‘The Penguin’ Episode 4 recap & review: Will the real Falcone boss please stand up?

Despite The Penguin Episode 4 beginning with Oswald Cobb’s (Colin Farrell) words echoing how he won’t let Sofia down again, he immediately caves when confronted by Nadia Maroni (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and her goons. Prior to being rescued by Vic, Oz tries to save his skin by throwing Sofia under the bus.

However, while Vic and Oz may have saved themselves temporarily by leaving Sofia behind, she calls her therapist, Dr Julian Rush (Theo Rossi), to come and save her after she is grazed by a bullet and left for dead. Unfortunately, before she gives him her location, she passes out, leading to flashbacks from before her time in Arkham Asylum.

Carmine Falcone Is Revealed to be The Hangman in ‘The Penguin’ Episode 4

In the flashback, Sofia is enjoying the successes of her foundation for women’s mental health before her world is turned upside down. She is being groomed to take over the family business by her father, Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong), but he begins losing faith in her when she starts asking questions about the death of women under his employment in The Penguin Episode 4.

After she breaks his cardinal rule of not going to the media, Carmine takes matters into his own hands and frames his daughter for a series of murders. Although she always believed her father to be a good man, she now finds out he not only killed her mother but murdered six other women by strangulation and left them to hang in the exact same way. To make matters worse, Sofia is sent to Arkham Asylum, as the media dubs her “The Hangman.”

Sofia Falcone Survives Arkham Asylum’s Torturous Tactics in ‘The Penguin’

While Sofia has claimed innocence throughout the series, it was difficult to believe until seeing her full experience in The Penguin Episode 4. Once in Arkham, she is tortured in various ways throughout her six-month court-mandated assessment. Unfortunately, once the six months are up, she learns the full extent of Arkham’s corruption. The head doctor in charge, Dr. Ventris (T. Ryder Smith), lies on her assessment under order from her father and claims Sofia is not in control of her impulses and must stay in Arkham for the foreseeable future.

Dr. Julian Rush is his assistant throughout the first six months, but he leaves the facility when he realizes the malpractice taking place. Sofia’s brother Alberto (Michael Zegen) vows to get her out, but her chances are grim as the rest of her family has signed affidavits confirming her guilt. Realizing there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, Sofia commits her very first murder, beating her cellmate Magpie (Marié Botha) in the cafeteria for reporting on her to Dr. Ventris. For 10 full years, Sofia Falcone is stuck under the torturous conditions of Arkham Asylum for murders she didn’t commit.

‘The Penguin’ Episode 4 Review: Sofia Falcone Takes Over the Family Business

Once returning to the present, Sofia heads back to the Falcone mansion, fully aware she has no allies remaining in the family. After proposing a toast at their gathering, calling out each of their complicity in her captivity, she says her goodbyes, giving out the impression she will be leaving. However, once they’re all asleep, she escorts the one child, her niece Gia (Kenzie Gray), outside the grounds, fills the house with carbon monoxide and kills everyone there except for Johnny Viti (Michael Kelly). With nothing left to lose, Sofia Falcone is taking charge.

'The Penguin' Episode 4 Review "Cent'anni"

5/5 Total Score

The Good

• Cristin Milioti turns in an Emmy-worthy performance.
• The devastating circumstances of Arkham Asylum invoke all kinds of emotions.
• Mark Strong gives a wonderful performance taking over as Carmine Falcone for John Turturro.
• Despite spending the majority of the episode in a flashback, it still adds to the overall story.