THE PENGUIN Episode 4 Spoiler Recap: The Hangman Is Revealed As Arkham Introduces Obscure DC Comics Villain

THE PENGUIN Episode 4 Spoiler Recap: The Hangman Is Revealed As Arkham Introduces Obscure DC Comics Villain

The fourth episode of The Penguin, "Cent'Anni," puts the spotlight on Sofia Falcone, revealing the truth about The Hangman and her time in Arkham. We also meet an obscure DC Comics villain in the asylum...

By JoshWilding - Oct 14, 2024 05:10 AM EST
Filed Under: The Batman

The Penguin's latest episode, "Cent'Anni," opens by taking us back a few minutes before Vic's arrival in the previous episode. The truth about Oz Cobb's betrayal is finally revealed to Sofia Falcone thanks to Sal Maroni's wife, and she now knows that he murdered her brother Alberto. 

Sofia is rescued by Dr. Julian Rush and, in a flashback, we revisit the time Oz spent as Sofia's driver. They were on good terms, and a journalist later approaches her to ask about the fact several women with ties to her father's businesses have been found hanging...just like her mother. 

At dinner, we learn Carmine is disappointed in his son and feels he's too soft. As a result, he plans to break tradition and one day make Sofia the head of the family. However, his faith in his daughter wavers when she starts asking questions about her mom's death (she found her hanging as a child and remembers seeing some strange marks on her hands). 

Sofia meets with that female journalist and discovers that those women were strangled but hanged after the fact to make it appear as if they took their own lives. Oh, and they had defence wounds, just like her mom. 

At Carmine's birthday party, Oz is looking very dapper in a new suit. He's had a promotion and it's all because he told Carmine about Sofia's meeting with that reporter. As she questions her father, he's dismissive and says she's sick and confused. The police are looking at him for murder and, upset by her apparent betrayal, he orders her to leave.

Oz takes Sofia home - she berates The Penguin for letting her down - and they're pulled over by the cops; that journalist has been found dead and Sofia is being arrested for killing her and the other women. Yes, Carmine has framed his own daughter who, in the press, is dubbed "The Hangman."

Luca, Viti, and more give the police false statements and Sofia is sent to Arkham for six months before her trial. She endures horrible treatment, though Rush seems to take an interest in her. 

Magpie, an obscure villain from the DC Comics, resides in the cell next door. At lunch, an inmate who has been unchained attacks Sofia who is later given a fork and the opportunity for revenge. Dr. Ventris, the head of Arkham and blatantly on her father's payroll, clearly wants her to kill the woman but when Sofia refuses, the inmate uses the fork on herself...which Sofia is blamed for.

Several rounds of electroshock treatment follow and Sofia begins to lose it. Things then go from bad to worse when Alberto visits and reveals it's been decided she's unfit to stand trial (meaning she'll remain in Arkham for the foreseeable future). Losing it, Sofia kills Magpie because she believes Ventris has sent her there to spy on her. 

Back in the present, Sofia makes it clear she sees through Julian - he helped get her out, but primarily because he's infatuated with her - and later interrupts Luca's celebratory dinner. 

After reminding her family of what they did to her, she verbally berates them and vows to start a new life the next day by presumably heading to Italy. However, in the middle of the night, Sofia takes her cousin's young daughter to the greenhouse outside. 

She's gassed and killed every single member of the Falcone family...well, aside from Viti. Sofia opened his bedroom window earlier and tells him they need to talk as the episode concludes. 

Four episodes of The Penguin are now streaming on Max.

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ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 10/14/2024, 5:51 AM
Another damn good episode, didn't even mind that this was focused on someone else outside of Oz and Vic, Sofia is just that interesting of a character.

Props to the costume team as well for that dress she wore at the end.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 10/14/2024, 5:53 AM
Ventris not Ventress...i know you like Star Wars slop but Ventress is not a real surname..not even here in Grady Judd County
HegoD
HegoD - 10/14/2024, 5:53 AM
It's doctor Ventris, not Ventress :D
Also, when did she gas them? They were all dead when she left the greenhouse. I saw this scene again and yes, they were dead before she wears the gas mask.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 10/14/2024, 6:43 AM
So Falcone killed Sofia's mother and Selina's mother...basically in the same f*cking way?
Wow...how creative...
TDKRnry88
TDKRnry88 - 10/14/2024, 8:35 AM
@Doomsday8888 - That's the point. That was his "calling card" of sorts. Hence... Hangman.
newhire13
newhire13 - 10/14/2024, 9:04 AM
@Doomsday8888 - It’s called modus operandi. M.O. It’s someone’s typical pattern of behavior. Investigators will use it to identify criminals they’re looking for via their pattern of behavior.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 10/14/2024, 9:12 AM
@TDKRnry88 - Well technically "Strangleman", he just made them look like hangings.
Taonrey
Taonrey - 10/14/2024, 9:24 AM
@Doomsday8888 - I mean I don’t really see the issue with this, people that kills a lot of folks(serial killers) tend to have a M.O.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 10/14/2024, 11:33 AM
@TDKRnry88
@newhire13
@Taonrey

I knew it shoulda have put /s

Oh well. :P

I have read the long halloween, fellas, i've been familiar with Hangman's m.o. for years, lel.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 10/14/2024, 6:49 AM
Wonder if Selina’s mum was his first victim?
Spike101
Spike101 - 10/14/2024, 7:48 AM
Thanks Josh, I don’t need to watch it now…
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 10/14/2024, 7:49 AM
@Spike101 - Well, you’re missing out. 🤷🏻‍♂️
Spike101
Spike101 - 10/14/2024, 8:33 AM
@JoshWilding - hopefully catch it tonight. Enjoying it so far as it’s in the darker side of the spectrum like the Netflix Daredevil shows.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 10/14/2024, 9:03 AM
This episode was so good (as has this show has been overall!!).

Cristin Miloti has been great throughout but this episode proved that she might be the MVP of this show , such a great performance and character!!.

Also that yellow dress…

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soberchimera
soberchimera - 10/14/2024, 9:18 AM
Sofia remind anyone of anybody?
User Comment Image

I figured they were going to go the overly sympathetic female villain route, but being The Hangman is kind of the ONLY thing Sofia Falcone is known for in the comics, besides giving Sal Maroni the acid that scarred Harvey Dent. Why can't they just let some female villains just be evil? Doesn't ruin the show for me, just found it to be an irksome overused trope in media nowadays, looking forward to the rest of the series.
Taonrey
Taonrey - 10/14/2024, 9:26 AM
@soberchimera - I mean I’d argue this is an issue with villains in general these , not just female villains, the issue is male villains tend to still be more common., so it’s more noticeable with the women.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 10/14/2024, 9:42 AM
@Taonrey - Naw, male villains are portrayed as being more directly responsible for their actions generally whereas female villains are only villains because they're victims of men. There are definitely a good share of overly sympathetic male villains though, Magneto comes to mind.
Humperdink
Humperdink - 10/14/2024, 10:34 AM
@soberchimera - @Taonrey

Why can't they just let some female villains just be evil?


I hear you but I don't mind the change, I welcome it. I think this approach adds far more layers of depth to the character, and takes the viewer along for the ride into the transition of her BECOMING an evil mob boss.

The simplistic approach of just being "born that way" or into it, is a bit too one-dimensional for me.

It doesn't really matter if she was made to be evil anymore than it does that Harvey Dent may have initially had good intentions, Victor Fries wanted to save his wife, the Joker (in one narrative) was a failed, broke comedian trying to earn money and went insane after the chemical accident...they are NOW iconic evil villains.

Having a backstory gives Batman villains their appeals. It's why they adopted Mr. Freeze backstory from the Batman Animated series rather than having him just be a man who made a cold-gun and started robbing banks and jewelers.

It's not nearly as interesting.

soberchimera
soberchimera - 10/14/2024, 11:03 AM
@Humperdink - I don't think you quite get what I'm saying. I'm not saying villains have to be 100% unredeemable. They can have tragic backstories, but in this case and in the case of Reva from Obi-Wan, Ghost from Ant-Man and Wasp, Cheetah from WW 1984, the writers make them SO sympathetic that they cease to be villains altogether. In fact, in Sofia's case, it appears she never once made a mistake or morally questionable decision until she was forcefully thrown into Arkham by her serial killer father. And the Sofia in the comics wasn't a one-dimensional, cartoony villain either, she was taking out the men who were responsible for her father's downfall while pretending to be disabled, but she still had layers and depth despite her doing some horrid things.
Humperdink
Humperdink - 10/14/2024, 11:26 AM
@soberchimera -

I don't think you quite get what I'm saying. I'm not saying villains have to be 100% unredeemable.

(edit) the writers make them SO sympathetic that they cease to be villains altogether.


No, no, I completely understood your point. I never said they had to be redeemable or irredeemable, they just didn't need to be one-dimensional.

We have no idea if Sophia is redeemable at that stage, I'd argue that she likely isn't at this point, but that isn't even the point of having her have a sympathetic backstory. Nor does it to make her cease being a villain because, trust me, I suspect she's going to do some VERY villainous deeds before the season is over.

The point was to appreciate her descent into evil MORE now that you understand HOW/WHY it happened. This works far better from a writing standpoint than having her start out as an evil mob boss.

Everyone is Gotham is a victim to some extent. Even Bruce Wayne. Jonathan Crane is abused by relatives and bullied in school. Does he cease being the Scarecrow because you know that information?

I just don't see the case for saying that The Riddler in the Batman film ceased to be a villain because we learned of his abusive and neglectful background in the 3rd act.

He still flooded the city and killed hundreds. He's still the villain. 🤷
soberchimera
soberchimera - 10/14/2024, 11:52 AM
@Humperdink - No, no, I completely understood your point. I never said they had to be redeemable or irredeemable, they just didn't need to be one-dimensional.
And again, Sofia isn't one-dimensional in the comics either. If anything Sofia is one-dimensionally good before everything that happens prior to her incarceration at Arkham. There were plenty of ways for her to have a tragic background and STILL be The Hangman, maybe her mother was abusive, maybe the women from the Iceberg Lounge were informants for Maroni. Pinning all the blame on Carmine just seems like "smash the patriarchy" mentality rather than good storytelling.
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 10/15/2024, 7:31 AM
@soberchimera - I was watching a retrospective on the G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra movie yesterday. They mentioned something that surprised me. It was about why they made the Baroness brainwashed and not an evil villain like she always has been. They were afraid if they made her evil they would be labelled sexist. This type of sexist Hollywood judgemental BS about female characters existed all the way back then in 2009, which probably explains why there hasn't been one decent female villain in decades.
ElBlancoChoco
ElBlancoChoco - 10/14/2024, 10:35 AM
I wasn't a fan of The Batman and was going to skip this. The first episode was on while I was doing something. I quickly became hooked and have eagerly waited each episode. This was the best so far for me. Oz has weaseled his way out of everything but no way he can get out of a confrontation with Sophia. I think it may come out that Alberto was also in on keeping her in Arkham and maybe Oz will use that to smooth things over with Sophia. They are focusing on him being the only one to believe/help her. Maybe that wasnt the case. Al is a POS so it could work.

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