Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched The Penguin’s latest episode, “Cent’anni,” so be warned!
After three tension-strapped episodes that built up Sofia Falcone’s struggles with life as a free woman, The Penguin gave viewers a look back at the myriad obstacles Cristin Milioti’s character was already dealing with before being wrongfully incarcerated for a decade. The DC crime drama’s ensemble cast grew a bit bigger, including Mark Strong as the recast Carmine Falcone (whose biggest sin was revealed), but perhaps the most shocking introduction involved Batman baddie Magpie, as…temporarily portrayed by Marié Botha.
Let’s look at exactly what went down inside the blood-splattered walls of Arkham Asylum during “Cent’anni,” and then we’ll get into what showrunner Lauren LeFranc told us about why Sofia made it so that this Magpie never shows up in Matt Reeves' The Batman: Part II or any other upcoming Batman projects.
How The Penguin Introduced And Executed Magpie
For someone born into the Falcone family, Sofia didn't seem to be all that hatefully villainous earlier in life, when Colin Farrell's Oz was merely her duplicitous driver. But after landing on her very powerful father's bad side regarding her mother's alleged suicide (but actually a murder), Sofia was utterfuly fucked out of a normal and humane existence for a full decade of her life, getting framed as the Hangman murderer ahead of being locked up in Arkham Asylum.
After her harrowing arrival, Sofia was put into a drab cell where she was rather quickly called to by her next-door neighbor, who introduced herself in a pretty spot-on way that addressed both her "real" name, her reason for being in Arkham, and a hint of her comic-sourced obsessions.
My name is Magpie. Like the bird. Not ‘Margaret.’ My stepmom used to call me Margaret, and I told her not to, and she didn’t listen. . . . Ooh, I bet there’ll be lots of paparazzi at your trial. No one even wrote about mine. Is it fun being famous? Oh, I bet it’s fun!
Marié Botha certainly gave it her all as Magpie for the few scenes she was in, and beyond the potentially psycho-sexual relationship Sofia has going with Theo Rossi's iffy Dr. Julian Rush, the squeaky-voiced killer was the closest thing Sofia had to a friend inside Arkham. Which is possibly part of why Sofia absolutely snapped when Magpie suggested she tell "the truth" to Dr. Ventress, implying she'd previously been lying about her innocence.
By all means, I wasn't exactly wishing for a spinoff focusing on Magpie's inane musings delivered at glass-shattering registers, but I was still completely shocked when Sofia aggressively murdered her fellow inmate by repeatedly smashing her face against against a cafeteria table. It absolutely informed the intimidation vibes flowing off of Milioti's character in the first few episodes, even if she was completely rattled in the moment.
Showrunner Lauren LeFranc Explains Why Sofia Shockingly Killed Magpie
When CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell spoke with Lauren LeFranc about the twists and turns throughout Episode 4, he asked why the showrunner thought Sofia had to kill Magpie at that moment, and here's how she started her totally logical response:
Well the truth is, Sofia didn't have to do that. She chose to do it. She's obviously coming into that scene in the Mess Hall devastated. She had an inkling of hope left until Alberto told her that there was no way that she was ever going to get out of Arkham. And this whole time, she's felt gaslit. She's felt like she's innocent, and her father had the power to put her in there. She has suspected that Dr. Ventress works for her father, and she's just getting severely punished in the most terrible way by her own family.
I can't imagine being in such a hopeless situation as Sofia's, when every single path to help has been completely cratered by her father's actions., and she's forced to suffer the consequences of murders she had nothing to do with. And it's all of those actions that drove her to commit an actual murder arguably worthy of an Arkham stint.
LeFranc continued, pointing out how the slightest bit of suspicion pushed an already frazzled Sofia over the edge:
And that level of devastation and anger and rage that has been boiling under the surface for her – when she believes that Magpie might have been spying on her in the cell next door, and telling Dr. Ventress what she's been doing, or what she's been thinking or feeling, the idea of one more person gaslighting her, and doing something as terrible as that, whether it's true or not, something breaks inside of her in that moment.
One failsafe way to make sure someone isn't lying to you is to make it so that they can no longer lie, or tell the truth, or breathe. Not exactly the most moral solution to any given problem, but Arkham Asylum is an institution where progress is key. (Or...not.)
I love how Lauren LeFranc explained the inherent irony running throughout Sofia's actions and what came after. As she put it:
Ironically, the whole episode, she's telling Dr. Ventress that she's innocent, and she tells Dr. Rush that she would never kill women. And in this moment, she just breaks and kills Magpie. And yet, because she chooses to do that – and obviously she declares her innocence, ironically, in that moment – but because she does that, I think it's partly why she survives Arkham for the next 10 years. Because there's a strength in that terrible of an environment by taking such violent action. And she's wholly changed as a result in that moment.
To prove how strongly she adhered to her truth about not being a murderer, Sofia did just that, and it completely changed her in different ways. Even though life didn't suddenly become a dream for her inside the Asylum, her brutal choice made a statement to other inmates, and embracing that side of herself helped ensure her continued survival, as well as the confidence to try and take over the family business after being freed.
While waiting for next week's episode to continue proving how great Cristin Milioti is as Sofia Falcone — The Penguin airs on HBO and streams with a Max subscription — let's share the love for Rhenzy Feliz's performance as Victor. Oh, and R.I.P. Marga...er...Magpie.
