‘The Penguin’ Episode 3 “Bliss” Review: Vic Aguilar Is A Star

The Penguin episode 3 is finally streaming on Max and with it a strong entry into what has become a great HBO series. 

As I have previously expanded upon, the The Penguin series has delivered us two top-form episodes and in turn, great continuations of Matt Reeves’ The Batman film. Director Craig Zobel and showrunner Lauren LeFranc continue this amazing trend and deliver arguably the best episode in the show so far, with episode three, titled “Bliss”.

The Penguin follows Oz Cobb as he embarks on a journey to replace the Falcone Crime Syndicate as the top boss in Gotham City. The last episode, “Inside Man”, saw the crippled gangster (played by Colin Farrell) continue his plan to pit the Falcones against the Maronis and to clean up the mess created by their gang war. It ended with a reluctant team-up between Oz and the sinister but mysterious Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti).

Episode 3 (“Bliss”) takes a different approach, with the episode focusing heavily on side character Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), The Penguin’s speech impeded right-hand man. It showcases his background and how The Riddler’s (Paul Dano) attack in The Batman affected his and his family’s lives. It really humanises the character in a way that will have you feeling deeply for the character if you haven’t been already. Rhenzy Feliz gives a good and strong performance in this episode, that while doesn’t overshadow the show’s lead, still leaves its mark. 

The episode also sees the unveiling of Alberto’s plan, which is Sofia’s plan, a shipment of drugs courtesy of Arkham State Hospital. I could see this somehow tying into a possible Scarecrow tease, but honestly, I think it’s an interesting development in the series’ worldbuilding regardless of where that thread ends up. 

The way Colin Farrell’s Oz interacts with Sofia is my favourite aspect of the series by now, his clever twisted nature working his enemies like a puzzle and avoiding conflict in some very sleazy ways. Contrary to that, it’s cool seeing Sofia see through this and play her own game. And how this sly relationship evolves into them working together to dupe the other Gotham gangs such as the Triad, really works for me. 

This episode probably has the best visual style out of the three released episodes, and partly it’s due to some almost psychedelic visuals, making the audience feel as disoriented as Vic in a select scene. I think it was done especially well all thanks to some great filmmaking. Things like these are so important to shows, increasing rewatchability and enhancing the whole viewing experience. 

The episode is a great farewell to Craig Zobel, who directed the first three episodes, but he’s still tapped as an executive producer for the series. I am very interested to see who does the next episode, which is confirmed to be written by John McCutcheon of The Wheel of Time fame. 

Up Next On ‘The Penguin’

With the departure of Craig Zobel as director this week, we can look forward to a new director out of the remaining pool of Helen Shaver, Kevin Bray, and Jennifer Getzinger. It will be especially interesting, given reports that episode four will do for Sofia Falcone what this episode (three) did for Vic Aguilar. It’s likely set in Arkham, based on trailer footage too and is said to be especially intense. Truly looking forward to it. 

The Penguin Episode 4 will debut seven days after the release of the third episode, on Sunday, October 13th, 2024, at 9 PM Eastern Time (ET). It will be titled “Cent’Anni”, and will be written by John McCutcheon, and will have a runtime of 58 minutes. DC Studios‘ The Penguin is now streaming its first three episodes on HBO and Max. 

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