The Penguin S1 E5: "Homecoming" Review

The Batman made it abundantly clear to us in 2022 that it was chucking the trappings of fantastical superhero fables in favor of telling a relatively realistic and crime-laden detective story, and now Episode 5 of The Penguin, titled Homecoming, is taking this approach beyond the point of any return. This episode of The Penguin is an unapologetically brash and unafraid fable of the dirty, grim, manipulative world of organized crime, and I love it. It's a grounded yet confident approach for a show that could have played things pretty safe, given its ties to DC Comics, but Homecoming has pretty much done away with any remaining misgivings of mine that the showrunners were going to put out something resembling vanilla.

The show's merit is once again assisted by performances that remain strong even five episodes into the series, and this time around, Francis Cobb - the Penguin's mother - takes the spotlight as the standout of this episode. Deidre O'Connel's acting is remarkable, in no way playing second fiddle to Colin Farrel's respectable acting chops. Her chemistry with particularly Vic is awesome, and really makes me want to see more of her gruff yet loving demeanor in later episodes.

Structurally, some of the twists in Homecoming are particularly shocking, escalating a situation that's gradually becoming more and more dangerous for all involved and setting up a delicate crisis of crime that I hope explodes at some point in later episodes. Once again, Oz is shown to be particularly ruthless, but also to possess the capability and skill to back that ruthlessness up with more than mere words. He's a competent person on top of being a terrible one, and it makes his conflict with Salvatore Maroni feel potent. My biggest question is this: who's it going to touch next?

I love the guts that this show has. It makes big moves that fundamentally alter the ways later episodes and even The Batman: Part II are going to function. It's daring when I expected it to play things safe, evoking other crime dramas while also staking out what's being gradually revealed to be very much its own identity in others. It makes risky plays and doesn't apologize for it's nerve in the least. It baits you in with the accessibility of the Batman franchise name and then challenges you in unexpected ways. 

If I had to make a complaint, it would be that this episode is a step back in quality from its predecessor, Cent'anni, but to be completely honest, that's not saying much at all. This episode is building towards something, and I'm excited to see what that something is.

Matthew 6:24