The following review contains spoilers for the fifth episode of The Penguin, “Homecoming.”
Stories about villains are weird. These evil characters are given the protagonist treatment, which means their goals are our goals, their perspective is our perspective, and there can be a cognitive dissonance between our own beliefs and theirs. That can be an enticing and enthralling prospect when done well – and in cases like Breaking Bad and The Sopranos, it certainly is. But it can also lead to some truly bad storytelling pitfalls when it doesn’t succeed or isn’t able to hammer home some sort of messaging, like in the case of the Joker movies. Here in The Penguin, it feels like for the most part, Oz has shown that he’s brutal and conniving, but oddly endearing and lovable. That balance has enticed the audience towards his side. Like the friend you know is bad news, but adds a certain level of chaotic fun to the group. Until now. He’s finally pushed himself and the people around him to the brink, and we’re starting to see the makings of a villain who might only be stopped by something greater than what humanity would normally be capable of. “Homecoming” shows just how far Oz is willing to go in an episode that finally kicks off the shackles of setup and backstory to drive the plot forward, and the point home.
That’s the biggest relief of episode 5; with the focus solely on the current-day, things can really start shmoovin. The weights are off, and the show is in its best form while Oz and Sofia are in their worst, gearing up and trimming the fat, respectively, for their final confrontation. Again I’m reminded of Game of Thrones, as these two prepare and connive, knowing that the other is doing the same, and now we just have to wait impatiently for them to clash together like action figures and see who comes out still intact (though we probably know who it’ll be). It’s just exciting that the promise of the premiere is being fulfilled now that we don’t have to make room for flashbacks, as good as they were. Though, we still don’t know exactly how Oz lost his two brothers, and it’s brought up again at the Crown Point apartment that reminds Oz and his mother of their old home. While I would be interested to know exactly how they died, I don’t know if more backstory in the back half of the series would really be to its benefit.
Also, while we’re on the subject, can we talk about Francis Cobb? She sucks. She’s one of the smartest-written characters on the show, but god, she’s awful. This is truly the most Sopranos thing about the series; the main character’s mom SUCKS. A mother who loves her son in any way would never say the things Francis says to Oz in “Homecoming.” She was bad in the early episodes, but their conversation as Oz tries to comfort his mom – who he knows is probably uncomfortable in this place – is truly some of the most evil stuff in the episode, and that’s saying something because Oz has Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown) shivved and lights his wife and son on fire like 15 minutes later.
Truly, though, it’s easy to see how Oz became the man he is in “Homecoming,” and that’s the benefit of long-form television. I just hope that they can land the plane now, with just three episodes remaining. There’s a recurring thought I’ve had with each episode of The Penguin, and it’s that every episode feels like a cliffhanger ending. On one hand, it’s a good way to keep audiences engaged week to week (or to draw them into the next episode if they’re binging the series after the fact), but making that promise to ratchet things up with every step is a tall task. I just hope that they can keep it up, because they’ve been able to deliver so far; I’ve just been burned on TV series’ endings a few too many times recently, and am getting nervous.
