Before I watched HBO's The Penguin, a spinoff centered on one of Gotham’s morally corrupt characters, I thought, "how groundbreaking—another take on Batman, a guy who wears underwear over his pants." But, I was wrong. The Penguin takes something we're all familiar with and subverts it. Not only do you get your comic book fix, but it's masterfully balanced with unflinching social critique on toxic masculinity, power, privilege and gender. The show, the writing, the acting—it's all so good your DC-loving dad might not even notice that his favorite IP has been made all the riper with poignant feminist themes. Here's what makes the show such a notch about the rest.
Do Men Realize HBO's 'The Penguin' Is Secretly a Feminist Show (and Sofia Falcone Is a Feminist Icon)?
Of *course* it was developed by a woman
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Published Dec 17, 2024
Courtesy of Max
Courtesy of HBO
1. Women Are in the Writer's Room
One of the first things I did after watching the pilot was Google its showrunner: Lauren LeFranc. "Of course," I said aloud to my husband. "Of course what?" "Of course a woman made this show," I responded, and then learned that there were women on the writing team too. In Hollywood, this is rare, unfortunately. And it's especially rare in the antihero genre that glorifies flawed men. (Think: The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men.) While Oz isn't burning bras or quoting Andrea Dworkin, the show offers feminist perspectives from his rival, his mother and his lover that strengthen the entire story.
Courtesy of HBO
2. Sofia Falcone Is a Fully Realized "Villain"
Sofia, the daughter of Gotham’s reigning crime lord played by Cristin Milioti, could have easily been a character reduced to the classic mafia princess with daddy issues sulking (sexily) in the background. Instead, Sofia's arc explores generational trauma, gender and mental health—with a "Yellow Wallpaper" reference that made my English major heart jump—and yes, all while looking sexy. If Oz is the antihero, Sofia is not the cartoonish supervillain but the equally riveting anti-antihero.
Courtesy of HBO
3. Penguin's Mother Isn't a Throwaway Character
One of my least favorite characterizations is "loving single mom who's lost all her faculties." Though the show introduces us to Oz's mother, Francis Cobb, who seems to fit into this category, as the series progresses, we learn that Francis has a lot more going on than this tired plot device. I won't say a whole lot more about Francis's relationship with her son, but it's complex, interesting and raises thought-provoking questions about what it means to be a mother.
Courtesy of HBO
4. A New Take on Gotham’s Power Dynamics
At its crux, The Penguin is about power. And I really appreciate that the show acknowledges that the men and women in this world would wield—or want to wield—their power very differently. For example, must a woman crime boss follow the code of the men before her? When does pillow talk become street capital? For both Oz and Sofia, there's a cyclical din throughout asking, "But why? Why do you want this?" that adds complexity to the desire to be in power or to relinquish it.
So, do men know why they’re hooked on The Penguin? Maybe not. But the result is a Gotham tale that I'm hoping continues into a second season.
