When first we meet Oswald Cobb in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, he’s running a popular – albeit seedy – nightclub named The Iceberg Lounge. But it’s made clear almost immediately that Oz runs multiple rackets in Gotham, few (if any) being legal. He has dirt on almost everyone – something that is reflected in the first episode of the HBO original series The Penguin, as Oz is shown retrieving a folder of incriminating photos of Johnny Viti (Michael Kelly). But there was a moment in the premiere episode of The Penguin that gave the creative team fits, as they knew it would go a long way toward establishing the type of person Oz Cobb is… and the kind of show that The Penguin can be.
Obviously, this will get into spoilers for Episode 1 of The Penguin, so go watch that first before you keep reading.
The biggest moment in the series premiere, which will cast a shadow over the entire season, is Oz’s decision to shoot and kill Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), son of the late Carmine Falcone (played by Mark Strong in the show) who was murdered by The Riddler in The Batman. For a moment, Alberto is the new boss, and Oz seems to be wrestling with a new plan to manipulate the kid. He gets him high on Drops, then shares an emotional story about Rex Calabrese, a gangster from Oz’s childhood whom he clearly admires.
Only, Alberto makes the mistake of ridiculing Oz. And the hot-tempered “soldier” does the unthinkable. He whacks the Boss.
The Penguin director Craig Zobel opened up to CinemaBlend about his exquisite work on the show. And when I asked about filming the moment when Oz kills Alberto Falcone, Zobel told me:
The moment before the gunshot, for me, was the most fun part to shoot. Just to try the different… we tried a bajillion versions. This is one version of (Oz’s) reaction to being made fun of by Alberto. But Colin's so good, that there were all sorts of interesting versions. You had to pick one at some point. That, I think, was important for me in terms of knowing the trajectory was to be like, ‘OK, his kryptonite is that he has been made fun of.’ This is a person that has been made fun of. The Penguin is not a pejorative term to him. He has overcome insecurity so many times before. So that was really interesting.
Earlier, we spoke with Colin Farrell as part of a Penguin press day, and asked him how Oz feels about the nickname The Penguin. Safe to say, Oz is not a fan. Even though Alberto stops short of calling Oz by his hated gang name, he does make the criminal feel belittled. And it’s enough for Oz to pull a gun and kill him.
As Craig Zobel elaborated in the scene, he opened up about different conversations they had behind the scenes, all which go the extra mile to explain more about Oz. Zobel told CinemaBlend:
And then, in a very technical acting kind of way, it was like, ‘Well, how fast does he shoot the guy?’ Is there a version where he, like, makes a choice? Or is there a version where Alberto has enough of a chance to kind of understand? Eventually, this felt like the best way. Because it's like he is stopping the conversation. He is not doing it to teach Alberto a lesson, or he'd shoot him in the leg. You know what I mean? He's just like, ‘You need to not talk anymore.’
Oz clearly shut Alberto Falcone up. But in doing so, he has opened the doors to all sorts of problems, some that you see play out in this first episode. Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) wants answers as to who did this to her brother. The blame appears to be laid at the feet of the Maroni family, but we’ll see how long Oz can maintain that charade. We might not get Batman in The Penguin. But there’s more than enough happening to keep you invested in the criminal happenings in and around Gotham.
The second episode of The Penguin will air on HBO on Sunday, September 29, so make sure that your subscription is up to date.
