The Penguin Premiere Review: Best comicbook series pilot since Smallville

A brilliant script by Lauren LeFranc and Colin Farrell‘s best TV performance of the year as the titular character allows The Penguin to soar.

If the pilot episode indicates the overall quality of the series, The Penguin is on course to be the best 2024 series.

The Penguin pilot is dialogue-heavy with a focus on Oswald “Oz” Cobb (Farrell) trying to squirm his way out of tense situations. As great as Farrell was in The Batman, he’s even better in The Penguin. Oz is a tough character to a nail down. He has to have the toughness of gangster, requires a touch of cowardice and physically unopposing. Farrell aces this requirement and delivers a villain portrayal that is only matched by Heath Ledger.

Set a week after the events of The Batman, Gotham is in shambles due to the bombs that destroyed the seawall causing massive flooding. The rich are doing fine while everyone else is in shambles trying to pick up the piece.

Meanwhile, there’s a power vacuum in the gangster world following the assassination of crime boss Carmine Falcone. One of those people trying to pick their way through the rubble is Oswald “Oz” Cobb (Farrell).

Throughout the pilot, Oz attempts to suss out where to lend his expertise while trying to throw Sofia Falcone (Christin Milioti) off his trail.

After a rehabilitative stint in Arkhama, Sofia wants info on her brother’s whereabouts. Sofia and Oz are great counterparts. They both have similar strengths and weaknesses.

Oz and Sofia are great at playing the cards they are dealt, but both characters have an obsessive quality that could be their undoing. Oz is so adamant about respect that he lets his passion get the best of him and kills Alberto, the new head of the Falcone Crime Family.

Farrell and Milioti are incredible together. Most characters underestimate Oz to their detriment. Not Sofia; she sees right through Oz and gets the better of him until the end of the episode.

The pilot episode of The Penguin is everything a Penguin series should be. Great performances, intense tone, and compelling dialogue help set the foundation for an excellent crime series.

After the overview and ranking the first episode of The Penguin 10 out of 10 (Masterpiece), here’s a look at Oz’s shifting loyalties and his heart. The Penguin is streaming on Disney Plus.

Shifting Loyalties in The Penguin

The named successor of the Falcone Crime Family is Carmine’s son Alberto, who has substance abuse issues. He makes two mistakes. First, Alberto reveals his plan to increase the popular drug trade “Drops” to Oz. Hence the name, these drugs are administered as eye drops. Alberto plans to improve the formula of the drug. Alberto’s next mistake is insulting Oz, which results in his death. The unexpected show of violence forces Oz to hide his body from the Faclone Crime Family.

After failing to earn Alberto’s respect, Oz is summoned by the Underboss of the family. The Underboss, Johnny Vitt (Michael Kelly), isn’t too concerned about Alberto. He wants to cut the drug business. Feeling this is a losing position, Oz offers up Alberto’s plan as his own. Vitt insists on cutting his losses. Sofia Falcone is concerned about her brother’s whereabouts and obsesses over finding him. Sofia was recently released from Arkham and it certainly doesn’t seem like she’s exactly rehabilitated.

Oz turns to Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown), with the Falcone Crime Family stonewalling his efforts. Maroni was the head of a rival crime family and drug trafficker. Carmine informed on Maroni’s illicit activities which landed Salvatore in the slammer. Oz approaches him with Alberto’s plan, but Maroni is interested in working with someone like Oz with shifting loyalties.

A Mother’s Love

Victor “Vic” Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) becomes Oz’s driver and enforcer. Oz thwarts an attempt by Victor and several other teenagers to steal his car. He initially plans to kill Victor, but when he notices Victor’s stutter, he lets the kid live.

The best scene is the episode, which features Oz paying his mother Francis (Deirdre O’Connell). What starts as a scene between a dutiful son and a seemingly frail mother with early-onset dementia morphs into something else.

Oz wants to protect Francis from Sophia. Francis wants an explanation. Oz tries to deflect until she grabs him, looks him in the face, and demands he explain. He reveals the truth about killing Alberto and that he did so due to his disrespect.

Oz expects his mother to reprimand him for his reckless actions. Francis challenges his manhood by asking if Oz is a coward (not her exact words), then encourages him to go after what he wants.

The scene shows where Oz gets his strength from and shows strong women could be a problem going forward.

The Penguin Premiere Final Thoughts

The combination LeFranc’s brilliant script, tension and impressive performances by Farrell, Milioti and O’Connell leads to the best premiere episode any series in 2024. When it comes to HBO, only The Last of Us pilot managed to reach the quality of storytelling in The Penguin.