The Penguin S1 E7: "Top Hat" Review

Admittedly, it can be difficult for me to critique a TV show as opposed to a feature film. I'm accustomed to movies and analyzing the contained and pinpointed way that particular medium works. I'm used to rooting for the tightest writing possible, but an episodic TV show or miniseries allows for a more sprawling narrative. So bear with me here while I adjust. That said, The Penguin has been beyond excellent so far, and its seventh episode, Top Hat, carries on that tradition.

The episode opens with a flashback sequence of Oz's childhood, and I have to say that Ryder Allen, the actor who portrays a younger Oz, is just magnificent. He absolutely nails the mannerisms of Colin Farrel's portrayal down to the way he walks in what is sincerely one of the best child actor performances I've seen in a long time. Broadening the horizons, I love how helpless this show can make you feel. One particular sequence that features in Top Hat really nails an overwhelming feeling of powerlessness to wonderful effect - so wonderful that you'll probably know exactly what I'm talking about when you watch the episode even though I'll neglect to describe it at all here for the sake of spoilers.

Since The Batman was released in 2022, I've always recognized that Colin Farrell's performance as Penguin was truly wonderful. But truth be told, he was something of a one-trick pony for as wonderful as his trick was. This isn't the case anymore. Farrell demonstrates utterly incredible range in Top Hat, more range than he has so far, and it makes me glad that the makeup and prosthetics department put as much work into transforming his appearance as they could because, at this point, I'm not sure anyone else could play Penguin as well as Farrell has, even someone who looks more like Oz than Farrell does.

Additionally, Cristin Milioti once again shines as Sofia. I can never really tell what she's going to do next, and this is high praise for a villain. The scariest part about Sofia is how much control she has over herself: she's not the kind of antagonist to ever make a mistake. I'm not able to ever tell if she's being sincere or manipulative whenever she opens her mouth, and in a lot of ways, I frankly want to believe the former much of the time. Perhaps people like me are how she became so successful in the Gotham underworld.

Top Hat isn't necessarily the type of episode to re-invent the wheel, but what it does do is escalate the situations our characters find themselves in in not-entirely-unexpected and yet endlessly effective ways. It accomplishes everything a second-to-last chapter should, further deepening the characters and setting up what is, if the talk about it online is to be believed, an excellent final chapter. So far, I've really loved and admired this show, and honestly, I do have my worries about the final episode - the good kind of worry, because truth be told, I have become pretty attached to Francis and Vic, and if I were a writer looking for a tragic angle to end my story with, they'd be the first targets on my list.

I'll see you after the final episode.

Isaiah 49:15