seem sympathetic or understandable. The villain as someone who's been previously scorned or spurned by society and therefore has some grounded motivation to act in a spiteful, hateful way to the world. Thankfully, Penguin doesn't even attempt this. We're told early on Oz Cobb lost his brothers early in this life, leaving only himself and his mother. As it's found out later, however, Oz deliberately caused this by leaving his brothers to die during a rainstorm within a sewage tunnel. Why? They took away too much of his mother's attention.
There's absolutely no redeeming Oz as an individual, and bar none, he's the most morally bankrupt and reprehensible character throughout the series. You could make arguments for other characters surely, such as Sofia Falcone, Penguin's primary enemy throughout the story and daughter of previous Batman movie antagonist Carmine Falcone- as she'd been framed and subsequently imprisoned for her father's murderous crimes. Or Salvatore Maroni, whose family Penguin happily burned alive solely for power's sake. These characters weren't righteous by any feasible means, they were cold and calculating mobsters responsible for countless murders and social decay throughout Gotham. Objectively, there isn't much difference between themselves and Oz- though in minor, subtle interactions and their treatment of those they consider 'loved ones', there's a clear separation between themselves and Oz, who is absolutely monstrous.
Perhaps no better is this principle exuded then with Victor 'Vic' Aguilar, Oz's primary lieutenant and toadie throughout these eight episodes. Initially met whilst attempting to thieve from Oz's vehicle, Victor ends up being taken under the Penguin's wing, doing practically everything for him, including taking care of his mother (we'll get to her later), handling the nitty-gritty of Oz's operations, and generally being a reliable asset, ally, and partner. And his reward? At the final episode's climax, when all is said and done and Penguin's position of ascendant power is all but solidified within Gotham... he's choked to death. Slowly. While Maroni and Sofia would've treasured a trustworthy asset like Vic, Oz callously murders him after recognizing during the final episode that those he genuinely cares about could become an exploitable weakness against him, especially by his countless enemies. Vic was merely another tool for Oz to exploit to grow and expand his own dominion and power.
There's also Francis Cobb, Oz's mother, and likely his greatest victim aside from Victor- you could even argue she's had it worse as she's endured her son's gaslighting and controlling tendencies since his childhood. Francis is ultimately forced to rely on Oz's devotion and dedication to her, having an absentee husband and two dead children, meaning her entire life's been strung along by Penguin and his controlling tendencies to a point where she's gaslit herself into genuinely believing her son's narcissistic madness... up until the very end, that is. But by that point, it's too late, and the show ends with a haunting image of her within a permanent vegetative state after a stroke, unable to die as her son refuses to let her go. The worst part? Her desperate, final plea to Oz was to have the ability, the dignity, the grace to die if ever placed in such a horrendous state. She and Victor are testaments to the selfishness and avarice that defines Ozwald Cobb.
Oz shares the show with Sofia Falcone, another compelling character whose arc is explored in-depth, most especially her fall from the Falcone family as her father sacrifices and frames her for the death of innocent women, branding her unfairly as the 'Hangman' and creating a genuine monster out of what seemed a kindhearted woman. After her brother is slain by Penguin early on and she uncovers this fact halfway through the show, she stops at nothing to bring Oz to justice, seemingly caring little for the expansion of her own criminal empire, as the Falcone- and later Gigante name, mean very little to her overarching designs. Sofia wasn't ever inclined to become a mastermind ruler over Gotham, whilst she's not exactly morally sound, she isn't a destitute monster like Oz is, which is also exuded during her final scene with Francis Cobb. For context: Sofia kidnaps Francis to utilize as leverage against Oz, only to find out Oz doesn't particularly love Francis, he loves the idea of his mother- the idea of her being caring and pampering to him despite all his sin, an idea that ultimately isn't true. Sofia is absolutely disgusted at this, reeling in the fact that she can't ever actually hurt Oz, just bruise his ego and image of himself.
Aside from these stellar aspects, the show itself is an excellent take on Gotham City, providing us an in-depth look at the seedy Gothic metropolis from Matt Reeves' imagining, only a week after Riddler's terrorist attack from the original movie. We see citizens struggling, the wealth and political disparity becoming obvious as time goes on, how a realm like Gotham can produce such soulless, unholy characters that exist seemingly for nothing but destruction and chaos.
With incredible writing, brilliant acting performances, a constant rising action, setpieces and costume design and makeup artistry that'll make your jaw drop, and a story of Gotham that doesn't even have Batman, (until a very cheeky piece of fanservice at the very end), The Penguin is an absolute must-watch. 10/10. God Bless everyone, stay tuned for more blog posts!
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