‘The Penguin’ Episode 1 “After Hours” Review: Sharp, Witty & Compelling

The first follow-up to Matt Reeves’ The Batman has finally arrived. HBO’s The Penguin boasts a strong cast, with matching plot, cinematography, score, and more. Read on for the full The Penguin Episode 1 review.

Since its release in theatres in March ‘22, The Batman has fast become one of my favourite movies ever. This set a really high expectation for the entire genre, let alone any follow-ups, so I was anxious for The Penguin to release to say the least. Needless to say, my expectations were fulfilled, and my standards raised even higher. 

The Penguin follows Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) as he attempts to take hold of Gotham’s crime syndicates. In the first episode, titled “After Hours”, Oz finds himself in a pickle with new boss Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen) missing. He’s joined by a reluctant sidekick in the form of Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) who assists him in his series endeavour. 

I’ve seen the episode a total of four times now, and with each viewing, the episode is still strikingly enjoyable. From its insanely palettable pacing to its television recreation of Gotham, I truly find this to be an amazing episode. All sixty three minutes (without credits) fly by at an incredible rate, only dragging in a select scene with Deirdre O’Connell’s character. It’s not too fast though, with each scene long enough to allow the audience to comprehend what’s actually occurring.

The performances are elite and nuanced. Lead Colin Farrell commands the screen with his hulking disfigured Oz. His voice work and character mannerisms are unrivalled, letting the actor disappear entirely into the role. Similarly, Cristin Milioti goes all out with her gig as Sofia Falcone, Alberto’s sister and Carmine’s daughter. She brings an insane performance, tinged with revenge and untapped character potential. Her eyes alone convey a level of desperate lunacy that is so fun, it’s hard to imagine how she even pulled it off. 

The supporting cast aren’t as pronounced, performance-wise but theyre all incredibly serviceable and add to the worldbuilding tenfold. It’s stacked too, with greats such as Clancy Brown, Michael Kelly, Deirdre O’Connell, Carmen Ejogo, Michael Zegen, and Rhenzy Feliz. 

The technical elements here are great, about what you’d expect from a HBO-branded production. I love the score from Mick Giacchino, which itself is sharp and to the point. Much like the show, which is the effectively the son of The Batman, he’s the son of The Batman composer Michael Giacchino. The costumes here feel so incredibly different, with each set of clothing making Oz especially feel different in the varied settings. You can tell he’s not afraid to get down and dirty with his casual attire, but in his business dressing, he means business. That combined with the makeup, it’s easy to see this miniseries receiving an Emmy nomination (if not multiple) at the very least. 

From a fan perspective, I loved this as well. It built up a lot of the more grounded lore of this universe, even carrying on parts from the first film. One of these carryovers includes the usage of Riddler followers, one of which waltzes the subway displaying a QR code which takes you to the promotional Rataalada website teasing plot threads for the future (which I will hopefully break down in a future article). 

“After Hours” serves as a fantastic pilot for what looks to be a fantastic series. Showrunner Lauren LeFranc evidently knows her stuff and director Craig Zobel is doing wonders behind the camera. 

Up Next On ‘The Penguin’

As for the next episodes in the series, I look forward thoroughly to seeing more of the side cast, and some possible ties to comic villains such as Clayface and Scarecrow. Aptly though, I am more interested to see some of the mob plots a show like this would lend itself to and how that affects the larger worldbuilding of The Batman. 

The Penguin Episode 2 will debut ten days after the release of the first episode, on September 29th, 2024, at 9 PM Eastern Time (ET). It will be titled “Inside Man”, and will be directed by Craig Zobel, written by Erika L. Johnson, and will have a runtime of 56 minutes. The Penguin stars Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Clancy Brown, and Michael Kelly. It was created by Lauren LeFranc and the show’s first episode is now streaming on HBO and Max.

Thanks for reading this review.