Read my X (formerly known as Twitter) profile, and you'll know that I'm a proud father, husband, writer, reader, teacher and runner, in that order.
But if I could fit one more descriptor of myself on that list, I'd probably include “feminist,” since I'm 100% in support of female equality.
That's just another reason why I love HBO's The Penguin, since I find it to be an incredibly feminist show. I've already talked about my love for Rhenzy Feliz's character as Victor, and now, I want to talk about how magnificent The Penguin is as a feminist drama.
Oh, and massive SPOILERS are ahead. You’ve been warned.
Forget The Patriarchy. It's All About The Matriarchy
As a male feminist, one thing I have to constantly remind other men is that I’m not against men having power. That doesn't make much sense now, does it? I mean, I’m a man, so I definitely like that men have power.
However, as a feminist, I don’t think that men should have all of the power, or even a majority of the power for that matter. It’s pretty evident that we live in a patriarchal society given how the highest positions in the world are occupied by men, and I’m not with that.
In my mind, it should be 50/50, with women and men having equal control. That’s something I really dig about The Penguin, since it makes a strong case for why matriarchies could be just as–if not more–effective than patriarchal organizations.
How else am I to read into Sofia Falcone, played by the amazing Cristin Milioti, gassing almost everybody who worked for her father, and then taking over as the new leader? Sofia, who wants to separate herself as far from her murderous father as possible, even disavows her father’s name, instead going by her mother’s maiden name, Gigante.
Now, check this out. In one night, Sofia did what Salvatore Maroni couldn’t do for years, and that’s kill off the Falcone family. I repeat, IN ONE NIGHT. Not only that, but she eliminates anybody who stands in her way (just look at how quickly she took out Johnny Viti for even trying to step out of bounds).
Sofia has only been at the head of the table for a few weeks, and she’s already sent fear down the spine of Gotham City, even doing so much as to join sides with her father’s rival, Maroni, since they have a common enemy in Oz Cobb.
In every way, Sofia is showing that the matriarchy is far superior at getting things done than the patriarchy. It just took the right leader to get things accomplished.
The Penguin Is Also A Show Where Men's Bad Deeds Get Punished
Quite recently, John Turturro came out with why he didn’t want to appear in The Penguin, citing that he didn’t like the “violence towards women,” and that's fine. I’m all for actors standing up for what they believe in. Hell, the series’ showrunner, Lauren LeFranc (a woman herself), responded in a very diplomatic fashion.
But while I do admire Turturro for not wanting to be associated with such a nasty streak toward women, I think he may have missed out on a good opportunity starring in the series (not that Mark Strong did a bad job himself) since the “violence towards women” is intentional. It’s meant to be nasty, because the men who are perpetrating it will ostensibly be punished for it, and punished for it severely.
In other words, this is a show where men behave badly toward women, and women exact revenge against them. Take, for example, the first episode. Sofia didn’t trust Oz, so she tortured him. We learned in later episodes that she was aware that Oz helped put her in Arkham Asylum, and so she was, in her way, taking that frustration out on Oz since he deserved it.
Or, as mentioned earlier, what about when she gassed all of the terrible men who were complicit in getting her sent away? Johnny Viti was spared, but only so she could torture him. When he stopped being useful to her, Sofia blew his brains out right at the table.
So in that way, yes, the show is violent toward women, but it’s not like the men aren’t getting punished for their bad deeds, and rightfully so! I wish reality followed this sort of karmic justice. We’d have a lot less male scumbags in the world, that’s for sure.
It's Great To See The Girl Code Employed By Oz's Lover, Eve
Another great character on the show is Eve Karlo, played by True Detective Season 3’s Carmen Ejogo. Eve plays the head of a ring of prostitutes who service the men in Gotham City. She also acts as Oz’s love interest.
However, just like I said how bad men get punished on this show, Oz also gets punished by his lover. You see, Eve has been pissed off at Oz ever since he used her as an alibi for Alberto Falcone’s murder.
When she figured out just why Oz needed her to say that she was with him all night, she realized the ramifications, and, more importantly, how it would affect her women. As the ,atriarch of that world, she wasn’t having it.
So, when Oz wanted her to leave with him to Crown Point, she pumped the brakes immediately, since she owed more to her sisters than she ever did to Oz. Not only that, but in the most recent episode, we see that she even gave up Oz’s location to Sofia since she knows that Sofia was also wronged by Oz, and he deserves to get his comeuppance.
I just love that about this show. It doesn’t make the women seem “wrong” for turning against the men in their lives, as it’s perfectly justifiable. Not every show, even the great ones, have handled that well.
For example, even though Breaking Bad is my favorite show of all time, the writers definitely dropped the ball on Skylar’s character. People HATED her (they still do, really), and some even think she was a bigger villain than Walt, who, if I need to remind anybody, IS A MURDEROUS DRUG LORD.
However, people nowadays have come to Skylar’s defense, and I’m happy that the showrunners for The Penguin aren’t making a similar mistake with Eve or Sofia. Perhaps it’s because a woman is making all of the final decisions for these women characters? Just a thought.
It's Refreshing To See Power-Hungry Female Characters, Such As Oz's Mom
Another character I love is Oz’s mom, Francis, played impeccably by Deidre O’Connell. It seems like Francis is suffering horribly through dementia, but when she has her moments of clarity, you can see that she craves power just as much as her son, if not more so.
I love to see this. I’ve always adored Lady MacBeth-type characters (like I loved Sherry Palmer on the excellent show 24), and Francis Cobb definitely typifies this trope. In fact, she gets angry at Oz for not taking over Gotham City faster, as she likely knows she doesn’t have much longer to live, and she’d like to live out her last days comfortably rather than freezing to death in Crown Point.
In every sense, I just love that Oz’s mom is power hungry, as it almost makes it seem like Oz is doing everything he’s doing because of her (Not for her, but because of her), and that’s a really interesting dynamic to watch unfold week after week.
Overall, I Just Love Seeing Strong, Female Characters On TV
Lastly, I just love seeing strong female characters. I don’t even care if they’re villainous. Do they want something (other than a man)? Do they have agency? Are they doing everything in their power to get what they want? Then I like them!
Because that’s the thing. Growing up, when I’d watch something, women were usually going after a guy, and that’s it. Badass female characters like Ellen Ripley, Samus Aran and Sarah Connor were few and far between.
But nowadays, we have a lot more female characters taking charge. A lot of people (mostly men) will likely shout "Woke!" at the idea of having three female leads in something like The Marvels, but I’m all for that, just like I’m all for the female characters on The Penguin. I guess it’s just the feminist in me.
