Jack and Matt review the first two episodes of The Penguin

Derry Journal

HBO's newest series The Penguin, with Colin Farrell.

Transcript

00:00There's a gangster, real old-school type, Rex Calabrese. He was a big deal.

00:09He helped people. You saw him on the street, he'd call out to you.

00:16When I'm 14 or something, he has a heart attack and dies. Still holding a cigar.

00:24In my neighborhood, they'd throw a parade in his honor. A freakin' parade.

00:35It wasn't fancy, but it was a gesture.

00:43To show love for what he meant.

00:54Can you imagine to be remembered like that?

01:05Right, so HBO has come out with a new show based on the Penguin from the Batman film,

01:11which is a weird concept for a show, but what did you think of the first two episodes?

01:17I think it's going to be a good show, because it's like grounded. It just keeps in this

01:23new Batman cinematic universe. Same themes, it's nowhere near over the top. Even Gotham,

01:31the previous DC show came out. They tried the same approach, but they just ended up

01:36having these weird slapstick characters that took the tone away. But I think it's definitely

01:42going to work.

01:43I think the whole new universe it has, it's not like the Nolan films where it's super

01:50realistic. It's almost like surrealism. It's grounded.

01:54Ultra reality.

01:56But it's not these militaristic people. Batman's not as militaristic. He's more of a brawler.

02:03But we're not talking about Batman, we're talking about the Penguin. I think the main

02:07thing to kick off with is Colin Farrell. His performance is just brilliant. His physicality

02:14as the Penguin, just the way he even walks and the way he moves his face, he's a completely

02:19different person altogether.

02:20Because I've seen a lot of people online, there's a bit of discourse about why couldn't

02:23they just hire someone that looks like that? But I mean, the acting talent of Colin Farrell,

02:32you don't get that by just going and getting something random that kind of looks like the

02:36Penguin. You know what I mean? Obviously other people could do that performance, but it was

02:40a farewell.

02:41I was looking at some behind the scenes footage and you see from Colin Farrell as the Penguin,

02:50I just can't imagine looking at the mirror and it's just a completely different person

02:54looking back at you. And then four hours later on, you take it off and then you're back to

02:58being Colin Farrell. How do you not take home the bloody Penguin in his TV shoe?

03:04It's a bit crazy, isn't it? That's the transformation. I've seen the footage myself. The time lapse

03:11itself takes about five minutes to complete and he must be one of the most hard-processed.

03:16The first episode, one thing I really liked about it is how they brought in this character

03:21and he's just nicknamed him as Vic. He's literally just dragged off the street and made into

03:26a gangster by force. He doesn't want to be one, but he has to just be one.

03:31The actor sells it so well too. He feels out of place in the environment he finds himself

03:35in, so that works.

03:37I feel like I'm about to be sick when he's on screen because he shouldn't be there.

03:41In every episode I'm thinking, well, the first episode, I'm always thinking,

03:45go and give him a few pound.

03:46He's just over himself. He's shy, he's standing away from everything. He doesn't seem overly

03:52eager to even get involved in this. He's just kind of in, hi, ma and you. Ma, we're doing this now.

03:57You and me. Go and give the poor wee fella a few quid, please.

04:01And a wee mucker. I know he tried to steal it himself, you carry on, lad.

04:04They kidnapped and murdered him.

04:07The whole cast, I think, is pretty good. What's her name? Christina, it's an Italian name.

04:14She plays Sophia Falcone.

04:15She plays Sophia Falcone. I'm not even going to try and pronounce her name. She's really good.

04:19She's the mother from How You Met Your Mother. She comes from that. She's a great character,

04:25I think. We never really see much of the Falcones in the films. They're always just kind of like

04:32you know, one and done kind of thing. Now they're continuing on. I think the actual

04:37gangs of Gotham can be more interesting. The crazy stuff like the Joker, Killer Krabs.

04:42I think if they keep it in this kind of ground, I think they can flesh that out a bit.

04:49Even away from Batman, away from any super villains, this is just crime going on in the city.

04:54Gotham, New Jersey.

04:55Gotham, New Jersey.

04:56New Jersey.

04:58On Sophia Falcone, I think this is one to watch though, because she could go the way of like

05:03over the top psychopath. They need to be careful, I think.

05:09You don't want it to be too discharacteristic, the crazy one.

05:12Margot Robbie is hard when it comes to mind. First time you see her on screen, you're like,

05:16oh, that's really good. Good performance. Gets old so quick. That's over the top,

05:22crazy Batman. Gets old, but they keep it with this kind of subtle, like

05:29you know she's out of Arkham Asylum and you know it, like she has this disturbed past.

05:35They keep out their sort of aura about her. I think it could work.

05:38Ah, do you remember?

05:39Combine's door.

05:42Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt.

05:44Sophia, I thought you were still at...

05:49Arkham.

05:52No, I've been rehabilitated.

05:57I think the Arkham history is really interesting, especially because it's not a character I know.

06:01I wouldn't say that we're big DC fans, but bringing a character from Arkham Asylum

06:06is kind of like a big deal for a DC character and it kind of sets the character up to be,

06:12you know, have a greater height than the rest of them. You know,

06:15you're expecting a lot from the character from the show.

06:17I think a general comparison people are going to make to the show is Sopranos.

06:23It's all like Sopranos.

06:24I was going to say that. I think that's one of the main criticisms of it is that

06:30half the time Penguin is just a Tony Soprano character.

06:34Yeah, with a wonky leg.

06:37It's like you would pick up Tony Soprano and just plop him here. You take him away from the

06:41mob boss, back to foot soldier. That's what it'd be like.

06:46I don't know. I feel like he has more depth in him than that.

06:49That's one thing I look with the character is like, in every scenario you see him in,

06:53he's always ratting his way out. He's always like...

06:56He has that cunning, deceitful baldy.

07:00At that Tony Soprano-esque, you know, he's crafty. He's sneaky.

07:05He won't always, you know, pick the violent way out, but he's capable of it.

07:11I'd like to propose a toast to my family.

07:16Someday soon, you're going to have families of your own.

07:19And if you're lucky, you'll remember the little moments that were good.

07:25What are you so afraid is going to happen?

07:43I don't know.

07:46I think it has a lot of that going on in the show, but sometimes I feel

07:53that when shows have too much going on, I can get confused and you can get lost.

07:56But it all kind of weaves together.

07:59He's kind of playing with gangs against each other.

08:01He's also got this drug shipment going on.

08:02You're not kind of sure which way he's trying to take his career as a gangster.

08:09You don't know who he's playing with or who he's playing against.

08:12I think that can lead into a lot of, you know, mystery within the show on their own.

08:18So far, it seems to be like a tight script.

08:20It's clearly like a limited series because sometimes series like this would start and

08:24they would just throw like different plots at you and see what sticks with the ratings.

08:29But this is like they had an idea in mind, you know,

08:31the rise of Penguin, his rise to power.

08:34And this just seems like a very concise way of telling it.

08:36You think it kind of ruins it in a weird way as well, though,

08:39because, you know, he has to become like this big major villain, the Batman.

08:43And they can't really kill him off in the show.

08:45They can't really do anything to him because, you know,

08:47he has to eventually become the Penguin, the Batman villain.

08:50I mean, I don't want to, you know, put forward anything,

08:54but I feel like it's way under his thick.

08:57He's probably not going to make it, is he?

08:58Like, you don't really feel like he's going to make it.

09:00Well, I love it.

09:01They could do anything.

09:02This is new ground.

09:04So nothing's written.

09:06Would you want the Batman to come into it?

09:08Maybe not the last episode.

09:10Like for him to like reference.

09:12I like the idea of like Batman's out there doing stuff.

09:14But there's so much going on that he has no time for this.

09:17Serious crime is going on.

09:19If they took away the title of the Penguin and removed like, you know,

09:23all Gotham references, I mean, you would be the only wiser.

09:27It's, it doesn't lean on it.

09:30It doesn't, there's not as much fan service as you would expect from like a DC.

09:34Which I like.

09:36I don't, I think fan service is, you know, it's, it's belittling, if anything.

09:40I just, oh, look, this is the guy you like from the movie you saw.

09:46Wolvert like.

09:47Wolvert.

09:48But I think the first two episodes were pretty good.

09:50I particularly like the first one.

09:52I think every show now has a very strong episode and then can't ups.

09:55But the second episode I also enjoyed.

09:57So I'm looking forward to seeing where it's going.

09:59Definitely.

10:00I'm going to tear down the empire from the inside out.

10:03Whoever controls the drug business, controls the streets,

10:07I'll be running the whole damn trade.

10:10I got ambition.

10:12I can help you.

10:14Hey!

10:15Feel alive, Vic, huh?

10:17Feel your heart beating?

10:22This city isn't meant to be yours, sweetheart.

10:24What are you going to do to get it?

10:29Trust me.

10:30It's just the beginning.

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