The Penguin Episode 4 “Cent’Anni” finally revealed the dark backstory of Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) and the events that led to her being committed to Arkham Asylum for ten years. While getting that pivotal piece of backstory, we also got a major connective thread to the events of The Batman, and how much darkness has surrounded the Falcone family all these years.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW!
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The backstory of Sofia’s fall from grace centered around the pivotal moment when a Gotham City reporter named Summer Gleeson approached her with a damning theory: that Carmine Falcone is a serial murderer who has strangled dozens of women for decades – including Sofia’s mother. Even though she rejects Gleeson’s attempt to recruit her as a source, a seed of doubt starts to sprout in Sofia’s mind – something that her driver, Oz Cobb/Penguin (Colin Farrell) notices, and uses to his advantage.
When Oz told Carmine (Mark Strong) about Sofia’s wavering thoughts, it forced a confrontation between Sofia and her father – one where Carmine’s mask finally dropped for a second, and it was clear that he was, indeed, The Hangman. As retaliation for being seen, Carmine lashed out, murdering Summer Gleeson and framing Sofia for her murder and all the Hangman killings. Sofia was sent to Arkham and kept there, while Carmine was free to go on running the underworld and killing women.
The Penguin’s Hangman Killer Reveal Is a Big Deal For The Batman’s Story
One of the most pivotal subplots of Matt Reeves’ The Batman is the story of Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) and her undercover operation within Carmine Falcone’s organization. Selina worked at the Iceberg Lounge in an attempt to gather intel on her father’s operations so that she could rob him – while also planning to kill him for the murders of her mother, Maria Kyle, and friend/roommate Annika Kosolov. Batman ultimately stops Sellina before she crosses the line of murdering Carmine – only for The Riddler to finally assassinate the mob boss.
The Penguin Episode 4 ties a connective thread to The Batman by revealing the true depravity of Carmine Falcone when it comes to women. He strangled the mothers of two of his daughters (that we know of), and sacrificed his favorite child and would-be successor (Sofia) as the patsy for those crimes. Carmine’s line of killings left both Sofia Falcone and Selina Kyle broken in deep ways that turned them into the brutal and cold women they became. It also drives home the horror that “The Hangman’s” final victim, Annika, was another person close to Selina.
Will The Daughters of Carmine Falcone Unite?
Selina leaves Gotham at the end of The Batman, but it seems inevitable that she will be one of few who truly understands that Sofia is not the real Hangman Killer. Together, Sofia and Catwoman would be a mix of old-school organized crime and new costumed villains that both Batman and Penguin have to worry about, by the time The Batman 2 arrives.
The Penguin airs Sunday nights on HBO and streams on Max.
