The Penguin Episode 4 Is a Beautiful Recreation-Changer

Have you ever ever watched a TV sequence and, about midway by way of an episode, immediately knew this was particular? That this was the episode the place a present you had been having fun with leveled as much as turn out to be a contemporary traditional? The Last of Us did that. Battlestar Galactica. Misplaced. All the good ones do it. And now The Penguin has done it too. The present’s fourth episode, “Cent’anni,” flips all the emotional resonance of the present with a stunning, horrific, however sensible episode of tv centering on Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) and, holy crap. It’s superb.

Before this episode, we weren’t fairly certain what to think about Sofia. We knew that she was in Arkham as a result of she’d been accused of killing a number of girls, which earned her the nickname “The Hangman.” We knew Oz (Colin Farrell) was afraid of her, however we assumed it was principally as a result of she was the pinnacle of the household he was attempting to take over. And, we thought, Oz had efficiently satisfied her he didn’t kill her brother, although he did. Principally, The Penguin wished us to see Sofia as an intimidating however emotionally unstable and malleable villain. No extra. Now that we’ve realized precisely who she is and the way she obtained there, she’s clearly turn out to be essentially the most attention-grabbing character on the present.

At the end of the last episode, “Bliss,” we noticed Victor smash his automotive to avoid wasting Sofia and Oz from the Maroni crime household. Solely, Oz instructed Victor to go away Sofia, which on the time appeared bizarre as a result of they’d been aligned. Effectively, within the first improbable little bit of storytelling in episode 4, we study that Sofia is lastly instructed it was Oz who killed her brother, so his abandoning her turns into a complete different factor. It’s a revelation we assumed was coming in some unspecified time in the future however to search out out this manner added some attention-grabbing context.

However that was just the start. From there, we dive into the previous the place we meet a youthful, happier Sofia alongside along with her father, crime boss Carmine Falcone (performed right here by Mark Sturdy, who took over for John Turturro who played the character in The Batman), and her brother, Alberto (Michael Zegen). The household appears fairly comfortable and Carmine even tells Sofia that, regardless of her older brother, he’s going to go away the household enterprise to her. Large Home of the Dragon vibes.

After all that doesn’t go to plan. Sofia finds out that somebody—later revealed to be her father—has been killing girls and masking up the crimes as suicide, going all the way in which again to Sofia and Alberto’s mom. Sofia learns this in what she assumes to be non-public however her driver, Oz, rats her out.

It’s a betrayal to make sure—however at this level, you’re nonetheless seeing it from Oz’s perspective. It’s not till later that we notice Oz was the one who began an unfathomable chain of occasions for Sofia. Based mostly on Oz’s intel, Carmine confronts Sofia about her findings and, when she even hints that possibly her dad killed the ladies, every thing modifications. He frames her for the murders, sends her to Arkham, and makes it so she’ll by no means ever get out.

Having her father betray her so rapidly and brutally was fairly dangerous. However after we study that Sofia’s total household—minus her brother—lied about her psychological situation to maintain her there, you actually really feel horrible for her. Then, you’re feeling worse and worse because the episode goes full Requiem for a Dream with the docs and inmates of Arkham additionally seemingly in on the plan to make the levelheaded, good Sofia into the violent, loopy assassin her father lies about. The violence and betrayal appear unending and, later, we study it went on for 10 years.

As we watch the harmless Sofia endure each psychological and bodily horrors—all of which began with Oz—your perspective begins to shift. Is Oz actually the primary character of this story as a result of he’s a well-known Batman villain? He’s only a former driver greedy for energy. Or is the primary character the rightful inheritor to the throne, betrayed by virtually everybody she liked, who fights her means out of hell to return again? That’s, by far, the extra attention-grabbing story. And as soon as The Penguin comes out of the flashback and again to the current, it’s a unique present.

Now we’re on Sofia’s facet. We need to see her get revenge. We’re enraged that Oz killed Alberto, the one member of the family who believed in and fought for Sofia. We’re determined for her to get revenge on her aunts and uncles, and boy does she, with a improbable last scene as she murders virtually everybody in the home with out lifting a finger. Chef’s kiss.

Written by John McCutcheon and directed by Helen Shave, “Cent’anni” isn’t simply the perfect episode but of The Penguin, it’s the most effective episodes of TV of the 12 months. This write-up barely scratches the floor of all of the improbable selections it makes (the wallpaper! The fork! The cake!) or, most significantly, Milioti’s efficiency which is totally award-worthy. The truth is, the episode was so good, I’m now absolutely Crew Sofia. They need to rename the present “Falcone.”

The Penguin is now streaming on Max.

Need extra io9 information? Try when to count on the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every thing it’s good to find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.