'The Penguin' Season 1 Episode 2 Spoiler-Free Review

Oct 1

The newest episode of The Penguin is officially out on Max, and there is a lot to break down. This episode picked up immediately following the events of the last episode but had very little reference to The Batman and allowed the show to find its footing with all original content. Warning!! Contains spoilers for The Penguin episode one!

In the series premiere, we met the main players and saw how Gotham’s underworld was starting to crumble after the death of Carmine Falcone. We met Falcone’s son, who quickly made an enemy out of Oz, which unfortunately led to his death. While Oz was trying to figure out what to do with Alberto’s body, he met Vic, a street kid who was trying to steal the rims on Oz’s car with a group of his friends. Oz takes Vic under his wing, and after Vic convinces him not to kill him, they become partners. We also met Sofia Falcone, who is looking for answers to the disappearance of her brother. She was recently released from Arkham, and it is still unclear if she was guilty or not. During the first episode, we got to see how cunning Oz is and how he is working to pit the Falcones and the Maronis against each other while he plays both sides.

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The newest episode gave us not only a better look at who Sofia is but also who Oz is. This episode showed that he is much more vicious than the first episode led us to believe. When his plans begin to fall apart, he has no problem murdering a witness and framing another man for it, leading to that person’s death as well. The Penguin is typically portrayed as a goofy character that has henchmen to do the dirty work. This version of the character feels like we are finally seeing DC going back to its darker origins. While this episode does focus a lot on Oz, it also focuses heavily on Sofia. It is still unclear if she is actually a serial killer, but she is definitely terrifying. Her entire family is trying to push her out of the picture, and on the surface, it seems like they think she is crazy, but deep down, I think they are actually afraid of her. The ending of the episode perfectly sets up the show to be a power play between Sofia, Oz, the Falcones, and the Maronis. I am really curious to see how it plays out.

As I mentioned in my review of episode one, the casting for this show is phenomenal. There are very few films or series where every single role was perfectly cast, and this is definitely one of them. Colin Farrell’s portrayal of Oz is spectacular and done in a way that we have never seen before. He has given a well-known character a completely different vibe while also staying true to the source material of the character. Cristin Milioti brings to life a new female character that we have never seen before, which is so rare. DC is well-known for continuing to recast the same characters over and over again, and while I am a huge fan of Harley Quinn, it is really nice to finally have a new “crazy” female character to root for.

Overall, this episode was a bit slower than the first, but in a way that I really appreciate. I am enjoying the structure of this miniseries and how they are perfectly balancing story with action. I cannot wait to see how this story develops over the rest of the series.

All-new episodes of The Penguin are out every Sunday at 9 pm Eastern on Max.

Rating: 10/10

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