The Penguin uses its penultimate episode, Top Hat, to take a step back and dive into the deaths of Oswald Cobb’s brothers.
Top Hat Overview and Star Rating
Cristin Milioti and Deirdre O’Connell are fantastic opposite one another. The twist on a typical family dynamic with the Cobbs during the flashback sequence is well done. However, much of this episode felt like filler compared to the previous six episodes that dived deep into established dynamics and considerably advanced the story.
The Penguin has had a good track record with flashbacks, as has Agatha All Along, for that matter, but this doesn’t work as well. The revelations are predictable. While the episode struggles storywise, Milioti and O’Connell’s performances and great dialogue still make it worthwhile.
The one-on-one back-and-forth between Sofia and Francis is terrific television. Less scintillating was the confrontation between Salvatore and Oz. The emotional and physical battle between the two ends in a disappointingly cartoonish manner that robs the victor of vindication.
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Despite some predictable developments, impressive performances and dialogue by writer Vladimir Cvetko still make Top Hat a good episode of TV that falls just a little short of The Penguin‘s high standards.
The Penguin is streaming on Max.
Oz’s Brothers
Before delving into the last episode’s ending scene, Top Hat explores the Cobb family dynamic in a flashback. Surprisingly, Jackie and Ben are good brothers to Oz. However, as we’ve seen throughout the season, if Oz even feels slightly slighted, he lashes out.
The brothers play hide-and-seek in the rain in what would later become Oz’s base of operations. Oz is the seeker, and Jackie and Ben are the hiders. They hide in a place that Oz can’t reach due to his handicap. The brothers profusely apologize, but Oz won’t listen to their pleas. He seals the brothers in and lets them drown.
The reveal of what happened to Jackie and Ben is predictable. Seeing them as decent people instead of bullies is a nice twist. However, I think it would have been stronger if the brothers’ fate had been left open to interpretation. These sequences only confirm that Oz is a liar and probably did something nefarious.
Present Day
After the flashback, Top Hat blasts past the scene, teased brilliantly in the last episode.
Oz enters the apartment. He sees Vic is unconscious and bleeding from the back of his head. Sofia kidnaps Francis and sics Salvatore on Oz.
Sofia tries to make Francis crack. However, Francis keeps her mental faculties for the most part, then uses her dementia as an excuse for why she slaps Sofia. The confrontation with Francis forces Sofia to take stock of her current situation. She visits Julia and realizes she’s put her niece in a similar situation to the one she faced with her father, Carmine. Sofia considers offering a trade of Francis for Oz’s Bliss drug operation.
Meanwhile, Oz is locked in a primarily physical battle with Sofia. While Sofia issues demands over the phone, Oz takes Sal to his drug operation location. A fight breaks out between Sal and Oz, and Sal gains the advantage. However, Sal suffers a heart attack and drops dead. Unable to accept that he didn’t defeat Sal properly, Oz unloads a clip on Sal.
Overall, the fight between Sal and Oz was lacking. The most interesting parallel between the two criminal is they’re both guided by their emotions. They also have a habit of letting familial ties break them, which is an advantage Sofia has in this gang war.
Sofia exploits Oz’s connection to his mother. The trade is a ruse. She sets up the trade in a way similar to how Oz presented Alberto’s body to Sofia. A vehicle is wheeling into Oz’s base. He opens the back, expecting to see his mother’s corpse. Instead, there’s a bomb ticking away. The episode ends with Oz narrowly escaping, only to wind up in the clutches of Sofia’s corrupted cop.
Top Hat Final Thoughts
While the performances and writing are up to the series’ usual high standards, the penultimate episode struggles to keep the momentum heading into the finale. The disappointing end of the Oz-Salvatore battle and predictable reveals clash with awards-worthy performances by Milioti and O’Connell.
The Review
The Penguin: Episode 7
PROS
- Cristin Milioti and Deirdre O'Connell are fantastic.
- Flashback reveals sweet twist on expected nasty family dynamic.
- Sofia's ruse.
CONS
- Predictable reveals.
- Sal-Oz conflict ends in disappointing fashion.
