This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of “The Penguin.”
As “The Penguin” has gone on, the sense that showrunner Lauren LeFranc wants to differentiate her show from Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” has become increasingly obvious. That’s not to say that the HBO series is entirely unconcerned with the wider universe established by Reeves with his 2022 effort. After all, episode 4 of “The Penguin” made the biggest connection to “The Batman” yet. But even as LeFranc ties the story of Oz Cobb into the events of the film, there’s still an overriding sense that she wants to ensure the show can stand apart, and not just from the movie but from wider Batman lore.
For one, the Easter eggs in “The Penguin,” though fairly numerous, are not as overt as you might expect. When Cristin Millioti’s Sofia Falcone is committed to Arkham Asylum in episode 4, for instance, many fans were expecting to see some teases of big-time Batman villains that would set up a future clash between them and Pattinson’s vigilante in the next movie, “The Batman: Part II.” Instead, we got a deep-cut DC villain in the form of Magpie (who didn’t even make it out of the episode alive).
Things like this just add to the sense that LeFranc was intent upon allowing her character study of Colin Farrell’s budding crime boss to stand on its own. The showrunner put it to SFX magazine like this: “I think Gotham is an interesting enough city that it deserves to have more doors unlocked within it, and for us to walk through those and see what we think.” The most obvious representation of that ethos is the fact that Robert Pattinson’s Batman does not show up at all in “The Penguin,” despite rumors that the show would feature such a cameo.
In all, LeFranc’s series has managed to strike a balance between tying itself into the Reeves-verse without relying on it too heavily to justify its own existence. So far, that’s worked well for the show. But fans of Reeves’ film surely feel a surge of excitement when the series does take time to remind us that “The Penguin” is all part of a much bigger whole. Now, the show has done just that by bringing in a character from “The Batman” who wasn’t used all that much in the movie but will hopefully play a bigger role going forward.
The Penguin episode 5 features a character from The Batman
In episode 5 of “The Penguin,” we see the aftermath of Sofia Falcone’s plan to seize control of the crime family over which her father, Carmine, used to preside. After wiping out almost her entire family by flooding the Falcone mansion with gas, Sofia feigns emotional devastation as police swarm the property, counting the bodies and investigating what was set up to look like a freak accident. As part of the investigation, Gotham Police Chief Mackenzie Bock (Con O’Neill) visits the crime scene and questions Sofia about the deaths. He seems suspicious, which offends Sofia, who confronts the chief about the rampant corruption within the Gotham City Police Department and tacitly suggests that Bock himself has been taking bribes.
The whole interaction lasts just minutes, and Bock isn’t seen again for the rest of the episode. But while it’s a brief cameo from Con O’Neill, it helps to bolster the sense that the events of “The Penguin” are not happening in a vacuum and that the show is still building towards something bigger. Beyond that, it’s nice to see the show making use of O’Neill’s character, who could have been used a lot more in “The Batman,” had Matt Reeves chosen to go that route.
Chief Bock was underused in The Batman
“The Batman” depicted Chief Mackenzie Bock as not only being corrupt, but also heavily opposed to Robert Pattinson’s Batman and his one-man crusade against crime. In a tense scene that follows the death of District Attorney Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard), Batman is taken to Police headquarters, where he finds himself surrounded by Gotham’s finest. Bock is incensed that Batman’s actions indirectly led to Colson’s death, asking Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon, “You’re protecting this guy, Jim? He interfered in an active hostage situation. Colson’s blood is on his hands.”
This sets up an interesting dynamic between Gordon and Bock, whereby the former protects Batman from the police who are more than eager to put an end to his crusade, but finds himself at odds with the chief of police as a result. It felt like so much more could have been made out of Gordon having to constantly clash with his superior to keep Pattinson’s vigilante safe from arrest and in that sense, Bock felt somewhat underused. Of course, Reeves was limited with what he could do in a movie, which is why “The Penguin” feels like a worthwhile venture. The show can explore elements of Gotham in much more granular detail, such as when episode 3 showed the real human cost of Riddler’s plan from “The Batman.”
Put simply, despite “The Batman” being three hours long, Reeves was never going to be able to explore all the character dynamics, which is why it’s nice to see “The Penguin” making use of Bock. We might not see that much of the Police Chief, but it’s good to know that he’s still very much a part of this world. Bock is definitely one of the characters we’d like to see more of in “The Batman Part II,” especially if it means seeing the tension between him and Jim Gordon reach a fever pitch.
New episodes of “The Penguin” premiere on HBO and Max on Sundays.
