After Hours (The Penguin)
Set shortly after the events of the film, the series explores the rise to power of Oswald "Oz" Cobb / Penguin (portrayed by Colin Farrell) in Gotham City's criminal underworld.
Oz finds himself allied with a young man named Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), while also having to deal with the presence of Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), who wants answers regarding her brother's disappearance.
Oswald "Oz" Cobb / Penguin recovers a stash of Falcone's valuables from the Iceberg Lounge, including blackmail material and jewels, but is caught by Alberto.
Alberto discusses his plan to rebuild his father's empire, involving a new drug that has the potential to replace Drops as the main family's business.
In the morning, they drop Alberto's body in an unused car in a dump, and Oz takes from his pinky a ring that previously was owned by Salvatore Maroni, Carmine's rival.
Attempting to save his position in the organization, Oz begins to pitch Alberto's plan as his own, but he is interrupted by the arrival of Falcone's daughter, Sofia, known to the public as "the Hangman", a serial killer, and who has just been released from Arkham Asylum.
He is taken to the Falcone mansion, where Sofia reveals she captured Calvin (Victor's friend), one of the kids who tried to steal the rims of Oz's car the night Alberto disappeared, who implicates him.
Suddenly, a car crashes into the garden, and Sofia opens the trunk to find Alberto's corpse, his pinky cut and the word "Payback" scratched on the hatch.
"After Hours" focuses on Oz Cobb, with Zobel's intention being to write the episode from a grounded perspective, citing John Cassavetes’ Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) and Gordon Parks' photography as inspiring the overall noir tone and depiction of structural inequalities.
[3] Michael Zegen explained that Alberto Falcone's death was a key point in Sofia's story arc, "I think that really pushed her over the edge and leads to what she becomes.
Lauren LeFranc mentioned the similarities between their different disabilities, "I wanted both of them to have that connection without it becoming something they speak about all the time, just as many of us have different things we all struggle with, and it doesn't shape everything that we are, but it's part of it.
[9] Tyler Robertson of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "The premiere of The Penguin recaptures the melancholy atmosphere of The Batman while drawing out more of what made Colin Farrell's portrayal of Oswald Cobb so captivating.
Its TV-sized budget is noticeable, but doesn't detract from the well plotted introduction to this behind-the-scenes look at the mobster families of Gotham City and the rise of Oz Cobb.
Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "Director Craig Zobel has done a fine enough job of recreating the basic look of The Batman, all grainy sunlight and amber streetlights, but the show itself is so disinterested in anything to do with its source material that the connection feels largely academic.
"[12] Andy Andersen of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Under the careful narrative direction of showrunner Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin casts Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobb in a monstrous (but recognizably human) “rise to power” arch that feels as comfortable presented alongside the HBO crime-drama canon as it does such DC villain-centered fare as Peacemaker or Harley Quinn.
"[14] Joe George of Den of Geek gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "With its close-ups and backstory concerns, The Penguin suffocates Farrell and renders his performance embarrassing.
When surrounded by actors giving naturalistic performances, the growling and waddling and sneering feels out of place, as if Oz is a comic book character who wandered into a realistic crime drama.
