Chris Connor reviews the fourth episode of The Penguin…
The Penguin has continued to build steady momentum, expanding the mythos of Matt Reeves’ The Batman in a memorable crime saga. After the thrilling conclusion to the previous episode and Oz and Vic disappearing into the wind, the fourth episode focuses entirely around the character of Sofia Falcone, exploring what might be next for her while filling in some of the gaps in her story.
Cristin Milioti delivers a tour de force performance, examining Sofia’s inner turmoil and going some way to showing how affected she is by the loss of her brother Alberto, with who she confided and often found an ally. We also get more of a look at Michael Zegen as Alberto while we get our first glimpse at Mark Strong as the deceased Carmine Falcone in extended flashback sequences.
The flashbacks really underline how Falcone had so much of Gotham in the palm of his hand from law enforcement to within Arkham, this being a time before Pattinson’s Batman was on the scene. While this episode is more focused on Sofia where we do see Oz within these sequences it shows the evolution of his relationship with the Falcones, reframing his working relationship with Sofia in the present and how he came to be the man we encountered in the film.
It can be an uncomfortable watch as Sofia is framed for murder and nicknamed ‘The Hangman’ after meeting with a journalist and consigned to a lengthy stay in Arkham. The first half of the episode fleshes out her relationship with her family while the second shows her stint in Arkham while also showing her recovery and preparations for her next move in the main timeframe. The Arkham sequences can make for a difficult watch but the show is not afraid to go to some dark places really diving into the characters’ psyche and Milioti is up to the task.
As we hit the halfway mark, The Penguin continues to be a standout series, not afraid to tackle darker themes and re-evaluate how we see the characters. Cristin Milioti gives a stellar performance here as Sofia, helping to flesh out her character and explore some of her inner turmoil. It is to the show’s credit that it has taken the time to really focus on character making us invested in them and it is all the better for it.
Chris Connor
