"The Penguin" More Underwhelming Than I Imagined

 

    This may be a controversial take, but I think The Penguin is only okay at best? Part of the reason it took me so long to watch this show despite it being so critically-acclaimed is that I just had other things going on at the moment. I have a bit of a love-hate relationships with non-sitcom TV. Sometimes I'm really into it, other times I watch so many eight-episode limited series that just leave me feeling kind of meh. Sadly, I think The Penguin is that kind of show. I remember an acquaintance telling me how much they loved this show, that really to them it was like a great mafia/crime show, just that it happened to take place in the same universe as The Batman. Let's talk about it.

    I don't hate this show? I'm just kind of lukewarm on it. Maybe the issue is that Lanterns is going on at the same time, and so I can't help but compare them and feel just utterly blown away by Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre. Maybe part of it is also I just do not care about any of these characters in any real sort of way, and I can't exactly say that this show has changed my perception of it. It's good TV don't get me wrong, but at the same time it's also just not necessary? Like I won't watch The Batman Part II and suddenly be excited when Oswald Cobblepot waddles onto screen. I never cared much for his character before this show, and I still don't.

    Like don't get me wrong, in terms of the acting and the cinematography I think Cristin Milioti and Colin Farrell do fantastic jobs in their role, but that's kind of the issue, they're constrained to their roles. I'm not saying there's no nuance that can be found within exploring evil characters, but at the same time like I found it hard for me to feel to sympathize with them at any given time. Like Oswald is giving all of these rousing speeches about family and the underdog finally rising up and the entire time I'm just thinking about how he's double-crossed absolutely everyone he's crossed paths with, including his own brothers as a young child. 

    The same could be said for Sofia, who was doing all of this talking about a broken system and trying to reform it. At the very least she finally seemed to realize she was recreating the cycle of violence with her own niece, though that was only after gassing her entire family instead of simply leaving her past behind like she should have. I suppose that's my main issue with it, all of the ingredients are right, but this show failed to make the correct emotional connection with me that was necessary. That's not to say I do not like watching shows about bad people, I loved shows like The Sopranos, The Wire or Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul, rather I think it just failed at making me root for any of these people despite their flaws.

    Did I think Sofia was better than her uncle? Of course, but was I really rooting for her? Not particularly, and the same goes for Oswald. Is it bad I think they should have focused on Victor more? Like the parallels between him and Oswald were so clear, and I really enjoyed his sort of slow turn into an effective foot soldier for Oswald. Except he basically gets sidelined for the last couple of episodes in favour of focusing on Oswald and his backstory. Like it was certainly interesting to see just how far Oswald wants validation from his mother, especially with the ending scene which was creepy, but I also wanted to see him interact with his new found family. Like was he going to try and let Victor replace the hole his brothers left? That's not to say I disagree with how they ended, the show has shown time and time again that Oswald is heartless, and I kind of expected Victor's demise, I just wanted it to have more impact. 

Final Score: 60/100

    I liked this show more than I did Peacemaker season two, but I think it was still underwhelming. I think for a lot of other people they'll enjoy it, but also it most definitely feels like a spinoff to me. Of course, I understand wanting to be more grounded, but even then by the end you don't really feel how powerful Oz is. How much did he really rise? I mean I suppose he eliminated everyone but he kind of feels like the underdog the entire time in this show. On a side note Clancy Brown is a great actor, I do love his voice and his inclusion in this show. Maybe I just wanted a more fantastical Penguin, like a goofy one, but I also loved Lanterns which is decidedly more grounded. Who knows, maybe you'll find that spark with The Penguin that I never could.


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