Following the events of “The Batman,” directed by Matt Reeves, Colin Farrell returns as Oz Cobb, also known as The Penguin, for his own TV series. The show exhibits Gotham’s dark nature: frequent violence, drug deals and lies.
After the bombings and flooding of Gotham from “The Batman,” the city is full of anarchy, and its crime families are out for blood. Mob families the Falcones and the Maronis are all in brutal competition for control of Gotham’s underworld, and Oz is using their rivalry to stake his own claim to the city.
The show is ranks as one of the greatest comic TV show of all time, rated 8.8 stars on imdB. Four directors headline the production: Craig Zobel with the first three episodes, Helen Shaver and Kevin Bray directing two episodes each, and Jennifer Getzinger orchestrating the finale.
Farrell is masterful as Oz, earning a Golden Glove and Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance. Cristin Miloti co-stars as Sofia Falcone and newcomer Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar, a teenage boy who lost his family in the flood and becomes a protégé — even like a son — to Oz.
The first episode immediately sets the tone of violence and crime for the series, with bullets shot at the Penguin’s Maserati, and a main character’s murder at the end of the first episode.
“What I liked about the show is how they went deep into the exploration of the three main characters,” said mass and sports communications professor Joe Dennis. “They have episodes pretty dedicated to the backstories of Oz and Sofia, and the viewer truly gets to see how, and even why, these characters became such criminal masterminds. You start to feel empathetic to these horrible people — that’s just some outstanding writing and acting.”
As the show continues, viewers learn Sofia was framed by her father Carmine for the murder of several women, which sent her to Arkham Asylum. Prison changes her mental state to the worst extent: she ends up responsible for the killing of a fellow prisoner, and spends 10 years locked up. In Arkham, Sofia befriends psychiatrist Julian Rush, who is one of the few oddly written characters in the show.
Sofia’s family dynamic is complicated — most of her family believes Carmine’s frame job, and holds her accountable for his murders. [SPOILER ALERT] In one of the most shocking moments in TV drama — and one of the most beautifully shot moments in the series — she kills off her family to the soundtrack of Sarah Vaughn’s “So Long My Love,” eventually giving the family a new name – the Gigantes.
The final episode, titled “A Great or Little Thing” received the highest imdB rating of any episode, boasting a 9.6 out of 10, and for good reason. The episode begins with the confrontation that ruined Oz and Fran’s relationship, and her being left in a vegetative state. Oz escapes with her however, and Sofia tries to track him down with the help of the Triads, a powerful group of people involved in Gotham’s crime atmosphere.
Even the final scene in the show leaves a lasting — and incredibly disturbing — impression. Oz sits down with his trusted mentee Vic on a bench. Oz and Vic’s relationship has grown through each episode, with mutual betrayals being outshadowed by the tremendous loyalty they ultimately show to each other. Vic explains to Oz that he thinks of him as family. In a truly painful scene, Oz replies by choking Vic to death. This action demonstrates the brilliance of the show. The audience grew to love Oz throughout the show, mainly due to his fatherlike relationship to Vic. The Penguin truly loved Vic … or so we thought. This shocking conclusion keeps viewers honest: the Oz is truly a despicable person, leaving no doubt who fans will be rooting for when he takes on Batman in the next movie, which will build off this series.
