The Penguin Episode 7: "Top Hat" Review

The beginning of this episode we see some context to how Oz became who he was. He had two brothers who ended up drowning when Oz left them to die in the sewers. I believe after this incident Oz's mother blamed him for his brothers dying and it sent him off of a deep end which led him to crime. I don’t think he intentionally tried to kill his brothers but Oz has always been a mommy's boy and was always fighting for his mother's love and attention. Now with his brothers out of the picture Oz feels not only guilty for not doing nothing to save his brothers but also feels a since of responsibility to his mother for his actions.

When Oz finally makes his way back to the apartment where his mother and Victor is hiding out he finds a beaten up and unconscious Victor lying on the floor. Salvatore and Sofia holds Francis hostage for exchange for the Bliss but those plans goes sideways when Salvatore dies while fighting Oz. This was not only unexpected for the audience but also for Oz considering that he didn't have the opportunity to kill Sal himself. Meanwhile, Sofia becomes hysterical after she sees Gia in Arkham and witnesses the pain that she caused her by killing her parents. Thanks to Rush she is talked back into finishing her revenge plan on Penguin.

What I love about this episode is how it captures mental illness and guilt. Sofia realizing that she is becoming her father when she meets Gia in Arkham and realizing that Gia is eventually going to end up like her. One of my favorite scenes in this episode is when Sofia finds out about Francis dementia. She goes from being in control and powerful, to feeling a confused and having a sense of empathy for her. Absolutely great episode before the series finale.

Rating: 4.5/5