Warning! This article contains SPOILERS forThe Penguinepisode 3.
The Penguinperfectly summed up what makes Gotham City what it is with just four words. The Colin Farrell-led show isthe first spinoff to come from director Matt Reeves’The Batman. The HBO series has been positively received by fans and critics, with Farrell delivering an even better performance as Oz Cobb now that he has more time to explore what makes the character work.The Penguin’s castincludes many three-dimensional characters whose complexity is explored with every new episode of the DC series.
AfterCarmine Falcone was killed by the Riddler inThe Batman, a power vacuum emerged in Gotham City. Farrell’s Penguin is trying to fill that void, with the series following his journey to rising as the new head of Gotham’s organized crime. LikeThe Batman,the DC show uses Gotham as a character in its own right, with the city’s dark and dirty streets crafting a gritty atmosphere that meshes well with the developing battle for power in Gotham’s criminal underworld.The Penguinoffers the perfect explanation for what is at Gotham City’s core.
Every Adaptation Of The DC Comics Location Makes That Clear
Gotham is not a city where all of its citizens live in more or less the same conditions. It is one of the DC Comics locations that makes a class problem extremely obvious. There are many living in fear and poverty in the crime-ridden Gotham City, which can be said of all the live-action adaptations of the iconic location. Gotham’s class problem has always existed, witha few like the Waynes being extremely wealthy, while most of Gotham’s citizens barely scrape by, which in turn leads to crime always being around, as the less fortunate have few ways to turn.
The Penguin Nails Exactly Why Gotham Is Cursed To Repeat Its Biggest Problem
Four Words Are All That Is Needed To Explain Gotham’s Issue
LikeThe Batman,HBO’sThe Penguinfeatures perhaps the best live-action depiction of Gotham City. The series gets into the inner workings of Gotham, showing how the class problem impacts the lives of the less fortunate.The Penguinepisode 3perfectly describes why Gotham City can never escape its class problem, with Oz Cobb describing the city perfectly. Talking to the young Victor Aguilar, Oz says, “America is a hustle,” which he uses to convince Vic that he should fully embrace taking back what is rightfully his, as should all Gotham citizens.
Oz’s speech merely gives characters like Vic the “right” to step over others on their way up and break any rules they have to.
The Penguinis trying to motivate Vic to become the best version of himself so that they can rise to power together, but Oz’s words only make it clear that Gotham will always be doomed to repeat its vicious cycle. Oz Cobb’s comment is a clear example of whyGotham City’s class war will never end, as the few with power will always try to continue in that situation, doing everything they can to stay rich. Oz’s speech merely gives characters like Vic the “right” to step over others on their way up and break any rules they have to.
The Penguin
Cast
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
