‘The Penguin’ Episode 7 Recap & Review: The Villainous Origin of Oz Cobb

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Penguin Episode 7, “Top Hat.”

With only one more week remaining, The Penguin Episode 7 wonderfully sets up an epic showdown between Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) and Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti) for the finale. However, the penultimate installment also delivers some of the best individual performances of the entire season.

Showrunner Lauren LeFranc and writer Vladimir Cvetko provide a crucial backstory to understanding Oswald Cobb’s motivations, diving into the childhood personality traits that led to his becoming a villain. Additionally, the episode features some of the most intense action sequences of the entire series. Check out all the details from our recap of The Penguin Episode 7, “Top Hat,” below!

Oz Cobb’s Complicated Past Is Revealed in “Top Hat”

Throughout the series, Oz has frequently shut down any potential conversation involving his brothers as a topic. However, The Penguin Episode 7 finally reveals the tragic story leading to Oz Cobb’s future villainy. In the flashback, it’s clear young Oswald’s (Ryder Allen) attachment to his mother, a younger Francis Cobb (Emily Meade), goes far beyond childhood love. He has an obscure need to care for her and be her partner, which, in theory, sounds fine but, in practice, comes off more like an attempt to be a misogynistic, oedipal figure.

Even early in life, Oz already idolizes gangsters. He takes any opportunity to interact with the top gangster in his neighborhood, Rex (Louis Cancelmi), despite his older brother Benny (Owen Asztalos) warning him not to get involved. When Oz’s younger brother Jack (Nico Tirozzi) wants to play flashlight tag, their mother insists Oz join his brothers for fun and games.

Unfortunately, Oz’s resentment for having to share Francis’ love with his brothers boils over in The Penguin Episode 7. They play in the same tunnels that Oz now uses for his Bliss operation underneath their neighborhood in Crown Heights. However, when he’s supposed to chase them down a drainage pipe that his disability doesn’t allow, he instead locks them inside so he can return home and spend some uninterrupted time with his mother — the only problem is that a storm is brewing.

The Kids Aren’t Alright in ‘The Penguin’ Episode 7

The rain pours as young Oz watches the film Top Hat with his mother, refusing to reveal the true location of his brothers. As the storm rages on, Francis panics about where her sons could be, with Oz maintaining his lie that they went to a movie; “Beetlejuice!” he claims. Eventually, they drown, trapped in the drainage tunnel where Oz left them to die. Despite losing his brothers, Oz accomplished his goal of getting his mother all to himself in The Penguin Episode 7. No matter how much he pretends he wants to take care of Francis, the truth is he feels inadequate and wants her love all for himself.

Upon the return to the present, Oz enters his apartment to find his protege, Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), with his head bashed in and his apartment in ruin. Sofia Gigante has rifled through his belongings and abducted his mother, Francis (Deirdre O’Connell). As Victor regains consciousness, Oz sends him to gather the gangs supporting his Bliss operation for reinforcements while he stays to face Sofia’s partner, Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown).

Oz leads Sal underground where his Bliss operation is stationed. Maroni’s men kill a few of Oz’s, but a distraction allows them all to fight back. During the showdown between Oz and Maroni, Salvatore drops dead, seemingly from a heart attack. Despite Sal beating the brakes off of his opponent, he collapses before he can finish him off. Oz gloats over his dead body as if he pulled off the victory on his own and steals Salvatore’s ring right off his finger.

‘The Penguin’ Episode 7 Review: Oz and Sofia Prepare for the Final Showdown

Meanwhile, Sofia spends her time analyzing Francis with the help of Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi). However, she leaves their session when she learns her niece Gia (Kenzie Gray) has been potentially incriminating her to the police. She visits Gia only to find her worst fears confirmed. When Sofia realizes that Gia knows she killed their family and has been physically harming herself, she has a panic attack and spins fully out of control in The Penguin Episode 7. She orders a bombing of Oz’s hideout, sneaking it in during the supposed exchange for Oz’s mother.

As The Penguin’s operation crumbles to the ground, he hides in the same drainage tunnel he used to kill his brothers to escape the blast. He has fond memories of going dancing with his mother (at the theater where she’s currently being held) before snapping back to consciousness and returning to the surface to assess the damage. However, when he reaches the top, he is knocked out by one of Sofia’s henchmen, setting up an epic showdown for the season finale.

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