In the new episode of 'The Penguin', there is almost no Colin Farrell, but there is a luxurious, intense story of Sofia Falcone and her stay in Arkham Asylum.
In the previous episode of 'The Penguin', Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) and Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti, shining brighter with each episode) began working together to sell a new drug as a sign of rebellion against the heads of the Falcone crime family. To this end, they even managed to ally with the Triad. But competitors from the Maroni family caught up with them and nearly sent them to the afterlife, if not for Cobb's assistant Victor (Rhenzy Feliz). However, Oz and Vic abandoned Sofia, and in the new episode we learned why, while also getting acquainted with the story of the Falcone heiress, previously nicknamed the Hangman.
Previous recaps:
The text contains spoilers for Episode 4 of 'The Penguin'
Oz's New Betrayal
The episode begins with a recap of the final moments of the previous episode, but now from the perspective of Oz and Sofia, not Vic. Nadia Maroni (Shohreh Aghdashloo) threatens them both, claiming she already knows about Bliss and that her family will take control of it. Sofia doesn't know about Oz's connections to the Maronis, but during this short dialogue she manages to understand that the henchman is not only a traitor but also responsible for the death of her brother Alberto (Michael Zegen).
After Vic's intervention, a shootout begins. Wounded Sofia manages to escape and call her psychiatrist Julian (Theo Rossi) before losing consciousness.
Sofia, Her Father, and the Dead Women
We are taken back 10 years, when Sofia speaks at a charity event about her mother's mental illness and suicide, while Oz, then her driver, watches proudly.
Their relationship seems much less tense than the one we are used to. Sofia is not yet the psychotic sociopath from previous episodes, and her conversations with Oz don't seem driven by survival instinct.
When Oz leaves to get the car, journalist Summer (Nadine Malouf) approaches Sofia and tells her about women who died by suicide through hanging, like her mother. One of them was Yolanda Jones, who worked at the Iceberg Lounge, and many other victims also worked at businesses owned by Carmine Falcone (in flashbacks, he is played not by John Turturro from 'The Batman', but by Mark Strong; a strange swap, but oh well). Sofia doesn't believe the journalist and dismisses her.
Later, looking at a family portrait in the Falcone estate, Sofia recalls discovering her mother's body as a child. Her memories are interrupted by her father, who calls her to dinner with him and Alberto. During the meal, Carmine scolds his son for carelessness and praises Sofia for being much more reliable than her brother. At that moment, Alberto receives a text message and suddenly leaves.
Carmine continues the conversation one-on-one with Sofia, telling her he wants her to become the head of the family when the time comes. Sofia brings up her mother, adding that she never remembers her being sick, but Carmine claims she just knew how to hide it, and he did everything possible to help her.
Later, Oz drives Alberto and Sofia to the Iceberg Lounge, where the girl asks her brother if their father had relationships with women who worked in their clubs. Alberto denies any knowledge, while Oz eavesdrops on their conversation from the driver's seat.
That same evening, Sofia meets with Summer, who shows her autopsy photos of the dead women, noting that all of them have identical bruises on their necks that look more like hand marks than rope marks. Falcone, denying her father's involvement, accuses Summer of making up conspiracy theories to advance her career at the 'Gotham Gazette' and orders Oz to drive away. The Penguin asks about Sofia's motives, but she replies that she doesn't believe anything the journalist says.
How and Why Sofia Ended Up in Arkham
At Carmine's birthday party, he invites his daughter for a talk and scolds her for communicating with the press. Realizing that Oz told her father about her meeting with Summer, Sofia tries to make excuses, denying any communication with the journalist after the charity event.
Carmine continues interrogating his daughter, telling her that Summer is working with the Gotham City Police Department on an open investigation regarding his involvement in the murders. He accuses Sofia of doubting him, and the girl breaks down and says she saw scratches on his hands on the day her mother died. Carmine tries to intimidate Sofia, claiming she is sick, and orders Oz to take her home.
Oz tries to apologize to Sofia on the way, claiming he was only trying to take care of her. In response, she tells the Penguin that he destroyed her trust only to gain her father's attention and advance his career in the family. Then their car is surrounded by police, and Sofia is arrested.
It turns out that Summer Gleeson was murdered, and Sofia is accused of it, as well as the deaths of other women found dead by hanging. After some time, Sofia is visited by her lawyer and Alberto, who show her newspapers dubbing her the 'Hangman'. They tell her that Carmine set her up, claiming she has long suffered from a mental illness, and that other family members, including Luca (Scott Cohen) and Vitti (Michael Kelly), wrote letters to the judge confirming this.
Sofia is told that she must undergo a psychological evaluation, which she agrees to, thinking it will be a simple process proving her sanity. However, her lawyer informs her that the court has approved the assistant prosecutor's request to send her for compulsory treatment at Arkham Hospital, where she will stay for six months pending trial.
In Arkham, Sofia comes under the supervision of the hospital's chief psychiatrist, Dr. Ventris (T. Ryder Smith), and his assistant Julian Rush, who will conduct her psychological evaluation. By court order, she is also placed in isolation, restricting her from visitors and any contact with the outside world without supervision.
After being locked in her cell, an inmate named Magpie (Marie Botha) talks to her through the 'hatch', asking if she really is the Hangman. In the cafeteria, a neighbor is given a red drug, which we now know as 'Bliss', calming her and inducing euphoria. At that moment, a patient without chains approaches Sofia, accuses her of murder, and beats her.
A few hours later, Falcone wakes up in her cell, beaten and bruised from the attack, and finds Julian standing over her. We learn that after her mother's murder, Sofia saw a therapist, and Rush claims that grief often leads to anger. Sofia calmly tells Julian that her father is setting her up, but he doesn't seem to believe her.
She is led to the cafeteria, where the woman who attacked her is brought in chains. Sofia is handed a fork and freed from her restraints when she realizes that Dr. Ventris is conducting experiments on her. That patient snatches the fork from Sofia, begging her to 'end it'. Falcone watches in shock as the madwoman stabs herself several times in the neck with the fork, after which guards take her away and force her to undergo electroshock therapy. Probably to make Sofia forget the madness she witnessed.
Sofia begins to gradually lose her grip on reality as the doctors at Arkham continue to torment her, despite her claims of innocence. Julian questions Dr. Ventris, realizing that Sofia might be telling the truth.
Six months later, a grief-stricken Alberto visits Sofia and tells her that Dr. Ventris has declared her mentally unfit to stand trial. Alberto promises his sister that he will do everything possible to free her.
Enraged, Sofia asks Magpie if she is spying on her, but the neighbor ignores the question and continues talking. Falcone snaps and attacks her, banging her head on the table. Sofia realizes Ventris is watching her and again declares her innocence, but she is injected with a sedative.
A New Beginning
Sofia wakes up in Julian's office. She confides in the psychiatrist, saying she feels like an idiot for trusting Oz and admits she should have killed him when she had the chance.
Julian advises Sofia to flee to Italy, which was originally assigned to her by her uncle Luca. In response, Falcone starts attacking Julian, asking why she should listen to him and her relatives after they lied to her for the last 10 years in Arkham.
Sofia leaves, telling Julian that he is right and she 'needs to start with a clean slate'. Sofia returns to the Falcone estate, where Luca is hosting a family dinner. Milioti's character sits down at the table, calmly pours herself wine, and eats pasta with meatballs.
When Luca begins addressing the family, Sofia interrupts him to make her own toast and recalls that the last time they were all together was at Carmine's birthday 10 years ago. The girl scolds her relatives and loved ones for writing letters to the judge supporting the baseless accusations that she is mentally ill. Concluding her speech, Sofia announces her intention to leave and start a new life.
A few hours later, Sofia wakes up Carla Viti's daughter, Gia (Kenzie Grey), and leads her to the greenhouse, where she treats the girl to a piece of cake and recalls how she and Alberto used to sleep there as children.
The episode ends with Sofia waking up the next morning, walking through the mansion, where it is revealed that she killed most of the family by poisoning them with carbon monoxide. Falcone enters Johnny Viti's room, whose window she left open so he would survive the night, and orders him to pack up.
Interestingly, the best episode of 'The Penguin' so far essentially did without the Penguin. All viewer attention was focused on the origin, or rather the story of Sofia Falcone's fall to rock bottom and her attempts to rise from it. Cristin Milioti delivered arguably the best performance of her career in this episode; for this episode alone, she could be awarded an Emmy and all the compliments in the world. And the series' authors once again demonstrated how well they work with characters. All that remains is to wait for the finest hour of the wonderful but not yet fully revealed Colin Farrell in the role of the Penguin.
Teaser for Episode 5:
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