Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for The Penguin Episode 1.
We’ve officially returned to the crime-riddled streets of Gotham City, two and a half years after Matt Reeves‘ The Batman — although this time, we aren’t following around Robert Pattinson beating up ne’er-do-wells while dressed as a muscular bat. No, instead we’ll be diving into the other side of the law, as Colin Farrell‘s Oz Cobb takes center stage in HBO’s all-new limited series, The Penguin.
In the third act of The Batman, the Riddler, aka Edward Nashton (Paul Dano), assassinates crime lord Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) as he is being arrested. Riddler’s plan to stir up chaos in Gotham succeeds; the lower streets of the city are flooded, but Batman aids Gotham’s first responders, trying to inspire hope among the city’s devastated citizens. The last we see of Colin Farrell’s Penguin, he’s overlooking the streets from the office of the Iceberg Lounge, and it’s clear that he is plotting his attempt to seize control of Gotham’s criminal underworld.
Oz Cobb Confronts Another Falcone in ‘The Penguin’ Episode 1
Episode 1 opens at the exact moment where we last saw Oz, overlooking the flooded streets. Gotham City One recaps the news, reporting that Batman is helping in recovery efforts, along with footage of the city’s mayor-elect, Bella Reál (Jayme Lawson), promising that she will rebuild Gotham. More news informs us that there has been a drastic increase in crime in the wake of the flooding, with drugs being peddled by gangs. We also learn that Carmine Falcone’s (Mark Strong in The Penguin) assassination has only made things worse, as the GCPD has now found it much more difficult to restore order in the city. However, the most important news — to Oz, at least — is word that Carmine’s son, Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), will be taking his father’s place as the head of “Gotham’s most notorious family.”
Oz pulls up to the ruined remains of the Iceberg Lounge, fetching a sledgehammer from his truck before waddling inside. He uses the hammer to break open the office safe and collects photos of Johnny Vitti (Michael Kelly), the underboss of the Falcone crime family, sleeping with an unknown woman. Just as Oz is perusing some jewelry from the safe, Alberto walks in, pointing his gun. Oz plays coy, claiming that he was going to bring the jewels directly to him, per Carmine’s wishes. Oz continues to fib his way out of the situation, trying to congratulate Al on his new position, and while the mobster’s son doesn’t believe him, he finally settles down after Oz offers him a drink. Oz tries to pry into Al’s plans for drug-running, encouraging him to take advantage of the booming drops business in Gotham. Al reveals that he wants to start moving a stronger, newer drug, which creates a new kind of high, but orders Oz not to tell anyone, especially Johnny. He adds that both he and his father knew that Oz was laundering money away from the family, but that he was smart about it, making it good for business.
Oz begins to become increasingly agitated, especially when Al begins flaunting his father’s ring, which originally belonged to rival mob boss Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown). When Al asks whether he’ll be as good as his father, Oz tells him the story of a gangster who roamed his neighborhood as a child: Rex Calabrese. Oz claims that Rex helped those in his neighborhood, knowing everybody’s names and protecting them. Rex died when Oz was 14, and the neighborhood threw a parade in his honor. Al sees right through Oz’s monologue, believing that Oz is trying to pry away his power in order to be given respect and to be remembered.
Al continues to ridicule Oz, with his final words being “What a little bitch,” before Oz whips out his own pistol and shoots Al dead. Oz laughs before realizing what he’s done — and the show smash-cuts to a title card for the series. The next time we see him, he’s stowing Al’s corpse into a body bag and stealing the mobster’s phone. This proves to be a defining moment for Oz, and Farrell excels at showing the character’s erratic and unpredictable nature. Oz desperately craves power no matter what, but his thin skin is constantly getting in his way. He’s no badass; he’s a coward. As Oz waddles to his car, he finds a gang of teenagers attempting to steal the hubcaps. While all the other boys run away, Oz catches up to one of them, Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), and holds him at gunpoint. Victor breaks down and cries, causing Oz to put the gun down and take his wallet instead, forcing the young man to help him dispose of Al’s body. Oz orders Victor to work with him as his driver for the night, telling him that he’ll murder him and his family if he breaks his trust.
Oz destroys Al’s phone as Victor drives him around Gotham, though not before making note of a date and time Al had recorded about the impending shipment of new drugs. Victor drives Oz over to an apartment belonging to Eve Karlo (Carmen Ejogo), where Oz asks the sex worker if she can give him an alibi for the entire night. Later, Oz attempts to bond with Victor while burning the evidence of the murder in a scrapyard, and in the morning, the two hide Al’s body in a random car — but not before stealing Maroni’s ring off of Al’s finger. Oz tells Victor that Al was a member of the Falcone crime family, and now that he knows that information, Oz will have to shoot him. Victor stammers and pleads his way through talking Oz out of shooting him, claiming that he does have real ambition and offering to keep working with him. Oz refrains from pulling any trigger, but says he’s going to hold Victor to his word.
Sofia Falcone Has Her Suspicions in ‘The Penguin’ Episode 1
Oz takes Victor to his apartment in Gotham’s Diamond District, where we learn that his waddle is a result of his deformed foot, and then hides Maroni’s ring for safekeeping. Later, at one of the drops warehouses, Oz gives some incriminating photographs to one of his runners, ordering him to leave the evidence with a councilman who is close to Bella Reál — and to make sure they know the information came from Oz Cobb. He’s also updated on the fact that the drops that were recovered in the wake of the flooding in Gotham seem to have been contaminated by the polluted water, but doesn’t seem phased, insisting that the so-called “dropheads” will use them no matter what.
Oz is ordered to report to the Falcone family, where he meets with Vitti and Falcone’s enforcer, Milos Grapa (James Madio). Grapa tells Oz that the family is going to shut down the drops warehouses in Gotham and move operations to Robbinsville. Oz is frustrated, insisting that there’s much less money involved with a relocation like that, but Vitti reminds Oz that he still works for the family, adding that too much of their product was damaged after the flood and the GCPD is now hot on their trail. Disgusted, Oz argues that the Maroni family will use this to their benefit, but is countered by Vitti, who tells him that the “last thing [they] need is another gang war.” As Oz convinces the men to continue the operation by claiming that he’s received a new shipment that will allow the family to expand their product outside of drops, Falcone’s daughter, Sofia (Cristin Milioti) walks into the room.
It’s revealed that Sofia has recently been released from Arkham Asylum, but Oz doesn’t seem too convinced of her rehabilitation. Against Vitti and Grapa’s wishes, Sofia questions Oz about whether he’s heard from Alberto, since her brother never came home after leaving the night before. As Oz leaves the room, Vitti orders him to shut down his operation in Gotham, and by the time he reaches his car, Sofia confronts him about Alberto. Oz fibs, claiming that now that Al’s the head of the family, he’s probably a “busy man.” Sofia doesn’t buy that answer and orders him to have lunch with her. At the restaurant, Oz watches in discomfort as Sofia eats ravenously, bypassing a fork and knife to shovel food into her mouth with her hands. This is also when we learn about Sofia’s past as a killer dubbed the Hangman, and it’s clear that the other diners seem uncomfortable with her presence. She then questions Oz, telling him that Alberto had told her about his intention to visit the Iceberg Lounge the night before — and adds that her brother had already informed her of his plans to revolutionize the drug business, the same thing she overheard Oz telling Vitti and Grapa.
Sofia confronts Oz, asking him how he knew about Al’s plan and why he would pitch it to the family as his own. Oz once again lies his way out of the situation, telling Sofia that Alberto had never told him about her release and claiming that he’s been in on the new drug plot all along. He also posits that Al might be on another drug bender, so he has decided to take matters into his own hands — while namedropping his fake alibi with Eve. As the two go their separate ways, Sofia tells Oz that while others don’t believe in him, she has always seen his potential, believing he is capable of more. Milioti’s grand entrance as Sofia Falcone is nothing sort of sensational. We all expected Farrell to be great in his return as his character, but Milioti is just as effective as a character who is even more terrifying than Oz. Milioti portrays Sofia in a way that not only makes the characters in the show uncomfortable and on edge but also makes us squirm in our seats.
Oz Gives Maroni an Offer He Can’t Refuse in ‘The Penguin’ Episode 1
Knowing that Sofia is hot on his trail, Oz and Victor travel across the bridge from Gotham, hopping into a less fancy car that immediately starts playing Dolly Parton‘s “9 to 5.” Victor tries not to laugh as an embarrassed Oz removes the disc from his car’s CD player. Oz takes Victor to his mother’s, Francis Cobb (Deirdre O’Connell), house, but swears his protégé to secrecy about this hidden part of his life. Oz gives Francis one of the pieces of jewelry he stole from Falcone’s safe and informs his mother that he’s taking her with him on a “vacation.”
Oz observes that his mother hasn’t been taking her medication; she claims that “the boys” messed with it. Francis is also startled to see Victor, but Oz calms her, claiming that he’s coming along on their trip to help her. Francis sees through Oz’s facade, however, and he confesses that he shot and killed Alberto Falcone and that she is in grave danger — especially now that Sofia suspects something. While Oz tries to explain to his mother that shooting Al was an impulsive decision, Francis informs her son that he only killed a man because he wanted the power, just like his father, adding, “This city is meant to be yours.” The next day, Oz travels to Blackgate Penitentiary to meet with Salvatore Maroni. Oz tells Maroni that he’s done doing business with the Falcones and is willing to work with him, clueing him in on the plans to move drug operations to another part of Gotham — which would give the Maroni family the chance to take over, with his help. Maroni initially refuses Oz’s offer, reminding him of all the times he stabbed him in the back, but Oz delivers Maroni’s ring back to him with some parting words: “Maybe I’m more than what you think.”
As Oz drives back to his apartment, he sees Sofia and her bodyguards waiting at his front door and speeds off, trying to lose them at a street fair. One of Sofia’s men catches up to him, but Oz stabs him, causing him to stumble back in shock and get hit by a school bus. Distracted, Oz is knocked out by one of Sofia’s other enforcers. When Oz wakes up, he’s been stripped naked and tied to a chair in the Falcones’ greenhouse. While Sofia interrogates him, she reveals that she has kidnapped one of the teens who was with Victor trying to steal his plum-colored car — and he’s willing to talk about what he saw that night — but Oz tells Sofia that her so-called informant is lying, so she shoots the young man dead. As Sofia orders her enforcer to torture Oz, asking him whether he believes that her suspicions are crazy, the interrogation is interrupted by a car crashing into the fountain on the front lawn. Sofia discovers Alberto’s corpse in the trunk, with his pinky finger cut off and the word “payback” keyed on the inside lid. The episode ends with Oz meeting up with Victor, where it is revealed that they had both orchestrated the car crash. Oz congratulates Victor on going through with the plan, but laments that the young man didn’t go through with decapitating Victor’s corpse and leaving only his head and pinky finger in the trunk. Vic tries to apologize, but Oz brushes the whole thing off, as they’ve ultimately succeeded in framing the Maronis for Alberto’s death.
It would be easy to scoff at the idea of a spin-off series centered around the Penguin. Would the novelty of Farrell’s performance wear off if we’re constantly seeing him on-screen? The answer to that question is a firm no. We’ve seen so many pointless spin-off series for superhero franchises, but The Penguin feels like the best-case scenario. This series isn’t just trying to do the same thing that Reeves did with The Batman, and the introductory episode proves that The Penguin isn’t just another story about gangsters. The story, at its core, is entirely character-driven. Just look at The Sopranos; it has all the hallmarks of many mob stories, but James Gandolfini‘s Tony isn’t some unstoppable force. Once we get inside his head, we see just how vulnerable he is. The Sopranos is still one of the greatest series of all time, and The Penguin may not be as good, but it does borrow some of that series’ best attributes and use them to its benefit. Farrell and Milioti’s performances are just too irresistible to ignore, and it’ll be exciting to see how they’ll bounce off one another in future episodes. They’re both bad people, but is one really worse than the other? They’re both erratic, but Sofia now seems to be driven entirely by vengeance, while Oz is hungry for power.
The Penguin is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
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