The Penguin Recap: Episode 5 - Homecoming

Ash Walker • 22 Oct 2024 Features

“You Falcones eat your own.”

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Well, that escalated quickly.

After last week’s bloody (and bloody brilliant) flashback episode, in which Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) triumphantly offed her entire family, the body count continues to grow in another excellent instalment.

Oz (Colin Farrell) is once again on the back foot, scrambling to make the most of a bad lot. And what a predicament he’s managed to get himself into this time: not only has he betrayed the Maronis and the Falcones - the two major crime families in Gotham - but he’s also left Sofia, his tentative business partner, for dead.

Things look bleak for our ‘hero’, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Oz Cobb these past few weeks, it’s that he can turn almost any situation to his advantage. The plan? To reclaim his stolen stockpile of mushrooms from the Maronis by abducting the young heir to the throne.

Poor Taj Maroni (Aria Shahghasemi) only has a few short scenes before he’s unceremoniously set on fire - along with his mother and defacto leader of the Maroni clan, Nadia. A pretty shocking loss, and a little sad, seeing as Shoreh Aghdashloo brought so much quiet menace to the role. RIP Nadia, you’ll be missed.

It’s a bold move from Oz, and the most openly murderous we’ve seen him so far. To make matters worse he also arranges to have Sal Maroni (Clancy Brown) killed in prison - a plan that backfires spectacularly when the crime boss not only survives the attack but manages to escape, with vengeance on his mind.

Meanwhile, Sofia Falcone is consolidating power of her own. With the Falcone family decimated (by her own hand), she gathers the remaining lieutenants under a new name - Gigante. Her late mother’s maiden name; one final blow to her father’s legacy.

Things are going to be different now: Sofia isn’t going to do things the ‘traditional’ way, and to really hammer this home she executes Johnny Vitti (Michael Kelly), right in front of everyone. We’re left with the unsubtle - but undeniably powerful - image of a bunch of gangsters scrabbling over blood-stained cash as Sofia looks on, blank-faced.

As much as I’m sort of rooting for Sofia, this is not going to end well for anyone…

Closing his defences, Oz orders Victor (Rhenzy Feliz)  to take his ailing mother (Deirdre O'Connell) to a safe place, and the three of them end up back in Crown Point - the poor neighbourhood where Oz and Victor grew up, now reduced to a wasteland thanks to Riddler’s attack. It feels like rock bottom for Oz, to return to his roots after his schemes have spectacularly fallen apart, but once again the Penguin can’t be counted out.

He leads Victor to the tunnels beneath Crown Point, the old abandoned trolley lines where he and his brothers played as kids, and declares it their new base of operations. A hiding place in the sewers, perfect for regrouping, rethinking and, more importantly, growing mushrooms.

Easter Eggs & Comic Connections:

• Sofia’s chosen name, Gigante, is her mother’s maiden name in the show, but in the comics - specifically Batman: Dark Victory - Gigante is her married name. An especially fitting married name, given that she’s a gigantic, hulking presence in the books.
• Visions of Gotham in ruins, as seen this week in Crown Point, and a struggle for power in the criminal underworld are reminiscent of the legendary Batman story No Man’s Land, in which a massive earthquake devastates the city. Fun fact: No Man’s Land was also a major inspiration for The Dark Knight Rises!
• Police Chief Mackenzie Bock (Con O'Neill) - who shows up to question Sofia after her gas attack - is the latest character to return from The Batman. The raspy-voiced cop made several memorable appearances in that film, including the bit where he has Batman locked up in the GCPD building.
• Penguin has a lot of history in Gotham’s sewers - most memorably in 1992’s Batman Returns, where he was played with ghoulish glee by Danny DeVito. Oz saying that he’s been ‘called home’ by the tunnels is a nice little nod to the character’s past.

Shout-Outs:

• I love how this show isn’t afraid to kill major supporting characters to advance the plot. It’s brutal, but it makes for consistently surprising, interesting storytelling. Sort of like Game of Thrones in the early days.
• An alliance between Sofia Falcone and Salvatore Maroni was certainly unexpected, but it feels right. Two people locked up because of Carmine Falcone and wronged by Oz Cobb - I’m excited to see what crazy schemes they come up with.
• Random thought - could Oz have a more personal connection to his idol, Rex Calabrese? We haven’t met Oz’s father yet, and it would certainly explain a lot…

Verdict: This episode was all about repositioning our characters, forging new alliances and ripping up the status quo, and it was another excellent hour of television.

The Penguin airs every Monday at 9pm on Sky Atlantic, and can be streamed from 2am the same day.