The following review contains spoilers for the seventh episode of The Penguin, “Top Hat.”

The penguin does everything he is supposed to do. Modern prestige television has found a formula that tends to work in a world of 6 to 10 episode runs (though it often works better with 10). One element of this formula is to begin the season's penultimate episode with a flashback, even though the audience desperately wants to know what happened after the previous episode's cliffhanger ending. It withholds the information you want to know most while forcing your focus on something more character-based, and it's often too big. The writers know that the audience will be hooked for these opening moments, allowing for a sense of delayed gratification as they eventually flash back to the present, hopefully with a new perspective on a character or an element of the story re-contextualized through the added backstory.

I said in last week's review that another flashback after The Penguin has already had so many could mess up the flow of the series, and while I don't necessarily agree with my former self anymore, the placement of the Reviews in episode 7 are neatly done – the implementation of the story of Jack and Benny's death is just not that convincing. While it shows that Oz was so brutal and callous even as a child, it doesn't do much to explain why Oz did what he did or how he felt about it afterwards. Fratricide will certainly affect a child's mental state! And it would have been interesting to spend more time looking into it. It doesn't add much to his relationship with his mother either, as it just repeats what we heard from Francis before, that she needs Oz to make something of herself because she deserves a nice life or whatever (on the danger). I repeat: she SUCKS). The flashback makes sense where it is, in an episode where Francis is kidnapped by Sofia and Oz is trying to get her back. It just doesn't add much to the characterization.

The success of “Top Hat” lies in the consistency of its characters. Whenever two of them interact for the first time, it always feels realistic how these two personalities (as we've come to know them elsewhere in the series) would get along. Last week that meant a great conversation between Sofia and Eve, and this week it's the same for Sofia and Francis. Because as shitty as she is, I love how brutal Francis can be and how consistently she defends herself and Oz. It's a “nobody but me messes with my son” kind of situation. Their back and forth is really satisfying to watch, and the mention of Jack and Benny sending Francis into a bout of dementia is really sad. The series has done a really good job of portraying dementia throughout, and that's thanks in large part to Deirdre O'Connell's performance.

The rest of the episode focuses on Oz and Salvatore as the Maroni boss is reeling from the deaths of his wife and son and vents about the man who took them from him. It's a plot that mostly takes the only possible route, but the heart attack was an unexpected twist (for both me and Salvatore and Oz). What could have been a lackluster exit turns into an interesting character moment for Oz, who finally realizes what's happening and rushes to make sure Salvatore knows he's won right before he dies. Whether this message reached its recipient is unknown, but the moment makes it clear what Oz is all about.

The Penguin Episode 7 Gallery