Episode Discussion: The Penguin Episode 3
What defines an interquel compared to a spin-off and where does The Penguin fall along those lines?
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0vXDljhzj57MaVo0x1tomO?si=UsXhX7OvR8qK2LOtoyJX-g
I think now would be a good time to discuss the difference between an interquel and a spin-off because this show is being billed as one while feeling like the other. A spin-off takes a character from an established property and sends them off on their own adventure tangential from the main plotline. It may cross back over with the main story, but it does not have to. An interquel is a story that takes place between two established properties that adds additional context or other important information.
To call The Penguin an interquel feels inaccurate since it's designed to bridge the gap between the Matt Reeves-directed The Batman movies, of which only one has been released. That said, it does not appear that Batman will appear in this show and it feels like the show is building out the criminal underworld of Gotham City in a way that will play into the next movie in 2026.
The Penguin occupies kind of a weird space because it simultaneously feels like the exploits of Oswald Cobblepot will not play into The Batman Part II but at the same time this show will likely have monumental repercussions across the next movie. We are dealing with a power vacuum in Gotham's criminal underworld that will likely give rise to whatever entity will face off against Batman in the sequel. Spending a show setting up Penguin as the bad guy only for that to be the person Batman needs to dispatch is anticlimactic considering the more film noir tone that the movies establish. What's the point of watching Batman try to figure out that Penguin is the one moving the drugs through Gotham if we already know that? As a viewer, we should not be ahead of the protagonist in a mystery.
