by Meghan O’Keefe for Decider
We always knew that Oswald Cobb (Colin Farrell) had the makings of a supervillain, but The Penguin Episode 7 “Top Hat” finally reveals just how black his heart truly is. The latest installment of the HBO hit opens with a flashback to Oz’s youth in the mean streets of Gotham. However, as we soon see, the meanest guy on the block might not be the intimidating gangster Rex Calibrisi (Louis Cancelmi), but the little boy version of Oz (Ryder Allen) himself.
Young Oz does something in The Penguin Episode 7 “Top Hat” that could be perceived as youthful folly, but actually reveals a truly horrific strain of evil, according to showrunner Lauren LeFranc. “Yes, I do know what his intentions were,” she told Decider.
**Spoilers for The Penguin Episode 7 “Top Hat,” now streaming on Max**
The cold open of The Penguin Episode 7 “Top Hat” reveals that Oz Cobb is responsible for the deaths of older brother Jack (Owen Asztalos) and young brother Benny (Nico Tirozzi). We see the three Cobb boys let loose on the streets of Gotham by the younger version of their adoring mother Francis (Emily Meade) so that she can focus on bookkeeping for Rex. After dropping off her latest work to the gangster, the three boys are forced to amuse themselves on their own. When the protective Jack notices a rainstorm coming, he suggests they play “flashlight tag” in the same empty underground trolley tunnels adult Oz uses as a base.
However, Oz simply can’t keep up. Both Jack and Benny are faster, more athletic, and nimble than the kid in a leg brace. Oz’s brothers take advantage of this, scampering down a ladder into an excess drainage tank. Oz is frustrated and nearly suffers a terrible fall trying to climb down after them. Irate, young Oz shuts the door on the excess drainage tank and locks it. He then ambles home to cuddle up with his mother on the couch to watch his favorite movie, Fred Astaire’s Top Hat.
Read the rest of the recap, HERE.