TV Review: ‘The Penguin’ Is More Like ‘GTA’ Than ‘The Sopranos’ In Episode 5

There’s been a lot of comparison between The Penguin and The Sopranos, and for good reason. The former is a mob show about the drama and intricacies of navigating a very dangerous criminal underworld. The tone of the show — often dark and brooding with hints of levity and even family drama — is perfectly in line with what The Sopranos offered during its run. But as the DC miniseries begins to wind down towards its inevitable climax, it has separated itself from its inspiration and proven that it is not just a Sopranos clone. In fact, the program share more with a popular video game franchise that’s never had a live action adaptation before: Grand Theft Auto.

This week’s episode primarily dealt with the aftermath of Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) killing nearly every member of her family. She left Johnny (Michael Kelly) alive in order to solidify her power, but she ultimately ends up killing him in front of everyone to demonstrate that she means business. Meanwhile, Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) kidnaps Sal Maroni’s son in an attempt to procure Gotham’s latest drug. The deal goes sideways, resulting in the death of Sal’s family. After escaping prison, Sal (Clancy Brown) tries to hide out, but Sofia pays him a visit, hoping to team up with him against Oz.

If it wasn’t obvious as to how The Penguin differs from The Sopranos in previous episodes, this one proves it once and for all. The original HBO mob show builds up slowly and more or less exists in grounded reality. The Penguin does not. It is a hyper version of reality similar to many comic books. In fact, this tone is very in line with the Grand Theft Auto series. The scene when Oz’s drug deal with the Maronis goes south and he sets them on fire before escaping in a pickup truck filled with hallucinogenic mushrooms feels like a mission straight out of GTA: San Andreas. It’s wild, crazy, and dark in the best ways possible.

The Penguin streams Sundays on Max.