The Penguin | 2024 Drama on MAX ("...do you know my reputation?")

Ironbunny

Ironbunny

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First episode is out and feels like a one hour movie. Its a masterful episode like the old time HBO shows and a homerun for MAX. Everybody in the cast is great and nobody feels like implant of modern day cultural war. Colin Farrell is excellent as Oz to the point that I just felt I was watching actual mob tool penquin and not the actor. Also the contrast of how he views himself and others him is great. The stench of mediocore follows him but there some heart in there too. Christin Milioti as Sofia Falcone is also a standout nutcase. Havent seen her in anything before but in this role she just owns it. Hope they lean into her in the future episodes. Its a gritty no-nonsense pilot episode that goes hard from the start. Set pieces are planted from the very beginning to the end so it seem we may actually get a coherent story that is well thought throughout unlike most of the shows today. Fucking loved it. Hope it gets the views.
 
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Just finished the episode

Everything in the OP is true. Happy to see they were able to make it work (looking at the first epi)

Now I have to watch The Batman again..
 
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I'm pretty hyped.
That one Penguin comic mini-series with him is the few I read that really focuses on him, and it really struck with me
 
First ep was decent enough.

While not earth shattering, If DC can keep this sort of vibe going they'll quickly outpace marvel in the tv department... (I know it's gunns baby but I'd ditch peacemaker, the first season just wasn't really good).

Do what marvel pretended they were gonna do, make shows of different genres, penguin so far (with one ep, could all go to shit quickly) is doing a decent job as a crime drama. As long as it doesn't shit the bed and have cgi monsters in the last episode or try and beat you over the head with some agenda then it could really be great tv.
 
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I wasn't blown away by this take on the Penguin in the movie, it felt like it leaned too hard into mafioso tropes to the point of missing what makes the character unique or interesting.

But a show is a good opportunity to flesh that character out and I have to say the first episode definitely laid some of that groundwork and got me more interested, especially toward the end.
 
Finished the first episode. Liked it, and the stuff that happened, it felt logical and didn't feel dumb. Compared to Marvel's offering with Agatha, Penguin totally demolishes it.
 
Rewatched The Batman and read Dano's Riddler prequel comic in preparation for this, and I came away with a newfound appreciation for what Reeves is doing with his universe. I still don't think the movie is as good as Begins or TDK, but I think the first act is some of the best Batman detective work we've seen on screen to date. But it definitely could (read: should) have been trimmed down from 3 hours.

But anyway, onto the show:

It's a strong start. I was worried in the first 10 minutes because some aspects reminded me of the terrible Batman 89 comic (token PoC sidekick and the whole 'poor neighborhoods still suck after flood but rich people are doing fine' angle), but the rest of the episode was quality.
Cristin Milioti has been great in every role I've seen her in, and so far her playing as Sofia is no exception. The only 'downside' to her Sofia is that she isn't a tank like in The Long Halloween, but that's ok... she makes up for it with her sheer acting presence.
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I was surprised by how good this was. Every major character is cool or fascinating in their own way.

Farrell took a character that was kind of a joke in the comics and made him feel authentic to the world and his history / current profession. He completely disappeared into the role.

Gotham has never looked more alive and realized as a real and unique city. It usually just looks like Chicago, or Chicago with weird architecture and art (the Burton movies).
 
Saw the first episode and wow, it deserves the praise it's getting! I had to check what was different in the writing crew as the episode was multitudes better than the movie. Tight script, coherent style and a very tense nerve throughout. The only difference was that this also had Lauren LeFranc and different directors. So they seriously need to involve her in the next movie. I'm giving a lot of credit to her despite not knowing anything how it was BTS, but each character felt fleshed out and like a real person in Gotham. I'm incredibly excited for the rest of the season.

And I never thought I'd see a Volvo in Gotham lol.
 
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It was not bad, admittedly before this show I wasn't too interested in the Penguin character or learning more about him. The thing is while watching this show, I kind of wish it was in the 'Nolanverse', and not The Batman universe. So close yet so far...
 
FunkMiller said:
Why are so many people surprised this is good? The Batman wasn't perfect, but it was a bloody good movie. This involves the same people.
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I'm not surprised, I knew going in The Penguin was gonna to be fantastic. Glad to see that my expectations for the show has been met. Especially since I love The Batman which I consider the best Batman film since The Dark Knight
 
I like The Batman but wasn't wow'd by it like so many people are. It's way too long and it just isn't THAT great at the grimdark feel it's going for IMO. It's more corny than cool half the time.

Ferrel was a highlight though, so was absolutely expecting this to be good. This show immediately showing more than just grimdark Gotham was a surprise, and a pleasant one. Oz's trip to the 'burbs in his Volvo was great lol
 
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I was not interested in this since I was lukewarm on The Batman. I gave it a shot last night, and it's fantastic so far.
What a nice surprise. Best part is I didn't think about Batman for more than maybe 2 seconds the entire time. To me, that's a great sign!
Can't wait for more.
 
Ironbunny said:
I didnt like Batman at all yet I really enjoy this.
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From a lore/worldbuilding standpoint, from a story/writing standpoint, from a directorial standpoint, or from a 'this isn't Nolanverse thus it's worse' standpoint?

I think this show so far at least proves that the lore, tone, and worldbuilding of the movie was really good.
 
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FunkMiller said:
Why are so many people surprised this is good? The Batman wasn't perfect, but it was a bloody good movie. This involves the same people.
Click to expand...

These TV from movie sequels tend to have a bad reputation. Other than a few bangers like Loki, the majority of Marvel's TV shows were embarrassingly bad.
Then add stuff like Rings of Power and its the 'video game movie' reputation.
 
FunkMiller said:
Why are so many people surprised this is good? The Batman wasn't perfect, but it was a bloody good movie. This involves the same people.
Click to expand...

Well spin-offs from movies, at least the ones I have seen, rarely live up to the quality of the movie they spun-off from. They tend to suffer from low budgets and scripts that focus on a bunch of new characters no one cares about.

This show is very tightly focused overall. It's the deliciously villainous Penguin, his reluctant but so likeable he's like a villain's Robin Victor, and the calmly maniacal serial killer Sofia. Very, very few spin-offs even close to this as an adaptation. This manages to vastly build upon the world the movie it was based on.

Edit: I should mention though that I am biased, as Colin Farrel has been my favorite actor for like the past decade

Edit 2: Re watching, and it is frightening how callous Oz is. He lets his future Robin, Victor, drive his nice car because he knows* he is going to murder him soon - so why not let the kid have some fun? He even has a candid and honest conversation with him in the car - again, knowing he will kill him. Then he feeds him his last meal. It was touching in an odd way when they share suicide slushies at the end. This episode was so good
 
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It was serviceable.

I honestly think both this and the most recent Batman movie are too bland/uninspired. Certainly not "bad" but I don't see any new ideas or risks.
 
Seems like a long time between episodes. Think I will go back and watch The Batman again. Only watched it once in the theater.
 
Three episodes deep and I think Farrell's performance here is only rivalled by Ledger's Joker in terms of comic book movie characters. He is fucking sublime as Oz.
 
Yeah I look forward to this show every week now.

"Fuck it, leave her!" lmao this show can be pretty funny too. The way Penguin can turn on a dime, the amount of bullshit he spews, sifting through all of it to find an ounce of sincerity - he's an interesting character to watch and Colin Farrell is just nailing this weirdo so hard.
 
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I just don't get the appeal of Gotham based shows that DON'T involve Batman. Just make a fantasy mafia/cop show! Or dust off Dick Tracy, The Shadow, The Black Bat (guy gets blinded, gets new eyes and can now see in the dark), The Phantom Detective, etc. So many other IPs that could be explored without being harnessed to the yoke of DC.
 
jason10mm said:
I just don't get the appeal of Gotham based shows that DON'T involve Batman. Just make a fantasy mafia/cop show! Or dust off Dick Tracy, The Shadow, The Black Bat (guy gets blinded, gets new eyes and can now see in the dark), The Phantom Detective, etc. So many other IPs that could be explored without being harnessed to the yoke of DC.
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Here are some valid reasons:

1) Because Batman's universe has a rich amount of lore/worldbuilding, strong character writing, and great stories. There is a reason why BTAS is constantly brought up as not only one of the best cartoons of all time but also one of the best shows of all time.
2) Batman Beyond, Suicide Squad (animated movie and second live action movie), Harley Quinn, Joker (first movie), and other properties out there have proven a show/movie can not only be carried by people other than Bruce Wayne, but they can actually thrive and be successful by doing so.
3) Because the Batman Universe is a money-making machine for WB, moreso than any of the other properties you've listed or a new IP.

The only crazy thing here is that this show is as good as it is and that's all without dumb forced cameos from Batman, because it means that maybe the suits at WB are finally starting to take their collective foot off of the neck of creatives there who just want to tell a really good story.
 
March Climber said:
Here are some valid reasons:

1) Because Batman's universe has a rich amount of lore/worldbuilding, strong character writing, and great stories. There is a reason why BTAS is constantly brought up as not only one of the best cartoons of all time but also one of the best shows of all time.
2) Batman Beyond, Suicide Squad (animated movie and second live action movie), Harley Quinn, Joker (first movie), and other properties out there have proven a show/movie can not only be carried by people other than Bruce Wayne, but they can actually thrive and be successful by doing so.
3) Because the Batman Universe is a money-making machine for WB, moreso than any of the other properties you've listed or a new IP.

The only crazy thing here is that this show is as good as it is and that's all without dumb forced cameos from Batman, because it means that maybe the suits at WB are finally starting to take their collective foot off of the neck of creatives there who just want to tell a really good story.
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Most of that stuff is still superhero focused, which is fine. I'd argue the Joker film is a rare example of something really benefitting from a batman association that wasn't necessary.

But a GOOD show doesn't need Batman. It's BATMAN that props up BAD SHOWS because then at east you get some Batman! Take that comedy show from a few years back with Alan Tudyk as "Bruce Waynes Cousin" where they make all the tech or whatever. It was juuuuust Batman focused enough to push the show over for me, but since it was still heavily superhero focused I don't think it needed Batman specifically, they could have made up their own superheroes.

But if I am going to do a CRIME show, I don't see the point in setting it in and around Batman if frikken BATMAN isn't gonna show up! Gotham didn't need it. The memberberry aspect of "oh oh, is that guy gonna be the Joker!?!" just cripples the show I think.

Imagine if The Sopranos was "The Penguins" instead, or The Wire was "Gotham Beat". Any value added there? Or just handicaps?

If you are going to do a genre cop/crime show (if The Penguin has any of that stuff in it, don't know) then there are LOTS of other IPs out there. Hell, buy up "Forever Knight" or "The Desden Files" for a song and go nuts!
 
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