The Penguinhas bucked the trend of most comic book TV shows by refusing to sag in the middle. The inspired move that makes that possible is shifting focus away from Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb for a chapter dedicated almost entirely to Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), who, so far, has proved to be a revelation. If you weren’t convinced of that already, this episode will be the clincher. It is easily one of the most impressive episodes ofDCTV I’ve ever seen.
Episode 4 takes a detour away from Oz’s attempts to consolidate his rising power and refuses to build on the shocking confrontation of Oz by Nadia Maroni (Shohreh Aghdashloo). Instead, we head into Sofia’s past andthe Hangman crimeswith an extended flashback that reintroduces Carmine Falcone, opens the doors of Arkham, and offers a brutal, sublime 60 minutes of premium TV.
Cast
If, somehow, any DC fan isn’t completely invested inThe Penguin, or - Heaven forbid - hasn’t got on board with it at all, this is the episode to tell them about. This is the reward for investing in the show’s slow-burning storytelling. This is the evidence that Cristin Milioti’s Sofia might well be one of the greatest additions to Batman screen lore ever. So why is this the best episode ofThe Penguinso far? And more importantly, why does it deserve a perfect score?
The Penguin Pulls Oz’s Own Trick From The Batman Against Him
Colin Farrell Gets A Bit Of A Break In Episode 4
InThe Batman, Colin Farrell had precious little screen-time, but was so immediately memorable that the decision to give him his own spin-off was lauded as unquestionably logical. Why wouldn’t we want to see more of that transformative, darkly charming performance, after all?The Penguinepisode 4 throws all that good will for the character out of the window by pushing Oz to the very edge of the story, despite how the previous episode ended. He’s in it, but this is not his story.
Instead, Milioti’s Sofia takes center-stage, and the reward is immediate. Picking up whereThe Penguinepisode 3’s endingleft her - bloodied and betrayed outside the Apex Club - the episode jumps back in time 2012, before her incarceration in Arkham. In doing so, it builds up not only the outrageous evil of Carmine Falcone’s backstory, but also builds on lots of the ideas we’ve all been so entertained by for the last 3 hours ofThe Penguin.
And really,had Oz been around more, he would have been too much of a distraction. The episode makes a conscious statement about Sofia reclaiming her own story, after the show has drip-fed vague details and allowed the specter of Sofia’s reputation to guide audience perception. This isn’t so much a rug-pull as an artful connection of dots, and it’s hard not to shower the whole thing with superlatives.
A Note On Mark Strong’s Carmine Falcone
He’s Not John Turturro, But Then, Who Is?
The Penguin’s version of Carmine Falcone is very different to the one presented inThe Batman. He’s a more domestic creature, seen through the eyes of his daughter, who idolizes him, largely within the walls of his own home.That, combined with the episode’s big twist means it was appropriate to make him a little softer.He’s also played by Mark Strong, afterJohn Turturro had to be recastas the mob boss because of scheduling issues.
That said, Strong is an excellent choice to play Carmine, even if he’s not quite an excellent choice to directly replace Turturro. He looks just about right, and he certainly makes a good Carmine, but it’s clearly not the same one. Is it a problem? Not really. There’s actually something to admire in an actor not necessarily distracted by the need to clone someone else’s performance, and it’s probably best to avoid Turturro’s excellent performance anyway.
Hell Is Other Prisoners In Arkham Hospital
We Finally Get To See A Real Portrayal Of The Horrors Of The Gotham Landmark
There’s a lot been said about the idea of an Arkham spin-off forThe Batman. It was always a fun idea because we all seem to have this collective misconception of what Arkham is, largely because of the opportunity to see a high density of Batman’s rogues gallery. When you think about Arkham, you think of a prison largely run by the inmates and a breeding ground for Gotham’s worst residents. Why wouldn’t that be cool?
The Penguindoubles down on Matt Reeves’ stark realism by making Arkham a deeply troubling place.Just as the city is poisoned by corruption, Arkham is a hell of abuse where Carmine’s influence trumps all pretense of treatment. Arkham Hospital, for Sofia, is an insulting name because it effectively turns her into what she’s accused of, andThe Penguinepisode 4 does an excellent job of showing both sides of her origin: trigger and rebirth.
The new additions toThe Penguin’s castfor the Arkham scenes are all excellent. T Ryder Smith plays the despicable Arkham head psychiatrist Dr Ventris, and while he’s not in it a great deal, he offers enough to really sell what he represents. Then there’s the Harley Quinn-like Magpie (an odd-ball new version of the DC character, played by Marié Botha), who isThe Penguin’s answer to Multiple Miggs fromThe Silence of the Lambs.
The real stand-out is Syd Skidmore’s Abby, the Arkham inmate who plays a key part in Sofia’s… awakening, let’s say. Skidmore is very much a newcomer, with few roles to her name, but is incredible as Abby: equal parts terrifying and haunting. Her physical performance is jarring - no doubt thanks to Skidmore’s clowning training - and there’s an otherworldly feel to her compared to Sofia that fits exactly with how the episode plays with reality. I can’t get the performance out of my head, and she’s on screen for a matter of minutes.
Sofia Falcone Is Not Bruce Wayne, But From A Different Point Of View…
The Penguin Continues To Offer Deep Character Work
From Sofia’s introduction in episode 1 and in Oz’s indoctrination of Victor, we’ve been fed an idea of supposedly lesser characters taking up space. Both Oz and Sofia are characters who should exist on the fringes but who take up space and who radically challenge the natural order of power. This episode is the culmination of that clever seeding.
In a more subtle way, it also justifieswhy Batman is missing fromThe Penguin. Sofia’s story is one of direct parallels to Bruce Wayne and Batman’s, and his presence would be too vulgar.It’s far better to give the audience the hints they need to construct that parallel, and to work out the subtle message running through this whole show about the perception of Batman as a symbol, and Bruce Wayne as a male member of Gotham’s elite class. His absence makes that examination more compelling than if he was around more tangibly.
This Is Incredible Story-Telling, Directing & Acting
There’s Just Nothing To Fault
The acting in episode 4 is typically top-notch. Colin Farrell largely sits it out, but we get a flashback version of him that’s less corrupted by power, and less twisted by exploitation, who winces at his nickname, and clearly takes up less space.For all the prosthetics, Farrell is able to get a surprisingly subtle performance out as Oz, and again, it’s the briefest moments that really sell it. When his betrayal of Sofia is revealed, the momentary flash of shame that he then gobbles back down is incredible.
Cristin Milioti is an absolute force of nature: willing to allow herself to be mistreated in the harrowing Arkham induction, forced into a cowering reduction of herself, and then blossoming out of it like a furious wounded animal. The third act, in which she becomes what Carmine wanted her to be is as close to a horror movie villain as we’ve seen in this show. And for once,I agree with Matt Reeves’ assessment that this world doesn’t need supernatural characters: it makes its own monsters.
The hard switch in the story from Sofia’s time in Arkham to her dealing with Luca Falcone’s attempt to ship her off to Italy is irresistible. You will hear people say this isThe Penguin’s Emmy episode, and it’s really hard to argue otherwise: the story is bruising but complex - delivering on ideas seeded throughout the first 4 episodes - the performances uniformly great and in the best way, you can see the directing playing out.
The way the camera frames Sofia’s treatment in Arkham adds infinitely to how awful it feels, and the genius framing of her long-gestating retaliation in the final act is delicious. It’s almost like a new take on the much-memed ending sequence inSaltburn, only with an even darker spin.If this is not the best episode of DC TV ever, it’s very, very close.
The Penguin
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
