Ty Watches "The Penguin"

I finished "The Penguin" a few days ago and I have some thoughts. I will not spoil anything in this piece because I think people should watch this show. I also want to say, the time for spoilers should be well past by this point, but I want to respect the wishes of people that may not watch stuff in real time, or their version of binging is like mine, where I watch a few episodes a day over a week. There, got that out of the way.

"The Penguin" caught my interest from the moment I saw him in "The Batman". He was barely onscreen, but I was intrigued. I also liked the costume and makeup that Colin Farrell wore and I wanted to see more of him in this world. They announced the show and I was stoked. Then I forgot about it until RD mentioned it to me. I started watching right away because RD usually recommends good stuff to me. I was in from the jump. I liked how dark and grimy the show was on my tv. This may have had names of people from comic books and superhero movies, but this show is not in that genre. This show is something totally different. This is a hard crime drama. It reminded me of "Goodfellas". It has all the tropes, in a good way, of classic crime stories, some of the characters just happened to be called The Penguin or Selina Kyle. I will say though, when The Penguin is called that, he is very angry and hates that name. It is bad for him. He doesn't like it at all.

The events of the show take place right after the ending of "The Batman". The story immediately picks up, but this is about the crime families within Gotham and the introduction of a new drug called bliss. From there on out we meet some new villains and new people that I've never heard of before. Colin Farrell is Oz. He is amazing in this role. He takes it on headfirst and he absolutely nails it. Cristin Milioti plays Sofia, who is totally new to me. She is fantastic. I found myself openly rooting for her even though she is as villainous as the worst people in Gotham. Milioti needs to get proper recognition for this part. And Rhenzy Feliz plays Vic. He is a down on his luck kid who Oz catches trying to steal his rims from his car. Oz spares him and takes him along on his journey to becoming the top drug guy in Gotham. Feliz is pretty great as well, acting up to the level of Farrell when they're on screen together. There are more people involved, but these are the three main actors and each one is better than the next.

I really enjoyed watching this show as it unfolded. There are a few episodes in the middle that lag for just a bit, but they're worth it in the long run. This show needs these episodes to build up the world the creators have created. I also want to say, and this is no spoiler, this is one of the saddest, most depressing endings to a tv show that I've ever seen. I sat on my couch after the finale and let it sink in and that was the biggest feeling I came away with in the end. It is so sad and probably the only way they could've ended this season. I don't know if they're going to make any more episodes. I hope they do, but it wouldn't be the worst thing if they didn't make anymore and just let this one epic season stand on its own.

I highly recommend watching this show. Don't go into it expecting a typical comic book thing because you will be disappointed. But, if you go into it expecting a hard crime drama, it will be one of the best things you'll see on tv all year. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Penguin"

Last week RD texted and asked if I had seen "The Penguin" yet. I told him I had not, but I wanted to. He said the first episode was pretty epic, and I trust his opinion on things like this, so I decided that I was going to watch it that day.

I'm glad RD told me about this because this show is pretty damn great. I saw "The Batman", where this version of The Penguin was first featured, but he was barely in the movie. And that is a long, long movie. So, when it was announced that they were going to do a series featuring this version of The Penguin, I was interested. I feel that, when given the proper material, Colin Farrell can do some great work. That is happening here for sure. Farrell is excellent in this show. He is also unrecognizable. The makeup people are doing a bang up job. Farrell has been transformed into what I have always envisioned this villain to like. He has messed up teeth, with some gold teeth peppered in there. His limp is due to a foot injury and him having to wear a brace. He over dresses. He tries too hard on his look. They nailed it. Farrell also makes this version sound like a true New York crime boss. He has the accent down to a T. He sounds and acts like a true New Yorker, or at least tv and movie versions of New Yorkers.

Farrell is not alone here on the show. Cristin Milioti is playing a new villain, at least to me, Sofia Falcone/Gigante. She is tough. She takes no prisoners. The episode when we see her backstory, how she got to where she is in today's version of the show, her performance should be studied in acting classes. This is a masterclass. I'd be shocked if she doesn't get award consideration for this performance alone. But, she continues to shine with each passing episode. She terrifies me. But I also cannot look away from what her character is doing on the show. I'm also enjoying Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar. His role could have been cliched. He could have been a typical kid that, due to dumb luck, found himself working for The Penguin. But he adds layers to his portrayal. He has past issues that haunt him. He has personal stuff that he hasn't fully dealt with in his life. He ended up working for Oz by pure happenstance. but what they have done so far with him has been pretty damn great. These three really bring this whole show to life.

And, if you are reading this thinking it's just another superhero show, think again. I thought that for a second, but after watching the first episode, that's not the case. I'm almost caught up on the show, and to this point, this is a crime show that happens to have characters that share names with comic book people. This is as hardcore as "The Godfather" or "Goodfellas". This is akin to gangster movies that my mom watches and that I have come around on big time since I was a kid. I never think about this as a DC show or a superhero/super villain show. The only time that comes to mind is when they flash the DC logo after each episode. This is not that. This is a hard crime drama that also happens to be incredibly violent.

"The Penguin" is a very good show that has gotten better, for me, with each passing episode. I highly recommend checking it out. It's good stuff. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches "Palm Springs"

On our quarantine date this weekend my wife and I sat and watched "Palm Springs".

This is the Lonely Island movie that won Sundance, and sold for a record amount of money, which was a record by 69 cents, and that is hilarious to me. But, the movie was obviously well received, and got good feedback. I am a sucker for a lot of stuff that comes out of Sundance, and is considered a "darling" movie, and "Palm Springs" got all that attention and then some. Add on the fact that Andy Samberg, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, is the star, and I am going to give it a very fair shot.

So after my wife watched the preview and said she'd love to see it, we turned it on, and the next ninety minutes were wonderful. I loved this movie. It more than lived up to the hype. I am not going to spoil much, if anything because I really want people to watch and support this movie, but I will give you a little outline. The movie is like a newer generation "Groundhog Day", except with much more cursing, and way more sexual situations("sexual situations", what am I a hundred?). Andy Samberg plays Nyles, a guest at a wedding, and he ends up reliving the same day over and over and over again. He doesn't exactly know how it happens, or does he, but he is just reliving the same day. Nothing changes, so he just decides to roll with it eventually, and he decides he doesn't care anymore. He has tried to find ways out, be it suicide, or other, but nothing has worked. So, instead of trying to leave, he simply gives in. He does the same thing, but changes up the situation from time to time. One day he'll fight with his girlfriend, the next he is nice to her. He hooks up with all different people, the best being when he claims to have hooked up with the bride's dad, played by Peter Gallagher. That scene is a riot. But there is one night where he sees someone new. He decides to give a speech to save her, and they go to hook up out in the desert. Only, the hookup doesn't end like they both want. Nyles is being hunted by Roy, who is played by JK Simmons, and man is he great, and the girl he is with, Sarah, played by Cristin Milioti, goes to try and help him, and then realizes she is trapped in this infinite loop. She goes to Nyles and finally gets him to explain what is happening but she doesn't buy it. She thinks he is crazy, and she decides to drive all the way home to Austin so she won't fall asleep there. Well, she wakes up in Palm Springs again, and from there on out the movie just becomes more and more hilarious. When Sarah finally starts to buy in and join Nyles on some crazy adventures, That's when I truly fell in love with the movie. They go out and constantly find ways to wreck the wedding. They do copious amounts of drugs. They get drunk everyday. They fight bar patrons. They even did a dance at said bar, and that was some of the funniest dancing I have ever witnessed. I cannot imagine how many takes that took to get that full shot. It was glorious. Throughout all this stuff, Sarah and Nyles start to realize they have feelings for one another. They have an intimate evening, but when they awake again, they both have different reactions. Sarah realizes she has done something wrong, and Nyles, well, he may or may not have been lying to Sarah this whole time. They have their argument, and Sarah disappears. She eventually comes back, and she has a plan that just might get them out of this loop. Nyles isn't so sure, he has grown accustomed to this life, and that is where I will leave this review because it gets so wild and crazy from there.

All in all, like I said above, I loved this movie. Samberg showed some real chops. He has always had the comedy, but in this movie he had to show other emotions, true emotions, and he nailed it. I already said how great Simmons was, and so were the other bit actors they got to be in this movie. But Milioti, she is the star of this. She owns this movie as much, if not more so, than Samberg. She is funny, dark, mysterious, quirky and excellent in everything she does in this movie. I was blown away by her performance, and I shouldn't have been. She was great in "30 Rock", and was totally awesome in her episode of "Black Mirror". She is a damn good actor. Check out "Palm Springs". It is on Hulu, it is short and it rules. This is definitely one of the best movies I have seen in 2020.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.