Tag: dc

The Penguin Season 1 Finale

It’s the season finale of HBO’s The Penguin on this episode of the Torg Stories Podcast.

It worked pretty well last episode that we work our way through a summary and pause when we think we’ve got something to talk about.

“Top Hat” Episode 7 Summary of HBO’s The Penguin

  • The episode starts with Oz–The Penguin–in a flashback as a kid. He wears a brace. He has two older brothers and there is some tension that the mother babies Oz because of the condition of his leg and/or foot. Oz’s mother Francis is working at the table and while it looks like she might be paying bills, she is actually doing bookwork for a local mobster whose name I think is Rex Calabrese. The Cobb brothers go down into the underground trolley system to play flashlight tag. The older brothers break the rules and go to a place that will be difficult for Oz to get to because it includes a ladder. Oz decides not to try and descend the ladder and instead locks the door for the boys to get out. Oz returns home and watches a movie with his mother Francis.
  • We return to the present where is getting back to Crown Point and the power is on. The building is called “The Zoo” and the sign is all lit up. When he gets to the apartment, he finds Victor on the floor unconscious and bleeding and his mother missing. She has been taken by Sofia.
  • Sofia makes breakfast for Oz’s mom Francis. They have her locked in a room in the family mansion. As Sofia questions Francis about Oz, something triggers Francis and she goes back in time to when she lost her boys. Does she know that her boys drowned because Oz locked them in the trolley tunnels? Francis slaps Sofia across the face and Sofia tells her guard to stand down. Dr. Julian Rush, who tortured Sofia then helped her get out of Arkham Mental Hospital and is now sleeping with her–comes in with the news that the child Gia might talk to the police about what she saw on the night Sofia killed their family. Dr. Rush offers to “handle” Gia but Sofia says she’ll talk to her and she asks Rush to talk to Oz’s mom.
  • Oz gives himself up when he hears that Sofia and Sal have his mother. Sal drags Oz into the tunnels to the Bliss drug making home base. Oz continues to try and bargain with Sal after burning and killing his wife and son. One of Oz’s crew cuts the power. Oz and Sal fight and Sal dies of a heart attack during the fight. Oz’s men overcome Sal and Sofia’s henchmen.
  • Sofia goes to see her niece Gia at whatever facility she is being held and Sofia has flashbacks to her time at Arkham. Sofia tells Gia, “Don’t hurt yourself because of them.” What is Sofia sorting through here?
  • Oz calls Sofia from Sal’s phone. Doc Rush has a red light going as he interviews Francis. Sophia has an epiphany. She is playing her dad’s game. What is the new game? Sofia says she wants to be free. She also wants revenge and wants to see Oz suffer. This evokes the Batman theme of vengeance when Batman calls himself Vengeance.
  • We have another swap in which Sofia will return Oz’s mom and Oz will giver over the bliss operation. What did you think would be in the van? Why? Turns out it is a bomb and the whole Bliss operation is destroyed.
  • We return to little Oz and his mom on the night they went out dancing when his mother finally started to come back from the loss of her sons. The club is called Monroe’s. Oz promises he won’t quit trying to give his mother what she deserves. Why do people think they deserve stuff? Anne, do you deserve to be happy?
  • Back to the present outside of Monroe’s again and Oz is covered in the dust of the explosion. It looks like 9/11. The dirty drop addict detective comes up to Oz and whacks him with some kind of stick weapon. Seems like they are going to drag him to meet with Sofia and Francis.

Episode 7 discussion questions:

  1. How malicious does Oz seem to be in this episode as a kid?
  2. Trauma is a major theme. Sofia. Francis. Gia the niece? What happened to Oz’s face do you think?
  3. Do we think all Oz really wants is to fulfill his childhood promises to his mother?
  4. Oz has inspired loyalty from his men.
  5. Sofia reminds me of 101 Dalmations’ character Cruella DeVil.
  6. At this point, what does Oz have? What’s up with Vic?

Summary for “A Great or Little Thing,”

Episode 8 the final episode of Season 1 The Penguin

  • Doc Julian is talking to Oz’s mother Francis for Sofia, trying to learn whatever they can to make Oz suffer. We flashback to Francis talking to the neighborhood gangster Rex, and we learn that Francis knows that Oz killed his brothers. Rex offers to use Oz’s monster-ness or he says he’ll take care of the kid, as in kill him. Francis chooses to “let go” and have Oz killed for killing his brothers.
  • Francis take Oz out for one last night on the town to the Monroe’s Club. Oz gives a speech about seeing his mother, and the speech is so powerful that Francis decides she wants Oz to live. Oz notably says, I mean what I say.
  • Cut to the present: after being knocked out by Sofia’s men when they took Oz’s mom Francis, Victor is now directing cars to bring Oz an army to fight for their business and Oz’s mom. They come upon the explosion.

Oz–The Penguin–walks the streets of Gotham after

an explosion destroys his drug operation.

  • Sofia plays a new game. She has brought Oz and his mother together, the game being to try and get Oz to tell his mom the truth about killing his brothers. The scene evokes some of the old Jerry Springer drama. Oz won’t do it. Francis tells Oz he is a disappointment. His mother breaks a bottle and stabs Oz in the stomach. She has a stroke. Oz’s chair falls and he is able to get away. Sofia escapes with Doc Julian.
  • Oz puts his mom over his shoulder and walks out of Monroe’s. He shoots the crooked drop head detective we’ve seen a couple of times before. Oz takes his mom to the hospital. He and Victor reconnect. Oz is ready to give up but Victor gives a speech about Oz putting the people of Crown Point to work and getting the power back on. Oz makes a joke: you practiced that didn’t you, kid?
  • Sofia meets the gangs and says the first group to bring her Oz gets everything. Sofia is going to leave to do, what? Ironic she already had the chance to leave. Link calls Victor to ask if he is with Oz. We might assume he wants to get Oz to turn him in so his gang can inherit Sofia’s gang kingdom.
  • Oz goes to meet Councilman Sebastian Hady. He sets up a story where Sofia has sent explosives into the tunnels to blow up the Maroni drug operation. Oz and the Councilmen reach a deal about what the “truth” will be. When Oz comes out of city hall from meeting with the Councilman, the Triad gang is waiting for him. Victor is nowhere to be seen. The Triad calls Sophia to tell her that they have Oz. Sophie burns down her house and heads to the airport to leave town and retrieve Oz.

Sofia lights up cigarettes that she will use to burn down the family house

  • The Triad gang–with Link–bring Oz to the hangar to meet Sofia. What do we think she’s going to do with Oz? Link has actually worked with Victor and they kill the gang leaders. Victor has worked with the foot soldiers of the gangs to assassinate the leaders so they can take over.
  • Oz takes Sofia for a ride, we assume to kill her. They talk a lot. Oz says Sofia’s kind will never understand. Oz has Sofia turnaround for the shot. He actually deserts her. The police arrive to arrest her for the bombing of the tunnels and the Maroni family.
  • Back at the hospital, Oz’s mom has had a serious stroke and is in a vegetative state. Vic and Oz go sit by the water and have a heart to heart talk. They both miss their families. Victor thanks Oz for taking a chance on him. Oz strangles Vic.
  • Sofia is back at Arkham Mental Hospital. Doc Julian is back to waiting on her. He brings Julia a letter from her half sister Selina Kyle. She’s the bat girl, girl from The Batman movie who went opposite ways from Batman at the end of that film.
  • Oz lives in the penthouse. He has his mom’s hospital bed all set up in front of the window looking at the city. Music plays. Oz goes to the next room where it appears Eve–his lover from before who was also a Madam–and she seems to be dressed as Oz’s mom and pretending to be her. Oz tells her to tell him she is proud of him. She tells him that Gotham is his.
  • Cut to shot of Gotham. There’s the bat signal.

Discussion questions:

  • You said you wanted to see Oz at his full powers. To what degree has he progressed toward that?
  • This was supposed to be a mini series. Is this is it, are you satisfied?
  • Where would we go from here?
  • Want to talk character growth, track the season for them? Click here for list of characters.

Thanks for listening to the Torg Stories Podcast!

HBO’s The Penguin Episodes Five and Six

It’s election night as we record but Anne and I are going to try and distract ourselves until we get a little later into the evening. Yes we’re talking about the HBO television show The Penguin but we hope to do it in a way that even if you’re not watching it, you might enjoy the hang. Anne, can we do it?

“Homecoming” Episode 5 Summary of The Penguin:

  • The episode opens with Oz–aka the Penguin–and his bashed Maserati burning in the background. (I kind of liked that purple car). TikTok makes the show with the Maroni son talking trash about how his family is going to take over the city. Oz goes to the tattoo parlor and abducts the Maroni son so he can trade him for his stolen mushrooms that he needs to make the drug Bliss. Cut to…the police–including another incredibly raspy voice guy–who are visiting Sofia after she killed her whole family by gas for sending her away to a mental hospital for a murder (her mother) she didn’t commit. Sofia has her father’s second hand man–Johnny Vitti–chained up in the family catacombs. Is that where they are? Oz sends Victor to get his mom and take care of her so Sofia and the Maronis can’t find her. Sofia dumps a bucket of ice water on Vitti, who I should have said was almost naked, and while he freezes Sofia lies on a table and smokes. She wants to know where her dad’s money is. Vitti gives a great speech about loving Sofia’s mother that gets him loose to be the underboss for Sofia. Oz visits Papa Maroni in prison with Maroni’s wife to discuss trading the drug mushrooms for their son. Oz has Maroni shanked later that night. Sofia gives another incredible speech, this time to the Maroni mob workers, where she proclaims herself by her mother’s name Gigante, says she happily gassed her family, and then puts a big bag of money on the table. Oz goes to trade the Maroni son and the deal goes bad. Oz sets the mom and son on fire and loses almost all of his mushrooms he needs to make his drug. Vitti undercuts some of what Sofia is saying in her meeting with the mob workers and she shoots him in the head. Vic takes Oz’s mom to Crown Point, which is where he used to live, is a destroyed part of the city, and being ignored by city services. Oz goes to get his girl–Eve seems to be a madam–but she breaks up with him. Sofia goes to see boss Maroni, makes peace, and they decide to team up and kill Oz and take over the city. Squid, an old nemesis of Victor’s, sees Victor with Oz’s mom, and he’s got eyes to get in on the action. Oz too is from the Crown Point area, and he takes Victor down to the underground trolley’s where he believes they can have their home base. Oz remarks that their drug mushrooms will do great in the tunnels. The generator blows, the power goes out, and the episode ends.

Episode 5 Discussion Questions:

  1. What’s the best in this show? Bliss is a pretty cool invention for drugs. Weaving the storylines, instead of sticking to one character, works really well for me in this. Names like Squid.
  2. What jumps to mind for you about Sofia?
  3. What does Oz want? respected, to take care of people,
  4. The doctor has an interesting mustache. Anne, where are you at with mustaches?
  5. So there is the main Maroni guy, Sofia, Carmine who is dead, and Oz–who you want to work for among that group if you gotta work for someone?
  6. What do you make of the Oz’s mom dementia part of the storyline?
  7. What do you think Oz’s girl sees in him?
  8. What’s the “Homecoming” title of episode 5? Victor, Oz, and Oz’s mom.

Gold Summit Episode 6 Summary:

  • We get a voice over opening from Oz in which he ponders who has the power. This turns out to be a speech he is giving to his men about the opportunities they have. Power is a problem in Crown Point because its being diverted to wealthier neighborhoods. Somewhere in here we see Sofia after she has had sex with her old doctor from the Arkham Mental Hospital. Man she’s got a lot of scars. Oz makes a nice “Mork and Mindy” allusion about Sofia and Papa Maroni. So this is a world where that TV show existed. Victor’s acquaintance Squid continues to pressure him to be cut into the action. Sofia and Salvatore Maroni kill some people selling the drug bliss to scare others from selling Oz’s product. Oz hatches a plan to give the drug away. Sofia tracks down Oz’s girl Eve. The end up becoming closer. Eve describes Oz as a liar narcissist. Eve gives up Oz’s location and tells Sofia she has her chance to earn her men’s respect. Victor shoots Squid and this bothers him more than when he ran over at least one guy with Oz’s Maserati. Somewhere in here Oz goes to the city and takes a councilman by the nose with a pair of pliers and tells the guy to do his job and get the power back on. Oz gives a great speech to the rival gangs from the various boroughs. He is up on his gang history while the rich of the city government don’t even know the gang members’ names. Oz says “I hustle; I do what it takes.” Oz and the gangs unify and crack beers to celebrate. Things are grim back at Crown Point where Oz’s mom is getting worse and Victor sits in the dark trying to rub the blood off his shoes as if he is MacBeth. The power comes on and Victor rises to dance with Oz’s mom. Amidst the celebration, the episode ends with the sight of someone lurking in the apartment.

Episode 6 questions:

  1. How interested are you in driving a Maserati?
  2. Why does Oz give bliss away?
  3. Does Oz have a code? If so, what is it?
  4. Oz’s mom asks him to kill her when she loses it enough to not know who he is. What do you think of that? Parkinson’s and Lewy bodies come up. Talk about dad.
  5. What’s the Gold Summit?

Closing questions:

  1. Does Oz do any good? Sofia?
  2. Have you felt tension in the show? Where did it come from?
  3. Can you remember a surprising moment in the show?
  4. Let me name five actors and see if that sparks anything from you? Click here for cast.
  5. A fatal flaw is a character trait that causes a character to bring about their own downfall. Let’s go through the big dawgs. Do you see a fatal flaw?
  6. What would you like to see? Is this a show where you can hope for stuff?
  7. What seems to be coming?

Episode 7 has already dropped for the Penguin. I think there are eight episodes of this first season. Anne, what do you say we come back and wrap it up after this last one next Sunday?

Do you think we’ll have decided on a president by the next time we talk?

Anne, good to see you.

Thanks for listening everyone!

The Penguin HBO Show Podcast: Episodes 1-4

On this episode of the Torg Stories Podcast, Anne and I are looking back to The Batman movie and discussing the first four episodes of HBO’s The Penguin series.

Some discussion questions:

(1) let’s touch on the main plot points and characters of each of the four episodes

(2) let’s try and say what we saw in The Batman that we’re seeing here

(3) Strengths of the show?

(4) weaknesses?

(5) Blame pie: Sofia goes to Arkham Mental Hospital. What people are to fault for this and how much?

(6) Is there anyone to root for or like in this show? Do we watch this hoping for anything / someone?

(7) How does episode 4 end? What are the possibilities for what might happen next?

The Major Plot Points of the Four Episodes

Episode 1: After Hours

  • Click here for Screen Rant summary.
  • Penguin goes to rummage in Falcone’s house. Runs into the son Alberto. Penguin shoots him.
  • Penguin gets called to Falcone’s house. They are going to move the drops operation. Sofia wants to know if Penguin has seen her brother.
  • Penguin catches Vic trying to steal rims or car.
  • Does the Penguin seem to have a heart? Or, a soft spot for this kid?
  • Penguin enjoys a sunrise.
  • Penguin goes to see his mother.
  • TV show mom is watching is about putting the blame on someone. Penguin decides to try this.
  • Sofia: I’m not safe. I’m home.
  • Penguin is going to give the drops shipment to the rival gang The Maronis.

Episode 2: Inside Man

  • Click here for Screen Rant summary.
  • Sofia and The Penguin plan to work together to overthrow the family and distribute the new Bliss drug.

Episode 3: Bliss

  • Vic is thinking of leaving with a girl. She’s going to California Anne!
  • Flashback to sea wall explosions that confuse me first time.
  • Penguin starts paying Vic 1k a week.
  • Arrange for the drug trial party with the Asian gang. Triad.
  • Trial goes great but the Maroni’s are waiting for The Penguin. Vic arrives, saves the Penguin, and they ditch Sofia at the end.

Episode 4: Cent’anni (Italian meaning may you live a 1000 years)

  • We revisit the end of the previous episode. There were some things said behind the Bliss drug trail that we weren’t privy too. Maronis tell Sofia that Penguin killed her brother.
  • Sofia calls one of her doctor’s from Arkham. He takes care of her.
  • We flashback to how Sofia ended up in Arkham and her torture there.
  • Sofia kills someone in the hospital, right?
  • Sofia is there for 10 years. Why do you think she is out?
  • Back to present: Sofia goes to the family dinner and lies and tells them she is going to Italy.
  • She saves the little girl and kills everyone but Johnny Vitti.

Other big picture discussion questions:

  • Start with the most important characters. Who is who to whom? Are they changing? What are they working on?
  • Do we need anyone to root for? Didn’t people like Tony Soprano?
  • Why doesn’t Sofia want to go to Italy?

The Penguin:

  • What does he want?
  • Does he have a heart for the kid? Also, cigar to the kid before he shoots him.
  • Wants to watch the sunrise.
  • Can be sweet, thoughtful, funny: suicide slushies. Good chemistry with Sofia. Lights cig for her. Wants stuff for her.
  • Says Vic has nurse like qualities.
  • You do something stupid, I’ll sense it.
  • If the Penguin was who he pretended to be, he would be great with Sofia. Would there be a show?
  • The world is broken. There is no right side and wrong side.

Sofia:

  • Blame pie. Who is responsible? 70% father, 12% Penguin, 15% family who writes letters, 3% Sofia for bringing it up to her father
  • Excellent speech to the Asian gang about psychological need.
  • Another good speech to the family.
  • They think I’m broken. They sick I’m sick. (Penguin says the same thing)

Thanks for checking out this episode!

The Batman Film and The National at the Hollywood Bowl Podcast

This week on the Torg Stories Podcast, Anne and I talk about the film The Batman, our favorite super hero movies, and Anne tells us about walking to the Hollywood Bowl to see the bands War on Drugs and The National.

Click on the audio player above to listen to this week’s podcast.

Torg’s notes for the podcast:

In the spirit of The Riddler being a main character in The Batman movie, we opened with two riddles: 

Riddle 1: 

The less of them you have, the more one is worth: a friend. 

Riddle 2: 

What animal can jump higher than a building? Any animal. Buildings don’t jump. 

The Batman Discussion questions: 

What brought us to watching this The Batman film? 

Do you have favorite super hero movies?

  1. Deadpool 
  2. Ironman I 
  3. V for Vendetta 
  4. The Dark Knight with the Joker, Maggie Glynehal, Joker goes in with the mobsters and proposes he kill Batman. (realize I didn’t see the dark knight rises) 
  5. The Joker
  6. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 

Rotten Tomatoes summary click here. Lots to discuss even in this…

What’s this Batman movie like? Describe it for someone who has never seen it.

  1. Action crime drama 
  2. Snuff film element that is a lot for me
  3. Darkness, lots of different kinds of media on screen (contact lenses that film, security cameras, through the bat suit, watching screens) 

What’s the premise of the plot? 

  1. The leaders of the city work for the mob, and The Riddler is exposing them and taking them out. Why must he be stopped by batman? Sure, the waitress gets caught up in it, he’s torturing people, and flooding the city is one where he does need to be stopped. 

What are some themes? 

  1. Batman has inspired vengeance. Revenge as a them. Does it eat you up? 
  2. Renewal, is it possible? 

What worked great in this film? Strengths? 

  1. Batman calling the Riddler a freak. Purposeful tension right? How are they so different? Thought provoking to me. Not 100% that was the idea. 
  2. Stylized violence in the spirit of The Matrix and Kill Bill. 
  3. Riddler. His riddles. His costume. His motivation. The cards he leaves. 
  4. Pretty good mystery. Who’s killing the mayor? Can we get the Riddler? 
  5. The mash up of architecture. Gotham Garden. Cobblestone Streets. 
  6. The music. Operatic sometimes and Nirvana sometimes. 
  7. Chase scene in the bat car with Penguin
  8. Drops and drop heads invented for this movie? 
  9. Falcone. The “very sneaky” guy from Mr. Deeds. 
  10. Catwoman as a foil almost love interest. 
  11. The bat car. The flying in the squirrel suit. 

What didn’t work so great in this film? 

  1. Always kind of hard to see what is going on because it’s dark. Dark and rain gets old after 3 hours. 
  2. Pretty hard to hear what is being said.
  3. Batman doesn’t have much personality. Quiet depressed recluse as the star.  
  4. This wasn’t a 3 hour movie that couldn’t afford to lose anything. 

What kind of guy is Batman? 

  1. Inspired by Cobain. Trying to make a difference and not sure he is. Motivated by avenging his parents death by fighting crime. 
  2. Code breaker / crime scene investigator. Smart guy. 

What’s on screen that creates the tone? 

  1. Darkness. Gothic, old English architecture 
  2. Operatic sounding music. 
  3. Video surveillance footage. Camera in the eyes. Flashing lights in a club. Explosions. 

Who directed this? What else have they directed? 

  1. Matt Reeves. Age 58. Cloverfield. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. 

Who is acting in this? What else have they done? 

  1. John Turturro. Mr. Deeds. 
  2. Colin Ferrell: I only know him from The Phone Booth. And now the penguin. 
  3. Paul Dano – Little Miss Sunshine. Did you see the Fablemens? 
  4. Jeffery Wright as James Gordon. The one good detective we know about. 

Who gets the MVP acting performance? 

  1. Paul Dano as The Riddler  John Turturo runner up? 

What are your favorite long movies? (this might be the longest I’ve ever watched) Vulture list click here. 

  1. The Green Mile. 3 hrs 9 mins. MY FAV OF THE LONG ONES
  2. Magnolia. 3 hrs 8 mins. 
  3. Oppenheimer 3 hrs. 
  4. Gone with the Wind. 3 hrs 58 mins. 
  5. Lord of the Rings. Return of the king. 3 hrs 21 min 
  6. Godfather Part II. 3 hrs 22 min. 
  7. Titanic 3 hrs 14 min. 
  8. The Right Stuff 3 hrs 15 (I did watch that)

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Torg Stories Podcast!