DC Live Action

[Dr. Insomniac]

Watched Flash's finale earlier today, and with that, the end of this bizarre creature called the Arrowverse. Had no idea what was happening since I didn't watch the rest of the season, so I didn't know why most of the main villains up to that point were alive again, or who a third a cast were, or why one of them randomly turned into Caitlin at the end, but as CW finales go, at least it was better than Smallville's where they copped out on showing Tom Welling in a Superman suit, or Supernatural's.

And in all likelihood, it will be less uncomfortable to watch than the new Flash in a few weeks.

[Avaitor]

Oh yeah, I forgot that the finale aired within the past week. Between that, Succession, Barry, Mrs. Maisel and (maybe?) Ted Lasso, it's been a big week for shows wrapping up.

I think I mentioned this before, but the last times I watched anything from the Arrowverse were Crisis, which reminded me of why I dropped these shows, and the Arrow finale, which reminded me of why I liked them in the first place. I don't see myself ever catching up with or rewatching any of them, however.

[Dr. Insomniac]

So The Penguin. Very "Remember The Sopranos?" as much as it is "Remember The Batman?" Not helped by Cristin Milioti doing a Carmela impression when playing Sofia. And yeah, I already knew she played Johnny Sack's daughter, so double reference there.



But I did like it. A little annoying they released it a bit early while airing the next episode 10 days from now.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I've really enjoyed The Penguin so far, albeit that it's low-key kind of funny to see how super seriously they take a character with such over-the-top roots in his source material.

I do have some criticisms of the most recent episode, though, namely:

Spoiler

It seems strangely convenient that Sophia and Salvatore let Victor live. Unless there's any particular reason for it revealed in the next episode, it doesn't match how ruthless they were with other members of his crew. Maybe they could have put him up to betraying Oz, but I can't come up with any idea without it sounding incredibly convoluted.

Also, Oz's crew being loyal to him which is what gave him the upper hand over Salvatore would have felt more satisfactory and earned had the show spent a bit more time showing why he's a good boss to them. However, we've only ever seen him stab other people in the back (besides Victor), so it comes off as a little harder to buy. That said, I can rationalize that he's the only mobster who gave people from Crown Pointe the time of day (which makes up most of his current crew by the looks of it), so it does at least make more sense to back the guy who is likely to treat them better.

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[Dr. Insomniac]

I just noticed that the actress who played Oz's mom in the flashback also played Lori in The Deuce. And Shades from Luke Cage is playing the role of consigliere again for Sofia.

Spoiler

Yeah, I don't know why Victor was left alive except plot armor. Maybe he told his orphan backstory to Sofia, and she felt sympathy and let him go like she did with Eve Karlo. I assume Oz will end up killing him in the finale to show why the Penguin/Victor dynamic can never be akin to the Batman/Robin dynamic, and they need him alive for that moment. This episode already hammered how much Oz's life is a black mirror of Bruce's, by taking the old "two family members die during a movie night" act (and making the movie Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice just to highlight the irony) we've seen time and time again but making the kid the perpetrator.

Also heard a couple (some joking, some serious) theories that he'll become Zsasz or Mr. Freeze, or any establish DC character named "Victor", and no.

And I know, the show could add some breathing room there for Oz's gang. Feels like something that would've happened if HBO still did 12-episode seasons as opposed to 8-episode ones. What we also know is that Oz can be destructively impulsive throughout the show, since while you can justify it as him being too emotionally on edge to do anything but run, he did neglect to tell his minions to follow him when he found out about the bomb.

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[Avaitor]

I'm finally catching up to Penguin and I am enjoying it, as well. This isn't really the character I'm used to, but his intellect is still there. The main appeal for me, however, is probably Cristin Milioti, who keeps proving her range. Glad to see she survived cancer and Ted Mosby.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I'm finally catching up to Penguin and I am enjoying it, as well. This isn't really the character I'm used to, but his intellect is still there. The main appeal for me, however, is probably Cristin Milioti, who keeps proving her range. Glad to see she survived cancer and Ted Mosby.

Yeah, it's cool they all left him and found other paths in life. Robin became a SHIELD agent (RIP). Lily got a gig as Penn and Teller's host. Marshall was hired as a therapist. And Barney almost killed the 14th Doctor and Donna.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, that was quite a tense finale. Felt like it damn near choked the life out of me by the end.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I won't lie, I giggled a little during the first confrontation scene because it reminded of the Fishsticks episode of South Park where Cartman's about to die and instead of just confessing Jimmy made the joke and saving his own skin, his selective memory is so ego-driven that he'll take credit for it no matter what. And that's what Oz is in that moment. He'd rather let himself and his own mom die than take responsibility and admit the awful truth from his childhood.

Spoiler

I also just realized that the finale's shipping Penguin/Clayface. Because Eve's last name is Karlo, she has a habit of changing her looks, and in a sense, it's almost as if Oz is trying to shapeshift her into his mom in the final scene by making her dress up as Francis and telling her to say things he wanted his mother to say.

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