WARNING: This article includes spoilers from The Penguin episode 1.The death of one of the new bigDCplayers inThe PenguinTV show is explained by the episode 1 director, Craig Zobel. Matt Reeves’The Batmanuniverse is finally back, but with a twist, this time taking place on television with Colin Farrell back as Oz Cobb inThe Penguin. InThe Penguinepisode 1, which has now been released on HBO and Max, Oz begins his journey to grow his power in Gotham City, following the conclusion ofThe Batmanin 2022.
It didn’t take long forThe Penguinepisode 1 to bring new problems for Oz as he ended up killing Alberto Falcone, played by Michael Zegan. In an exclusive interview withScreenRantfor a post-mortem onThe Penguinpremiere, director and executive producer Craig Zobel was askedif it was always planned to have Alberto die this early in the series or if there were different versions of the script that had him live for a little longer, as he shared the following:
It was always the plan for Alberto to die. It was an addition, I would say, to Colin’s Penguin. With Oz in the movie, you don’t see this as much just because there’s not as much time, but here we get to see him in a [new] scenario.
In my mind, the thing that’s interesting is that Oz is a guy who, to attempt to win people over and do things, puts his foot in his mouth a lot. Some part of his brain makes a rash decision that pushes him into action. That can mean a lot of things, but in this case, the thing that pushes him into action is that he makes a terrible decision of maybe shooting the head of the crime family and then is like, “Now I have to solve this. Now I’ve got a problem to solve.”
But what is fun about the show and what’s attractive is that you like to see him make a mistake, and then you’d like to see him problem-solve his way out of the mistake. Both are kind of charming in a way. Considering he is a narcissist and a bad human, you still want enough charm to stick with the character and watch him for eight hours.
What Craig Zobel’s Comments Mean For Alberto Falcone’s Death
Despite being revealed to be a recurring part ofThe Penguincast,Zobel’s comments make a lot of sense about why Alberto’s death had to happen this early. Any new series premiere needs to set the stakes as big as possible for the leading character, as it would otherwise leave the protagonist - in this case, Oz - having it too easy in their character arc. With someone like Oz also being established as an incredibly insecure character, his reaction to Alberto throughout their conversation is natural for him.
It’s also great forThe Penguinstoryin general to have a twist with this much impact that leaves other characters being affected, too. In this case,The Penguinepisode 1 shows how important Alberto was to his sister, Sofia Falcone, who is going to be a crucial player in the series. Since this affects her going forward, it will cause a lot of domino effects to be put in motion through the rest ofThe Penguinshow.
Our Take On Alberto Falcone’s Death
Following Alberto’s death inThe Penguinepisode 1, this will obviously be a driving force for the rest of the season, particularly for Sofia, now being forced to navigate her life without her brother. Given the dark tone of the DC drama,it will not be shocking if other characters bite the dust by the time HBO gets to the series finale. But for now, the audience will have to wait and see what is next for Oz inThe Penguin.
The Penguinwill air episode 2 and beyond on Sundays at 9 PM on HBO, as well as weekly releases on Max.
The Penguin
Cast
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
