Dear Joker, This is how you get away with ignoring DC Comics Lore

In the same week as the CD Joker: Folie à Deux Released to critical apathy and a disappointing box office take, The penguin Episode 3 – “Bliss” – continues to remind everyone that there is actually a way to tell great stories that rewrites established lore. Even if Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb is very different from his DC Comics counterpart, his spin-off story builds heavily from his comparatively brief appearance in the batman, With no room for accusations of provocation. It helps, of course, that The penguin Has eight episodes to explore him more.

Episode 3 isn’t traditionally the blast of episodes: With the premiere and its immediate fallout out of the way, this is where character comes into play more. in The penguinIn his case, that means more of Victor and a deeper investigation into Sofia and Oz’s relationship. We also get the reveal of what Gotham’s new drug will be, which kills any theories of links to any of DC’s more famous drug-peddling villains.

The penguin Episode 3 takes the slow-burning show almost to its midpoint, building on Alberto’s promise of a new game-changing drug that will guarantee control of Gotham’s streets, and moving Oz and Sofia into a stronger position to loosen the powerful grip of The rest of the Falcone family, led by Scott Cohen’s Luca. In one explosive scene, there isn’t a great deal of action, but the show is still no poorer at telling its story through less flashy character interactions.

It’s impossible not to love Milioti’s Sofia Falcone

One of the best new additions to DC adaptations

It’s almost a cliché to say that Cristian Milioti is excellent as Sofia “The Hangman” Falcone, but the sentiment is hard to argue with and let’s get to it right away. Episode 3 offers further insight into her credentials as her father’s true heir in Alberto’s absence, as well as offering the first hints as to how she actually ended up in Arkham. And while she may need Oz’s intimacy with the lower rungs of Gotham’s criminal ladder, she’s completely believable as a formidable figure.

again, It’s the subtleties in Milioti’s performance that are the most rewardingAs well as the costume’s stellar job in making you look the business. She can barely contain her contempt for almost everyone she meets; The vanished lot of her insults to Oz about his problematic taste; The obvious fury behind her eyes. It’s one of the most complex and impressive performances in any DC project and the end of the episode sets up everything fans of the show could want: the showdown we all know is coming.

The dynamic grooves of Victor & Oz

The Penguin’s The Batman Flashback adds depth and tragedy to Vic’s story

Since episode 1, Oz has been grooming Rhenzy Feliz’s Victor Aguilar as a representative of the followers he aspires to have when he takes over. At the same time, they’ve developed a kind of Batman and Robin power dynamic, where the values ​​of the younger characters are radicalized. At the end of The penguin Episode 3, which comes to a head and Victor becomes a much more interesting character through the simple introduction of greater agency.

The episode starts with a flashback showing Victor’s perspective of the Riddler’s attack on Gotham from The BatmanIt’s the end. From this point, it’s clear that this will be his episode, and the expansion of his backstory and the conflict between his old life and his new job with Oz is the best opportunity to see more of Feliz.

At the simplest level, He is very good because he is different from Colin Farrell and Christine Milioti; More restrained, more kind, more… normal. In fact, he’s about the only likable character in the entire show who doesn’t actively make you feel bad for liking him. Because the grotty world is supposed to be the one that Batman cares enough to save, he plays an important role and it was crucial to get more under his skin than we do here.

As episode 3 sets up the rest of the season

It’s all come to a head quicker than you might expect

until now, The penguin Has put Oz in the position of frat manipulator, just keeping his head above water, just about keeping control even as things spiral out of his control. At the end of episode 3, everything is different, and we are presented with the promise of more active conflict. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the slower burn of the show so far, especially since the ending feels like it could be delayed for a few more episodes.

This is partly Why The penguins limited episode run was a good idea :RAside from several other comic book TV show adaptations that have a habit of sagging in the middle thanks to multiple slower episodes, The penguin Get on with it. The pace isn’t exactly flash, by any means, but bringing such a central conflict to the forefront so early is a promise to the audience that there is no agenda for filler.

The criminal world of Gotham is expanded again with the introduction of the Triads, who feel like they matter only as a cog in Oz and Sophia’s wheel. But that’s the point, and it’s not because of any weakness in the performances of the new additions to The penguins cast, boss Feng Zhao (François Chau) or Link Tsai (Robert Lee Leng). The only real issue here is that, As more elements to The penguins gang wars are introduced, the absence of Batman – and more pertinently, Jim Gordon – feels like more of a stretch.

The cliffhanger at the end of the episode is a good injection of action just when things feel like they’re getting a little too settled, and drawing Victor back into Oz’s web at the same time is a clever place setting. Once again, we are faced with the reality that no matter how much Oz may think that he is in the midst of an upheaval, he is only one or two steps away from another flood. And that’s where The penguin Really beautiful, with or without fidelity to DC Comics lore.