IR TV Review: THE PENGUIN - EPISODE 1 (“After Hours”) [HBO/Max]

The aspect of the series: “The Penguin” is meant to characterize Oz Cobb and show the trajectory to boss. That said, and as interesting as the transformation is of Colin Farrell, It doesn’t quite carry the power of “The Batman”. Now granted that was cinematic superlative and most of this takes place in the day but the character swings, even in the first episode “After Hours” seem a bit jarring. Perhaps the path has to come from fear and loyalty but that initial recruitment in the show seems almost belittling to the character. The adding of Christin Milioti as the daughter of fallen gangster Carmine Falcone is a different game. She has an unevenness that really works for that character. The issue with some of this is backstory.

Cobb seems to open himself for trouble and he makes mistakes. He is impulsive and interestingly enough that you see pangs of regret. It feels more Tomy Soprano than a Batman villain. And that is not a bad thing in some instances. But the show feels like a show. It is only at one point in a cat-and-mouse scenario towards the end of the episode that you start to feel some tension. The reality is that the show could have some more visual flair. It seems very plain in that way. “The Gentlemen” on Netflix for example had that certain flair that this show could learn from since it has a comparable budget (probably more). Now granted this might build to something else. Farrell is so buried in there and yet it is him which shows the dedication. The question becomes will it be worth the strife? B-

By Tim Wassberg