Critic’s Rating: 5 / 5.0
5
Trust a mother to get her kid’s head on straight — and that’s exactly what sets everything in motion on The Penguin Season 1, Episode 1.
With a little maternal nudge, Oswald “Oz” Cobb embarks on his tangled journey to claim Gotham’s underworld as his own.
What a wild, twisty ride! I’m all about the villains, and if the rest of the series keeps this up, Oz might just be my new favorite!
The opening episode of HBO’s The Penguin, set right after the events of the 2022 film The Batman, pulls us back into Gotham’s dark, brooding world, but this time it’s all about Oz.
While it bridges the gap between The Batman and its upcoming sequel, The Penguin keeps that gritty vibe but adds its own flair.
But let’s be real — The Batman was dark and downright depressing. The Penguin? Still dark, but with way more spice.
Gritty With An Edge
The show dives deep into Oz’s character, giving us a more personal look than we’ve ever had before.
Sure, the pacing might feel slow initially, but trust me, it’s all building to something huge. When Oz finally goes all-in, the payoff is totally worth it — and this is just the beginning!
Oz doesn’t start out with dreams of ruling Gotham’s underworld.
At first, he’s more shaken by the chaos and destruction, worrying about how it’s going to affect his piece of the criminal pie.
The idea that he could actually become Gotham’s kingpin? That’s a slow burn.
This episode nails the balance between The Batman film and the new series, blending them seamlessly while letting The Penguin carve out its own identity.
Take, for example, how Batman and Penguin are first introduced in their respective productions:
Batman gazes over Gotham, Ave Maria — a song of hope — playing in the background as he gears up to save the city.
Oz stands in his nightclub, surveying the wreckage left behind by the Riddler, with news reports amplifying the city’s chaos.
Batman knows his mission; Oz, on the other hand, is still figuring out his next move, giving us a much more layered look at his opportunistic and calculating side.
A Good (Dirty) Soldier
Before Oz could even think about climbing the ranks, he landed himself in hot water by killing Alberto Falcone.
Alberto didn’t exactly earn his position as boss — he inherited it after his dad’s murder in The Batman. It was handed to him, no questions asked, because, well, that’s just how things go sometimes, even if the person isn’t really cut out for the job.
The second Oz pulled the trigger, he knew he was in a world of trouble. You don’t take out the boss without permission and expect to walk away without some serious consequences!
But Oz didn’t plan on taking Alberto out; it just kind of happened for one simple reason: the kid laughed at him. More than once. And if there’s one thing Oz doesn’t tolerate, it’s being laughed at.
Oz shared a story about an old-school gangster named Rex Calabrese. He wasn’t a top dog, but he was a guy everyone respected. He looked out for his neighborhood, always there when people needed him the most.
Flashy? Not at all. But when he died, the entire neighborhood showed up to pay their respects. That’s how much they loved their local hero — gangster or not!
Oz grew up in that same neighborhood and admired Rex just like everyone else. That’s the kind of guy Oz wanted to be, but it didn’t quite pan out that way.
Alberto, being young and cocky, laughed at the story, calling Rex a nobody and a fool.
And when Alberto had the nerve to laugh at Oz again later? Well, that was the last straw for him. End of story, end of Alberto.
But here’s the real deal — crime families don’t just run on the flashy, headline-grabbing guys like John Gotti or Al Capone.
The real power? That’s with the guys you’ve probably never heard of, like Buster Aloi, Frank Gagliardi, Salvatore Peritore, and Carlo Mastrototaro.
These guys weren’t famous, but they were the backbone of their respective mob families, keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes.
And there were hundreds more just like them, quietly keeping the wheels of the criminal machine well-oiled.
Oz gets this (even in his fictional world). He’s a street guy who brings in tons of cash for the Falcone Family, but he’s not getting the respect he thinks he’s earned.
And let’s be honest — without him or guys like him, the Falcone Family wouldn’t exist.
Deep down, Oz wants to be his own version of Rex Calabrese — the hero of his own story. But that dream hasn’t quite come together… at least not yet.
Which is exactly why I think he let Vic into his world.
I Wanna Watch the Sunset
Oz could’ve easily killed the kid, but here’s the thing — he doesn’t have any friends.
His only real connection, the one person he can truly count on, is his mother. She may be a bit odd, sure, and we don’t know much about her yet, but one thing’s clear: she’ll never let him down.
So, when Oz needed to get rid of Falcone’s body, Vic was in the wrong place at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing.
Vic didn’t have much of a choice — arguing with a big, burly, scary guy like Oz after getting caught stealing hubcaps from his car? Yeah, not smart.
As they drove around looking for a place to dump the body, Oz channeled his inner Rex Calabrese, trying to bond with Vic even though he knew he’d probably have to kill him later — can’t leave witnesses, after all.
In that moment, Oz tried to soften his image a bit, chatting about the old neighborhood and how he used to love mixed slushies as a kid.
Vic, scared out of his mind, probably never even had a mixed slushy, but he was nodding along just to keep Oz happy.
When the time came for Oz to kill him, I think he’d already decided not to, even before Vic started pleading for his life. Oz might be all about business, but Rex Calabrese is always in the back of his mind, influencing him.
So, he gave the kid a break, let him live, and in doing so, opened up new possibilities. Oz knew killing Falcone was a disaster waiting to happen — he’s a loyal soldier (skimming aside) and felt 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 around, new ideas started churning in his mind.
The kid was like a glimmer of hope — someone who might actually help Oz wriggle out of this mess.
That is, until Sofia Falcone showed up and things took a nosedive for Oz Cobb.
Femme Fatale
While Oz was at his drug den, he got a call from his superiors. His first thought was that they found out about Alberto and this was the end of the road for him.
But to his surprise, it wasn’t about the murder at all. Instead, they wanted him to shut down his drug operation.
Losing money and control? Definitely not part of his plan.
Still, Oz kept his cool and stayed respectful, even though the idea of shutting down left him simmering. He wasn’t about to challenge his bosses, but he sure wasn’t ready to let his business go under either.
That’s when Oz remembered Alberto’s little secret — he had been working on a new drug that was going to revolutionize Gotham’s drug trade.
Alberto had told Oz that nobody else knew about it, and with Alberto out of the picture, Oz thought he could take the idea and save his business. The bosses were actually intrigued… until Sofia walked in.
Turns out, Alberto left out one crucial detail — he’d also told his sister, Sofia, about the new drug while she was still at Arkham.
So imagine Oz’s surprise when Sofia strolled into the meeting, fresh out of Arkham, supposedly “rehabilitated.” Yeah, right.
Sofia isn’t just smart — she’s deadly. So, what does Oz do? He runs straight to his mom’s house, convinced that fleeing is his only chance at survival.
But Mama Cobb wasn’t having any of it. She didn’t coddle him — she knocked “the pussy” right out of him.
She told Oz he didn’t kill Alberto in a fit of impulsive rage; he did it because, deep down, he always wanted to be Gotham’s criminal king.
So if it weren’t for Oz’s mother getting her kid’s head on straight, Oz would have disappeared like a ghost. Now, he really felt alive.
But the real lightbulb moment didn’t hit until later.
Put the Blame on Mame
Vic had been watching the 1946 movie Gilda, and as Oz sat down and watched Rita Hayworth slink across the screen singing Put the Blame on Mame, everything clicked.
That’s when Oz realized he could use Sofia — his own femme fatale — to not only get himself out of the Falcone problem but also to climb to the top of Gotham’s underworld.
Just like McGraw in the song, who’s blamed for starting a fire after falling under Mame’s spell, Oz saw how he could manipulate Sofia to his advantage.
For a little context, Put the Blame on Mame humorously pins various disasters, like the Great Chicago Fire, on the irresistible Mame. Her allure caused men to lose control, leaving chaos in her wake.
Oz, however, isn’t interested in destroying Gotham any more than it already is — he’s not the Riddler. He wants to rule the criminal underground.
And even though Sofia eventually caught up with him, Oz’s scheme to pin Alberto’s murder on Salvatore Maroni was nothing short of genius. Did not see that one coming. But Oz and Vic’s celebratory mixed slushies might be a bit premature.
There’s still the issue of Oz’s jailhouse visit with Maroni. And the ring Oz left.
Once Maroni gets wind of what happened, imagine how easy it will be for Sofia to figure out that Oz is behind it all.
And when that happens? Holy hell, it’s going to get good.
Over to you? What did you think about the season premiere of The Penguin? Was it all you expected? Share your thoughts in the comments below!