The Penguin Episode 5 Just Changed 1 Key Detail From the Comics and That Makes it More Epic
- Sofia Falcone embraces her mother's maiden name Gigante in episode five of The Penguin.
- Cristin Milioti was very excited to portray the character on the show.
- The Penguin is streaming on HBO Max.
SPOILERS for EPISODE 5
Developed by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, and more, is based on the DC Comics character The Penguin. The crime drama series goes on to explore the Penguin’s rise to power in Gotham City’s criminal underworld. Filmmaker Matt Reeves, who directed The Batman, reportedly supervised the writing and was involved in the hiring of the creative team for the show.
The television series consists of 60-minute-long episodes and premiered on September 19, 2024, and is set to run until November 10, 2024. The response to the show has been positive, with it being rated at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Episode five of The Penguin changed a key detail from the comics, and fans believe that it’s a brilliant move.
The Penguin changes Sofia Falcone to Sofia Gigante with a ‘twist’
Colin Farrell led The Penguin comes as a real breath of fresh air for ardent DC fans as it picks up from where Matt Reeves’ The Batman left off. The television series, consisting of eight episodes, premiered in September and has received positive reviews.
According to reports by Variety, episode 5, which aired on October 20, 2024, has now recorded a record-breaking viewership of 1.8 million viewers. The first episode, which premiered on September 19, 2024, has now recorded 14 million viewers. However, episode five also noted a change of a key detail from the comic, i.e., Sofia Falcone’s name changed to Sofia Gigante, but it has a twist.
In the fifth episode, Sofia Falcone played by Cristin Milioti is seen shooting and killing Johnny Viti after gassing Don Luca and the Falcones. She was then seen embracing her mother’s maiden name, Gigante. She says,
As of today, my father’s legacy is dead, and we will never speak his name again. From this point on, I am a Gigante—and this is my new family now.
Showrunner Lauren LeFranc shared in Episode 5 Insider,
Notoriously, the Falcones and the Maronis are always at odds in the comics. I thought it was interesting, and it seems right, to have Sofia—knowing that the Falcones have wronged her just as much as the Falcones have wronged the Maronis—try to team up with Sal Maroni to align the powers that they have to get Oz.
The showrunner further explained that in the comics, she is Sofia Falcone-Gigante after she marries into the Gigante family, but she thought it would be interesting and apt to have her take her mother’s maiden name. LeFranc added that it’s Sofia’s moment to take back the power and declare herself to the world.
The actress who plays Sofia Gigante, shared that it’s an excellent last twist of the knife into her character’s father’s legacy. She added that Sofia’s act showcased that she is going to honor her mother, and it’s going to be a matriarchal mob family. Fans are thrilled with this twist in the series, which is slightly different from the comic books.
The Penguin star Cristin Milioti talks about why she said yes to ‘Sofia Gigante’
During an interview with The Batman News, the actress was asked about what made her say yes to the character that is much darker than her previously played roles. She said,
It’s certainly the opportunity to do something different. But also, everything about this role appealed to me. She’s so complex, and it’s such an incredible world, and I’m such a huge Batman fan, so to just even be in this universe was a thrill, but to get to play this multi-layered villain. It was just, it was a dream. So there was no world in which I wasn’t going to jump to be a part of this.
Milioti, upon asking about her prep for the character, shared that the showrunner Lauren LeFranc is the one to be credited for what the audience sees on TV. She noted that LeFranc’s brain and heart are special for creating this character. The actress added that she had a strong feeling about how she wanted to portray Sofia Gigante.
The actress said that it was a collaborative process between her and the directors Craig Zobel and Helen Shaver. Milioti also mentioned that Reeves and LeFranc had told her initially that they were going to take Sofia’s story in a different direction.
The Penguin is streaming on HBO Max.
