Jack and Matt review the first two episodes of The Penguin
HBO's newest series The Penguin, with Colin Farrell.
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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.