Penguin’s Cristin Milioti and Deirdre O’Connell tell us how $300 helped save their unforgettable scene from Episode 7

Warning: spoilers for PenguinEpisode 7 – “Top Hat”, in the game. If you are not up to date with the latest events The epic crime saga of Batmanyou have been warned.

There’s no shortage of drama TV schedule for 2024especially when it comes to one of the most notable hits in this particular field: the HBO series. Penguin. There’s one week left until the season finale of the organized crime drama. Problems with Colin Farrell’s prosthetics still makes me wonder if season 2 will even happen.

I sincerely hope so, because this corner of Gotham City, curated by showrunner Lauren LeFranc, just featured an unforgettable showdown between Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Gigante (née Falcone) and Deirdre O’Connell’s Francis Cobb. What made this particular scene from Episode 7 – “Top Hat” even more remarkable was the fact that it was subject to the whirlwind of chaos that hit the production. And the factor that saved the day, believe it or not, was the $300 deal of fate.

Deirdre O'Connell as Francis Cobb in Penguin — (Image credit: HBO)

How Deirdre O’Connell Saved a Penguin Episode 7 for $300

It was a great honor for me to meet several of the actors Penguin during New York Comic-Con 2024 festivities. With roundtable discussions involving various cast members and the showrunner across the room, there was a lot of knowledge to absorb for what will be eight episodes. And this happened thanks to our previous round Penguin interview that I came across a story that Deirdre O’Connell told Sean O’Connell of CinemaBlend!

During the conversation, Ms. O’Connell began to tell the story of how the big Top Hat scene between Sophia and Frances was actually moved to a slot that was way earlier than expected. With that in mind, I asked both women how such a rush might have improved their performances. And to begin her part of the story, O’Connell told CinemaBlend:

At that time we were filming, I think, the third or second episode. And all of a sudden, because of the location and the weather and the strikes that started, all this stuff piled up, they called and said, “We’re going to go to episode seven, we’re going to shoot this scene.” But most of us simply asked, “What?” I was in upstate New York. They were like, “We’ll get you a car to take you.” And they couldn’t.

Of course, this is not the most profitable scenario. I mean if I I had to attend a personal interview tomorrow which I thought would be in a few weeks, I will also be looking for any options to make that happen. And that’s what kept Deirdre O’Connell as resourceful as ever, thanks to the following piece of history surrounding the $300 in question:

Eventually I found a taxi. I was like at the train station, I missed the train… A woman named Eva was driving a taxi, and I asked, “How much will it cost to take me to New York?” And she said, “$200,” and I said, “Tell me $300.” And then I called HBO and said, “I bet I can get a ride for $300.” I asked this lady for $300 to take me home, and the whole time I was just studying the lines and still saying, “No, I love this scene so much!” We don’t have time to prepare.

Having learned further details about Ms O’Connell’s ambition to make Penguin shooting in time, I relayed the story to her Top Hat duel partner, Cristin Milioti. She was as surprised as our roundtable to hear how Deirdre O’Connell is trying to get to the finish line on her date with destiny.

This prompted Black mirror The alum will share their memories of how agonizing the production schedule shift was. Here’s Cristin Milioti’s version of the story as she shared it with CinemaBlend:

First of all, like, what a legend. …it was a really stressful time. We didn’t have time to prepare for this scene, which is one of my favorite scenes. And I remember saying, “Oh no.” They really forced it on us. We were supposed to film something else that day and they were like, “Look, we’ll have to do this instead.” It’s a nightmare to get a call like that at around 10pm the night before when you think something is going to happen in about two weeks. But because I know how extraordinary she is, I thought, “I’ll just go with her.”

That two-week jump may have been the secret ingredient that made this fantastic scene even better. And I’m only saying this because PenguinThe writers’ room, especially Top Hat writer Vladimir Tsvetko, has been amazing with what they’ve given the fans so far. With O’Connell and Milioti’s backs against the proverbial wall, it seems like this amazing deadline has given them a lot more to add to the pages of their scripts.

So, with that in mind, I really need to talk about the scene itself and how Cristin Milioti and Deirdre O’Connell’s performances benefited from the fast track to filming it. Especially when my own memories made me an even bigger fan of the finished result.

Cristin Milioti sits imperiously back in her chair in front of Deirdre O'Connell in Penguin: Episode. 7 - "Cylinder."

(Image credit: Makall Fields/HBO)

Why Penguin’s schedule changes helped improve Deirdre O’Connell and Cristin Milioti’s performances

If you agree that Penguin matriarchal plot is the main attractionthen this scene is definitely worth analyzing. It lasts approximately five minutes and features a conversation between the two aforementioned actors. Honestly, this is one of the best moments of the show’s entire season so far; and it is not associated with anything more flammable than the aggravation of anger.

As Frances Cobb and Sofia Gigante come face to face, Top Hat shows us a battle of wills between a rising leader and a woman falling into illness. Taunts and threats are exchanged, but Frances eventually remembers the loss of her boys; which is seen in more detail in the scenes that conclude Episode 7.

Honestly, this scene is worth watching, and there was an air of anticipation as the ladies told the story of her failure to prepare. This leads to the following set of remarks from Deirdre O’Connell, in which she compliments Cristin Miloti as follows:

But it turned out that when we got there, we both thought: “This is our stage.” We’ve been waiting for this so much, and now we have to film it so soon.” But (Christine) came in with her tea, whatever she brought me, and I just looked at her and Francis just loved her on a certain level. Like, “Oh, who thinks that, this little girl thinks that?” It immediately became so fun, and maybe partly because it was like we were being shot out of a cannon. We both expected the preparation to take several hours. It’s like, “No, we’ll just do it.” But this is one of my favorite days and definitely one of my favorite scenes.

“Mad rejoicing” were two words that were also used in the conversation because Saint Vincent the star loved the craziness she saw from Sofia in the scene. Since most viewers are still accustomed to remember Penguin prominent performer, best known for his performance of the song “The Mother” from How I Met Your Mother and other key roles – the journey to this point must have surprised viewers at home as well.

Looking back at this fact, as well as through the matriarchal lens, Penguin accepted, this in itself is something of a highlight. Even if we see Sofia the most motherly, she’s comforting her niece Gia (Kenzie Gray) in this week’s episode.

This all leads to a recent featurette about showrunner Lauren LeFranc’s approach to women in The epic crime saga of Batman TV spin-off to mind. To learn more about this, watch this clip below:

Oz Cobb’s Relationships with Women | Penguin | Max – YouTube
Oz Cobb's Relationships with Women | Penguin | Max – YouTube

The “complex women” of Oswald Cobb’s world only make his story even stronger, as “Top Hat” really gets into the nooks and crannies of this world in a way that couldn’t have happened without that extra depth. Frances Cobb and Sofia Gigante are the two women who define his ambitions, as well as the obstacles that stand in his way.

And, as additional context, giving such characters battles that Oz is not directly involved in is a phenomenal way of reflecting Batman co-writer/director Matt Reevesa look at how Oz feels like he’s not enough for anyone. With such an amazing moment happening outside of his storyline, it’s a subtle confirmation that his current form fits that description perfectly.

This is especially evident in Sofia’s evolution from Falcone’s acting assistant to the dominant Giant. Returning to that cheerfulness in Cristin Milioti’s menacing moment, she tipped her hat to herself again. Penguin the enemy, describing his sensations with his own eyes like this:

I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in this scene. It was exciting. It was like walking into a boxing ring and getting knocked out, but you love it. She also hadn’t seen me for a minute, so she didn’t know how excited I would be when I put everything on. So she saw honest rejoicing. She said, “You really like it.” And I said, “Yes.” I’m having a great time,” as if waving a gun.
Cristin Milioti – CinemaBlend

Sofia Gigante vs Francis Cobb. That prize fight Penguin seven episodes in and I’m starting to wonder if the season finale will come close to topping it. Honestly, I’m also one of those people who didn’t expect Penguin exciting episode of series 6 lead to the death of Francis.

So maybe I was able to dig a little deeper into this scene while watching it because I had a certain idea of where it was going to go. This attitude did not stop me from being puzzled Michael Kelly is shocking Penguin departurebut in the world of organized crime in Gotham City there are definitely some safety nets in place at the moment.

While Sofia may be in control and Oz’s mom is definitely the leverage that will settle the score after losing her second father Sal Maroni (Clancy Brown), Oz’s mom isn’t the silver bullet one might expect.

Colin Farrell walks through a dusty area looking dazed in Penguin: Episode II. 7 -

(Image credit: Makall Polay/HBO)

Frances has practically begged her son to kill her if she has gone too far in her deteriorating mental state, so she is willing to die to make sure Oswald Cobb sees the top of the world. Considering this is the penultimate episode, this many still being processed in the metaphorical anticipation of judgment; which is worth infinitely more than the $300 Deirdre O’Connell happily spent to make it all happen.

Which, as a fan, makes the wait for the season finale of “Deeds Great or Little” on November 10 even more exciting. This also makes it more important than ever to have an active HBO or Maximum subscriptionThe moment Episode 8 airs at 9:00 pm ET, all eyes will be on Gotham City for this momentous event.