Colin Farrell in character as Oz in 'The Penguin'. Picture: hbo/Instagram
The first season of drama series The Penguin came to an end on Monday and it’s in the eighth and final episode where the love-to-hate main character Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobblepot, portrayed by Colin Farrell, reaches its culmination.
The Penguin is a crime drama developed by Lauren LeFranc for HBO.
It is based on the DC Comics character of the same name; it is a spin-off from The Batman (2022).
Set after the events of the film, the series follows Oz Cobb’s rise to power in Gotham City’s criminal underworld.
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In one of the last scenes in the finale, Oz has a moment with his young trusted assistant Victor Aguilar, played by Rhenzy Feliz.
After the tumultuous episode which saw Oz escaping from Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) and being inspired by his young confidant to find his inner-strength and take back what’s his; Oz’s twisted emotionless character unexpectedly shows itself when he brutally strangles Aguilar to his death after he had just told Oz that he sees him as family.
As a viewer, you’re left thinking, “what’s wrong with this man?”
But it is these character defects that make Oz more engaging.
He’s a conniving liar who would do anything to get what he wants, yet so hilarious in some of the most serious moments you’d want to befriend him, cold and unflinching when he takes a decision that most would dither on and has an odd relationship with his mother held by his delusions.
The Penguin aired on Showmax and M-Net every Monday.
In the last episode, his mother Francis Cobb, played by Deirdre O’Connell, after being pushed to the limit by Falcone and Dr. Julian Rush to reach back into her memory, tells her son that she hates him.
The hate stems from Oz leaving his two brothers to drown while he was a boy, as a way of getting his mother’s attention.
Throughout his life Oz was convinced that his mother believed the lie he told about his brothers’ death, but it all comes crumbling down in the eight episodes.
Farrell’s portrayal of Oz has already been earmarked for next year’s Emmy Awards. Such is his acting that the brilliant makeup done to transform him into the Penguin seems secondary.
It’s all in the mannerisms. It’s in the way he looks at people while speaking to different characters in the story that Farrell shows his dexterity as a thespian.
You completely forget that it’s the Irish actor playing the role. It’s in how the character limps less when he’s around people and which speaks to Oz’s self-image issues, despite his palpable bravado.
“Matt [Reeves] said to me ‘have you been talking to Mike Marino?’ I said ‘Yea we’ve been texting a little bit’. He said ‘Has he shown you what you’re going to look like’,” said Farrell explaining the first time he saw the costume he’d put on for the character.
“And I just saw this beautifully sculpted 360 bust. I looked at the character and I just saw history, I saw pain, and I saw aggression and I saw cruelty and I saw a bit of sadness. It was all there,” said Farrell.
Danny DeVito, who played the Penguin character in Batman Returns, spoke glowingly about Farrell’s display.
“Oh, Colin’s giving me a run for my money. And it’s totally different. I’ve been watching it. I haven’t watched the whole thing, but I watched most of what was out… and you know, it’s really good,” said DeVito.
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South African actress Marié Botha made an appearance in the fourth episode, playing the character of Magpie.
The episode zooms into why lead character Sofia Falcone is known as ‘The Hangman’ in the story.
Magpie and Falcone are introduced on the latter’s first night at Arkham Asylum, where Magpie, who has a split personality, is also a patient.
Botha only appears in three scenes but they’re all significant because of how they relate to Falcone’s character.
This meant that the South African had to have chemistry with Milioti for the scenes to be more endearing
“I’m a guest star right, so my responsibility is to support the lead actress and her journey throughout the episode and this episode is about Sofia Falcone’s spiral and how uncomfortable and traumatising Arkham Asylum is,” Botha told The Citizen.
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