Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
4.5
Oz might want to rethink his “it’s a helluva lot more fun to dance” line he tossed at Sofia Falcone on The Penguin Season 1 Episode 2 because the dance will only get more twisted.
As we’ve seen numerous times, every step forward drags him two steps back, leaving him tangled in the mess he’s created.
At this point, Oz can’t see the forest for the trees — even though he thinks he does.
He’s not just in a dangerous dance with Sofia Falcone and the Maronis; he’s also completely blind to the ticking time bomb that is Vic.
Can’t See the Forest For the Trees
Desperate for someone he can trust, Oz sees Vic as a younger version of himself. But the more he pulls Vic into his world, the worse it’s going to get.
Oz might be street-smart, but Vic is far from it. And Oz is too caught up in his thirst for power (and trying to wiggle himself out of his mess) to realize that Vic is only tagging along out of fear.
This “life” is not the life Vic wants. Vic wants to get back to the way things were before The Riddler wreaked his havoc. But Oz can’t see that, and no matter how many scare tactics Oz throws his way, Vic is not cut out for this world.
Yet, Oz keeps giving Vic chance after chance, a decision that’s sure to come back and bite him in the ass.
Oz can eliminate threats like Ervad without hesitation, but when it comes to Vic, he’s completely blind to the danger staring him in the face. It’s maddening to watch.
Meanwhile, Sofia’s playing her own deadly game, trying not to let her madness show through.
She’s not just unhinged — she’s a woman scorned. And we all know how that saying goes: hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, especially when it comes to her dismissive uncle, Luca.
And now that Oz has teamed up with Sofia to take down the “old men,” he’s basically jumped into the hellfire. But how much fun is he really going to have dancing to her tune?
Sofia is smart and ruthless — far more than Oz gives her credit for or any of the “old men” in the Falcone Family (or even some of the women, looking at you, Carla).
And like Vic, Oz doesn’t have much of a choice but to go along with her if he wants to save his own skin.
He’ll use her to his advantage as best he can, and they will surely play off each other, but she’s a big problem, and Oz has bitten off way more than he can chew.
But the more significant problem is the noose tightening around his neck in the form of Vic, the one person Oz just can’t seem to cut loose.
A Dangerous Dance
Is Oz going to bring Vic along for the ride? Of course, he is, and there are a million ways that can play out. The most obvious one is that Vic will somehow slip, not on purpose, and reveal Oz’s hand in this mob war.
We already saw how tongue-tied Vic gets when he’s under pressure, scared, or around beautiful women.
How do you think that will turn out when he accidentally slips in the presence of Sofia and tries to recover? He’s got no chance.
It’s going to be an absolute wild ride watching Oz and Sofia dance together, but it’s going to be lots more fun watching Oz’s world unravel when Vic screws up.
Or, who knows — maybe Vic will surprise us all and flip the script, becoming the new “Oz,” tossing his boss aside.
After all, Vic knows all of Oz’s secrets and has the upper hand, even if he doesn’t know it right now.
As much as I want to see Oz claim Gotham’s underworld throne, he’s making way too many mistakes.
He should’ve been content trying to be Rex Calabrese 2.0. Sure, part of his ambition is fueled by the respect he feels he never got, but that’s where he skews Calabrese’s legacy.
The respect Rex commanded was genuine. If Oz takes the throne, any respect he gets will only be because he’s the boss, not because people actually admire or like him. And that’s never going to change.
He’ll be a boss to fear (think Vic) with a bunch of yes men (think Vic) who will mock him under their breath and behind closed doors (Vic has yet to do this, but it could come).
The Women of Gotham
Speaking of Sofia, she’s not the only woman making power moves in Gotham’s underworld.
Nadia Maroni holds a surprising amount of influence while her husband is behind bars. Though she’s a minor player for now, she’s already triggered some of Oz’s more reckless decisions, proving just how much women shape his character.
From his mother to Sofia, Nadia, and even Eve in more subtle ways, Oz has a serious blind spot when it comes to the women in his life.
Sure, he had little choice but to give in to Nadia’s demands to get Ervad back, but Oz seems to play right into these ladies’ hands far too easily.
Another thing to consider — Oz is escaping problematic situations a little too often as well. As clever and tense as those moments are, he’s not Batman, so why is there always a convenient way out for him?
On another note, what happened to Carmine Falcone being a rat? Unless I’m misremembering The Batman movie, isn’t that something Oz knows?
Is he saving it as his ace in the hole, waiting for the perfect moment to use it? Or is he still trying to wrap his head around the idea of the boss being a rat?
It’s telling when Oz shares the story about his start in the mob with Pinchy, who was killed by Falcone after being caught talking to the feds — or so Oz says.
What if it wasn’t Pinchy talking to the feds? What if it was the other way around, and that’s why Falcone kept Oz close to see if Pinchy had revealed what he saw?
There’s a reason Oz keeps sharing these different stories with Vic, and it’s bound to come together at some point, for better or for worse, for The Penguin.
Over to you! Is Oz making a mistake with Vic? Will Oz be able to outmaneuver Sofia? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and be sure to check out our The Penguin Roundtable for more thoughts about the series as a whole.
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