The Penguin
Alright, the show is finally over, thank god. The Penguin is extremely overrated and overhyped. It’s safe, predictable, and just serviceable. Checks all the boxes for a modern TV show. Short season, limited episodes, each one crammed with too much content, which makes the story feel rushed. The relationship between Oz and Vic tries to mimic Tony and Christopher from The Sopranos but falls flat. Writing lacks nuance, depth, buildup, or suspense. Dialogue is generic and cliché. The show tries to look cinematic but ends up with a cheap TV look mixed with a try-hard style that doesn’t work.
Characters keep getting into trouble with no real stakes or danger. They escape harm too easily because the writing is basic and safe. Oz gets captured multiple times, escapes in ridiculous ways, and Salvatore Maroni’s character is wasted. The finale is laughably bad. Oz escapes while being shot at and carrying someone, and his killing of Vic is predictable and emotionally hollow. Nothing like the weight of Tony killing Christopher.
Too much happens too fast, and resolutions lack impact. Despite the chaos in Gotham, Batman is absent, which leaves a huge gap in a show meant to build the world. The score is generic and forgettable, and out-of-place needle drops are distracting.
On the positive side, the set design nails Gotham’s dark, gritty feel. Colin Farrell is great, and Penguin is portrayed as the horrible person he is, not an anti-hero. Oz’s drive for his mother’s validation is compelling, even if the payoff falls short.
This year hasn’t been great for TV. The Boys season 4 was disappointing. House of the Dragon season 2 dropped the ball. I skipped Lord of the Rings entirely. This show fits the same pattern. Forgettable, generic, derivative, and uninspired. Modern TV is starting to lose me.
Overall, I felt nothing while watching. I won’t rewatch or recommend it. It’s everything I detest about modern television.