The Penguin review: Colin Farrell's The Batman spin-off takes its sweet time

The bottom line is that The Penguin is worth sticking with, as the second half of the series takes a monumental step up in quality. But it's certainly got some flaws along the way - and big ones at that.

The Penguin's biggest crime is that it takes too long to get going, resulting in a dull opening few episodes. Despite much of the set-up being done in The Batman, there's a lot of ground to cover early on in The Penguin, meaning we can't get to the real action until we're into the second half of the season.

Part of this groundwork is introducing us to new characters, who don't mean an awful lot to us at first. Victor might have a big role to play towards the end of the series, and his backstory is certainly worth exploring, but again it takes us too long to get there, losing valuable time along the way.

The one big exception to this rule is Cristin Miloti's Sofia Falcone, who quickly becomes the most captivating character in the entire series. Almost immediately, she grabs our attention and episode 4, which focuses on her harrowing history, is by far the best episode, offering up scenes that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. Miloti gives a haunting performance and is handed material that she can run with in Sofia's tale of betrayal and revenge – she ensures every scene she's in is completely gripping.

But the quality of Miloti's performance does have an unfortunate side-effect on the series as a whole: The Penguin isn't exactly the most captivating character in his own story. Finally, in the last few episodes of the series, we learn more about Oz and what made him the monster he is, gearing us up for an epic finale which almost redeems that dull opener. But, again, this comes just a little too late.

So, why is it worth sticking with? When it eventually does get to the point, the series is explosive and the final few episodes provide moments of magic. As we learn more about the Penguin and return to his childhood, shocking truths come to light, reminding us of what kind of a monster we're dealing with and paving the way for haunting scenes between Oz and Sofia. As for that finale episode? You won't want to look away.

There's also no faulting the cast. While Miloti is given more to work with as Sofia Falcone, Farrell is of course mesmerising as Oz Cobb himself. As in The Batman, it's almost impossible to recognise Farrell in the character, with the prosthetics and makeup department deserving huge kudos. But Farrell himself brings new complexities to one of Batman's best known villains, managing to balance darkness and light.

The drama-filled second half of the season might just make audiences forget about the weak opening episodes - but the fact remains that there's a lot of fat that could have been cut to focus in on the most interesting parts of the show.

Thankully, the final two episodes do just that and are particularly gripping as Oz, Sofia, and the rest of Gotham's (surviving) criminal underworld see each other for what they truly are. Only one can win the deadly game they've got themselves into. But, the big question remains for Oz - is it worth it?

The Penguin will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW from Friday 20th September 2024 - find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.

Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.