Robin Lord Taylor says that in season two of Fox’s Gotham the relationship between Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin has turned from potential friendship (at least from Oswald’s perspective) between the two characters on opposite sides of the law to Oswald hurt by Jim’s actions and no longer believing they can be friends. “I think that because of what went down in the finale, the fact that Jim was up until the last second was just going to let Oswald die, you know like he did in the hospital chained to a radiator… I think he was actually really personally hurt by that, so the honeymoon is over. I think it’s just much more cold and calculated,” explained Taylor during our roundtable interviews at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con. “We shot the first episode and I have a really good moment with Jim in that first episode, and, yeah, it’s much more challenged, there’s much more at stake. And also Oswald is not the simpering person he was in the first season.”
With the death of so many of Gotham’s mob bosses in season one, Penguin’s position will shift in season two. “He’s running the show. He set out to accomplish that in the first season and got it,” said Taylor. “He’s the king of Gotham, in terms of the underworld at the moment. Falcone’s gone, obviously, Maroni is dead. Fish is out of the picture. We’ll see how long he holds onto it.”
Penguin’s new power position will be challenged in the upcoming season, according to Taylor. “Well, I can’t give away too much but we’re introducing some new characters this season that let’s just say they have contrary ideas to Oswald. They really come to blows. It’s really going to be insane,” revealed Taylor.
Season two’s Penguin will not be pushed around or made to feel like a second-class villain. He’s on the path to becoming a major villain, and season two helps set up Penguin’s ultimate position. “It’s like establishing himself as a person of power in Gotham City. That was the first step toward becoming a superhero villain. Also, not to tease too much, but some stuff is going to happen to him in this season in particular which is just…it’s going to get a lot darker for him. As if he wasn’t ruthless before, there’s really no sympathy left inside of him. That’s one of the changes from this next season.”
Asked if there’s anyone he’s really looking forward to working with in season two, Taylor said, “Well, I mean, it’s probably been pretty obvious. We had that one little scene in season one, but Mr. Cory Michael Smith who I’m personally a big fan of – we had so much fun shooting that tiny thing. I have a feeling their lives are going to intersect in a major way this next season. I’m thrilled about it.
And that also being said, we know that Barbara has taken a turn to the dark side, and so I personally would like – I know nothing about what’s going to happen, but I really want her and Oswald to get together not romantically per se because nothing would piss off Jim more than that. After he sold me out at the end of last season I just want to get him!”
Watch the interview with Robin Lord Taylor on Gotham season two:
