Episodes 5, 6, and 7 of The Penguin were very exciting watches, and somehow managed to be big steps up from the previous episodes, which were already amazing. In episode 5, titled “Homecoming” I found it funny how swiftly the Penguin was able to find and kidnap Taj Maroni from Taj’s TikTok posts. It was especially funny because usually, the characters take a long time to formulate and execute their plans, but this occurred in about a minute of screen time. Also, I liked how utterly destroyed Crown Point looked, with trash and upturned cars filling the streets. Seeing Victor’s old neighborhood in such desolation shows how he lost everything before meeting the Penguin, and it also shows the low point that the main characters were at by having them relocate there. Another reason why I liked the look of the setting was because it reminded me of Batman: No Man’s Land, which also saw Gotham in ruin. That storyline was definitely on the minds of the people making the show because in the next episode the Lo Boyz, a gang that previously only showed up in No Man’s Land, makes an appearance. While homages and references to the source material don’t make something good, it is a sign that the people making the show care about what they are adapting.
Episode 6, titled “Gold Summit”, put the Penguin’s mother more in the spotlight. This episode did a good job at showing how frightening her condition truly is, and how it affects the Penguin. In particular, it was very emotional when she said that she’d rather have the Penguin kill her than live like a vegetable. Another very memorable part of this episode was Victor’s murder of Squid. This show has already established that it is more graphic than most other comic book adaptations, but this death was so much more violent than anything previously exhibited, and I’m surprised that it was even allowed in a show based on Batman. This scene was punctuated by Victor’s devastated reaction of regret, which further sold this moment’s powerful effect. Finally, this episode’s cliffhanger of Sofia Falcone breaking into the Penguin’s current apartment got me excited for episode 7.
Episode 7 is titled “Top Hat”, and features some of the show’s most intense moments. The reveal that the Penguin killed his brothers at a young age, Salvator Maroni’s sudden heart attack, and the car bomb scene were all very impactful, and will likely stick in my mind long after I am done watching this show. Something else I liked was seeing Rex Calabrese, the gangster admired by the Penguin, in a flashback. This sheds light on how even though he is described so highly, Rex likely didn’t care for the community as much as the Penguin remembers. It was also neat seeing that the Penguin’s mom used to work for the mob. Although it was already known that she was not the most innocent person, considering she supports her son’s criminal activities, it was a shock finding out that she was so involved with crime herself. My biggest complaint with this episode was that going in I didn’t know that this was the shortest episode of the series, and was disappointed that it ended so quickly. Also, Victor was absent for much of the episode, even though I feel that it would have made more sense if he had taken a greater role in helping the Penguin. Neither of those gripes was too major, though, and I still thought that this episode was great overall. It is a little unfortunate that I only have one episode left to watch, but I’m sure that it will be a strong conclusion.
