Every crime Oz Cobb commits is sorted by cruelty

Pick up from where The Batman (2022) stopped, drama miniseries The penguin tells the story of a small gangster (Colin Farrell), burdened by his painful limp, but propelled forward (and upward) by the force of his fervent ambition.

The show highlights Oz Cobb’s redeeming qualities – he loves his mother! He is a kind mentor for a child! He is an ally! – but it gradually becomes clear that he is less of an anti-hero and more of a straight-up villain. Not all of his crimes may have been premeditated (the jury is still out on whether he intended to murder his brothers) or crimes at all (his betrayal isn’t illegal, but it does lead to a young woman being framed for a series of murders). becomes). and committed to an institution). But there is no doubt that where Cobb goes, chaos follows.

Now that the finale of The penguin aired, here are all of Oz Cobb’s crimes, ranked from least to most shocking:

(Warning: Spoilers ahead!)

12. Both attempted murders of Sal Maroni

Poor Cobb, 0 for 2 when it comes to attempted murder by Sal Maroni (Clancy Brown). First he bribes a Blackgate Penitentiary guard to beat up his rival, and while viewers are privy to the sneak attack, which includes the sickening sound of a knife piercing flesh, it later emerges that Maroni is the one instead Killed guard and escaped with his keys.

When Cobb and Maroni argue again in Episode 7, the old man dies of a heart attack, robbing Cobb of the satisfaction of defeating him. All he can do is fire ineffective bullets at the corpse.

11. Prepare the drops heist

Cobb helps the Maronis hijack the Falcones’ drops convoy by pretending to be a victim of the attack while escaping with half the payout. Bold, yes. But shocking? Only to Falcone’s henchmen, who realize shortly before their death that they have been betrayed.

10. Shooting Sofia’s henchmen

Just shocking because he’s so agile, even after being stabbed in the stomach with a glass bottle from his own mother (Deirdre O’Connell), still able to pick her up, throw her over his shoulder and flee the crime scene, all the while blasting Detective Wise (Craig Walker) with his brains into the camera

9. The shootout on the tarmac

The slightest movement of Cobb’s mouth is the only warning Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) receives before her henchmen, triad boss Feng Zhao (François Chau), and his henchmen are shot. After eight episodes, Cobb’s deft knack for extricating himself from the holes he’s dug has become well known, but he’s no less fun to watch.

8. Blackmailing Johnny Viti

Cobb takes a break from all the murders and backstabbing in Episode 3 to engage in some light blackmail. His plan to get the Triads on board with his drug dealer has a small catch: they need Falcone underboss Johnny Viti (Michael Kelly) to confirm his support for Cobb and Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti).

Since Viti would never willingly agree, the two corner him by secretly having sex in the hotel room with his boss’s wife (Tess Soltau). For a man trapped, Viti is remarkably adept at finding a way out, trying to drive a wedge between Cobb and Sofia and making them realize how little she can trust him. Enraged, Cobb straddles him and shoves a cell phone into his mouth with such force that the glass shatters against his teeth. Physical intimidation works. He calls.

In Episode 6, Cobb increases his blackmail tactics by using his weapons before his words. In a dark parking lot, he accosts a city councilman (Rhys Coiro), putting pliers to his nose while threatening to expose his misuse of public funds if he doesn’t divert electricity to Gotham’s neglected Crown Point district. Exaggerated, but wiping the bloody pliers on the councilman’s tie is a nice touch.

7. Assassinate Ervad Hakimi

Add another body to the pile on which Cobb is building his growing empire. Just when he thinks he has the Falcone Drops heist behind him, Maroni henchman Ervad Hakimi (Fajer Al-Kaisi), who he worked with, is caught. Cobb’s immediate instinct is not murder. He knows he must avoid getting caught up in the plan if he wants to keep the Falcones’ trust. Instead of silencing Ervad, he first tries to get him to frame Johnny Viti instead.

Even in his drug paralysis, Ervad understands what is being asked of him and agrees. However, moments later, Cobb realizes that his plan to put Falcone jewelry in Viti’s car has failed and Ervad’s word alone will not be enough to paint him as a traitor. He takes out a pocket knife and, his eyes wide, stabs the prisoner in the heart. “We all have to make sacrifices, buddy,” are his cold parting words.

6. Blame Sofia for everything

Cobb’s triumph in episode 8 is Sofia’s tragedy, as it ends exactly where it began: a power-hungry gangster looking to save his own skin accuses her of crimes she didn’t commit. It’s a bold move by a desperate man and would be much more shocking if there wasn’t an earlier scene in which he lays out his entire plan.

5. Shooting of Alberto Falcone

Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen) is dead and is quickly disposed of. The heir to the Falcone empire ends up in the trunk of Cobb’s car before ever claiming his place at the head of the table, but it’s the suddenness of his death that makes it jarring.

The violence contrasts with Cobb’s fond memories of a benevolent mob leader he once knew, who was so popular that his death warranted a parade in his honor. Realizing that Cobb would like to be seen this way, Falcone begins to make fun of him. “Do you really think people would shut up your stupid face and carry it down the street while you chant your damn name?” he asks in Episode 1. Cobb’s ego can’t stand the bruise, his reflex is to to hurt in return. Falcone is dead and the game has just begun.

4. Accuse Castillo of murder

The only shocking thing about Cobb putting a bloody knife in the pocket of Sofia’s bodyguard Castillo (Berto Colón) in Episode 2 is that he didn’t put it in Johnny Viti’s pocket instead. He also plays it perfectly, staging a public confrontation with Viti, getting close enough to make the audience believe he’s finally about to name his long-time target, and then using the chaos to implicate Castillo in the murder instead to implicate Ervad. Oh Cobb, never change

3. Set Taj and Nadia Maroni on fire

Taj Maroni (Aria Shahghasemi) is caught with his pants down (literally, he’s wearing saggy pants, getting a tattoo, and smoking when Cobb kidnaps him). Cobb’s proposal to Sal and Nadia (Shohreh Aghdashloo) is simple: his mushrooms in exchange for their son. However, when he lets Taj go to Nadia, the boy is dripping wet. Cobb opens his lighter and then purposefully drops it on the ground, creating a trail of gasoline that leads directly to the mother and son embracing. Cobb would never have let Taj and Nadia make it out alive, but it’s the cruelty of their deaths that is so horrific.

2. Kill his brothers

Young Cobb’s frustration and resentment stem from two causes: his physical disability and the fact that he has to share his mother’s (Deirdre O’Connell) affection with his brothers (Owen Asztalos and Nico Tirozzi). Inspired by one, he finds a solution to the other, although his villainy is downright terrifying because it is so childish.

As his brothers fool around in Gotham’s abandoned sewer tunnels, their playfulness becomes a constant reminder of Cobb’s own limited mobility. In a moment of anger, he closes the door on them and goes home, trapping them as it begins to rain. The episode moves between the comfort of Cobb’s apartment, where he cuddles up to his mother, the rain pouring down outside, and the desperate cries of his brothers as they eventually drown.

The final sights and sounds of the scene are haunting: his smile and her silence. Did he want them to die? When he locked them up, he gave in to the same petty, impulsive desire for revenge that he had when he shot Alberto Falcone. Only this time the locked door seems to close off any hope of his redemption.

1. Kill Victor Aguilar

It was obvious that Cobb’s mentee (Rhenzy Feliz) would die at some point during the show – Gotham’s underbelly has no room for someone so young, no matter how resourceful – but the prevailing theory was that his death left the gangster in a crisis would drive a murderous rampage that would ensure his victory once and for all. The penguinThe most shocking moment in the series is the result of a script reversal that instead makes Cobb’s victory the reason for Victor’s death.

As they sit together at the end of Episode 8, Cobb’s embrace begins to become suffocating, squeezing the air from his right hand. Caring makes you vulnerable, he’s realized, and he just can’t have that anymore now that he’s at the top. Cobb kills Victor and with him his last ties to humanity. In a show full of terrible acts, the looting of Victor’s body might be the most heartless.