The Penguin

I've been waiting for The Penguin ever since it was first announced it was going to series and I can tell you it's every bit as good as I expected. Colin Farrell is absolutely terrific as Oz Cobb a.k.a. The Penguin. He was a standout on The Batman and is even better in a lead role. On top of that Cristin Milioti is just as good as Sofia Falcone. The two of them fight to see who is the #1 gangster in Gotham and to "bring order in all the chaos." Some people were worried that a supporting character like The Penguin couldn't carry a show and it wouldn't work not having Batman or Bruce Wayne but fear not because this is more than just villain character on a superhero show, it's a great crime drama on its own. It's a gritty, violent crime drama that's so fun to watch unfold. I hope we get more stories like this from this world.

So, the first episode is done and it was excellent. I've never seen Farell so invested in a character. I mean yes, he's wearing a fat suit but you'd never know it. His attitude, body language, voice all make you submerge into the character and only see Penguin. It has no relationship to any of the other live TV penguins, Burgess Meredith or Robin Lord Taylor. This a New York mobster, a wise guy. He's a Scorsese mobster but without the florid language.

The plot is simple, similar to Lord Taylors Penguin in the CW's Gotham. The Penguin is a middle man in a mob organization. Up until now he's been doing his time, slowly moving up in the mob and then, with the effects of the Riddler blowing up the city sea wall and the death of his boss in that movie, he sees a chance to move up in the world. Now begins the game of cross, double cross and, I suppose, triple cross. Highly entertaining and very much recommended.

Farrell STEALS this series. He's impressive. There is nothing in the character that even hints of Farrell. The NY dialect, the sway and limp, the attitude : you'd swear it was another person. The amazing prosthetics are very realistic and adds to the character.

The show is gritty and graphic. There is nothing cartoonish about it. Well-written and taut. This makes a great counterpart to Christopher Nolan's Batman. In fact, I'd say this blows Marvel's line out of the water.

I'm hoping that their might be a season 2, but I know that this is limited. It's a shame. HBO has a legitimate hit on their hands.

"Chaos is not a pit, chaos is a ladder" In the context of Lord Baelish, this is how "The Penguin" dealt with the destroyed Gotham, full of corruption and devastation, to be an ideal and very fertile environment for building his own authority.

As an extension of what happened in The Batman and the disaster that befell the city, I saw an opening scene that was one of the most amazing disasters that occurred, and the chaos that we see with the penguin's looks is nothing but an indication that the penguin was placed in the right place at the right time to exploit the overwhelming chaos, and of course he is the right man as well.

I don't have a great background in the world of comics or the Penguin character, but I didn't have a problem understanding the events and the character's style. All you have to do to watch the work is watch the Batman movie, and that's more than enough.

Colin Farrell has done for Penguin what Heath Ledger did for Joker......... GAMECHANGER ! MASTERFUL! ICONIC !!

I wouldn't have thought it for this role, but Colin Farrell has just turned in the.performance of his career with an incredible interpretation of Penguin. This will go down in history in the same way Heath Ledgers Joker changed that character.

If he doesn't clean up as Best Actor for the Golden Globes, SAG awards and everywhere else, there is no appreciation of how the producers, script writers and the incredible makeup team helped Colin Turin in this incredible performance that will be a hallmark of his career and the benchmark role of Penguin for the next 3 generations.

P. S. (I don't really write reviews ever. This performance has me typing because I am so impressed !