Esta and Aaron review THE PENGUIN. Spoiler-alert: We loved it.
E1 AFTER HOURS 🤩
“Despite being a huge Batman fan, I didn’t love Matt Reeve’s THE BATMAN. I thought it was tedious and overlong. It had so much potential but could’ve been a shorter film or a TV series. In walks… or waddles THE PENGUIN. A lived-in crime series that depicts Gotham in a way that I’ve always dreamed (or had nightmares) about. It’s what THE BATMAN should’ve been – a TV series. This would’ve allowed the characters to live and breathe as they do in E1 of what will be a hit series for DC and Max.”
– Aaron
E2 INSIDE MAN 🤩
“Colin Farrell, as Oz, AKA THE PENGUIN, is magnificent in his delivery, timing, and characterization. He is an actor’s actor who knows how to immerse himself and totally disappear. Kudos to the hair and makeup department for delivering an amazing result.“
– Esta
E4 CENT’ANNI 🤩
“CENT’ANNI is one helluva new edition that takes a step backward, providing audiences with a much-needed “crazy” flashback that allows us to understand how Sofia became The Hangman.“
– Aaron
E5 HOMECOMING 😊
“THE PENGUIN shuffled backward to another filler episode. Yes, it was necessary and important to the story’s progress, but it wasn’t as exciting as last week, except for one ferocious Sophia moment. This woman has Chutzpah with a capital C.“
– Esta
E6 GOLD SUMMIT 😊
“GOLD SUMMIT isn’t as good as the episodes before it because it slows down to let its characters have a moment to catch audiences up with who they are emotionally. I’m all for emotional story-building. Yet, where GOLD SUMMIT fails is in its pacing.“
– Aaron
E7 TOP HAT 🤩
“THE PENGUIN gave viewers an exceptional episode this week. The writers shared Oswald’s (Colin Farrell) diabolical and malevolent instinctive behavior. Several gruesome, cringeworthy moments made me want to not watch, yet I could not turn away.“
– Esta
E8 A GREAT OR LITTLE THING 🤩
“THE PENGUIN ends by being more than a “great little thing” and is easily some of the best TV of 2024. Audiences will be debating for a long time whether Oz’s narcissistic traits are a comparison to Trump’s or if that was simply a coincidence. One thing is for sure: I can’t wait for this bird to soar as high as a bat when Matt Reeves’ sequel is released in 2026.”
– Aaron
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The entire series is available on Max.
