The opening scene of The Penguin, HBO’s The Batman spin-off collection set within the comedian guide universe Matt Reeves created, is so good I watch it a number of instances earlier than persevering with on to the remainder of the episode. Colin Farrell performs the titular Penguin (whose title has, surprisingly, been modified from Oswald Cobblepott to Oz Cobb to try to “floor” the collection) as mesmerizing and manipulative on this first scene, and he solely will get higher from there, propelling The Penguin ahead like a motor-mouthed machine, at instances eliciting empathy, at others disgust. Farrell is so efficient, you possibly can virtually hear his title ringing out throughout subsequent 12 months’s awards season.
The Penguin picks up proper after the occasions of The Batman: Carmine Falcone is useless, the Riddler has flooded Gotham Metropolis, and crime is exponentially up within the wake of the catastrophe. Sensing an influence vacuum and realizing that Falcone’s drug-addled son, Alberto, is because of take the throne, Oz instantly heads over to the household’s nightclub—the Iceberg Lounge—to raid the secure. When he’s found by an indignant Alberto, he deflects, providing his condolences and a drink in Carmine’s honor.
Oz effortlessly manipulates Alberto; inside minutes the 2 of them are half-drunk, reminiscing in regards to the outdated mafioso till he affords the troubled younger man some “drops”— a narcotic that you simply drop in your eye that induces a state of euphoria (or paranoia). As Alberto will get excessive, Oz tells him the story of the mob boss who ran his neighborhood when he was younger, and the way all the group adored the person, mourning his demise with an enormous parade. However as Alberto begins to really feel the narcotic set in, he doesn’t take Oz’s anecdote as a stunning reminder of his father’s legacy, he (considerably rightfully, as you’ll shortly study) picks up on the foot soldier’s want to ascend the ranks. And so, he begins ruthlessly mocking him.
Alberto unleashes a flurry of insults at Oz from an armchair a number of toes away with a lot vitriol and hatred you pity the poor man—you possibly can see he’s confronted this numerous instances earlier than, this infinite barrage of barbs primarily based on his bodily look. You see the way it’s sunk deep into his soul, twisting him like gnarled tree roots, darkening his perspective on the world. Proper when all of it turns into an excessive amount of, when Alberto looks as if he gained’t cease, proper whenever you’re virtually begging for somebody to step in and finish it, Oz casually pulls a gun and shoots Alberto level clean a number of instances, barely shifting in his seat. My mouth drops, an “Oh shit” escapes me that’s so loud our managing editor Carolyn Petit appears up from her seat a number of desks away.
Right here is the place Farrell is very spectacular: within the quick aftermath, he lets out a barking, merciless giggle. He’s bested Alberto, he’s silenced somebody insulting his appears, his intelligence, his honor. He holds the ability. However that harsh giggle dies on his lips, and realization flits throughout his scarred face—that is the brand new head of the Falcone crime household, and he simply shot him within the membership they personal. His eyes dart forwards and backwards and I watch as a wave of feelings wash over him: frustration at his knee-jerk response, lingering anger at Alberto goading him into violence, concern on the repercussions.
“Oh fu-” Oz laments, his expletive lower off by the daring title card: The Penguin.
Farrell is this good for all the episode (and collection, to be fairly trustworthy). His voice, his visage, his physicality are all unrecognizable, and his devoted adoption of this twisted, tortured soul affords a nuanced efficiency you so hardly ever see in a comic-book-inspired collection. In a single scene, he could make you let loose a shocked peal of laughter (I choked on my espresso throughout a rant in regards to the quantity of pickles on his bodega sandwich), and in one other he’ll make you despise him for manipulating a younger, impressionable child into doing his bidding. It’s an absolute masterclass in performing, and a delight to look at—and it solely will get higher from there.
The Penguin episode two airs Sunday, September 29 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.