Episode Five: “Homecoming”
Now that Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) and the Maronis know Oz’s (Colin Farrell) true intentions, they set off to kill him and whoever he cares for. Oz and his crew kidnap the son of Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown) and hold him hostage. Oz makes a deal with Salvatore that if he delivers his Bliss drug shipment to him, then he’ll let his son go. Salvatore accepts the ultimatum.
After wiping out her entire family except for her niece Gia (Kenzie Grey) and her cousin Johnny Viti (Michael Kelly), Sofia tortures Johnny and forces him to make her the new head of the family. Sofia rebrands the family under her late mother’s maiden name, Gigante.
Oz also orders Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) to take care of his mother Francis Cobb (Deirdre O’Connell) and place her in an area neither Sofia or the Maronis will think of looking. Victor relocates her to his former neighborhood, Crown Point.
A lot is going on in this episode. Oz knows people are out to get him and is running out of people he can depend on like Eve Karlo (Carmen Ejogo), a prostitute who refuses to be associated with Oz. However, Oz’s quick thinking has gotten this far without being killed.
The performances are exceptional as always, especially O’Connell’s performance as Oz’s dementia-suffering mother, Francis. She feels like an older person in your family who has lost her mind because of old age and not having her son take care of her.
Oz wants to please his mother, but it forces him to do things that risk putting her in danger. She is the only family he has left, and Farrell’s portrayal of an Oz with a soft side is nice to see.
The audience gets to see Sofia take full control over her family’s business with no single trace of Falcone left. She does the ultimate power move by taking her mother’s maiden name, and at this point, Milioti is terrifying as Sofia. She’s a power-hungry mob boss driven by hatred and vengeance against Oz and those he cares for. She could not have been better cast.
Sofia also does one other thing viewers may not expect by forming an alliance with Salvatore. He agrees to join, letting go of any past beef between the Maronis and the Falcones.
By the end of the episode, Oz thinks of a new way to start harvesting his new drug, Bliss. He takes Victor to an abandoned underground railway, and it quickly becomes the new base of operations for Oz and his crew.
Episode Six: “Gold Summit”
In episode six, Oz’s plan to make Bliss underneath Gotham turns out to be a genius idea. His empire is only going to get bigger, and Oz is becoming more and more like the Penguin fans of the character love.
Sofia and Salvatore’s henchmen kill several Bliss dealers as a warning, so Oz decides to give the drug away for free as a way to raise demand across other gang territories. Viewers are in for a treat with Oz in this episode because he is so close to becoming Gotham’s most ruthless mob boss.
He holds a meeting with the bosses of other gangs and, like Sofia, tells them to rise and join him and leave the legacy of the Maronis and the Falcones in the dirt.
Farrell does a stellar job in this scene because he sounds like a politician. He puts on the facade of someone who genuinely cares about others and their issues, but in actuality, he’s just using them.
Victor has his drama when he is confronted by a drug dealer named Squid whom he knew before being with Oz. Squid wishes to meet with Oz, but Victor doesn’t comply. Squid then becomes more hostile, forcing Victor to shoot him dead. He’s in the game now.
After raiding his home, Sofia and Salvatore find a picture of Eve in Oz’s dresser drawer. She goes to her apartment with the intent to kill her and she doesn’t give up Oz’s location. Eve eventually does and soon learns Sofia was never the Hangman. Sofia also informs her that Oz knew Carmine was killing women and killed those to whom Eve had a connection.
Eve is left disturbed by this and her whole life is turned upside down. Sofia goes to Crown Point and where Oz is staying and walks in on Francis and Victor dancing together. The audience is left on an excellent cliffhanger, wondering if Sofia pulls the trigger.
