The Penguin Episode 2: Inside Man (Spoiler Thread)

[Stringer]

I still don't quite get the point of Victor, though. He doesn't really seem to need to exist on this show, particularly when we haven't seen him do anything other than work for the Penguin. It's kind of like if Henry Hill was just tagging along with Jimmy and Tommy in Goodfellas, and we never saw his home life or how he always wanted to be a gangster. I feel like they could kill him off and it would have no real impact on the story.

I imagine that missing person poster he glared at will factor into his eventual focalized episode.

 

[DCDAVE]

Dude this is The best comic book show ever… no joke.. what else would even compare quality wise? DD? Sandman? Wipes the floor with both

Daredevil has better action but the acting/directing in Penguin is unquestionable top notch. Two episodes in and I want episode 3 today. Grace would tell you that Wondavision would give it a run for its money.

 

[C Prometheus]

He's the everyman of the story - an ordinary person thrust into the world of the extraordinary. We'll see in real-time what effect this sort of lifestyle has on an innocent soul (relatively speaking).

I am not optimistic about his chances based on what we've seen so far. Methinks he's the weak link that gets Oswald back in Sofia's sights.

I fully expect Oz to pull a "Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler" on him at some point by the end of the series.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Dude this is The best comic book show ever… no joke.. what else would even compare quality wise? DD? Sandman? Wipes the floor with both

I’d say HBO’s Watchmen is still handily the peak. But that’s a crazy high bar and Penguin will easily take second at this rate. Maybe Legion, depending on your taste?

 

[The Big G]

I just love how everything just doesn't go Oz's way in the show. The show is just a continued "Oz's Very, Terrible Bad Day".

Pretty much. and I love it.

Like all of Oz's inital plans are solid. But the great part of the show is seeing how he gets himself out when they all go up FUBAR do to outside circumstances. The dude is a great on his feet thinker, dude is the master of go with the flow. I understand he had to give Vic a lil tough love at the end but at the same time he's not a nice guy. So i guess its all good in the end.

 

[Iceman]

Copying from other thread: Just seen the second episode of Penguin while on a walk. Now this is the kind of show that it's worth making sacrifices to see. That episode was better than the first IMO - absolutely top quality TV and this is a perfect companion piece for The Batman. If the reception to this measures up to what it deserves there may be mumblings behind the scenes that the Reeves-verse needs to continue longer than originally planned. This isn't just great for a comic show, it can measure up to the best shows coming out from all genres.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Just to see her react to a half sister. How would it go, I have no idea. 50/50, either way.

I just love how everything just doesn't go Oz's way in the show. The show is just a continued "Oz's Very, Terrible Bad Day".

Never seen someone legit plan as he clearly does, turn into Han Solo every time, with all the improvising.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Dude this is The best comic book show ever… no joke.. what else would even compare quality wise? DD? Sandman? Wipes the floor with both

Invader: Peacemaker. Easily. As James Gunn wrote and directed it. And everything James Gunn makes, is solid gold ****. Including his ****s.

 

[Kane52630]

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

Dude this is The best comic book show ever… no joke.. what else would even compare quality wise? DD? Sandman? Wipes the floor with both

I still put Legion as my favorite comic book TV adaptation (and comic book adaptation in general, TV or film), but in no time at all, I could easily see The Penguin standing alongside great, mature adaptations like Daredevil and Watchmen (haven't seen Sandman or Peacemaker yet).

 

[chintai80]

we are starting to see why this guy will survive dealing with batman for so long.

oswald, the improvise god.

 

[BatsAndNights]

Yeah, the narrative in this episode was so on point.

It's amazing how interesting you can make a plot when you just take the theorised line it's gonna take and just ask, at every step of the way, "okay but what if literally everything went wrong at this precise moment"

It gives a D&D game where everyone rolls a natural 1 at the most important dice rolls, it's compelling stuff

 

[C Prometheus]

we are starting to see why this guy will survive dealing with batman for so long.

oswald, the improvise god.

Yeah, the narrative in this episode was so on point.

It's amazing how interesting you can make a plot when you just take the theorised line it's gonna take and just ask, at every step of the way, "okay but what if literally everything went wrong at this precise moment"

It gives a D&D game where everyone rolls a natural 1 at the most important dice rolls, it's compelling stuff

It really does feel to me like Oz would be incredible at TTRPG stuff, either as a player or as a GM, with how masterful he is at improvising things on the fly and recovering from a plan's misstep immediately.

 

[WatchProtect]

This episode FLEW by. Every single character they've introduced is so captivating. Loved seeing all the chess moves Oz was making and how they're using Sofia is so brilliantly well done.

Do you have the Riddler And Joker Arkham "reveals" ?

 

[BobJM]

Dude this is The best comic book show ever… no joke.. what else would even compare quality wise? DD? Sandman? Wipes the floor with both

The one to beat, for me, is Daredevil. This has been amazing so far, no notes, but idk if can top DD in my book.

 

[flickchick85]

Watchmen is the CBM TV King, but this one belongs right up there with it imo.

 

[antsman41]

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

I thought Watchmen was a masterpiece, but I already like this better and find it more appealing in literally every regard.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

I thought Watchmen was a masterpiece, but I already like this better and find it more appealing in literally every regard.

I can totally see why! Absolutely a taste thing. They're both phenomenal shows.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Penguin is great. Love it. But it's just begun. Few things in history have stuck the landing the way Watchmen did. And to do so after such a beautifully layered season, which took the source material and arguably made it even more socially relevant, which is crazy to think about. Oh, and the score was next level.

 

[SwordOfMorning]

Penguin is great. Love it. But it's just begun. Few things in history have stuck the landing the way Watchmen did. And to do so after such a beautifully layered season, which took the source material and arguably made it even more socially relevant, which is crazy to think about. Oh, and the score was next level.

Started zoning out staring at your avatar while listening this. Was that ever a vibe.

 

[Kane52630]

Do you have the Riddler And Joker Arkham "reveals" ?

 

[J.Drangal]

Another solid episode!

Even if we suspect that the Penguin will always manage to ultimately get away with trouble, the series manages to create a climate of almost permanent tension. It works very well on me.
And even if we don't know much about them yet, I'm already worried about Vic, Eve and Oz's mother...
They also nailing everything when it comes to Sofia, and with her now decided to giving free rein to her instincts to regain power, I feel like this already bloody series is about to crank it to eleven!

Yeah, the narrative in this episode was so on point.

It's amazing how interesting you can make a plot when you just take the theorised line it's gonna take and just ask, at every step of the way, "okay but what if literally everything went wrong at this precise moment"

It gives a D&D game where everyone rolls a natural 1 at the most important dice rolls, it's compelling stuff

Exactly. And this is where the series is really great to me.
A story is only as good as its articulations. If things are just “this happens, then this happens, then this happens”, the story is likely to be boring. But if things go like “the character has to do this, but this happens, and so...” then you get a dynamic and compelling narrative. And so far, the series is applying this method flawlessly.

Also, I really like the way the writers are honoring the episodic format. Many series slowly move their pawns without necessarily giving the episodes a specific identity.
But these first two episodes are different, taking a starting situation (Alberto's murder, the semi-failure of the drug-snatching operation) and over an hour really exploring all its fallout, the characters constantly having to react to it and thus organically advancing the plot.
You can practically sum up the concepts of each episode in a single image (the car trunk, the knife), and that's also a good recipe for a few great series of fan posters... ^^

------

Just a random observation to end this post:

With Falcone having previously spread his web all over Gotham, I can't help but wonder if he didn't have soldiers at Blackgate, either in front of or behind bars.
I imagine that Oz, given his position within the empire, would know if it's the case, but I can't help thinking that he's taking risks by going to see Maroni there and in front of so many people.
Perhaps this is a misstep that will be justified and exploited later?

 

[WatchProtect]

Thanks!

 

[solidsnake86]

Penguin is great. Love it. But it's just begun. Few things in history have stuck the landing the way Watchmen did. And to do so after such a beautifully layered season, which took the source material and arguably made it even more socially relevant, which is crazy to think about. Oh, and the score was next level.

I couldn't believe what they did with that show. It was so well done, like you mentioned, that it built on the source material and made it more socially relevant for today's audience.

We will see how this show turns out but one thing I will say is that, to me at least, it's very rewatchable.

I also really enjoyed daredevil but I feel like it was 3 or 4 episodes to long.

What I think these shows have nailed is that fact that they realize it's tv unlike marvel shows which seem to be a movie sized story split up into small bits to make it a show.