Reviewer Rating: 5/5.0
5
Trusting a mother to keep her child sane — that’s what sets everything in motion in the first episode of Penguins season 1.
With a motherly push, Oswald “Ozzy” Cobb begins his intricate journey to claim Gotham’s underworld as his own.
What a wild, twisty ride! I only care about the villains and if the rest of the series continues, Oz may become my new favorite!
The opening story of HBO’s “The Penguin” takes place after the events of the 2022 film “The Batman,” taking us back to the dark, brooding world of Gotham, but this time with Oz as the protagonist.
While it bridges the gap between The Batman and its upcoming sequel, Penguin retains the gritty vibe but adds its own flair.
But let’s face it – Batman is dark and downright depressing. penguin? Still dark, but with more spice.
Tough and sharp
The show delves deeply into Oz’s character, giving us a more personal perspective than ever before.
Sure, the pacing may feel slow at first, but trust me, it’s all in the service of achieving a great goal. When Ozzy finally gives it his all, the rewards are totally worth it – and that’s just the beginning!
Oz didn’t start out dreaming of ruling Gotham’s underworld.
At first, he was more shocked by the chaos and destruction and worried about how it would affect his share of the crime scene.
Can he really be Gotham’s boss? It’s a slow burn.
This episode nailed the balance between the Batman movies and the new series, seamlessly blending them together while allowing the Penguin to forge his own identity.
Take, for example, the first introductions of Batman and Penguin in their respective works:
Batman stares at Gotham City, and as he prepares to save the city, a song of hope, “Ave Maria,” plays in the background.
As Oz stands in his nightclub, surveying the remains of the Riddler, news reports add to the chaos in the city.
Batman knows his mission; Oz, on the other hand, is still contemplating his next move, giving us a deeper understanding of his opportunistic and calculating side.
good (dirty) soldier
Before Oz can consider promotion, he kills Alberto Falcone and puts himself in trouble.
Alberto didn’t earn his position as boss on his own – he inherited it after his father was murdered in Batman. It was handed to him, no questions asked, because, well, that’s how things work sometimes, even if the person isn’t really right for the job.
The moment Oz pulled the trigger, he knew he was in a world of trouble. You don’t take out a boss without permission and expect to walk away without any serious consequences!
But Oz has no intention of getting rid of Alberto. The reason this happened was simple: the kid laughed at him. Not just once. If there’s one thing Ozzy can’t tolerate, it’s being laughed at.
Oz shared a story about an old-school gangster named Rex Calabrese. He’s not a top guy, but he’s a guy that everyone respects. He cared about his neighbors and was always there when people needed him most.
Flashy? not at all. But when he died, the entire community came to pay their respects. That’s how much they love their local heroes – gangster or not!
Oz grew up in the same neighborhood and admired Rex as much as anyone else. That’s who Ozzy wants to be, but that’s not the case.
The young and arrogant Alberto laughed at the story, calling Rex a nobody and a fool.
When Alberto later had the courage to laugh at Oz again? Well, that was the final straw. The story ends, Alberto ends.
But here’s the real thing – crime families don’t just target flashy, high-profile figures like John Gotti or Al Capone.
Real power? These are people you’ve probably never heard of, like Buster Alois, Frank Gagliardi, Salvatore Peritore and Carlo Mastrototaro.
These guys aren’t famous, but they are the backbone of their respective mob families, keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes.
There are hundreds of others like them who silently keep the wheels of the criminal machine turning.
Oz understands this (even in his fictional world). He’s a street hustler who brings in tons of cash for the Falcone family, but he doesn’t get the respect he thinks he deserves.
Honestly, the Falcone family wouldn’t exist without him or people like him.
Deep down, Oz wants to be his own version of Rex Calabrese—the hero of his own story. But that dream isn’t fully realized… at least not yet.
That’s exactly why I think he let Vic into his world.
I want to watch the sunset
Oz could have easily killed the kid, but the problem was – he didn’t have any friends.
His only real connection, the one person he could truly rely on, was his mother. Sure, she might be a little weird, and we don’t know much about her yet, but one thing is clear: she will never let him down.
So when Oz needs to get rid of Falcone’s body, Vic is in the wrong place at the wrong time and does the wrong thing.
Vic doesn’t have much choice – arguing with a tall, burly, scary guy like Ozzy after getting caught stealing a car rim cover? Yes, not smart.
As they drive around to find where the body was dumped, Oz channels his inner Rex Calabrese and tries to connect with Vic, even though he knows he may have to kill him later – he can’t stay after all. Next witness.
In that moment, Ozzy tried to soften his image a little, talking about the old neighborhood and how he loved mixing mud as a kid.
Vic was horrified and had probably never drank the mud mix, but he nodded just to make Oz happy.
When Oz was about to kill him, I think he decided not to, even before Vic started begging for his life. Oz may have been all about business, but Rex Calabrese was always at the forefront of his mind.
So, he gave the child a chance to breathe, to live, and thereby open up new possibilities. Oz knows that killing Falcone is a disaster waiting to happen – he’s a loyal soldier (that aside) and feels bad for dragging Vic into his mess.
Watching the sunset became his way of reflecting on what might be his last day alive, but with Vic by his side, new thoughts began to swirl in his mind.
This kid is like a ray of hope—someone who might actually help Oz out.
Things took a turn for the worse for Oz Cobb until Sofia Falcone showed up.
femme fatale
While Oz was in the drug den, he got a call from his superiors. His first thought was that they had discovered Alberto and that this was the end of the road for him.
But to his surprise, it had nothing to do with murder. Instead, they wanted him to stop selling drugs.
Losing money and control? Definitely not part of his plan.
Still, Oz remained calm and respectful, even though the thought of closure made him boil inside. He wasn’t planning on challenging his boss, but he certainly wasn’t planning on bankrupting his business.
That’s when Oz remembers Alberto’s little secret – he’s been working on a new drug that will revolutionize Gotham’s drug trade.
Alberto tells Oz that no one else knows about it, and with Alberto out, Oz thinks he can take the idea and save his business. The bosses were actually interested…until Sophia walked in.
It turns out that Alberto left out a crucial detail – he told his sister Sofia about the new drug when she was still in Arkham.
So imagine Oz’s surprise when Sophia, fresh out of Arkham and supposedly “recovered,” walks into the conference room. Yes, right.
Sophia isn’t just smart, she’s deadly. So, what does Oz do? He ran straight to his mother’s house, convinced that running away was his only chance of survival.
But Cobb’s mother didn’t like it at all. She didn’t dote on him – she just knocked his “pussy” off.
She tells Oz that he didn’t kill Alberto in an impulsive rage; He did this because, deep down, he always wanted to be Gotham’s crime king.
So if Oz’s mother hadn’t straightened the child’s head, Oz would have disappeared like a ghost. Now, he truly felt alive.
But the real eureka moment didn’t come until later.
blame mom
Vic had been watching the 1946 film “Gilda,” and it all clicked when Oz sat and watched Rita Hayworth slink across the screen singing “Blame It on Mama.”
It’s then that Oz realizes he can use Sofia – his own version of a femme fatale – to not only get himself out of Falcone’s problems, but also to climb to the top of Gotham’s underworld.
Like McGraw in the song, who is accused of starting a fire after falling under Mame’s spell, Ozzy sees how to use Sophia to his advantage.
As a bit of background, “Blame It on Mamet” humorously blames various disasters (such as the Great Chicago Fire) on the irresistible Mamet. Her charm makes men lose control, leaving chaos in her wake.
However, Oz is no longer interested in destroying Gotham – he’s not the Riddler. He wanted to rule the criminal underground.
Although Sofia eventually caught up with him, Oz’s plan to blame Salvatore Maroni for Alberto’s murder was pure genius. I didn’t see that person coming. But Ozzy and Vic’s celebration of mixing mud may be a little premature.
The question of Oz and Maroney’s prison visit remains. The Oz Ring is also gone.
Once Maroni learns what happened, imagine how easy it will be for Sofia to figure out that Oz is behind it all.
When will that happen? God, everything is going to be okay.
Leave it to you? What did you think of the season premiere of Penguins ? Is this what you expected? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
