Tv-Recaps
‘The Penguin’ Episode 1 Recap: After Hours
Episode 1 of ‘The Penguin,’ titled ‘After Hours,’ kicks off with Gotham in shambles after the Riddler blew up the seawall. On top of that, the recent murder of mob boss Carmine Falcone—gunned down right outside the Iceberg Lounge—has left a gaping power vacuum in the city. Now, every criminal with some influence in the city is scrambling to take over as Gotham’s top dog.
Some think Carmine’s son, Alberto, might step up to fill his father’s shoes, but there’s a lot of doubt. Alberto’s an alcoholic, hot-headed thug who thinks violence is the only way to get things done in Gotham. Meanwhile, Penguin—aka Oswald, aka Oz—has his eyes set on the throne, too, and he’s planning to snag it by any means necessary.
Major Spoiler Warning
Once Alberto buys the lie, they settle down for a drink. Alberto flashes his father’s ring—the same one that used to belong to Salvatore Maroni. Oz also shares a story about a gangster who always looked out for his people, but Alberto calls Oz a “pathetic little bitch.” This insult cuts deep, and Oz unloads his gun on Alberto, filling him with bullets. The second the smoke clears, Oz realizes he’s just made a huge mistake.
Outside the Iceberg Lounge, Oz finds a couple of teens vandalizing his car. Oz grabs Victor, one of the teens, and orders him to help him dispose of Alberto’s body or face the same fate. With no way out, Victor has to agree. Once they dump the body at a scrapyard, Oz considers finishing off Vic to tie up loose ends.
He figures it’s for the best as the kid has zero ambition, and with the trouble he gets into, it’s just a matter of time before he meets a deadly end. However, Vic convinces Oz he could actually be useful, and Oz spares the kid.
He’s the one who turned this operation into a cash cow, and just when he’s on the brink of revolutionizing the drug business with a brand-new product, the family decides to “shut it down.” Oz tries to make his case and lays out how his new drug could blow up their profits and expand their empire, but makes it clear that Oz has 48 hours to shut everything down.
As for Alberto’s disappearance, Oz says this isn’t the first time Alberto has gone off the grid. He assures Sofia that Alberto will turn up sooner or later. But it’s obvious that no matter how friendly and loyal Oz tries to be, Sofia is convinced he’s hiding something. The family might see Oz as a loyal lackey who’d never dare cross them, but Sofia’s always had her doubts. She knows there’s more to Oz than meets the eye and senses he’s capable of much more than following orders.
He lets Maroni on a deal that if he steals the shipment, they’ll split it 50-50. Oz will play the victim card, keep working with the Falcones, and feed intel back to Maroni, helping them take over Gotham.
It sounds tempting, but Maroni’s not a fool. He tells Oz to leave, but Oz hands Maroni back his old ring. Maroni’s eyebrows shoot up, and when he asks Oz where he got that, with a sly grin, Oz replies that he’s got more tricks up his sleeve than anyone realizes.
Sofia rushes outside to check it out and finds her brother’s body missing a pinky and the word “PAYBACK” written across the hood. This was Oz’s backup plan in case things went sideways. Now it looks like Salvatore Maroni is behind Alberto’s death, seeking revenge on the Falcones for pushing him out of business. Sofia, convinced Oz isn’t Alberto’s killer, lets him go. As the episode nears its end, Oz swears to get his hands on the new drug coming to Gotham. He knows that if he controls the streets, he’ll control the city.
Penguin Guns Down Alberto Falcone
Oz sneaks into Carmine’s office and finds a dossier full of incriminating photos of Viti. It’s pretty clear Carmine was keeping these as leverage, using them to make Viti dance to his tune. Just as Oz is rummaging through the goods, Alberto walks in and catches him red-handed. Gun drawn, he demands to know what Penguin’s up to, and Oz claims he’s just grabbing the files for Alberto.
Once Alberto buys the lie, they settle down for a drink. Alberto flashes his father’s ring—the same one that used to belong to Salvatore Maroni. Oz also shares a story about a gangster who always looked out for his people, but Alberto calls Oz a “pathetic little bitch.” This insult cuts deep, and Oz unloads his gun on Alberto, filling him with bullets. The second the smoke clears, Oz realizes he’s just made a huge mistake.
Outside the Iceberg Lounge, Oz finds a couple of teens vandalizing his car. Oz grabs Victor, one of the teens, and orders him to help him dispose of Alberto’s body or face the same fate. With no way out, Victor has to agree. Once they dump the body at a scrapyard, Oz considers finishing off Vic to tie up loose ends.
He figures it’s for the best as the kid has zero ambition, and with the trouble he gets into, it’s just a matter of time before he meets a deadly end. However, Vic convinces Oz he could actually be useful, and Oz spares the kid.
Penguin is Told to Shut Down the Drug Operation
The next day, Viti calls Oz for a meeting and reveals that he has made a decision to shut down the plants in Gotham and move operations to Robbinsville. Oz’s jaw drops since he knows it is a terrible move for business.
He’s the one who turned this operation into a cash cow, and just when he’s on the brink of revolutionizing the drug business with a brand-new product, the family decides to “shut it down.” Oz tries to make his case and lays out how his new drug could blow up their profits and expand their empire, but makes it clear that Oz has 48 hours to shut everything down.
Sophia Falcone Returns to Gotham
Sofia, Carmine’s daughter, also joins the meeting, and you can tell she has suspicions about Oz being involved in Alberto’s sudden disappearance. She has returned from Arkham and is ready to enter the family business. After the meeting, she asks Oz to grab lunch, and Oz plays nice and agrees because If anyone in the family catches wind that Oz was behind Alberto’s death, his criminal career will go up in smoke before it even gets started. Over lunch, Sofia reveals that she knows Alberto was at the Iceberg Lounge last night. She also reveals that the idea of revolutionizing the drug business with a new product was a secret they shared. Now that Oz has pitched it to Viti as his own, alarms are ringing in her head. Oz claims it was actually Alberto who shared his plans with him, but even Oz knows that Sofia isn’t buying his lies.
As for Alberto’s disappearance, Oz says this isn’t the first time Alberto has gone off the grid. He assures Sofia that Alberto will turn up sooner or later. But it’s obvious that no matter how friendly and loyal Oz tries to be, Sofia is convinced he’s hiding something. The family might see Oz as a loyal lackey who’d never dare cross them, but Sofia’s always had her doubts. She knows there’s more to Oz than meets the eye and senses he’s capable of much more than following orders.
Penguin Tries for a Truce with Sal Maroni
Penguin goes to see Salvatore Maroni to make things right. Oz says he is done playing nice with the Falcones and is ready to pledge his loyalty to the Maroni family. Maroni humors him for a moment, and Oz reveals that the Falcones are planning to shut down their drug operation, a move that will cost them millions.
He lets Maroni on a deal that if he steals the shipment, they’ll split it 50-50. Oz will play the victim card, keep working with the Falcones, and feed intel back to Maroni, helping them take over Gotham.
It sounds tempting, but Maroni’s not a fool. He tells Oz to leave, but Oz hands Maroni back his old ring. Maroni’s eyebrows shoot up, and when he asks Oz where he got that, with a sly grin, Oz replies that he’s got more tricks up his sleeve than anyone realizes.
Sofia Learns The Fate of Her Brother
Sofia Carmine can’t shake the feeling that Oz is behind Alberto’s disappearance, so she sends her guys after him and kidnaps him. When she has him in her clutches, Sofia starts torturing Oz for answers. To show she means business, she even kills a teenager who saw Oz at the Iceberg Lounge the night Alberto went missing. Minutes later, an unmanned car crashes through the mansion gates and splashes into the fountain.
Sofia rushes outside to check it out and finds her brother’s body missing a pinky and the word “PAYBACK” written across the hood. This was Oz’s backup plan in case things went sideways. Now it looks like Salvatore Maroni is behind Alberto’s death, seeking revenge on the Falcones for pushing him out of business. Sofia, convinced Oz isn’t Alberto’s killer, lets him go. As the episode nears its end, Oz swears to get his hands on the new drug coming to Gotham. He knows that if he controls the streets, he’ll control the city.
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