Gold Summit
The power struggle in Gotham’s criminal underworld is underway. Oz and Vic are working to get bliss in every neighborhood while Sofia and Salvatore are working together to try to find something that’s special to Oz to hit him where it hurts.
Trafficking Bliss
Winter has come to Gotham, and Oz looks to be capitalizing on the turmoil connected to the death of the Falcone Crime Family and his own attack on the Maroni Crime Family. Using the old subway system, Oz and Vic have grown new mushrooms to make their supply of Bliss. Vic and other suppliers are peddling the party drug by using motorcycles underground to reach the gangs who distribute Bliss. Oz has gotten most of the gangs in the city on board and says he just needs a few more to infiltrate the entire city.
Photograph by Macall Polay/HBO
Their operation runs into a snag when Sofia and Salvatore start sending a message that anything connected to Oz is bad news. Several drug dealers end up dead with their fingers cut off which causes the Triad to back out of their initial deal. Oz summons as many of the gangs as he can to Crown Point for what he calls the “gold summit.” He brings them together with a common goal. They may not like each other, but he sees how they can help each other.
Vic’s First Kill
While delivering the goods, Vic runs into an old acquaintance in Squid. The drug dealer recognized Vic when he returned to Crown Point with Oz’s mother. Squid wants in on the action, but Vic is hesitant to include him. This leads Squid to try to use blackmail to get a piece of the pie.
Photograph by Macall Polay/HBO
Squid threatens to reveal Vic and Oz’s mother’s location to Sofia who has put a bounty on anything that will lead her to Oz. Recognizing the danger this causes, Vic shoots Squid in the throat. Squid bleeds out, and Vic is in complete shock at what he’s done. When he returns to Crown Point, Oz consoles him and lets him know it gets easier. Vic was an innocent boy from the poor part of Gotham before he met Oz. Now, he’s a killer.
Sofia Hunts Oz
After Sofia reveals she’s been having a more physical relationship with her one of her doctors from Arkham, Dr. Julian Rush, she and Salvatore Maroni discuss ways to hit back at Oz. Oz killed Sofia’s brother and Salvatore’s wife and son. Both want him dead, but as far as they know, he’s got nothing he cares about. They ransack his apartment until Sofia finds a pair of underwear from Oz’s main call girl, Eve Karlo, and Sofia starts looking for her.
Most of the call girls want nothing to do with Sofia, but one says she’ll take the former Falcone, now Gigante, to Eve for the right price. It turns out that Eve led Sofia to her, because she knew this was coming. It seems like Sofia isn’t going to learn anything from Eve until Sofia reveals Oz was complicit in Carmine’s killings and framing Sofia as the Hangman. That breaks Eve who tells Sofia that Oz is hiding out in Crown Point.
Photograph by Macall Polay/HBO
Power Rations
Another major plot point of this episode is how Gotham’s leaders are diverting power from poorer neighborhoods like Crown Point to ensure the electricity goes to the rich. Oz promises his mother, who is clearly struggling with dementia that he’ll get the power back on. He targets Councilman Nady who claims he paid his debts to Carmine Falcone, but Oz says Nady didn’t pay the debts Nady owed Oz. Oz gives Nady until sunup to get power restored to Crown Point.
While it’s cold and everyone is struggling, Nady gets the job done and power is restored. Oz’s mother starts dancing with Vic as they celebrate having lights and heat. However, the episode ends with the revelation that Sofia has found Oz’s mother as she stands in the apartment with a crowbar.
Photograph by Macall Polay/HBO
Rating
This is one of the most powerful episodes of the series, so far. Oz and Vic continue growing closer together but Vic is losing his innocence due to Oz. Vic is meant to provide eyes into Gotham’s criminal underworld, but he’s still supposed to be a character the audience wants to support. That means his descent will lead to more backlash against Oz. They are pinpointing it perfectly to make that happen.
Meanwhile, Sofia Falcone/Gigante is constantly proving to be the villain we are supposed to understand. She’s meant to be humanized. Oz is the pure villain, Sofia is the circumstantial villain and Vic is our guide. The Penguin is knocking it out of the park.
Check out The Penguin on HBO and Max.
Article Written By: Jeremy Brown for Stelmach Brown Media 2024
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