Here’s something that audience members will learn as the first season of The Penguin rolls on. It’s damn near impossible to choose the title of Most Tragic Character from episode to episode. You might assume that the title belongs to Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell), the lead gangster and someone who has proven to be quick on his feet when the heat is around the corner. But the more that we learn about Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), Johnny Vitti (Michael Kelly) and the rest of the colorful cast of characters, they all make a play for the label of most damaged toy in the box.
Episode 3 of The Penguin was focused on Victor, the street criminal that Oz caught in Episode 1 of the series, and took him under his wing. As if to remind audiences that Oz is a psychopath, Episode 2 ended with The Penguin making Victor lie down in a grave with fresh corpses, teaching him what might happen if Vic were to mess up again. Well, when Episode 3 drew to a close, Victor was given a choice: Board the bus and escape Gotham with his girlfriend, or return to Oz and serve as his stoolie. Vic chooses Oz, and that decision will send shockwaves through the series.
In the wake of The Penguin Episode 3, we interviewed director Craig Zobel and asked him about Victor’s decision. It was significant, given the amount of damage that had been done to Vic’s neighborhood in the flood. Graciela (Anire Kim Amoda) offered Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) a way out. She was a light at the end of a very dark tunnel that was collapsing on Vic. But Victor’s decision to return to Oz, according to Zobel, traces back to the events in the final minutes of Episode 2, and Vic having to climb into that freshly dug grave.
As Craig Zobel told CinemaBlend:
Coming out of Episode 2, Victor is seduced by the world. Or is interested, and sees interesting things about sticking around and being a part of it. But then, by the end of Episode 2, he is kicked into a grave and recognizes that there is a power imbalance, and that isn’t fair. I think that all of Episode 3 – the present-day portions – are in reaction to that last scene in Episode 2. Where (Victor’s) debating, ‘What am I doing? Am I doing this? Is this a big choice that I have to make?’ Graciela gives him a true choice. He could run away and leave. So I think that it's really about his attraction to this lifestyle, what it can provide him, and what it’ll mean to him as a person – like, what he’ll have to give up. And I don't just mean Graciela. But morally, what he will have to give up to do this.
Morality? Oz Cobb doesn’t really concern himself with morality all that much. His ability to pivot any time that the crosshairs land on him make Oz one of the most fascinating characters on television at the moment, and someone that deserves analysis as the season rolls along.
But it was in Episode 3 of The Penguin that we saw a little more about how Oz views Victor. Because in a crucial bathroom confrontation ahead of Vic choosing to stay in Gotham, Oz makes it clear that he’s betrayed by Victor’s contemplation of leaving. Because to Oz, there is no other life beyond what he has built on the sordid streets of this damaged city. As Craig Zobel explained to CinemaBlend:
I think that what's interesting and cool about that (bathroom) scene, from Oz's point of view, is that Oz can't fathom … I don't think he does think that this kid is trapped. He doesn't know why you wouldn't want to do what he's doing. He genuinely is hurt by that statement, in a way. And that makes him angry. Because like there's a vulnerability to showing that you're hurt. Oz can't do that. The last time he did that, he shot Alberto Falcone. So it's another time that we get to see Oz on his back foot and feeling, emotionally, more vulnerable than he normally is. Which is interesting.
Zobel goes on to mention the moment in the club when Oz is attending the meeting with the head of the Triads. It’s an important moment in the development of the Bliss trade. But Oz has to stand. As Zobel points out, he’s not part of the team in the same way. And the director explains to CinemaBlend:
There's a bit where he feels uncomfortable and vulnerable at the end of that. Which is, I think, interesting for his character especially knowing where he is going in the series.
Where will Oz go in the series? Well, we have so many more episodes to figure that out. We know that The Penguin is acting as a bridge between The Batman and Matt Reeves’ planned sequel. But we have been told by the show’s creators not to look for Batman, because he’s not important to the story unfolding each week on HBO. There’s more than enough happening in the episodes, though, so keep your HBO subscription up to date, and tune in every Sunday night for new Penguin stories.
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