Welcome back to the blog readers. It is no secret how good The Penguin has been over its first four episodes. This has evolved from being a really good comic book show to just being a phenomenal series in such a short run. I have been engaged with every aspect of this show thus far, from the exceptional characters to the dynamite acting (especially from Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti) to the story being told on screen being a gold mine. Would we continue the trend with this episode, titled "Homecoming," written by Breannah Gibson and Shaye Ogbonna, and directed by Helen Shaver? Stick around to find out.
NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.
I cannot believe how good this show has been, with this series becoming appointment television for me. The three main performances are incredible, and I am completely invested in Oz trying to make his way to the top by any means possible, and Sofia getting what is rightfully hers. I thought that last week's episode was the best episode of the series so far (and one of the best of the year), this episode is utterly fantastic. The three lead performances (from Colin Farrell, Rhenzy Feliz, and Cristin Milioti) are stellar in this episode, and I am really loving the creative direction we are heading in this episode.
I first want to talk about the performance of Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb. Farrell did say you would wind up hating Cobb by the end of this series and boy does that start off with a bang. I am completely shocked with how well he is playing this character so far. This episode is an acting masterclass for Farrell as he gets to play around with the dark side of Oz's personality and what he really wants in this world. There are things that happen in this episode that Oz does that leave you completely shocked and can push the limits of tolerance for some people. Farrell plays a darker and colder version of this character that will undoubtedly get him an Emmy nomination at the end of the day.
The next performance I want to praise is that of Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar. Aguilar started off as the directionless kid that Oz took in because he took pity on him. But over the runtime of this series, Feliz has slowly become a crucial element of this series as he is the emotional core of this series. I truly believe that every performance from Feliz thus far has been leading to this episode, in which he truly comes to his own and delivers a powerhouse performance that is imbued with so much confidence and charisma. This episode sees a different side to Victor that I think we will see in future episodes, and I cannot fathom how he is going to stick the landing; I just hope he does.
Finally, we have to talk about Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone. Milioti has been a force of nature on this show for the first three episodes, with each successive performance being better than the last. But last episode was her Emmy nomination as she gave one of my favorite performances of the entire year (across film, television, and video games). Milioti is now portraying a darker and more sadistic version of this character, and it is insane how well she understands this character and her intricacies. Sofia Falcone will be an issue for a lot of people, and Milioti's performance is going to give the other Emmy nominees a real headache come September.
I want to talk about the story of this episode because it definitely is one of the better ones of the season thus far. We start on Oz and Victor burning Oz's car to avoid Sofia going after him. This leads to the two of them capturing Sal and Nadia's son Taj and sending a hitman to kill Sal to take him off the board. Oz sends Victor to take care of his mother so she is not a target, and agrees to let Taj go in exchange for the mushrooms the Maronis took. However, this turns out to be a trap as Nadia tries to get Oz killed and he retaliates by killing everyone, including Nadia and Taj. Sal survives the assassination attempt and swears revenge on Oz, as Oz escapes with the mushrooms and realizes he must make do with only two viable buckets. This storyline with Oz is getting really good, as we are starting to see what lengths he will go to get what he wants.
Meanwhile, Sofia is still reeling after the dinner from the previous night and her murder of the Falcone family (minus Johnny Viti) as we find out she kidnapped Viti and is holding him underneath the family cemetery. He is also being tortured by Sofia to learn where her father Carmine was hiding his money. He later reveals her mother Isabella was planning on leaving Carmine but backed out for the sake of Sofia and Alberto. Doctor Rush goes to Sofia, reveals that he knows she was behind the gas attack, and offers his services to her. She convinces Viti to negotiate a meeting with the surviving members of the family. He does, and she declares that she is taking over the family. When Viti relents, she executes him and gives the henchmen Carmine's money so they will follow her. She later meets with Sal and proposes a truce to kill Oz. I cannot believe how good this portion of the story is, because this is some Godfather-level shit right here.
Finally, we will talk about the end of the episode. Victor takes Oz's mother to Crown Heights, which was one of the neighborhoods destroyed in the Riddler's attack where Victor and his family lived. He holes the two of them up in one of his old friend's apartment. Oz shows up and tries to console his mother but to no avail. He sees a trolley token and deduces the location of an old trolley he frequented. He decides that this will be the base for his drug operation. I love how even now the lines are continuing to be blurred as to whether or not Oz is a good person. He clearly loves his mother and values her more than anything, but he is also ruthless and willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, and I would not be surprised if
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