The Penguin Episode 4 recap: Everything to know before watching The Penguin Episode 5

Cristin Milioti as Sofia Coppola on HBO
Cristin Milioti as Sofia Coppola on HBO's The Penguin (Image via Instagram/@thebatman)

The fourth episode of The Penguin titled Cent'anni proved why the HBO show might be among the year's best shows. The Penguin Episode 4 served to effectively halt the ongoing crisis with Oz Cobb, the Maronis, and the Falcones and dives headfirst into the origin story of Sofia Falcone, played by Cristin Milioti.

Episode 4 of The Penguin also took a radical turn from the gritty and grim realism of Gotham where Oz Cobb rolls in his pink Maserati, to a dark and surreal Arkham State Hospital where much of the comic-book wonder of Matt Reeves assumes great importance. At the episode's beginning, Oz's double-dealing with the Maronis backfires as he and Sofia are pinned down in the parking lot of the Triad bar.

Miraculously, Victor comes to their rescue, having decided to stick with Oz and not leave Gotham earlier. He slams the Maserati right into one of the Maronis' gunmen, and Oz is able to make good on his escape from the scene, wildly celebrating Victor's comeback. On the other hand, Sofia narrowly escapes from being shot and is overwhelmed before she calls Dr. Julian Rush to rescue her.


The Penguin Episode 5 shows Arkham in its full glory

Following Sofia Falcone's breakdown at the ambush by the Maronis, The Penguin Episode 4 jumped back in time, ten years to be precise, to find her again. The Sofia of the past was a loving daughter and heir-apparent to the Falcone throne, complete with the blessings of her father and mob boss Carmine Falcone himself.

However, when a reporter investigating the death of a string of young women related to Carmine confronts Sofia, she can't completely shrug it off. Old memories of her mother Isabella's death come back to haunt her. Sofia eventually connects the dots and discovers that Carmine is indeed guilty and his crimes date back to the night when he had killed Isabella.

As Sofia gradually realizes the extent of her father's heinous crimes, her then-driver Oz sees a chance to move up in the world. He rats on Sofia to Carmine, telling him about her discreet meetings with the reporter. Carmine labels her as mentally unstrung and then deports her to the dreaded Arkham State Hospital, where the doctors try their best to do away with her sanity.

The judges were bought by Carmine and kept delaying Sofia's appeals, so much so that she went to Arkham hoping to come out in six months but was imprisoned for ten brutal years. Carmine also saw to it that the blame for all the murders fell on Sofia, with the press crudely calling her the Hangman.


Sofia Falcone's perfect revenge

Towards the end of the episode, the present-day Sofia crashes a dinner party hosted by her uncle Luca for the entire family. She reveals that she had trusted her family members and didn't expect them to write out affidavits claiming that she was insane. She then proposes a toast to a new beginning.

Eventually that night, Sofia causes a gas leak inside her family manor and kills everyone except Johnny and Gia Vitti. The episode closes with Sofia walking around a dead mansion in her evening dress, donning a gas mask.

The Penguin airs new episodes every Sunday on HBO.

comment icon
Comment
Edited by Apoorva Jujjavarapu