The Penguin Episode 3 Review: Dear Joker, This Is How You Get Away With Ignoring DC Comics Lore

In the same week as DC‘s Joker: Folie à Deux released to critical apathy and a disappointing box office take, The Penguin episode 3 – “Bliss” – continues to remind everyone that there actually is a way to tell great stories that rewrite established lore. Even though Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb is very different to his DC Comics counterpart, his spin-off story builds out strongly from his comparatively brief appearance in The Batman, with no room for accusations of provocation. It helps, of course, that The Penguin has eight episodes to explore him more.

Episode 3 is traditionally not the flashiest of episodes: with the premiere and its immediate fallout out of the way, this is where character comes into play more. In The Penguin’s case, that means more of Victor and a deeper exploration into Sofia and Oz’s relationship. We also get the reveal of what Gotham’s new drug is going to be, which kills all theories of links to any of DC’s more famous drug-peddling villains.

The Penguin episode 3 takes the slow-burning show almost to its midpoint, building on Alberto’s promise of a new game-changing drug that will guarantee control of Gotham’s streets, and moving Oz and Sofia into a stronger position to loosen the powerful grip of the rest of the Falcone family, led by Scott Cohen’s Luca. Bar one explosive scene, there’s not a great deal of action, but the show is still no poorer for telling its story through less flashy character interactions.

It’s Impossible Not To Love Milioti’s Sofia Falcone

One Of The Best New Additions To DC Adaptations

It’s almost becoming a cliché to say that Cristian Milioti is excellent as Sofia “The Hangman” Falcone, but the sentiment is hard to argue with and let’s get it out of the way immediately. Episode 3 offers further insight into her credentials as her father’s true heir in Alberto’s absence, as well as offering the first hints at how she actually ended up in Arkham. And though she may need Oz’s intimacy with the lower rungs of Gotham’s criminal ladder, she is completely believable as a formidable figure.

Again, it’s the subtleties in Milioti’s performance that are the most rewarding, as well as the costume’s stellar work in making her look the business. Her barely contained disdain for almost everyone she encounters; the withering pith of her insults to Oz about his questionable taste; the obvious fury behind her eyes. It’s one of the most complex and impressive performances in any DC project and the end of the episode sets up everything fans of the show could ever want: the showdown we all know is coming.

Victor & Oz’s Dynamic Grows

The Penguin’s The Batman Flashback Adds Depth & Tragedy To Vic’s Story

Since episode 1, Oz has been grooming Rhenzy Feliz’s Victor Aguilar as a representative of the followers he aspires to have when he takes over. At the same time, they’ve developed a sort of Batman and Robin power dynamic, where the younger character’s values are radicalized. By the end of The Penguin episode 3, that comes to a head and Victor becomes a far more interesting character by virtue of the simple introduction of greater agency.

The episode starts with a flashback showing Victor’s perspective of The Riddler’s attack on Gotham from The Batman‘s ending. From that point, it’s clear this is going to be his episode, and the expansion of his backstory and the conflict of his old life and his new job with Oz is the best opportunity to see more from Feliz.

At the simplest level, he’s very good because of how different he is to Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti; more restrained, more likable, more… normal. In fact, he’s about the only likable character in this entire show who doesn’t actively make you feel bad for liking him. Given this grotty world is supposed to be the one Batman cares enough to save, he plays an important role and it was crucial to get more under his skin as we do here.

How Episode 3 Sets Up The Rest Of The Season

It’s All Coming To A Head Quicker Than You Might Expect

So far, The Penguin has put Oz in the position of fraught manipulator, just keeping his head above water, just about keeping control even as things spiral out of his control. By the end of episode 3, everything is different, and we’re presented with the promise of more active conflict. It will be interesting to see how that impacts the slower burn of the show so far, particularly because the ending feels like it could have been delayed for a few more episodes.

That’s partly why The Penguin‘s limited episode run was a good idea: rather than some other comic book TV show adaptations that have a habit of sagging in the middle thanks to multiple slower episodes, The Penguin gets on with it. The pace isn’t exactly lightning, by any means, but bringing such a central conflict to the front so early is a promise to the audience that there’s no agenda for filler.

The criminal world of Gotham is once more expanded with the introduction of the Triads, who feel like they matter only as a cog in Oz and Sofia’s wheel. But then that’s sort of the point, and it’s not because of any weakness in the performances of the new additions to The Penguin‘s cast, boss Feng Zhao (François Chau) or Link Tsai (Robert Lee Leng). The only real issue here is that, as more elements to The Penguin’s gang war are introduced, the absence of Batman – and more pertinently, Jim Gordon – feels like more of a stretch.

The cliffhanger at the end of the episode is a good injection of action just as things feel like they’re getting a little too settled, and drawing Victor back into Oz’s web at the same time is a smart bit of place setting. Once again, we’re faced with the reality that no matter how much Oz might think he’s in the ascendancy, he’s only ever one or two steps away from another implosion. And that’s where The Penguin really shines, with or without fidelity to DC Comics lore.