'The Penguin' Episode 4 Recap: Why Didn't Sofia Kill Johnny Viti?

Family ties never withheld people in positions of power from stooping to the lowest of lows, and this is presented in its worst form in Max’s The Penguin as Carmine Falcone’s harrowing actions come to light with its fourth episode, “Cent’Anni.” As the midseason finale takes Sofia on a trip down memory lane, a number of key questions raised by previous episodes are answered, like why Sofia ended up in Arkham, why her relationship with Oz is in such a conflicted state, and the true reason behind Sofia’s resentment for her late father. 

Previously, with Oz’s help, Sofia was able to secure a deal for the distribution of their new drugs, Bliss, through the Triads—an action that will allow them to undermine the control assumed by the present chief of the Falcone crime family, Luca Falcone. However, Oz’s double-dealing deceit is discovered by Nadia Maroni, who confronts him with Sofia and nearly gets him killed when Vic’s timely interventions save Oz’s life. Now that Sofia is deciding to take drastic measures to climb to the top, her past plays a key role in explaining her actions. 

Spoilers Ahead

Sofia Learns About Oz’s Betrayal

The Penguin episode 4 shows the final moments of the previous chapter from Sofia’s perspective, with Nadia Maroni’s men rounding up Oz and Sofia outside the Triad club backdoor. The fact that Oz is playing both rival crime families has been discovered by Nadia, and she has decided to put an end to his charade by killing him. As Nadia reveals the truth about Oz killing Alberto, a crestfallen Sofia is repulsed as Oz still desperately tries to cut a deal with Nadia by throwing Sofia under the bus. However, moments later, Vic crashes Oz’s car into the scene, saving Oz in the process, while Sofia gets injured. She manages to dial up Dr. Julian Rush momentarily before losing consciousness. 

Carmine Falcone’s Murderous Past

The narrative shifts to ten years ago, as a young Sofia is seen giving a speech at a fundraiser for a life-saving service providing foundation created to honor the memory of her late mother, Isabella Falcone. As it is revealed, Isabella apparently had to deal with her depression for a long time; when Sofia was nine years old, she saw her mother having taken her life by hanging herself. Which is why when Summer Gleeson, a reporter from the Gotham Gazette, approaches her with the news of the mysterious death of Yolanda Jones, who used to work at Falcone’s Iceberg Lounge, in a similar manner, Sofia gets intrigued. Apparently, this is not a solitary incident, as these strange cases of suicides have been happening over the course of a decade, and all of them can be traced back to Carmine. Sofia avoids Summer’s questions, as Oz, working as her driver at this point in time, drives her away, but a strange suspicion keeps pestering her. It should be mentioned at this point that Sofia appeared to be respectful and appreciative towards Oz, who didn’t have almost no power or position back then. 

Fed up with the wayward, callous attitude of his son, Alberto, Carmine is prepared to hand over the reins to the family business tu a mature and composed Sofia—and Sofia is honored to have been recognized by her father as well. The rhythm of their conversation strikes an odd note as Sofia brings up the death of her mother, mentioning she never felt like Isabella was depressed—and Carmine tries to sidestep the question, only to realize Sofia’s curiosity isn’t that easily satiated. Later on, Sofia tries to question her brother, Alberto, about Carmine’s relations with women in 44 Below, the inner sanctum of Iceberg Lounge, but he isn’t really concerned about it anyway. Sofia’s curiosity drives her to arrange a secret meeting with Summer, where she learns about the series of woman deaths, which were written off as suicides, but in reality, were deaths by strangulation. The marks in the nails of the victims oddly remind Sofia of her mother’s final moments, and given the fact that Carmine had injuries on his hand at that particular night, Sofia isn’t liking the direction her present stream of thoughts is taking her down. As she leaves Summer, Oz later informs Carmine about the meeting. 

In reality, Carmine himself had killed his wife and all these women, and given his influence over all the sectors and strata of Gotham City, it was no issue to bury the incidents. As highlighted in The Batman, Carmine’s homicidal behaviors came to light after he was revealed to have murdered Selina Kyle aka Catwoman’s friend, Annika Kosolov, and Selina’s mother, Annika. However, as Carmine decides to question Sofia about her conversation with the journalist, Sofia makes the mistake of insinuating that he might have had a role in Isabella’s demise. Carmine is visibly annoyed, as he dismisses Sofia, and she blames Oz for letting him know about her meeting with Summer. 

Hangman Killer in Arkham

The next thing Sofia knows, she is apprehended by cops under Falcone’s payroll, who charge her with the murder of Summer Gleeson and of all seven women the reporter has been investigating. Carmine has declared his daughter to be mentally unstable and in dire need of rehabilitation, prompting the authorities to take her to the Arkham State Hospital, where Sofia is subjected to hellish treatment by the authorities and fellow inmates. Alberto and Sofia’s lawyer reveal that the media has labeled her the Hangman Killer, her own father has framed her, and the extended Falcone family has supported his false claims of Sofia’s unhinged, violent past through a validation letter sent to the judge. Apparently she has to stay at Arkham for six months until she is approved for being eligible to stand trial to defend herself against the crimes she never committed in the first place. In Batman: The Long Halloween, Sofia was taken out of prison by her father Carmine to capture the mysterious Holiday Killer, who was none other than her brother Alberto himself. Later on, Sofia went on to become the Hangman Killer in Batman: Dark Victory to avenge the death of her father; both of these dynamics have been twisted in Cristin Milioti’s take on the character. 

The chief psychiatrist of Arkham, Dr. Ventris, and his associate, Dr. Julian Rush, begin Sofia’s psych evaluation in despicable, typical Arkham ways—by using electrocution therapy. Sofia’s repeated pleas protesting her innocence go unheard by Ventris, although Julian shows a bit of compassion towards her. Sofia is brutally attacked by one of the deranged inmates, Abby, and gets acquainted with a neighboring prisoner who calls herself Magpie—alluding to the jewel thief villain from DC comics. Magpie gets the Bleeding Tooth mushroom drugs from Ventris in exchange for her compliance, which keeps her and other inmates in a lulled state. Ventris tries to force Sofia to become a killer by offering her a chance to kill Abby, but as Sofia is unable to bring herself to take someone’s life, the deranged woman, in a miserable state of her mind, ends up taking her own life in front of Sofia. The torture and abuse at the hands of Arkham authorities and Ventris continues to amp up, and the worst part is that after the designated six-month period is over, Ventris deems Sofia unfit to stand trial, extending her stay at Arkham indefinitely. Magpie tries to pester Sofia once again, but this time, losing her hope completely, Sofia has begun to embrace her darker side as she ends up killing Magpie by violently bashing her head against the table. Ventris wanted to bring the Hangman out of her; he is successful in doing so after all. 

Why Did Sofia Join Hands With Johnny Viti?

Sofia was released after spending a decade in Arkham, and at present, she wakes up in the presence of Julian Rush, whom she is revealed to be no longer able to trust. According to Sofia, like Ventris, Julian too enjoyed the wicked power the authorities had over Arkham inmates; only he was good at hiding his true self. However, Sofia agrees to Julian’s assessment that now she is free and deserves a fresh start. 

Returning to Falcone Mansion, Sofia interrupts family dinner and, proposing a toast by interrupting Luca’s speech, expresses her disgust and anger at the family members who knowingly validated Carmine’s lies against her, resulting in her hellish experience at Arkham for a decade. Sofia ends her speech by sharing her intention of attempting a new beginning and utters ‘Cent’anni’—wishing a century-long life for her family. At night, Sofia takes Gia, the young daughter of her cousin Carla, to the greenhouse  while she pumps carbon monoxide through the centralized air ventilation system of the mansion, which kills every single Falcone and Viti family member inside the mansion—all except Johnny Viti. Sofia had decided to spare his life by leaving a window in his room open. As the episode ends, Sofia wakes Johnny up to discuss terms under her command. With Oz betraying her, she might not have any allies, but now with the entire Falcone empire within her grasp, she probably doesn’t need anyone either. Sofia is keeping Viti alive for his connections and reach; when his purpose is served, she will eliminate him without hesitation.

Sofia’s past of losing her mother at the hands of Carmine feels identical to Selina Kyle’s fate, and given the fact that they are half sisters, it will not be wrong to assume that a future appearance by Catwoman in The Penguin is still on the cards. However, the more pressing issue will be Sofia’s next move, as Oz is truly in deep waters after getting shunned and targeted by both Maronis and Falcones. 

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