4K Blu-ray Review: The Penguin - Season 1

Synopsis: Starring Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb (aka The Penguin), the eight-episode HBO Original limited series from DC Studios continues the epic crime saga that filmmaker Matt Reeves began with the global blockbuster The Batman.​

Main Features: The miniseries The Penguin plays like a mob drama akin to The Sopranos, exploring psychology and motivations behind the actions of the bad and the badder of Gotham City's criminal underworld. Namely, Farrell's Oz Cobb from the spectacular David Fincher-inspired The Batman. The film presented a number of characters whose backstories had viewers left curious: where did they come from, where are they going, why are they who they are? The ruler of the Iceberg Lounge and the drop drug business, Oz Cobb is a layered character to peel off (not just because of the exceptional makeup effects building the slim, Farrell into the husky Cobb) but also exudes charisma thanks to it's lead actor's abilities to break thru. Like The Batman giving us gifts of characters to yearn more about, The Penguin yields a character worthy of such a spotlight: Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone. The perceived mentally impaired daughter of Gotham crime boss Carmine Falcone, Sofia enters as an observer, locked away for many years but somewhat naïve to the goings on of her family, the city and it's criminals. She wants to learn how the gears move... before she makes her move. Milioti provides another onion peeling character to sell subtlety on, allowing the viewer to guess each new move: is she a crazy novice, or is it truly in her blood? Once her standalone episode establishing her backstory is done, I was left craving a show focusing on her and soaking up each scene she was in with the rest of the series' arcs. The show never fully reaches it's full potential, providing a bit too much sidetracks with it's supporting cast. Cobb's young crime recruit Vic Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) is never fully given enough to give us reason to explore his background; Cobb's relationship with his early-onset mother (Deirdre O'Connell) does allow us to yearn for more of it to be explored, but I just found it to be surface: a tip of an iceberg revealed to be less than expected. Still, Farrell and especially Milioti lure your intrigue in and maintain it thru the end.

Bonus Features: The extras are high in quantity but low on length, with not one going beyond 9 minutes. The content is sometimes interesting but otherwise basic supplemental bonuses. 

Final Call: The Penguin is a series delving into The Batman mythos that is limited but still ultimately has a lot to squawk about. 

Grade: B+