narratio-52751

So, the first episode is done and it was excellent. I've never seen Farell so invested in a character. I mean yes, he's wearing a fat suit but you'd never know it. His attitude, body language, voice all make you submerge into the character and only see Penguin. It has no relationship to any of the other live TV penguins, Burgess Meredith or Robin Lord Taylor. This a New York mobster, a wise guy. He's a Scorsese mobster but without the florid language.

The plot is simple, similar to Lord Taylors Penguin in the CW's Gotham. The Penguin is a middle man in a mob organization. Up until now he's been doing his time, slowly moving up in the mob and then, with the effects of the Riddler blowing up the city sea wall and the death of his boss in that movie, he sees a chance to move up in the world. Now begins the game of cross, double cross and, I suppose, triple cross. Highly entertaining and very much recommended.

If anybody apart from myself is old enough to remember an old BBC YV show called 'Doomwatch', this is a resurrection. Not very well done but not bad.

I appreciate Patrick Stewart doing his version of John Pauls Dr. Spencer Quist. He's doing it in an everyman style that reminds me of his work In "I, Claudius" But the stories are somewhat weak. Each episode has a good premise but lacks a certain clarity or sense of urgency.

The supporting cast are good bur not exceptional, providing solid performances thoughout. Faces repeat and there are continued references to the other episodes and things which, if the series had been renewed, may have cropped up in the future.

In all it's an intriguing 'might have been' series.