As a seasoned gamer who’s spent countless hours immersed in the dark alleys of Gotham, I must say that HBO’s “The Penguin” is a tantalizing treat for us bat-enthusiasts. The first episode, with its eerie reminiscence of Matt Reeves’ interpretation of the city, has piqued my curiosity like no other.
It’s going to be quite a while until we revisit Matt Reeves’ take on Gotham, as “The Batman: Part 2” is now set for release in October 2026. Luckily, during this wait, the HBO original series “The Penguin” will reignite our curiosity about the Reeves-verse, focusing on the character of Oswald Cobblepot (portrayed by Colin Farrell) as he navigates the power struggle that arises from the assassination of crime boss Carmine Falcone, played by Mark Strong in the series.
In the latest airing of “The Penguin” on HBO, viewers were transported to Gotham post a destructive flood orchestrated by The Riddler (Paul Dano) and his cohorts. As the series commenced, news broadcasts confirmed that affluent districts in Gotham remained untouched by the disaster, but areas like Crown Point suffered heavily, with Oz Cobb’s nightclub, The Iceberg Lounge, being among the casualties… However, there was a scene where Oz and his new protégé, Victor, were traveling on the subway when they encountered masked individuals distributing pamphlets featuring question marks.
Craig Zobel, known for “Compliance” and “The Hunt”, helmed the initial three episodes of “The Penguin”, which garnered positive reviews. Prior to its release, I had an exclusive chat with him about his work on the series, and when I inquired about those individuals and the details they were disseminating (which Oz declined to accept), Zobel clarified to me:
The idea was that at the end of The Batman, we’ve seen that The Riddler is not just… there is a bit of a kind of a movement. This online, almost incel kind of movement of people. This is, I felt, a useful reminder that something as disastrous as that doesn’t happen without there being people still believing in it. That also, to kind of remind everybody that – I mean, frankly, it was a success, right? I mean, Batman stopped things from happening in the Madison Square Garden-esque space. But they got away with blowing up a (chunk) of Gotham. We just wanted to keep that alive. There’s people out there that are still believing in (The Riddler), that still think that they won. They did what they wanted, in a weird way.
In this inaugural episode of “The Penguin“, multiple storylines unfold, introducing pivotal characters like Sofia Falcone (who’s just out of Arkham Asylum), Victor Aguilar (played by Rhenzy Feliz), Salvatore Maroni (portrayed by Clancy Brown), and Francis Cobb, Oz’s mom (Deirdre O’Connell). There’s an abundance of intrigue to keep us hooked for the season. What makes it even more exciting is when “The Penguin” hints at Batman’s (played by Robert Pattinson) off-screen activities in Gotham City, although he himself doesn’t make a physical appearance on the show.
Looking forward to seeing more of Craig Zobel’s work, as the production of “The Penguin” continues. Don’t forget to check out the video above for our spoiler-free chats with Colin Farrell, Cristin Miliotti, and the entire cast!
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2024-09-20 05:07