There's a reason why urban explorers are warned to check the weather before exploring underground. Things can become very dangerous very, very quickly.
Sofia said that she wanted to see who had turned Oz evil, implying that it had been Francis, but I came away from the episode with the distinct impression that Oz had been born evil. No one turned him into this. It wasn't some overbearing mother, or a gangster, or something more abstract like poverty. He was born angry and selfish and vindictive and petty.
Oz killed his brothers. Murdered them, actually, in one of the most horrific ways I could imagine. I'm really glad that the actual drowning wasn't shown. It was hard enough to just listen to it. Jack and Benny weren't monsters either. They were just normal kids. They didn't bull Oz, nor were they cruel to him. Sure, climbing down the ladder was a bit unfair, but it felt like a normal thing for kids to do. Jack felt a lot like a older brother too, immediately trying to fix things and trying to make his little brother feel better. It was just too late.
Oz's temper kills people. We saw that with Alberto, and we see that again here. It was his anger that his brothers treated him unfairly that led him to locking them in the sewer. And it was his pettiness and sense of entitlement that led him to murdering them by staying silent as the rain fell. Why would he say anything? He got his movie date and his mother's undivided attention.
Francis was very different in the opening flashback too. She felt normal. She wasn't the acerbic, cutting woman who both belittled and encouraged her son in his criminal pursuits. She was just a mom who played with her kids and tried to keep them out of trouble. Losing two of her boys changed her.
Her conversation with Sofia was the strongest scene of the episode. Sofia didn't show a lot, but she definitely seemed surprised at Francis' ability and desire to be an absolute terror. She wasn't just a scared, innocent, old lady. She was as foul-mouthed and cruel as she normally is. At least until she had her episode.
It was actually pretty upsetting. I'm not that attached to Francis, but seeing her suddenly become so lost and heartbroken was very powerful. She lost her dignity, and that is arguably the worst thing that someone like her could lose. Sofia's behavior there was interesting. It felt like she was rather sympathetic, but she was also clearly calculating to figure out how to best use this.
She was less calculating when it came to Gia. I was really surprised by where Gia was. No, I didn't expect Sofia to take Gia in and raise her as her own, but the idea of leaving her to such a cold, dark place that was blatantly comparable to Arkham felt out of character, as was the idea that Sofia will continue to leave her there at the hands of the system.
I did like how that and her conversation with Francis prompted her into some self-discovery. The idea that Sofia would still feel trapped by her father is a good one. She has everything that she ever wanted before entering Arkham, and it's ruined. Even shedding the Falcone name wasn't enough to fix it.
Honestly, I think part of the reason why I like Sofia so much and view her as more of the protagonist than Oz is that she's so dynamic. She's actually, noticeably changed over the course of the season. Oz hasn't. He's the same man that he always was. Any challenges get swept away with lucky breaks or time skips.
This is particularly obvious when it comes to Sal. Sure, him having a heart attack mid-fight was unexpected, and I actually kind of like this twist. Oz's reaction, his anger and the almost desperate insistence that he "beat" Sal, was a great character moment. It's not enough that he wins. He needs his opponent to know that he won. Not even that they lost, just that Oz won.
In the end, we came full circle with the same sewer tunnel that killed his brothers ended up being the thing that saved his life. But at the same time, there's a sense that we really just spun in a circle. Big, important things happened, sure. Absolutely. But it somehow didn't feel that weighty. Sal never felt like a big threat, and Oz's drug empire has had so many stops and starts that it never felt like anything that could last.
The main conflict has always been between Oz and Sofia, and while I'm pre-grieving Sofia's inevitable death, I'm still excited to see how it finally ends.
Random Thoughts
Vic was only in the episode for about five seconds.
Gold stars to Deirdre O'Connell. She's been doing a lot of very strong work.
Oz couldn't have warned his crew about the bomb? I was going to talk about them being so cool and loyal all season, and now they're all dead!
So, is Bruce going to ever look into this gang war that is blowing up whole city blocks or is that too low level for him these days?
Oz did not wear a top hat. I am very disappointed. False advertising, I tell you.
~~~~
An Honest Fangirl loves video games, horror movies, and superheroes, and occasionally manages to put words together in a coherent and pleasing manner.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We love comments! We moderate because of spam and trolls, but don't let that stop you! It’s never too late to comment on an old show, but please don’t spoil future episodes for newbies.