Diksha Sundriyal
Things have started to heat up in HBO’s ‘The Penguin,’ as Oz and Sofia fight to win control over the criminal world of Gotham picks pace, with both of them inflicting significant damage to each other. The episode picks up after the events of the previous episode, where Oz’s secret is out, which means he has to break away from the Falcones and the Maronis for good and start his own gang. Now that he has the secret to Bliss, he doesn’t need any of his previous masters. Meanwhile, Sofia has made some considerable strides of her own. With both of their minor problems out of the way, they now focus on each other, trying to figure out how to defeat the other for good. SPOILERS AHEAD
Oz Strengthens His Stronghold in Gotham with Bliss
After a brief hitch, Oz got his hands on the mushrooms and found a way to grow them in the underground tunnels at Crown Point. The obscurity of the place allows him to run his business in relative safety. The mushrooms have grown sizeably from the two batches he salvaged at the end of the last episode. Now, he is selling Bliss all over Gotham, getting all the different gangs of the city to work with him as distributors. This undermines the authority of the Maronis and the Gigantes (previously Falcones), which leads Sofia to retaliate by sending a message.
When three men of the Sullivan gang are caught selling Bliss, they are executed to send a message to the Sullivans, as well as the rest of the gangs of Gotham, that there is a price for doing business with Oz. This setback leaves Oz in quite a pickle, but instead of backing down, he decides to put more Bliss on the streets. He tells his couriers to give away Bliss for free to anyone who can sell it. Once the city has a taste for the drug, the demand will increase, and the gangs will have to do business with him.
While business is booming, things get worse for Oz’s mother. She doesn’t like hiding out in Crown Point, especially after Oz had promised her that he would take care of all their enemies. Her health also deteriorates, and the electricity cuts in areas like Crown Point, while the affluent neighborhoods get whatever they want, make Oz angrier than ever. His mother’s frustration falls on him, and it gets particularly heartbreaking when he finds her naked in the bathtub, in cold water, struggling to get out. To make matters worse, she asks Oz to kill her when she gets worse because she doesn’t want to live like that. Oz cannot cure her, but he can make things easier for her. So, he pays a visit to the local politician and threatens him to do something about the electricity problem in Crown Point. His actions bear fruit as the neighborhood lights up again, but by then, something worse has found its way to Oz’s home.
Sofia Finds Oz’s Weak Nerve
With Oz making a move against her, Sofia knows that it is time to hit him where it hurts. Both she and Sal have lost their loved ones to him, and now, they want to hurt someone he loves. But it’s trickier because no one knows who, if at all, Oz loves and cares about. They go through his apartment, where Sofia finds evidence of Oz’s affection for Eve. She finds Eve but is surprised when the latter welcomes her into her apartment. Eve knew that Sofia would come looking for her one day, so she made her peace with what was coming for her. However, she requests Sofia to leave her girls alone. But then, something unexpected happens.
As the women get talking, Sofia reveals that she is not the Hangman. It was her father who killed the women that Eve called friends. What makes it worse is that Oz knew about it all along, but not only did he not tell Eve, but he also kept working for the man, helping frame innocent Sofia for the crimes and condemning her to Arkham for ten years. (Speaking of Arkham, Sofia seems to have initiated a sexual relationship with Dr. Julian Rush, who offers her services and expertise should she require them in the future.) To Eve, this feels like a betrayal, but it also softens her towards Sofia. In the end, Sofia decides to leave Eve alone. As she is about to walk out of the door, Eve tells her about Oz’s hideout in Crown Point, not realizing what she is sending Sofia to.
Meanwhile, Oz calls a meeting of all the gang leaders in Gotham and tells them to rally together and fight the terror of Sofia and her gang. He gives a rousing speech about how people like the Falcones and Maronis have always taken them for granted, getting them to do all the dirty work while never even knowing their names. He asks the gangs not to be scared by Sofia’s recent streak of executions and statements. Rather, he thinks that this is the time when they should join hands and fight back. While some doubt is expressed about his plans and intentions, at the end of the day, the gangs are moved by Oz’s speech and decide not to bow down to Sofia.
This is a huge win for Oz, but at the same time, things are also getting much, much worse for him. Through Eve’s tip, Sofia finds her way to Oz’s place. Considering the crowbar in her hand, she came with the intention of killing him. But she is taken aback by the sight of an old woman calling Oz her son. This is when Sofia realizes she has found exactly what she had been looking for. She has found Oz’s heart, and she is going to cut it out of his chest now.
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