There is always something going on in Gotham. Episode 5 of The Penguin, called “Homecoming,” takes us deeper into the chaos as alliances change and old enemies rise to power. It sets the stage for what feels like a major turning point. Episode 4 showed how Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) hurt her family in a brutal way. This episode takes us back to Oz (Colin Farrell) as he gets closer to taking over Gotham. Things are getting more tense, and everyone is trying to get power. But if this episode taught us anything, it’s this: believe less of Oswald Cobblepot at your own risk.
Main Events of The Penguin Episode 5
• Oz sets his beloved car on fire
• Oz kidnaps Taj Maroni, son of the powerful Maroni
• Sofia tortures Johnny Viti
• Oz makes a risky trade with Nadia
• Sofia solidifies her leadership
The Penguin Season 1 Episode 5 Recap
The show starts with a powerful picture of Oz setting fire to his purple Maserati, a car he used to be very proud of. As the fire grows, Oz thinks about his past and how he is connected to Gotham’s criminal underworld. This shows that he is ready to take on the full responsibilities of being a crime boss. He and Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) talk about what the car means, comparing it to the chariots that they used to see on the streets when they were kids.
At the same time, things get worse when Oz finds Salvatore Maroni’s son, Taj Maroni (Aria Shahghasemi), at a tattoo shop and takes him hostage. The young Maroni is knocked out when Oz and his men kill Taj’s guards. This kidnapping starts a chain of events that make the fight between the Maroni and Cobblepot groups worse. Taj is used as a bargaining chip by Oz to get the Maroni family to return a shipment of Bliss mushrooms that they stole.
At Blackgate Prison, Oz shows Salvatore and his wife Nadia (Shohreh Aghdashloo) a hurt and battered Taj to show that he is in charge. Oz wants them to give back the Bliss mushrooms so that their son can be safe. Even though Salvatore doesn’t want to do it at first, Oz makes it clear that the only way they can see their son alive again is to do what he says. Although there is some tension between the two crime families as they work out the trade-off, it is still felt that this tense truce will not last.
From the Falcone point of view, Sofia is still getting over the shocking betrayal she did in Episode 4 by killing most of her family. Making a name for herself as the leader of the new Gigante crime family makes Sofia’s goals more clear than ever. In order to get more power, she tortures Johnny Viti (Michael Kelly) who is still locked up in the crypt. Sofia is determined to find out about the cash that her father hid and couldn’t be found. She uses ice bucket torture and emotional blackmail to get information.
A heated argument ensues, during which Johnny reveals that his anger toward Sofia comes from his belief that she is somehow to blame for the death of his cousin Isabella. He tells her that she tried to leave Carmine Falcone but stayed for the kids’ sake of course. This private revelation shows how deeply Sofia and Viti dislike each other, but it also gives Sofia the information she needs. After getting information about the hidden money, Sofia shoots Viti in the head, which shows how cruelly she wants to gain power.
Oz is getting ready for his next big move while Sofia works her way to the top. He gets together with his dwindling group of loyal friends to plan his next moves in the gang war which is getting more and more deadly. His men are worried about how dangerous Sofia and the Maronis are becoming but Oz is still set on his goal. During the trade-off for Taj, Oz confronts Nadia Maroni in a scene that is both violent and shocking. After getting the Bliss mushrooms back, he sets Taj and Nadia on fire, killing them in an explosion of flames that makes things worse between Gotham’s criminal groups.
As the episode comes to a close, Oz and Victor hide out in an empty trolley tunnel which brings back memories for Oz from his childhood. The tunnel is dark, damp and out of the way. so Oz thinks it will be a great place to regroup and plan his next move. Oz made a big move when he decided to hide in the tunnels. The city was turning against him, and enemies were closing in from all sides.
Sofia, on the other hand, is getting ready to attack again. Now that Johnny Viti is dead and she has the cash that can’t be traced. she calls a meeting of the remaining Falcone supporters and says she is now in charge of the crime family. She gains more power by teaming up with Julian Rush, who is becoming dangerously devoted to her, which makes it seem like he might be more deeply involved in Gotham’s criminal world.
At the end of the episode, there is a cliffhanger: Sofia meets with Sal Maroni and suggests that they work together to get rid of The Penguin, who is both of their enemies. We don’t know if this alliance is real or just another one of Sofia’s tricks, but it’s clear that the fight for Gotham’s criminal underworld is far from over. The first season of The Penguin is almost over, and there are only a few episodes left. The ending is sure to be explosive and violent.
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