For as little as I arguably should pay attention to the world of comic IP, considering how essential it seems to be to the very survival of at least two legacy media companies, I do take note when something of consequence happens in the world of Batman. I was an avid reader and even collector of the classic comics, even going back to the DETECTIVE brand, and I was weaned on the campy 60s TV series. And I continued to find ways to watch every iteration from the wonderful 90s animated series to the Tim Burton arc of films, even forgiving George Clooney, right on through to the 2022 version that Matt Reeves reinvigorated the franchise with.
And of all of the heroes and villians that have passed through the various Gotham-verses over the years I’ve always had a special affinity for The Penguin. Maybe it’s the over-the-top caw-cawing that the 60s version’s Burgess Meredith imprinted on my young mind, opening me up to the fact that both before and after this role he never failed to impress just how marvelous an actor he was. Or maybe it was the fact that my de facto doppelganger Danny DeVito reinvented his own career with his darker yet at times still comical interpretation of the role during the Burton films. Or maybe the fact that I’ve always had a special place in my heart for tuxedo cats.
But whatever may be my debatably strange motivation, I greatly anticipated the limited series that will finally give THE PENGUIN star billing, an eight-episode risk which HBO–well, at the time, HBO Max–greenlit shortly after THE BATMAN was a theatrical hit and roughly a month before David Zaslav took the reins of the studio. Timing is everything. Even Zaslav couldn’t deny the chance to tell the story we thought we knew from the villain’s side–er, anti-hero. And, for a change, showing restraint of an immediate financial gain may actually pay off.
THE PENGUIN is compelling, admittedly set in an even more depressing version of Gotham City than usual. That may be because the storyline picks up in the wake of the Reeves’ film shocking conclusion, as USA TODAY’s otherwise effervescent Kelly Lawler pointed out:
The series takes place in the aftermath of the seawall explosion from the end of the movie (committed by Paul Dano’s Riddler). The city is in disarray and the death of crime boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) has left a power vacuum…(But t)his isn’t Gotham like you remember it.
Sure, the infamous city of the one and only Batman has always been portrayed in comics, movies and television as a seedy, crime-infested hellscape with a few skyscrapers thrown in. The cops are dirty, the politicians are corrupt and even the criminals are too evil for the other criminals. This is the town that Heath Ledger’s Joker from “The Dark Knight” just wanted to watch burn. But there’s something even grimmer about the Gotham portrayed in HBO’s new Batman-adjacent “The Penguin” (Thursday, 9 EDT/PDT, moves to Sundays starting Sept. 29, ★★★ out of four). This Gotham is full of the same bad guys, violent crime and lack of sunlight (seriously, it’s always overcast in Gotham), but this time there’s no hope. That’s perhaps because there’s no hero here: no Batman, no CGI, no battles of good and evil. Just Tony Soprano in Gotham City. Or rather, Colin Farrell as the titular villain in layers of prosthetic makeup trying to make a profit and gain some power amid the chaos. It’s fascinating, if deeply depressing, to watch.
It is the extremely talented Farrell’s channeling of a hard-scrapple mobster, indeed evoking fond memories of how James Gandolfini brought Soprano to life, that is reason enough to stay invested in this series. In the first few scenes of the premiere that dropped last night Farrell commands the screen with menancing efficacy. And as CNN’s Dan Heching shared in the preview he dropped yesterday, Farrell worked exceptionally hard at honing that result:
Ahead of his reprisal of the role, Farrell shared during a press conference in West Hollywood, California last week that he consulted with DeVito – with whom he costarred in 2019’s “Dumbo,” also directed by Burton. Farrell said that he and DeVito “shared a few texts back and forth” about the character, but that it was more to joke around “about who’s the best Penguin.” (The pair, in fact, have a history of joking around.).While he mentioned that he did watch DeVito as The Penguin and “was a fan of Burgess Meredith” in the Adam West-starring 1960s “Batman” TV show, Farrell said the inspiration for his take on the character ultimately drew from darker and less comic book-infused sources, including Dustin Hoffman’s Ratso Rizzo in “Midnight Cowboy,” RobertDe Niro as Al Capone in “The Untouchables” and “The Sopranos’” James Gandolfini.
And as Heching further notes, he’s hardly the only captivating performer we met last night:
Batman fans will recognize names from the comic books and other shows and films. The mobster Falcone family is prominent, even without Carmine, with psychotic daughter Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti, a revelation) taking a leading role. There are other mobsters and criminals in the Penguin’s world, from the slimy Johnny Vitti (Michael Kelly) to Oz’s new green recruit Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz). He’s helped chiefly by Milioti, who is gleefully unhinged as Sofia, aka The Hangman. She’s a deranged killer that has been released from Arkham Asylum and is being shunned by her own family for her, well, impulsive ways. Milioti’s giant eyes, which have helped her play lovable and adorable characters in the past, are instead windows into a demonic soul, deployed in ways discomfiting and terrifying. She finds in Oz an ally or an enemy or both. Either way, the two actors are exquisite in their shared scenes, which are the best part of the series.
But as FORBES’ Jeff Conway chronicled, even they know exactly how and why they’re getting the accolades and attention:
Farrell’s co-stars also expressed their fascination and adoration for his rather complete transformation into Oz… Milioti… said of her regular scene partner, “Colin as an actor – obviously, he’s extraordinary. He’s also an extraordinary human being, like he’s so present and game and ego-less and everything you would hope for. Because of that, I felt like I could do anything. I felt like I had such a good partner and those characters [Oz and Sofia] are so kindred, actually. That’s one of the sad elements of it – they’re both the smartest person in the room. They’re both disregarded – they’re both underestimated. They’re both pushed to the side and the idea of like that wouldn’t unite them is kind of sad, but then also, it’s so great to see them become foes.”
Deirdre O’Connell, who plays Oz’s mother Francis Cobb, said of her experiences on-set with Farrell, “The guy that I knew, who was by the way, not Colin Farrell at all. I never even had to think about the Colin Farrell-ness of it all because I only ever saw him in his prosthetic. I met Colin Farrell like for 10 minutes one day, way before we started shooting – had a very pleasant conversation with the fella. He’s Irish, he’s very handsome – but from the minute we showed up for camera test, it was always just Oswald.”
Mercifully, in a nod to the realization that a project with this much built-in awareness shouldn’t be relegated to streaming, the remaining seven episodes will inherit HBO’s vaunted Sunday night showcase slot, further cementing its place in importance in both their strategy and cultural zeitgeist. With all due respect to the theatrical release-inspired philosophy that streaming premiere windows have more measurable upside with a pre-Friday launch, the Sunday night slot will ultimately allow THE PENGUIN to become appointment viewing in real time. The comparisons to THE SOPRANOS will no doubt be unavoidable. In this case, they’re not only justified, but I’d contend in the hands of Farrell, they may just be able to find a legion of supporters who would argue THE PENGUIN’s in the same league.
And it may just mean I’m gonna need a new Halloween costume. Leather jacket, anyone?
Until next time…