The Penguin episode 2 recap: Oz makes some risky moves in "Inside Man"

HBO's The Penguin continues with episode 2 this week, where Oz pushes his luck some more to plot against the Falcone family. The premiere episode was a hit with critics and general audiences alike, and having seen more of the limited series, I'm sure this will be one of the best of the year. The show, created by Lauren LeFranc, saw 5.3 million U.S. viewers in its opening, also marking Max's biggest new series globally since The Last of Us. It's that serious!

Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti continue to shine as Oz and Sofia, respectively, and we get to see the start of their partnership this week. Episode 2 is titled "Inside Man." Let's break down the biggest moments below.

WARNING: Major spoilers for The Penguin are ahead.

As Sofia tries to work through her brother's death, she has hallucinations of being back in Arkham while at her therapist's office. Her doctor, Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi), comforts Sofia, and they seem to have a very close relationship. He wants to help her but she leaves before he can.

Oz works with the Maronis to take down the Falcones

Oz visits Sal in prison again, and Sal is expectedly annoyed that Oz framed him. That said, he doesn't seem that angry about the whole thing. Oz tells him he's making him relevant again, which seems to be persuasive enough. A woman and a man who work with Sal are present during the meeting and we'll be seeing more of them this episode. Surprisingly, Sal agrees to work with Oz, who has a plan to take down the Falcones.

Step one in the plan? Have Sal's men shoot at the truck that's transporting Oz's plant and steal the drugs. However, when Johnny Viti (Michael Kelly), one of Falcone's men, sees Oz, he tells him he needs to go with the truck. This throws a wrench in the plan as Oz looks out for the shooters in transport. A shootout then ensues which results in a car crash. Oz manages to escape and acts dumb when confronted by the Falcone family. He says it wasn't his fault because he was just following the route he was given.

Sofia is disappointed her family only cares about the money they've lost in the drugs being stolen and feels humiliated. She wants justice, but her family doesn't take her seriously. Her uncle Luca Falcone (Scott Cohen), who serves as the new mob boss, tells her they'll have increased security. When they talk in private, Luca tells Sofia that if there's a rat, they'll find them, and to leave the family business up to him. This, understandably, frustrates her.

Oz tries to make amends with Sofia and tells her he's on her side, offering to do some digging into who the rat could be. She doesn't seem convinced that he's being genuine, but who else can she turn to? Her family doesn't want her involved.

Oz complains to Victor about the situation while they're at Oz's house, then explains to him that Sofia wants an inside man and he'll be that for her. While in the car, Sofia hears people on the radio talking about her release from Arkham, mentioning a serial killer who killed seven women.

Sofia takes matters into her own hands

At a bar, Sofia approaches a detective and asks him to find the rat in her family. She tells him that he used to work for her father and was dependable — that is until he started taking drugs. She gives him drops and hires him to help.

Someone named Graciela texts Victor, worried and wanting to know where he's been. Oz invites friends over to party at his place, including Eve. When he goes into his room alone, Eve comes in and asks to talk. She knows Oz killed Alberto and reminds him of the risk. Oz doesn't want her to worry, however, explaining that once the photos he has of Johnny come out he'll take the fall for everything. He tells her to trust her and that once he has more money he'll be able to open up a new club. She seems hesitant to believe him but semi-comforted and they share a kiss.

Sofia wakes up on the floor in her closet and begins choking, unable to breathe. She goes into the bathroom and she sees blood under her nails and scratches on her neck. What did she do? We don't find out just yet.

Oz and Victor pay a visit to Oz's mom and something's wrong. Her landlord found her wandering outside, seeming confused. Her dementia is getting worse, which frustrates Oz. He pays the landlord and asks him to take care of his mom. He then plays a record for her to cheer her up and they dance.

Alberto's funeral

Oz attends Alberto's funeral and when he arrives he sees people outside protesting against the family's criminal behavior. He tries to give a folder of the Johnny photos to Luca but he blows him off. Oz approaches Sofia who is standing by herself and talks about Alberto. He remembers losing his brothers and how he was able to bond with his mom after that. Their conversation is interrupted when Sofia gets a call from her security guard who tells her to come back to the house. Oz then gets a text from an unknown number asking to meet.

At the Falcone house, the detective Sofia hired shows up and has one of Sal's men who was part of the hijacking in his car. Kidnapped from the hospital, he's still in his hospital gown hooked up to morphine, unconscious. Sofia doesn't seem happy to see him, but the detective says this guy can give them answers. She has her security guard take him to the basement.

Oz meets with the Maronis, including the woman and man who he met at the prison with Sal. They're angry with what went down and Oz blames Sofia, but the woman, named Nadia Maroni (Shohreh Aghdashloo), doesn't care. She believes he went against his word. They start to threaten Oz until he takes out the folder and shows them the blackmail he's got. We finally understand what these photos mean. It's Johnny having sex with Luca's wife, an affair that apparently has been going on for years. Nadia tells Oz they want their man back — the one now being held in the Falcone basement — and Oz agrees. Nadia warns that the man will throw Oz under the bus, so he better act fast.

Not all according to plan

Oz and Victor show up at the Falcone mansion with a plan, though Victor is hesitant to go along with it. Oz tells Johnny and another man, Milos (James Madio), about what Sofia has done. Meanwhile, Sofia sees her cousin Carla for the first time in a while and they chat, but she ends up scaring her and her young daughter.

Vic breaks into Luca's car to plant jewels, but someone catches him and he's forced to run away. Oz successfully finds Maroni's guy in the basement and says he'll get him out of there only if he gives Sofia the name Johnny Viti. Vic calls Oz and tells him what happened, which causes Oz to change his mind. He decides to stab and kill the guy instead. Time for plan B.

Sofia and Luca go to talk to the man in the basement and are surprised to find him dead. Luca says no one is allowed to leave the service, and Sofia tells him that she tried to warn him of a rat.

Oz is ushered into a room where all of the men at the service are being searched. They're looking for the knife that was used to stab the Maroni man. Oz has the knife in his hand and to get rid of it, he picks a fight with Johnny and calls him a rat to cause a scene. While doing so, he's able to put the knife in Sofia's guard's pocket. Luca and Sofia come into the room and find the knife, and Luca shoots and kills the bodyguard. Sofia is angry and upset, and Luca tells her she should go on a vacation.

Oz comes out on top again

Oz is put in charge of cleaning up the mess and Victor helps him bury the Maroni guy along with Sofia's bodyguard. Oz instructs Vic to lie down with them in the ground and yells at him for almost ruining everything, saying this is what happens when you mess up. He seems to feel bad before helping him up. Sofia then calls Oz, but we can't hear their conversation.

The final scene of the episode sees Oz meeting Sofia at the Falcone family mausoleum. She tells Oz she's not going to let the men of her family push her aside and asks if he's in to help her. "Let's dance," he says. Having Sofia on his good side is definitely the right move, but how long can he keep tricking her? She's very smart, after all.

The Penguin releases new episodes every Sunday night on HBO and Max. We'll be recapping the new show all season long, so be sure to check back with us at Show Snob!