Hiding QR codes inside TV shows is the latest thing. Whether it’s a blink-and-you-miss-it code that takes you to a comic book related to the TV show, or one that is trying to sell you merch, they’re everywhere. But rarely are they so blatant as The Penguin series premiere, “After Hours,” where a character on a train literally told viewers to scan the QR code on screen.
Granted, you might have missed it anyway, since it was integrated into the action. In the episode, Oswald Cobb (Colin Farrell) is traveling on the Gotham City subway — elevated train, actually, but it’s clearly the NYC subway — when a man passes through handing out flyers. Though he’s not wearing full regalia, it’s clear that he’s wearing a mask with glasses, inspired in some part by The Riddler (Paul Dano) from The Batman.
In case it wasn’t abundantly clear, the QR codes have a Riddler-style question mark in the middle. And both the man, and the flyers, are encouraging people to discover “Gotham’s True Face.” That’s a reference to a line from The Riddler in the movie that preceded The Penguin. Specifically, it’s from The Riddler’s final video posted on a Dark Web forum before he set detonators to blow up the Gotham seawall, flooding the city in the climax of the movie.
Here’s the full, relevant quote:
“Tomorrow’s Election Day. And Bella Reál will win. She promised real change. But we know the truth, don’t we? You’ve seen Gotham’s true face now. Together, we’ve unmasked it. Its corruption, its perversion masquerading under the guise of renewal. But unmasking is not enough. The day of judgment is finally upon us. And now it is time for retribution. I’ve parked seven vans all along the city seawall. And on the big night, they will go boom. When the vans blow, the flooding will happen so fast, evacuation will not be an option. Those who are not washed away will race through the streets in terror.”
Chilling. But back to the QR code. The website it takes you to if you scan it with your phone is gothamstrueface.com. However, that’s not the actual address. The real address that it immediately redirects you to is an old friend of fans of The Batman: rataalada.com.
That site was launched before The Batman hit theaters and teased The Riddler’s interaction with Batman. It was also active for a while after the movie, as it was teased again in the closing credits of the film as a sort of post-credits scene. However, with The Riddler in Arkham Asylum, for the past few years, it has simply said: “Goodbye <?>.”
Now it’s back, though, and updating concurrently with the events of The Penguin. As of this writing, it teases that the “revolution is just getting started” and the acolytes of The Riddler will meet in the street at 9 pm. Say, that’s when The Penguin premieres on HBO and Max! Weird!
Regardless, while this QR code doesn’t point to a new site, it’s a neat reminder of the extended digital world being built around The Batman… And now The Penguin as well. And if you want to see Gotham’s true face, you might want to bookmark the site and check back with it weekly. You never know what might pop up…
Where To Watch The Penguin:
The Penguin Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The first episode of The Penguin premieres Thursday, September 19 at 9 pm ET on HBO and Max. There will be an encore airing on Sunday, September 22 at 9 pm ET, and then the show will move to its regular time slot of Sundays at 9 pm ET starting on September 29.
Here’s the full list of episodes in The Penguin, with premiere dates:
- Thursday, September 19, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 1: “After Hours”
- Sunday, September 29, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 2: “Inside Man”
- Sunday, October 6, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 3: “Bliss”
- Sunday, October 13, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 4: “Cent’Anni”
- Sunday, October 20, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 5: “Homecoming”
- Sunday, October 27, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 6: “Gold Summit”
- Sunday, November 3, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 7: “Top Hat”
- Sunday, November 10, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 8: “Great or Little Thing”