The first episode of The Penguin really sets the tone: This is not really a Batman show, it is a Gotham gangster series. This is The Sopranos with DC characters. Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot is Tony Soprano with a limp and gold teeth. He drives a fancy limousine and listens to Dolly Parton when no one is listening. His hero is an old gangster from his childhood who helped people. When he died, they gave him a parade. Parade.

I am reminded a bit of the show Gotham when it came out, or at least what I hoped Gotham It was a series about Jim Gordon as a young man who first went to war against the Falcone family, but later against all sorts of strange villains. Young Bruce Wayne had a role in that series. I’m not sure where The Penguin will go, but for now the Caped Crusader is only mentioned briefly as we see news reports about the Riddler’s work. That’s a good thing.

As for the title character, Farrell’s portrayal is delightful. The prosthetics are incredible. I admit, when I first saw The Batman Back in 2022, I had no idea it was Farrell. He disappears not only in the fat suit, but also in the role. The rough New York accent, the gruff but affable demeanor. Frankly, he’s charming. A big old softie. I’m deeply impressed by how well Cobblepot is drawn in just one episode. We see so many sides of the man: his idealism, his penchant for mercy, his cunning and ruthlessness. His taste in music.

Spoilers for the series premiere follow.

The first episode begins just hours after the events of The Batman. Carmine Falcone is dead. The future of Gotham’s most powerful crime family is at stake. Oz – as he is called here – is just a small-time gangster at this point, running the family’s ground operations. He meets Falcone’s son Alberto under less than ideal circumstances and when their conversation over a drink takes a worse turn, he shoots him.

This is a surprisingly funny scene that cuts to the title picture the moment Oz realizes what he’s just done and the trouble he’s run headfirst into. He needs to get rid of the body and catches a couple of punks breaking into his car on the way out of his club. They run, but he catches one of them before he can escape. It’s Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), who he ends up taking under his proverbial wing (instead of killing him, which was his first impulse). This proves to be a smart act of mercy, as Aguilar is a helpful ally by the end of the episode.

Oz is called to the family compound, a sprawling mansion in the nicer part of town, where he is informed that the factory that produces the drops (a popular local drug) is closing. In a moment of panic, he reveals that he knows of a shipment coming to town soon that could change the future of the organization – news that Alberto told him before he passed away. Unfortunately for our hero, Sofia Falcone hears this and realizes something is wrong. Only she and her brother knew about this shipment, and he didn’t show up today.

Sofia has only recently been released from Arkham Asylum, where she was incarcerated after being convicted of a series of serial murders. Her previous secret identity was that of the Executioner, a notorious serial killer and one of the character’s comic book stories. Cristin Milioti is perfect for the role. There’s a moment after she and Oz eat lunch when she leans in and whispers, “You know, Oz, people underestimate you, but I don’t. I always knew you were capable of more.” Her smile turns cold. Ice cold. Ominous music plays. She may not know it, but she clearly has a suspicion.

From here, Oz and Victor hatch a plan. They visit his mother Francis Cobb (Deirdre O’Connell) in the middle of nowhere. She’s a little crazy, but when she finds out that he killed Alberto Falcone, everything changes for her. “This city is yours, darling,” she tells him. “What are you going to do to get it?”

Oz is not finished with his visits. He goes to the prison to talk to Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown), a rival mafia boss. He offers him an alliance. Together they can bring down the Falcone family from within. Maroni is not interested. He does not trust Oz. But when Oz gives him his old ring – which he stole from Alberto’s corpse – the mafioso is completely taken aback. “Maybe I’m more than you think,” Oz tells him.

After a fun chase, Sofia’s henchmen take Oz back to headquarters, where she tortures him for information on Alberto. Here we see the real wonder, Farrell’s fat suit. The details are impressive. You really can’t tell it’s just prosthetics, although I’m reminded of that hilariously embarrassing sketch from I think you should go:

This is also the moment when Oz and Victor’s plan comes to fruition. As he is being tortured, the sound of a car crash is heard outside. It is the car they threw Alberto’s body into, and when Sofia rushes out to see what happened, she discovers there is no driver, just a concrete block on the accelerator. Her brother’s body is in the trunk, his little finger missing, the word “Payback” carved into the metal.

At the end, Oz and his little buddy sit there, sipping slushies – the mixed-flavored kind, because they’re better – and dreaming big about the future. It’s kind of sweet.

All in all, this is a great opening episode for this miniseries and a great new entry in the shared Gotham universe that Matt Reeves started The Batman. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had high hopes. Farrell has quickly become one of my favorite actors in recent years, as evidenced by his performance in Apple TV’s excellent black Series, Sugar. I’d love to see him in something with Gary Oldman. We’ll see how the show goes, but I’m 100% in at this point. Definitely give it a try.

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