'The Penguin' Episode 4 Is Now One Of The Highest Rated Episodes Of TV Ever

Generally in television, when a cliffhanger is followed up by a flashback episode that delays the conclusion to said cliffhanger, the reception isn't great. I remember 'The Walking Dead' being guilty of this quite a bit back in the day, giving us origin stories for characters like The Governor right after a main character got bit or something, and a lot of times, the fanbase almost felt cheated and just wanted to get on with the main story. 'The Book Of Boba Fett' had some great stretches, but we were constantly put in a Flashbacta Tank that would always grind the show to a screeching halt.

'The Penguin' spit in the face of that notion this week and delivered one of the best "flashback" episodes of television I've ever seen with 'Cent'anni' - which served as an origin story for Sofia Falcone, expanded a ton on the Carmine Falcone character (brilliantly recast as Mark Strong, as John Turturro was filming 'Severence' S2 during 'The Penguin' shooting), explained the dynamic between Oz and his peers and how he got to where he is now, gave us the scariest Arkham Asylum ever put to screen, AND moved the main story forward. Oh, and not only was it one of the one of the best "flashback" episodes of television I've ever seen - it was the best episode of the season so far.

Cristin Milioti was the star of the show and had A LOT to accomplish in this episode, but she couldn't have nailed her role any more and put up an EMMY Award deserving performance. She portrayed fear, confidence, class, psychosis, brilliance, and just about every other emotion you could think of in 'Cent'anni' - making Sofia Falcone one of the most compelling live action Batman characters ever, and making this episode one of the highest rated episodes of television in IMDb history.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - you don't have to be a Batman fan or even a comic book fan to watch this show, and if you're not watching it, you're missing out. This is simply phenomenal television, and one hell of a mob story. I'd recommend it to everyone.

Clem and I are having a BLAST recapping/reviewing this show, so if you're loving it as much as we are - check out My Mom's Basement this week....

P.S. I'm pretty sure the Rian Johnson-directed episode of Breaking Bad titled: 'Ozymandias' is the only episode of television to ever score a perfect 10.0 on IMDb - and as a huge Breaking Bad fan myself, that just feels right. Much deserved.