Review: Oz and Sofia regroup in The Penguin Episode 5, "Homecoming"

After spending an hour learning about Sofia and how she ended up being framed as The Hangman, the fifth episode of The Penguin, "Homecoming," brings us back to Oz’s story. It’s time to see how he regroups.

Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for The Penguin episode 5

We pick up off the back of the events at the end of Episode 3. Oz sets fire to his beloved car, and Vic has a chance to apologize for messing up. Oz is quick to forgive Vic, probably because Vic proved his loyalty by coming back when he could have left twn.

Now Oz needs to regroup. That’s not going to be easy with Sofia grabbing power as the head of the Falcone crime family.

The Penguin episode 5 review, "Homecoming": Oz attacks the Maroni family

The first thing Oz needs to do is deal with the Maronis, who believe he's betrayed them. There is one weak link in the family: Sal's son Taj Maroni, who is easy to capture. With him in Oz’s hands, the Maronis have no choice but to agree to work with Oz for now.

Oz is thrown off when he finds out that Sofia has killed most of the Falcone family. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Oz and his followers, and he gives a great speech about the opportunity it presents. The problem is that while Oz seems to be one step ahead, he’s really not. We can see that he is just good at thinking on the spot. He’s great at giving speeches when he needs to, but people around him see through it a little.

Did we really think that any of this would go to plan? When he goes to meet up with with Sal Maroni's wife Nadia, it’s clearly an ambush. But Oz is ready. He’d doused Taj in gasoline and sets fire to the boy as he and his mother embrace, killing both of them. So maybe Oz is one step ahead of everyone, or at least is able to think fast enough that it looks like he is.

Unfortunately, he also brought along a lot of mushrooms used to make the drug bliss, which was supposed to be part of the exchange. A lot of those get burned too. Plus, Oz’s plan to have Sal killed in prison fail. I love how we see that even the best of plans don’t always work out properly. It’s easy to believe that mobsters rise up the ranks quickly, but Oz has continually proven that with every couple of steps forward there is always a step back. It takes the romanticism out of the story a little.

Vic gets a heartwarming special task

With Vic now showing his loyalty, Oz has something important for him to do. He needs Vic to check on his mom. We get to see just how much Oz trusts Vic in this moment. Allowing people to know that his mom is suffering from dementia would open up a weakness for people to attack him. He is able to trust Vic with the most important person in his life.

Francis is confused at home, but Vic is able to bring her back to some sort of reality. It’s clear that the dementia hasn’t progressed too much just yet. She doesn’t get too confused when Vic explains that Oz is now trying to eliminate the Maronis and that the Falcones are dead.

Even when things go wrong, Oz continues to trust Vic. He needs Vic to get Francis somewhere safe, and Vic knows just the place. Why not his former neighborhood, Crown Point? It’s dangerous — that's where the city flooded in The Batman — but it’s not somewhere the Maronis or Falcones would think to look. But it does mean that Vic has to deal with Squid, the leader of a local gang from his past.

My heart goes out to Francis throughout this episode. She leaves her own house clinging onto just a lamp. She needs something to keep her grounded into reality, and that will have to do. Vic also has a box of belongings, but seeing Francis hold onto this lamp is devastating.

We get a little more explanation about Oz’s brothers in this episode. He says “the city took them”, and it’s clear that he blames himself for their deaths. There isn’t much time to get into the past, though. As Oz goes through a jar of coins, he finds a pin that gives him a new idea on how to continue his ascent. He and Vic venture into the tunnels used by the old city trolleys, which run under the city. This is the best way to move around undetected, and it’s the perfect environment for the new base of operations. There is some hope for Oz.

Sofia deals with the aftermath of her plan

When it comes to the Falcones, it’s not surprising to find out that the deaths from episode 4 make the news. Gotham PD have questions for Sofia to get to the bottom of the gas leak. They also want to know if Sofia knows where Johnny Viti is.

Sofia pretends that she has no idea, but she doesn’t always have the best poker face. The cop can tell that there is something suspicious about the deaths, and there is a hint that he believes Sofia did something. She doesn't have the most patience after her time in Arkham, which could lead to her downfall if Oz can figure out a way to make her snap.

Of course, Sofia does know where Johnny is. She has him tied up and it’s time to torture him for his part in sending her to Arkham as well as threatening her once she got out.

Sofia is at her best when she feels in control. However, when people bring up her mother or her past, she starts to falter. Johnny brings up Sofia’s mom, and this leads to her lashing out. Johnny shares a darker secret that Sofia’s mom tried to leave Carmine and almost did, but she went back for her kids. She had to protect Alberto and Sofia.

I don’t know how much we can trust Johnny’s words. Sofia is easy to manipulate. We’ve seen Oz do it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnny tries as well; he wants to survive. I’m really glad that Sofia just shoots him at the table because it gets rid of the constant questions. At the halfway point of the season, we need to see things on the up for both Oz and Sofia.

There is also the matter of Julian Rush, the doctor who helped Sofia while she was in Arkham. After saving her from the attack by the Maronis, Julian helps Sofia figure out what she needs to do. He turns up at the house with a request: he wants to join her so that he can find the release that Sofia has clearly gained. Sofia is growing her base and her support. One of the best things is that she makes it clear what she did to the Carmine foot soldiers. They better get in line or she will kill them as well. Fear is the only power in this series.

Sofia is also getting rid of the Falcone name. She will take her mother’s name, Gigante. It’s a new era for this mob family.

On top of that, she even goes to see the escaped and devastated Sal Maroni. She wants to end the war between their families so that they can work together to kill Oz. It hasn’t taken long for loyalties to completely switch. I do wish we could have had a little more time with Oz and Sofia working together because I loved their chemistry, but it’s exciting to see Sofia and Sal teaming up.

So the gang war on The Penguin continues but it’s between a different group of people. Sofia has become one of the most dangerous people in Gotham, and Oz has no idea. It’s going to be an exciting second half of the season.

Episode grade: B-

The Penguin airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.

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