The following review contains spoilers for the fifth episode of The Penguin, “Homecoming.”

Stories about villains are strange. These evil characters get the protagonist treatment, meaning their goals are our goals, their perspective is our perspective, and there can be cognitive dissonance between our own beliefs and theirs. This can be a tempting and exciting prospect if done well – and in cases like this breaking Bad And The sopranosthat's definitely it. But it can also lead to really bad storytelling pitfalls when it fails or is unable to convey a message, as in the case of joker Films. For the most part, here in The Penguin, the sense is that Oz has shown himself to be brutal and deceitful, but also strangely endearing and endearing. This balance attracted the audience to his side. Like the friend you know is bad news but brings a certain level of chaotic fun to the group. Until now. He's finally brought himself and those around him to the brink, and we begin to see the makings of a villain who can only be stopped by something greater than what humanity would normally be capable of . “Homecoming” shows how far Oz is willing to go in an episode that finally breaks the shackles of setup and backstory to advance the plot and get the point across.

This is the biggest relief in episode 5; If you focus solely on the current day, things can really get started. The weights are off and the show is at its best, while Oz and Sofia are at their worst, preparing for their final confrontation and trimming their fat, respectively. I'm reminded of it again game of Thronesas these two prepare and endure, knowing full well that the other is doing the same, and now we just have to wait impatiently for them to collide like action figures and see who else comes out unscathed (although we probably know who it will be ). ). It's just exciting that the promise of the premiere is being fulfilled now that we no longer have to make room for flashbacks, as good as they were. However, we still don't know exactly how Oz lost his two brothers, and it is brought up again in the Crown Point apartment, which reminds Oz and his mother of their old home. While I'd be interested to know exactly how they died, I don't know if more backstory in the back half of the series would really be beneficial.

While we're on the subject, can we also talk about Francis Cobb? She sucks. She's one of the most intelligent characters on the show, but god, she's terrible. That's really the most Sopranos thing about the series; The main character's mother sucks. A mother who loves her son in any way would never say what Francis says to Oz in Homecoming. She was evil in the first few episodes, but their conversation while Oz tries to comfort his mother – who he knows is probably uncomfortable in this place – is truly one of the worst things in the episode, and that's saying something called because Oz Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown) shook and set his wife and son on fire about 15 minutes later.

However, in Homecoming it's really easy to see how Oz became the man he is, and that's the advantage of feature-length television. I just hope they can land the plane now since there are only three episodes left. There's a recurring thought I've had with every episode of The Penguin, and that is that every episode feels like a cliffhanger ending. On the one hand, it's a good way to hook audiences week after week (or lure them into the next episode if they're playing the series after the fact), but promising to pick up the pace with each step is a big one Challenge task. I just hope they can keep it up because so far they've been able to deliver; I've found myself tied to the ends of TV shows a few too many times lately and I'm starting to get nervous.

The Penguin Episode 5 Gallery