The Penguin Recap: Episode 6 - Gold Summit

Ash Walker • 28 Oct 2024 Features

“They’re so busy with their noses up, they’ll never think to look down.”

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Time-jump! After last week’s bloodbath we leap forward a few months: there’s snow on the ground, and beneath the streets Oz Cobb’s (Colin Farrel) brand-new Bliss empire is booming.

Now all he needs is to get some of the other Gotham gangs on board. Unfortunately for him, the new partnership of Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti) and Sal Maroni (Clancy Brown) has started taking shots, stringing up the bodies of Oz’s street corner guys as a message to the rest of the city.

It’s always fun to see Oz claw his way to success, and now he’s finally on the verge of greatness. How long will it last? Who knows, but there is a Batman sequel on the way and it’d be nice to see Penguin pop up in that.

Meanwhile, Crown Point is freezing. The power is still out, instead being funnelled to more affluent areas of the city, and people are getting desperate. Oz’s mother Francis (Deirdre O'Connell) is deteriorating rapidly and Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) is being propositioned by some dangerous guys.

All the while, Sofia and Sal (but mostly Sofia) are sniffing around, trying to find Oz and his operation. Which turns out to be more difficult than expected.

Like Sal says, Oz took everything from them, but he has no one. There’s nobody to hurt, no thread for Sofia and Sal to pull on - or at least, that’s what Oz wants them to think.

Sofia finds a drawer full of women’s clothes in Oz’s apartment, and a photograph, which leads her right to Eve (Carmen Ejogo). This is a super tense scene; we already know how ruthless Sofia can be, and it seems like there’s no way out for Eve.

Until she decides to betray Oz, and gives Sofia the location of his temporary apartment in Crown Point. Which is exactly where she ends up at the close of this episode, watching Victor and Francis from the shadows, clutching a mean-looking crowbar.

Episode 7 can’t come soon enough!

Easter Eggs & Comic Connections:

• We were introduced to a lot of new gangs this week, and all of them have roots in Batman comics. The Sullivan Boys are from The Long Halloween, the LoBoys are from No Man’s Land and the Odessa Mob, the Burnley Town Massive and the Triads all feature heavily in Batman: War Games - which seems to serve as another big inspiration for this series.
• We also saw a load of fun references in place names! For starters, the bodies of Oz’s guys are found on Byrne Street, a reference to legendary comics creator John Byrne.
• There’s mention of Paulie’s Diner, which is ripped right from the Batman: Arkham games and named after another legendary writer - Paul Dini, who created Batman: The Animated Series and worked for years on Detective Comics. Oh, and also created the character of Harley Quinn.
• And finally, Oz speaks at length about the Elliot Bridge, and the rich family it’s named after. You might remember that one of the Elliots - Edward - was the ill-fated reporter who broke a scandalous story about the Waynes, as seen in The Batman. Another Elliot - Thomas - becomes the villain Hush in the classic comic run of the same name.

Shout-Outs:

• Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti get a lot of love for their performances on this show - and rightly so - but this week I just have to give a shout-out to the other members of the cast. Rhenzy Feliz was incredible in the scene where Victor kills Squid; you really feel the kid’s fear and regret. Heartbreaking stuff.
• And Deirdre O'Connell continues to be equal parts tragic and terrifying as Francis Cobb. She brings a vulnerability to the role; it’s nothing flashy or glamorous, but it feels real.
• Which makes it all the more sad that one or both of them may not make it through the next episode. Not with Sofia waiting in the wings with her crowbar…

Verdict: Yet another excellent episode. The Penguin consolidates his power while his enemies draw closer and closer. Gripping stuff!

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