The newest episode of The Penguin reveals Oz’s life as a child before his brother’s mysterious deaths. Compared to his brothers, he was slower, more shy, and always at his mother’s hip.
The three brothers, Jack, Benny, and Oz decide to go out to make a delivery for their mother, revealing that she works for gangsters. Oz’s fascination with gangster life slowly began as he saw how rich and intimidating they were. After this errand, the three had time to waste and decided to play hide and seek in an abandoned, underground trolley system that connects to the sewer. To begin the game, Oz is selected to find his brothers, who have hidden down a ladder outside of the trolley station. Unable to climb down the ladder, a frustrated Oz closes the sewer door and leaves them there. The brothers cry out behind the locked sewer opening as rain falls, insinuating their demise.
It’s unclear if Oz really knew the consequences of his actions. He continued to lie to his mother where his brothers were despite the weather getting worse. This memory of the past fades into the present as Oz desperately looks for his mother. Oz finds Vic knocked out and urges him to run and gather an army. While Vic escapes through the window, Sal busts through the apartment and beats Oz, revealing to him that Sofia has kidnapped his mother. Sal forces Oz to take him to his hideout to do a trade, Oz’s mother for the stolen drugs.
In the meantime, Sofia chats with Francis. Sofia explains the situation, and that Oz will likely die that day. Francis stands strong and matches Sofia’s energy, remaining loyal to Oz. While Francis has a spitfire personality, Sofia finds her weak point by bringing up her other sons. Francis goes into a mental breakdown, her mind confusing the past and present.
While Sofia reflects on what she just witnessed, Julian informs her of another development. Gia, the cousin she left alive, is starting to talk to the police. Julian offers to take care of the problem, but this offer sends her into a rage. While she doesn’t want him anywhere near Gia, Sofia explains that she has another use for his skills.
Oz is forced to reveal his hideout to Sal and his gang. Sal exclaims to the workers that the whole operation is now his and they work for him now. Oz’s people don’t take a liking to the new management, and Oz begins to pull his usual tricks. As Oz distracts Sal with his taunts, Oz’s foot soldiers cut the power and attack. During this power struggle, Sal beats Oz, only to be met with what seems like a heart attack. This easy defeat brings Oz to rage, leaving him to shoot Sal’s lifeless body.
Sofia decides to confront Gia herself. Sofia goes straight to the point and asks what Gia saw. Gia explains that she saw the gas mask in her purse, but Sofia immediately shuts down any idea that she had caused her family’s death. During this conversation, Sofia finds that Gia is harming herself, leaving Sofia filled with guilt and anger. Instead of handling the issue any further, Sofia explains to Gia that she’s better off without them and that she will now have a better life. While she understands she has now put herself in danger to keep Gia alive, she gets a phone call with bad news. Oz is on the call and reveals that Sal is dead. The trade will continue but Sofia may be walking into a trap.
Sofia realizes she needs to change; she’s been doing everything as her father would, and wants to be nothing like him. She wants freedom but also wants Oz to feel her pain. As she makes the epiphany, she develops a plan for revenge her way.
Oz is notified that Sofia is on her way to their meeting point and prepares himself and his crew. He’s met with a phone call from Sofia as her car stays idle. Someone runs out of the vehicle as Sofia explains to Oz that she’s doing things a bit differently. Oz finds that she’s not in the car, but instead a bomb that is seconds away from detonating. Oz dashes to a nearby tunnel, which is seemingly the same tunnel he left his brothers to die in.
Audiences are shown another flashback of Oz as a child and his mother, Francis. While they enjoy a night in town, she breaks down to her son, demanding him to give her a good life. Oz wholeheartedly agrees, showing his motive for becoming a successful gangster.
Oz limps through the ashes and chaos above the sewer searching for Vic. Instead of Vic, Oz is met with one of Sofia’s henchmen, jokingly calling him the penguin and knocking Oz out.
The conclusion of this episode was a cliffhanger that leaves audiences wondering how Oz will get out of Sofia’s grasp with one more episode left this season. This finale may be predictable, seeing what the episode’s flashbacks imply; As Oz killed his brothers to be with his mother, he can do it again. Sofia’s grit may not stand a chance against Oz’s love and obsession for his mother in the end. It appears Sofia almost lost purpose in this episode, all while Oz was fuming with power and drive.
While bombs go off and the city is in terror, many may ask themselves, “Where’s Batman?” Audiences may find this as the ultimate plot hole in this universe, seeing Batman not serving justice as he vowed in the 2022 film. Though as things heat up in the series, many hope to see Batman in the next episode to finally answer these questions.
The finale will show the two powerhouses clash, though The Penguin’s new plan to retrieve his mother is seemingly a mystery. Vic will most likely re-emerge as he has done in the earlier episodes, coming in just the nick of time. This episode had an immense buildup for the finale, having audiences wonder how Oz will end up on top.
Rating: 8.5/10