The Penguin is finally here, the much anticipated spin-off from the hit 2022 film The Batman which centers on Colin Farrell's gangster Oz Cobb.
First reactions to the show have already been overwhelmingly positive, with it earning a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. Meanwhile our own The Penguin review says it features one of the "best performances in Batman’s on-screen history", referring to Cristin Milioti's new character Sofia Falcone.
She makes her entrance in the opening episode, butting heads with Farrell's Oz as he begins to make his move, wanting more power within Gotham.
There's plenty then to unpack with this opening instalment so join us as we dive right into The Penguin episode 1. Warning! The following features spoilers so make sure you have watched it before reading on.
Oz puts his plan for power into place
Picking up in the immediate weeks after the events of The Batman, news reports provide us with a recap of how that movie ended. Looting and rioting are now the norm, whilst there's a power vacuum in Gotham following the death of crime boss Carmine Falcone. Now in his place is son Alberto Falcone.
Oz arrives at the deteriorating Iceberg Lounge, breaking into a safe to retrieve blackmail documents that can be used on members of government and the Falcone family. He also takes some jewelry which he claims he was fetching for Alberto when the young gangster interrupts him. Oz takes advantage of Alberto's drug and alcohol problems, with the latter soon enough taking 'drops' while catching up with the Penguin.
Alberto lets slip to Oz that he's been exploring "a new kind of high" which will revolutionize the drug business. He also shows him the ring he's wearing which was inherited from his father, but originally belonged to rival crime boss Salvatore Maroni. In return Oz tells Alberto about a gangster he knew growing up called Rex Calabrese, who had a parade held in his honor following his death. Realizing that this is Oz's dream Alberto mocks him – the Penguin reacts somewhat spontaneously shooting him dead on the spot. As Oz says himself, "fuck".
Leaving with the body Oz shoots at some teenagers who are trying to steal his car. He recruits one of them, a boy named Victor, by threatening him of course, but they oddly bond on the drive over to Oz's "lady friend" Eve, who agrees to provide him with a cover story so that he has an alibi. Travelling further out of town Victor begs for his life and Oz says he will let him live as long as he helps out.
They then visit Oz's drug warehouse where he asks one of his workers to blackmail a councilman. We learn that their 'drops' were lost in the wake of the Riddler's attack but they are working hard to recover them – something now helped by the fact they are being attacked by people who want to steal these 'drops'.
Oz then gets called to the Falcone household where they tell him to shut his plant down within 48 hours, with the police being on their back and some of it being damaged in the flood. The Penguin being the Penguin offers to fix it, saying he has a shipment coming in that can change the drug game – clearly stealing Alberto's idea and claiming it as his own.
Sofia Falcone arrives
Sofia Falcone then enters the room, Carmine’s daughter, who has recently been released from Arkham Asylum. She questions Oz over Alberto's disappearance but he says he doesn't know what happened to her brother. They then head out to a restaurant and over dinner Sofia tells Oz that she was accused of being a serial killer named The Hangman.
She also tells him that Alberto said he was going to the Iceberg Lounge that night and together they were working on this drug plan, so she was surprised to hear about it from Oz. He replies by saying Alberto informed him of this idea and then went on a bender. Oz then offers to investigate the Iceberg Lounge with Sophia but she turns him down.
Along with Victor, Oz then heads to his mom's house where he gives her some jewelry and reveals that he shot Alberto – she's very proud of him. After they have left he gives Victor a pep talk who agrees to continue helping Oz.
Oz visits rival crime boss Salvatore Maroni in jail, offering his services although he's currently working for the Falcones. He reveals that the Falcone family plan to move some of their drug business and offers to help the Maronis raid it. To help win Salvatore over, he shows the mob boss the ring he stole from Alberto's body.
On his way back Oz gets kidnapped by Sofia's men, who take him to the Falcone house. They strip him naked and she reveals that while investigating her brother's death, they found one of the kids Oz shot at, who claims the Penguin was there the night Alberto died. Oz calls the teenager a liar and so Sofia shoots him.
They are interrupted by a car crashing outside the Falcone family home with Alberto’s body inside and the word 'payback' written on the trunk. One of his fingers has been cut off and the ring has been taken – clearly Victor was tasked with sorting that to make it look like the Maroni family is waging war. Oz is released and reunites with Victor, celebrating their win. Oz says he wants to take the city and wants Victor in on it.
The Penguin episode 1 Easter eggs
The Batman: At the start of the episode we hear from various news reports which recap the events of 2022's The Batman so we are all caught up before heading deeper into this series. We therefore get references to both the Caped Crusader himself, the Riddler, and Gotham's mayor Bella Reál.
Rex Calabrese: Oz tells Alberto about a gangster in his neighborhood called Rex Calabrese, who in the comic books was a mob boss in Gotham who existed before Batman entered the world. Notably in the comics he was father to Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman.
The Hangman: Sofia Falcone tells Oz over dinner that she has been accused of being the serial killer known as The Hangman. In the comics she was indeed revealed to be this murderer, working with none other than Harvey Dent a.k.a. Two-Face.
The Penguin airs weekly via Sky/NOW in the UK and via HBO in the US. Stay up to date with our The Penguin release schedule.
For more, check out our guide to upcoming DC movies and shows as well as how to watch the DC movies in order.
