Cristin Milioti breaks down Sofia Falcone’s thrilling transformation on The Penguin

Cristin Milioti breaks down Sofia Falcone's thrilling transformation on The Penguin

As a seasoned gamer who has spent countless hours immersed in various narratives, I must say that the latest addition to my binge-watching list, “The Penguin” spinoff show on HBO, has been nothing short of exhilarating. The character development and performances have been top-notch, but what truly sets this series apart is Cristin Milioti‘s portrayal of Sofia Falcone.

It was widely anticipated that Colin Farrell would deliver an impressive portrayal of Oswald Cobb in the series “The Penguin”; after all, his performance as a Batman villain in Matt Reeves’ 2022 film “The Batman” had already left viewers in awe. The amount of makeup required for the role is truly astounding; it’s astonishing to think that the dashing Colin Farrell is hidden beneath all that!

And indeed, Farrell has been killing it on HBO’s new Batman spinoff show. But what people didn’t expect is for Cristin Milioti, who plays budding crime queenpin Sofia Falcone, to match or even exceed him. The latest episode of the show, “Cent’anni,” ends with Sofia gassing her entire family to death. It’s at once punishment for the lot of them lying years earlier about her being crazy, which resulted in her getting shoved into Arkham State Hospital for a decade, and a move to take over the family business. Fans officially can’t wait to see what happens next.

In the episode, it was revealed that Sofia’s father, Carmine Falcone, falsely accused her of murder and presented her as mentally unstable, all because she shared some questionable family business dealings with a reporter. Oz played a role in this scheme, but after her release from Arkham, Sofia is open to collaborating with him. However, when he deceives her once more, Sofia hits her limit, as explained by showrunner Lauren LeFranc to IndieWire.

She’s eating a lot of shit; these men are treating her so terribly and with such disdain that it’s like how much can this woman take. And after the revelation about Oz, after putting her trust in him again, I think really makes her feel stupid and angry and frustrated. That there was a little bit of opening the door to Oz again, only to learn what he did to her brother. She’s had it. She’s done. It’s like, ‘Why do I need to play by the game that was constructed, the institution of the mob. Why should I play by those rules? It’s not built for someone like me.’ And so she decides to burn it all down, gas her entire family, and she does it with a level of delight that feels very free, and suddenly unlocks the woman she’s become as a result of Arkham.

It appears that Milioti shared the same level of excitement about this development as fans did. As she explained to Entertainment Weekly, “You truly witness her transformation from her former self to a full-fledged villain.” Being able to portray all that in just an hour left her overwhelmed. It’s almost like watching a movie. You get to see her at various stages of her descent into madness.

The series creatively depicted Sofia’s transformation visually, especially during the early episodes after her release from Arkham Asylum. Initially, Sofia appears rigid and controlled. According to LeFrance, she “re-donns les vêtements que Sofia aurait pu porter avant d’être emprisonnée à Arkham. Elle tente de se conformer à nouveau au monde patriarcal de la mafia, malgré elle.” (French version: The show creatively depicted the visual transformation of Sofia, particularly during the early episodes after her release from Arkham Asylum. Initially, Sofia appears rigid and controlled. According to LeFrance, she “re-met les vêtements que Sofia aurait pu porter avant d’être emprisonnée à Arkham. Elle tente de se conformer à nouveau au monde patriarcal de la mafia, malgré elle.”)

For her last family dinner prior to her tragic actions, she chose a fitting yellow, body-hugging cocktail dress. The following day, she made a striking entrance through the mansion filled with deceased relatives, donning a gas mask over it. This fashion choice, timed perfectly for Halloween, was an iconic and effortless statement symbolizing Sofia’s self-realization.

Sofia Falcone is inspired by the real-life story of Rosemary Kennedy

As stated by LeFrance, the character of Sofia Falcone in this adaptation is modeled after a historical figure: Rosemary Kennedy. At the age of 23, Rosemary underwent a lobotomy and was institutionalized for many decades. LeFranc finds her story intriguing, sad, and unfortunate. “Rosemary’s story ended with her institutionalization and lobotomy, and her tale remained untold beyond that, which I always found fascinating and tragic,” said LeFrance. “The history of mental institutions often led to women being labeled as ‘hysterical,’ a term whose meaning is not entirely clear, and then they would be sent away. I requested early on for Sofia to originate from Arkham State Hospital, and Matt was supportive, which I’m extremely grateful for because Matt has the power to say no, but instead he embraced the idea.

LeFrance enjoyed significant freedom when designing the plot for “The Penguin“, and so far, she’s been making one excellent decision after another. As Matt expressed, “LeFrance never intended to do a literal adaptation of a comic book.” While he acknowledges the value of existing stories, his goal was to create fresh narratives rather than sticking strictly to the comics. His ambition was to establish new canonical material.

So far, so good. New episodes of The Penguin air Sunday nights on HBO and Max.

2024-10-16 20:41