Matt Reeves' HBO/Max, six-part miniseries, The Penguin, delivered the dark, virile goods, sharing its Faustian testosterone not only among its men, but its women. It did this surrounding a Dickens/Oliver Twist-esque pact, establishing a fascinating relationship between mobster and teen.
Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobblepot, aka Os/z Cobb, was even more spellbinding than in Reeves' excellent The Batman, because, of course, extra exploration was invested into the character's seedy progression. For one, we were able to observe the Penguin's "sympathetic" side, only to be jarred when its layers were stripped, exposing his conniving, Yojimbo tactics for all to see.
His relationship with Rhenzy Feliz's Victor Aguilar, a victim of the Riddler's explosive purge, emerged as pure, melodramatic dynamite. With careful, callous precision, the burgeoning bond shows how a by-chance encounter can change everything, as a confused boy bucks his fear to shake hands with the Devil.
Clancy Brown's Salvatore Maroni proved a real treat, too, as a tough-as-steel, jail bird, lamenting his lost command. The same can be said of Mark (Shazam!) Strong as the flashbacked Carmine Falcone, who holds a creepy, murderous secret, making him more vile than believed. I also enjoyed Deirdre O'Connell's Francis, Pengy's mom, shrewd and cautious, even if dented by dementia, and then there's Falcone's son, Michael Zegen's Anthony, arrogant and entitled in his heir-apparent intro, but when his past is uncovered, not such a bad bloke, after all.
The big standout, however, is Cristin Milioti's Sophia Falcone, a nuanced lady said to be the Hangman, a killer of women, confined to Arkham and tortured into revenge. We see her fooled by everyone yet no one, acting as both Cobb's foe and confidant, and once the dust clears, the greatest of all Gotham's unexpected kingpins. (Will her presence creep into The Batman: Part 2? I wonder, but if there's a Penguin: Season 2, she'll be present. If not, the next phase will drop a profound peg for sure.)
I found this series to be euphoric and fulfilling in its two-fisted gist: a DC, Sopranos variant, for certain. Because it exceeded my expectations, I want--no, demand!--more, and the sooner, the better.
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