Penguin Episode 6 Review: Gotham Returns

Some may be disappointed by this twist to the comics. For some, the attraction Penguin was his ability to elevate, if not “transcend” his superhero roots. These people claimed it Penguin not about Oswald Cobblepott, a grotesque gangster who misleads batman with his bird-themed exploits. It’s about Oz Cobb, a scorned man willing to go to the darkest depths to regain his dignity.

To these viewers, “The Penguin” is not a supervillain alias that Oswald adopts to bully Batman and Robin. It’s an insult used to put Oz in his place, just as society puts so many confused and insecure young men in their place, disdaining the things they love. But in Golden Peak, writer Nick Towne and director Kevin Bray show it Penguin dealing with rich themes as well as being a supervillain show in Gotham City.

Take the best scene of the episode, in which Sofia Gigante confronts Eva Carlo. In a conversation that probably wasn’t in the pages John Turturro was reading when he decided not to reprise his role as Carmine Falconethe duo discuss the perils of being a woman in Gotham. Believing her to be Katelia, Eva resents Sofia for killing several sex workers. Insulted that even the other woman doesn’t believe her, Sofia denies that Eva’s friends were killed by Carmine and that Sofia fell.

The conversation touches on rich thematic aspects that are still not given enough attention in culture, how women are forced to wriggle out to protect themselves from insecure men, how women take the blame for men’s bad actions.

And it’s also an incredibly arc, a conversation between supervillains in Gotham City. No Penguin (yet) doesn’t go as far as possible with Eva Carlo, turning her into Basil Carlo, aka Clayface from comics However, it does show Eve working, taking on different personas and even costumes to please her clients, which isn’t too far from the original acting version of Clayface from the comics before he became a shape-shifting pile of dirt. Plus, Sofia delievers in full Gigante mode, complete with flashy earrings and a coat that doubles as a costume.

The scene fulfills both the supervillain and thematic needs thanks to Bray’s confident direction, blocking and holding shots to capture the small human moments between the big statements, and great acting.