Batman’s Gotham hasn’t done this well in decades

After 2 years The Batman Brought a grungy new take on DC’s Dark Knight and reopened Gotham City for business, HBO’s The penguin is back to remind us all why we loved this movie so much. That episode 1 achieves that while expanding the world and turning the light of the bat signal onto Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb without Robert Pattinson’s bat is a very impressive beginning.

The penguin Episode 1 takes a week after The Batmans explosive ending, with the Falcone mob family picking up the pieces of the death of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Farrell’s Oz Cobb – shorn of most of his original DC Comics family – returns as an opportunistic and aspirational mobster, intent on exploiting any weaknesses he can. He joined The penguins cast by some great newcomers who immediately make a mark in episode 1.

The first episode is all about affirmation and reassurance, and in the hands of showrunner Lauren LeFrank and director Craig Zobel, it’s off to a very strong start. On the back of the season opener, there should be few concerns about the trajectory of the rest of the season. And for those inclined to read a full review of the season, you can read the ScreenRant The penguin Review here.

Colin Farrell’s performance is outstanding

The penguin is a complete transformation with subtle details

It is A great performance, marked by Farrell’s stunning transformation – to the point that it is still shocking that it is even him under the make-up – and his exaggerated physical quirks, but Oz Cobb is also a triumph of subtlety. Hidden under layers of prosthetics and padding, Farrell is forced to use his eyes more, and with the slightest glance, he reveals everything about Oz beneath its surface.

like The Sopranoswhich is inevitably impossible to overlook as a comparative piece, The penguin Immediately sets out to get under the skin of his tough guy lead. in Both Tony Soprano and Oz Cobb, we are presented with ideas about performative machismo and the contradiction of what lies behind them. Even without the added depth that will come with later episodes, you immediately get a sense of who Penguin really is.

There’s always a danger with spin-offs dedicated to villains that you peel back too much and destroy their mystique—the Anakin Skywalker effect, let’s call it—but The penguin Episode 1 clearly sets up its stall with a reminder of who Oz Cobb is and why he is not the familiar penguin from DC Comics. Oz is a fringe player, given power because it’s “good for business”, who wears his insecurities just under his skin.

Thanks to Farrell’s excellent performance in the first episode, you’re instantly gifted with this insight. It is in The way he dresses, how he behaves around more powerful peopleAnd in those brief moments like checking how he looks in his car window reflection before a mass meeting. Everything about this messy, complex character feels intricately planned and exquisitely realized by Farrell.

The new Penguin characters offer mostly very strong support

The Penguin avoids a big spin-off issue

The other danger with spin-offs is that they have to leave behind the main cast of the original by design. There is no Batman here, except for a brief mention during the opening news reel that establishes how broken Gotham is. That’s important, because it too Gives Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight something of an alibi for not showing up As the criminal underworld jockeys for position. Just about, anyway: there’s enough in episode 1 that he’s not much of a seductress.

Into the vacuum left by Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis come the familiar figures of Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguillar, Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, and Michael Kelly as Falcone’s underboss Johnny Vitti. They are the most important new figures, along with Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Eve Karlo (Carmen Ejogo), and Milos Grapa (band of brothers Alam Jacob Madio). Their impact varies, with some straying into the territory of under-nourished mob caricatures (The upstart heir Alberto and the Sopranos-Light Madio especially), but Milioti and Feliz stand out.

The only other complaint with the cast, and the slightest problem with Farrell’s performance as well, is the accent work. At times, they can get a little cartoonish, and that’s the only time the magic really slips. For Farrell, it’s just about covered by the fact that Oz is projecting – performing to fit – but O’Connell’s Frances Cobb (his mother) exaggerates a little too much.

Sofia Falcone & Victor Aguillar promise big things

Sofia doesn’t come off quite established, with the burden of her past (and an extended stint at Arkham Hospital for the Hangman murders), and a barely concealed animalism that’s hard to pin down at this stage. She presents an immediate and urgent threat to Oz’s plans for criminal conquestNot with her name, but also about her suspicions about him. Milioti is excellent, suggesting depth to the characters that will come to be revealed.

Feliz comes with all sorts of background warning alarms about Scrappy Doo Syndrome, as he is presented as Oz’s sidekick. But impressive, The penguin Handles its introduction very well by nailing its narrative function to the mast. He is A resource for Oz to reveal his philosophy for success As well as a stand-in for the audience. As he is drawn into Oz’s world, so are we, irresistibly, and Feliz’s subtle performance sells so well. His stutter – a vulnerability that ingratiates Oz – also feels very genuine.

Gotham’s world-building is the best it’s been in decades

Say what you will about Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight movies, but Gotham isn’t very good. The most famous city in DC lore was a blank canvas behind Christian Bale’s Batman, lacking the character of Burton’s more grandiose architectural vision. The penguins version lacks the gothic and baroque excess of Burton and Schumacher’s designBut it’s built to feel claustrophobic.

We get a look at both sides of Gotham: the luxury of the wealthy communities, which Oz aspires to make his own, and the devastation of the poor communities most affected by Riddler’s bombs in The Batman. The choice to put the sides in conflict, while painting everything in moody, muddy colors (which can get a little distracting) is a release rewarding to Gotham. There’s an understated underworldliness about how it’s shown that redubles all confidence in not only Matt Reeves’ Batman universe, but in the creative team chosen to Expand it.

The penguin Episode 1 is now streaming on Max.