TOP HAT
Sofia Gigante finds the one person Oswald Cobb loves. Salvatore Maroni and Oz Cobb finally face off. Plus, we finally learn how Oz’s brothers died.
The Deaths of the Cobb Boys
The episode starts with a younger version of Oz and his brothers. While it’s been clear in the series that Oz’s mother views him as the son she was left with rather than the son she wanted, the first part of the episode reveals why. The Cobbs aren’t very well off but enjoy a decent family life. However, Mrs. Cobb is far more doting on Oz’s brothers, Jack and Benny, than she is him.
Photograph by Macall Polay/HBO
Things take a turn when they go to meet with Rex Calabrese, the local mobster who OZ THINKS took care of their neighborhood. oZ'S OLDER BROTHER DELIVERS SOME NEWS FROM THEIR MOTHER, WHO APPEARS TO BE COOKING THE BOOKS FOR REX'S GANG, AND REX GIVES THEM A LITTLE MONEY. IT'S CLEAR FROM PREVIOUS EPISODES THAT OZ LOOKS UP TO REX, BUT IT'S ALSO CLEAR THAT HIS OLDER BROTHER IS TRYING TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROM REX, BECAUSE REX ISN'T A GOOD DUDE.
THE COBB BOYS GO to play hide-and-seek in the subway tunnel underneath Gotham. Oz has his notorious limp that causes him issues as his brothers sneak down in a sewer tunnel connected to the subway.
Oz locks his brothers in the sewer tunnel and goes home to enjoy time with his mother while telling her they went to the movies. It’s a rainy night and his brothers drown in the sewer. Later in the episode, during a dementia induced fit, Oz’s mother begins searching for her sons. It’s clear that he never told her what he did to them, and he never shows remorse on screen. It’s left up to the viewer if his actions are that of a thoughtless child or a cold-blooded killer.
Salvatore and Oz
Back in the present, Oz finds his hideout has been found and his mother is gone. After sending Vic to get him an army, Salvatore Maroni and his men arrive to take Oz hostage. Salvatore keeps beating Oz even though he’s under orders from Sofia Gigante to not kill Oz. Oz promises the mushrooms for his Bliss supply, and Maroni and his men head down to the subway to tell Oz’s men they have new managers.
Photograph by Macall Polay/HBO
Oz pushes Salvatore too far to get him to start attacking, that’s when Oz’s men cut the lights giving Oz an advantage when Sal’s heart gives out. OZ STARTS SCREAMING AT SAL THAT HE BEAT HIM, ALMOST LIKE HE'S TRYING TO CONVINCE HIMSELF. mUCH LIKE WITH REX, IT APPEARS OZ NEEDS HIS NARRATIVE RATHER THAN THE TRUTH.
Just a few episodes after killing Sal’s family, THE CRIME BOSS WHO LVIED EVERYTHING WITH HIS HEART DIES WHEN HIS HEART GIVES OUT. Now, Oz has a new issue: targeting Sofia Gigante for abducting his mother.
SOFIA AND GIA
The real heart of the story comes IS WITH SOFIA GIGANTE. WHILE HER MAIN STORYLINE IS WITH OZ'S MOTHER, SHE GETS A LOOK AT HOW MUCH OF A VILLAIN SHE IS WHEN SHE GOES TO VISIT HER COUSIN, GIA. REMEMBER, SOFIA GOT GIA OUT OF THE HOUSE BEFORE KILLING ALMOST THE ENTIRE FAMILY WITH GAS. GIA IS NOW AT A CHILDREN'S HOME THAT IS CLEARLY NOT A GOOD ENVIRONMENT. GIA IS THREATENING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, SO SOFIA GOES TO PERSUADE HER NOT TO SPEAK.
DURING THEIR TIME DISCUSSING THE EVENT, SOFIA STARTS ACTING LIKE HER FATHER, CARMINE FALCONE AND POTENTIALLY THREATENING HER. SHE CHANGES HER DELIVERY TO TRY LET GIA KNOW THE FAMILY WERE BAD PEOPLE. STILL, DURING THE ENTIRE EVENT, SOFIA REALIZES THAT SHE TRADED ONE INSTITUTION FOR ANTOHER WHEN SHE WENT FROM ARKHAM TO HER FAMILY. MEANWHILE, SHE ALSO REALIZES SHE PASSED HER OWN TRAUMA ON TO AN INNOCENT CHILD.
Photograph by Macall Polay/HBO
Sofia and Frances
HOWEVER, MUCH OF HER TIME IS SPENT WITH OZ'S MOTHER, FRANCES COBB. When FRANCES Is lucid, Frances LETS SOFIA KNOW SHE KNOWS ALL ABOUT OZ'S CRIMINAL EXPLOITS AND IS extremely proud of HIM and how tough she believes him to be. Of course, she has the moments where she’s searching for her other boys, before recovering lucidity and slapping her in the face. Sofia realizes Oz’s mother is the only person he loves enough to be a hindrance to his plans.
SOFIA ALSO UNDERSTANDS THAT SOMEONE HAD TO MAKE OZ THE WAY HE IS AND SHE'S BLAMING FRANCES. ONE SCENE SHOWS FRANCES TAKING OZ OUT DANCING AND TELLING HIM THAT HE HAD TO MAKE SOMETHING OF HIMSELF TO PROVIDE FOR HER AS SHE AGES. IT'S CLEAR THIS MOMENT IS WHAT MADE OZ INTO THE UNREPETANT VILLAIN WE SEE IN THIS SERIES.
Photograph by Macall Polay/HBO
Sofia has Dr. Julian Rush psychoanalyze Frances. Meanwhile, Oz calls Sofia after his fight with Sal to let her know that Maroni is dead, but Oz will do anything to protect his mother. Oz agrees to give Sofia all the mushrooms from Bliss, a similar plan to how he set up Sal earlier in the episode. Oz sets his trap, but Sofia knows it’s a trap. She sent a car with a bomb into the subway. Oz ends up escaping through the very sewer tunnel where he killed his brothers. Meanwhile, the bomb kills most of his guys working on the drug.
Oz climbs out of the sewer where he’s immediately approached by A GOTHAM CITY DETECTIVE WHO IS ALSO one of Sofia’s goons. The DETECTIVE calls Oz “Penguin” which upsets the criminal. But the episode ends with the Gigantes abducting Oz.
Rating
The penultimate episode sets up a wild and crazy final battle for the finale. Since the death of Carmine Falcone in The Batman, Oz has been trying to make his way up through the criminal underworld. He made deals with Sofia Falcone that turned her into Sofia Gigante, the Maroni family that led to him nearly losing everything he worked for and costing him the Sofia alliance, and the Triad, who worked with him on the Bliss trial.
Meanwhile, his actions led to Sofia joining forces with Salvatore Maronie, renaming the Falcone family to the Gigante family and combining the two families. Now, Sofia has Oz and his mother, meanwhile Vic is getting an army together to help Oz. Who will win? I can’t wait to find out.
Check out The Penguin on HBO and Max.
Article Written By: Jeremy Brown for Stelmach Brown Media 2024
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