The Penguin S1 E1: "After Hours" Review

When you're a full-time student with a double major, writing reviews for movies is already more or less playing a foolhardy game of Russian Roulette with your time. Writing reviews for a TV show? Forget it. However, I'm on Spring Break right now, so I've a bit more time on my hands than I'm accustomed to. I didn't want to sink any more hours into playing video games, so I thought to myself that it may not be a bad idea to write a review for a miniseries. I loved Matt Reeves's take on Batman, and I'd heard pretty much nothing but glowing things about its spin-off series, The Penguin, based on the rise of Oz Cobb, the infamous crime lord who goes by such a nickname. So, what better thing have I to do but finally get down to watching the thing? Long story short, the pilot episode of the show is really good, evocative of The Sopranos while also staking out its own identity, so don't expect it to be the same as the movie, for what that's worth.

Just like in the movie that it's based around, Gotham City is gloriously and grimly realized, and the fallout of the Riddler's terrorist attack from the movie just makes it all the more grim. It's truly a rare thing to see a fantasy world constructed with as much care for and attention to detail as this version of Gotham, and though the relative budgetary restraints of the show are obvious when compared to the movie, the passion is nevertheless obvious. The MA-rating of The Penguin is surprisingly unapologetic, and I'm intrigued by this approach, given that The Batman was a PG-13 movie, albeit a really adult PG-13. I think that if the show can play with its rating maturely instead of impulsively, it has the potential to be a legitimately mature approach rather than a mere potty-mouthed coat of paint.

Once again, Colin Farrel's makeup and prosthetics work is just glorious. His acting is also incredible, somehow both amusing and menacing at the same time. His foot injury even makes him walk like a Penguin, which I think is something of a small touch of genius for his character. I also like how Oz is smarter than he looks. He was treated as so much comic relief in The Batman for as strong as Farrel's performance was, but here, his intellect is shown to be a legitimate threat. Given, the budgetary restraints of the show - relative to its source material - are obvious. The show looks good for a show, but don't expect it to quite match the mood of The Batman.

However, the return of the use of anamorphic lenses in the show's cinematography is a welcome aesthetic, an unusual image to match some unusually strong visual storytelling, which is strong enough to add many layers to characters without saying so much as a word. But when dialogue is spoken, it's unexpectedly funny and smart without ever feeling out of place or like it's calling attention to itself. Farrel's line delivery is particularly incredible, and the strength of his character is assisted by the support of Sofia Falcone, whose presence is incredibly menacing - understated and strikingly out-of-place. If I had to describe it, it's sort of like watching a predator - an obviously intelligent predator - eyeing her prey, looking for a weakness. Oz's mother is a likewise strong portrayal, brief yet incredibly punchy and impressive. The attention to detail of this show is impressive! It may not have the same all-encompassing and oppressive tone as the movie it's based on, but I must say that After Hours is a great debut to a show that I'm becoming more and more excited to watch. For details about my plans for formatting the review for The Penguin, I'll check back in with a review of each episode after I finish it, and then give a catch-all review after I finish the show.

Mark 7:20-23