Editor's note: The below recap contains spoilers for The Penguin Episode 2.
Colin Farrell's Oz Cobb continues to waddle on in the second episode of The Penguin. The season premiere successfully reintroduced viewers to the quirky, scheming gangster, who has now begun the process of inciting a war between the Falcone and Maroni crime families. After shooting and killing Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), Oz fibs his way out of the situation with the head of the family, but Alberto's sister, Sofia (Cristin Milioti), is still hot on his trail. Along the way, Oz takes in Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) as his new apprentice, after initially discovering the orphaned teen trying to dismantle his beloved purple sports car. The premiere ends with Victor and Oz planting Alberto's dead body on the front lawn of the Falcone estate, successfully having framed the Maronis for the dirty deed. Episode 2, titled "Inside Man," deals with the direct aftermath. As Oz continues to add fuel to the fire between the Falcone and Maroni families, Sofia becomes more and more suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Alberto's death.
Oz Concocts a Plan With the Maronis in 'The Penguin' Episode 2
The episode opens with Sofia walking through the grimy hallways of Arkham Asylum to meet with Alberto, who has come to visit her. Sofia is initially excited to see her brother but quickly notices that his pinky finger is missing. Alberto seems unphased, promising to get Sofia out of Arkham. Out of nowhere, Alberto is shot dead by an unseen figure, leaving Sofia in shock. It's then that we discover that this is all just a nightmare Sofia is having while meeting with her psychiatrist, Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi). Julian is able to calm her down and reminds her that she's not in Arkham anymore, but Sofia cuts their session short, claiming she's not safe simply because she's home.
Meanwhile, Oz visits Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown) at Blackgate, discovering that a few others have joined their meeting, including Maroni's wife Nadia (Shohreh Aghdashloo). Sal is visibly frustrated with Oz, accusing the Penguin of forcing his hand to take the fall for Alberto's murder. Oz brushes off the accusation, saying that the murder has helped put the Maroni name back on the map. He explains that Alberto's death has caused them to become distracted and that he has the inside track on the new don of the family, Carmine's brother Luca Falcone (Scott Cohen). Nadia covertly tells Sal, that while Oz is "a dog," he can made to be submissive. Sal accepts Oz's offer, but demands that he fulfill his promise of supplying the Maronis with drops.
Oz informs the Maronis that the Falcones' plan to move their operation to Robbinsville is still moving forward — but the supply will be vulnerable during transport, leaving the door open for the Maronis to swoop in and hijack the shipment. Oz tells the Maronis not to target the follow car he'll be riding in, behind the FEMA truck carrying the drops. Later on, however, Falcone underboss Johnny Viti (Michael Kelly) orders Oz to ride in the truck, rather than the follow car. When the Maronis show up, Oz barely has time to duck and cover as the Maronis' men take out the driver, covertly shooting everyone riding in the back himself. Somewhere in the crossfire, Oz manages to escape relatively unscathed, driving off — but the Maronis successfully get away with the drops they were promised.
Sofia Tries To Catch a Rat in 'The Penguin' Episode 2
Later, at the Falcone estate, Sofia walks in on Viti and Oz in the midst of a screaming match over the attack, although Johnny still doesn't suspect that Oz is now allied with the Maronis. Sofia chews Viti out, saying that they shouldn't care about the money or the product that was taken. What should matter is that they've been humiliated. She posits the theory that there's a mole within the family, someone who's working with the Maronis and would have fed them the information about the FEMA truck. Viti ridicules Sofia's suggestion, but Luca shuts him up and demands an increase in security over the distribution of drops.
Luca pulls Sofia aside, saying that if she truly believes there's a rat in their midst, they'll be able to find them, but it's up to him as the new boss of the family to sniff them out. Luca dismisses Sofia's claims, excusing them as part of her grief over her brother's death. It's revealed that Oz is eavesdropping on the situation, and conveniently offers to assist Sofia in catching the rat once they're able to speak alone. Sofia refuses Oz's help, telling him that he's just like Viti and Luca and that she owes him nothing.
One of the most intriguing parts about The Penguin is just how oblivious the Falcone family is. In the comics, Batman has defeated the family with ease, and in this series, Oz seems to be having an easy enough time manipulating them, especially since Sofia is clearly the smartest one in the room. At times, Viti and Luca's stupidity is heightened to such an extreme that it almost takes you out of the show. We already know they're bad at being criminals, but the fact that both Carmine and Alberto are now dead puts the Falcones in their most vulnerable position yet. It'll be interesting to see, as this series progresses, whether this will be the last time we see the family in their prime — at least in Matt Reeves' Batman saga.
Later, while Oz is walking down the street with Victor, the teen lingers to look at a missing person's poster. After reminding Victor to pay attention, Oz proceeds to inform him of the ongoing situation in the family, adding that the only way he can remain useful is to be an inside man for Sofia. He then tells Victor the story of how he first became involved with the Falcone family — by becoming a driver for one of the Falcones' men, who was later killed by Carmine for talking to the feds. As Oz finishes recounting that part of his past, Eve Karlo (Carmen Ejogo) and her fellow sex workers pay a visit.
While being driven around Gotham by her valet, Sofia listens to a news report lamenting the city's numerous issues — including her release from Arkham, where it's revealed that she murdered seven women under the guise of the Hangman. Later, she visits an upscale bar, where she spots Detective Marcus Wise (Craig Walker) drinking alone. Marcus attempts to walk away from Sofia, wanting nothing to do with her, but Sofia corners the detective, reminding him that he used to help Carmine. In order to win him over, Sofia supplies Marcus with some drops, requesting his assistance in finding the traitor inside the family. The detective initially admits that he isn't sure of how big of a help he'd be, but Sofia bribes him further with a wad of cash and he accepts.
That same night, Oz is holding a party at his apartment with some of Falcone's men while Victor uncomfortably watches from the sideline, ignoring a concerned text from a girl named Graciela. Oz notices Victor's discomfort and introduces him to Roxy (Jessie Pinnick), one of Eve's sex workers who specializes in being a cam girl. Victor tells her that he is from Crown Point, and Roxy replies by saying she had a cousin who lived who lost everything during the floods, furthering Victor's discomfort. In the privacy of his room, Oz inspects some blackmail photos in his possession, which feature Johnny Viti and an unknown woman in bed, but is interrupted by Eve. She tells Oz that she knows that he killed Alberto and expresses concern that he is putting her at risk by making her his alibi for that night. Oz tells her not to worry, as he plans on using these photos of Viti to force the underboss to take the fall.
The following morning, Sofia wakes up in her closet, having experienced another nightmare, and discovers blood under her fingernails and scratches on her neck. Oz visits his mother, Francis (Deidre O'Connell), where he is informed by her landlord that she was found wandering in the neighborhood, claiming that she was late for Mass despite it not being Sunday. The landlord suggests that Oz put Francis in a nursing home, but Oz bribes him to let his mother stay, telling him to keep a close eye on her. Oz attempts to soothe Francis' nerves and dances with her, but she tearfully asks, "If my son is a nothing, what am I?" Victor quietly reminds Oz that Alberto's funeral has already begun, and they need to leave if they want to make it to the church on time.
Oz Waddles His Way Out of Getting Caught in 'The Penguin' Episode 2
Oz arrives late to the funeral, which is being swarmed by protestors demanding for Sofia to be sent back to Arkham, and attempts to give Luca the photos of Viti but is brushed off. When Oz spots Sofia smoking by herself and approaches her, Sofia tells Oz that she didn't see him at the funeral — to which he lies once more, telling her he was standing in the back. Oz reveals to Sofia that his mother didn't hold a funeral service for his brothers, claiming she didn't want others' pity. Months later, she finally broke out of her depression and took the young Oz to a jazz club, where they danced to commemorate his brothers. "It's a hell of a lot more fun to dance," Oz tells Sofia, than to be eaten alive by pain. Sofia's bodyguard, Castillo (Berto Colon), pulls her away, informing her that Detective Wise has found information on the potential rat. As they walk away, Oz receives a mysterious text message saying, "We need to talk." If any scene in the first two episodes of The Penguin were to be used as a potential Emmy clip for Farrell, this monologue would clearly be it, as this moment perfectly exemplifies everything we need to know about Oz Cobb. He's a massive liar and a master manipulator, but he's also oddly charming. We're supposed to hate him, but he sure knows how to talk his way out of certain situations.
At the Falcone estate, Marcus reveals that he has kidnapped one of the Maronis' men (Fajer Al-Kaisi) from the hospital, where he had been recovering from the attack on the drops shipment, and Sofia orders her men to stash this potential informant in the basement and inform her when his anesthesia has worn off. The text Oz had received is revealed to be from Nadia Maroni, who, upon their meeting, sternly tells him that one of their men has been taken. While Nadia suspects Luca of being behind the kidnapping, Oz tells her that he believes Sofia is acting on her own. Right as Nadia is about to order her men to kill Oz, he reveals the photos of Viti and adds that the woman the Falcone underboss is sleeping with is none other than Luca's wife. Nadia demands that Oz find and recover their kidnapped man, whose name is Ervad Hakimi — because if he wakes up, he'll have a lot to say about Oz's role in the hijacking.
Oz and Victor pull up to the Falcone estate, with Oz instructing the teen to look for Viti's Red Mercedes and plant stolen jewels in it, framing the underboss as the rat while he searches for Ervad. Oz snoops around the mansion and spots Castillo guarding the basement. He then approaches Viti and Falcone bodyguard Milos Grapa (James Madio) and butts into their conversation, telling them that he knows that they're hiding one of Maroni's lieutenants in the basement and that they should have trusted him with guarding this informant, rather than one of Sofia's men.
Meanwhile, Sofia awkwardly walks around the wake, noticing everyone staring at her and whispering. After tearfully watching childhood videos of her and Alberto, she runs into her cousin Isabella (Jenny Heaton). When Isabella's young daughter, Gia (Kenzie Grey), approaches the two, Isabella clutches her daughter in fear, leading Sofia to affect a more threatening persona. Outside, Victor is caught breaking into Viti's car by several Falcone bodyguards, who believe that he is trying to steal it, and only just manages to escape on foot. Simultaneously, Milos angrily berates Castillo for keeping Ervad's kidnapping a secret from the rest of the family, giving Oz the chance to sneak into the basement. Oz wakes Ervad up and orders him to tell Sofia that Viti was the one who killed Alberto. In the same moment, Victor calls Oz in a panic, telling him that he was unable to plant the jewels in Viti's car. Realizing that he's close to being found out, Oz stabs and kills Ervad before quietly leaving the room.
Luca reprimands Sofia and walks into the basement, only for all of them to discover that Ervad has already been killed. Luca demands that everyone responsible for the drops transport be brought to the same room upstairs, putting the estate on lockdown. Oz casually tries to waddle his way out of the funeral but is lined up with the others, where he publicly accuses Viti of killing Alberto and shoves him — but in the middle of their scuffle, Oz plants the knife he used to kill Ervad in Castillo's pocket. Believing the facade, Sofia is prepared to kill her bodyguard, but Luca shoots him first. Sofia is infuriated with Luca, telling him that Castillo's execution was hers to carry out. In response, Luca informs Sofia that she needs to leave Gotham and head to Italy, for her own safety.
Later that night, Oz and Victor bury Castillo and Ervad's bodies in the woods, and, in a tense moment, right as Victor is about to rest, Oz shoves the teen back into the grave, angrily berating him for his incompetence during their mission. Just then, Oz receives a call from Sofia and heads to the Falcone family tomb to meet her, where Alberto has been laid to rest alongside Carmine. Sofia reveals her plot to take over the family business, a plan she's willing to kill for, and the episode concludes with Sofia asking Oz if he wants in — to which he replies, "Let's dance."
While not as strong or eventful as the premiere, the second episode of The Penguin continues to prove that, more than anything, this is a character study of both Oz Cobb and Sofia Falcone. Farrell and Milioti make the most of every single second they're on-screen. We already know so much about them in only the first two episodes, but much more will inevitably be uncovered as the show progresses. This week's installment may also not be as explosive as the first episode, butthe pacing and structure keep The Penguin moving at the perfect speed, leaving us wanting more as soon as the end credits roll.
The Penguin is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
Watch on Max
Comments
Post a Comment