The Penguin hits its lowest point with an empty dramatic plot about Oz’s sidekick Victor.
This Penguin review contains spoilers.
Were in it now, Vic!
Oz Cobb shouts to his sidekick Victor at the end ofThe Penguins third episode, Bliss.
Vics plight is familiar to anyone whos watched any gangster movies.
When the waiter finishes Vics sentence, Oz snaps, Dont do that.
The man is speaking.
He then insists that the waiter pause for Vic to state his desires on his own.
Feliz sells the mixture of fear and confidence as he makes his order, feeding off Ozs encouragement.
He delivers a diatribe about taking whats yours and never waiting for anyone else to give you respect.
True, these are Ozs mantra and the source of his bond with Vic.
Ironically, Oz speech about confidence underscores a lack of confidence inThe Penguin.
As always, Oz and Sofias plotting strikes the right balance forThe Penguin.
They feel like they exist in their own world and arent borrowing signifiers from other media.
Which makes Bliss all the more irritating when it turns away from the duo back to Vics dilemma.
Maybe, nowThe Penguinhas finished trying to build pathos by pretending to be something other than it is.
Maybe, the show is ready to accept that its a Batman spinoff about supervillains in Gotham City.
Maybe its ready to be in it now.
The Penguin airs on HBO and Max at 9 pm EST on Sundays.
Rating:
2 out of 5
