For the past 8 weeks, we have witnessed peak television in the form of “The Penguin”. The Colin Farrell-led joint has been an entertaining look into Gotham’s crime syndicates and scummy underworld (that surprisingly is devoid of a Batman during this period)
With a career-defining performance from the leads of Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti, it’s been a ride full of twists and lies, of seething criminality and a messy scuffle for power in this city. Farell’s Oswald Cobb has been one lucky man this whole time, considering how he always manages to slither his way out of tricky situations at the expense of his enemies.
“The streets are talkin’ again. They know there’s only one man big enough to run this city.”
As the curtains draw to a close on the acclaimed show, we’ll take a look at what went down in this episode and what comes next for Matt Reeve’s “Batman” universe.
What went down in the Penguin’s nest?
The episode begins where we left off from the previous one, with Sofia having the upper hand. Oz and his ma are in Sofia’s possession, and the game is set. Just how will Oz squirm his way around this one?
Indeed, there’s a huge revelation building upon what we knew about Oz’s siblings from episode 7. The murder of Jack and Benny Cobb was committed by Oz, having trapped them in the sewers and causing them to drown. Problematic as it is, Oz simply shrugs it off and continues living his life without remorse for what he did as he wanted all of his ma’s attention on him.
However, we learn that Francis knew all along that her son was the vile being who had committed the crime. She chose not to speak about it after going back and forth with the gangster, Rex Calabrese, who even offered to kill Oz for her. Instead, she just waited for the boy to tell her the truth on his own accord. Nevertheless, that day never came.
Sofia attempts to get into Oz’s head and threatens to cut off Francis’ pinky, just like how Oz did to Alberto. The only way out was for him to tell his ma the truth. Despite the precarious position he is in, Oz pleads for Sofia to leave Francis alone. Yet, he does not budge when it comes to the lie.
Even after Francis explicitly tells him that she knew all along, Oz still plays the victim and blames it on her illness, stating that it’s an alternative reality that she made up. At this point, Francis has had enough, and with Sofia’s help, she gets out of her seat and stabs Oz. Nevertheless, she suffers a stroke and hits her head on the ground soon after. A shootout begins and the Penguin escapes while carrying her limp body.
Meanwhile, Victor is worried about Oz as he is unsure whether his boss made it out of the explosion. He attempts to get the gangs on his side but is violently shunned. Oz brings Francis to the hospital to get her treated as well as to stitch his own wounds up. He manages to snag a phone and contact Vic, who promptly arrives at the infirmary.
Oswald then goes to City Hall as Sebastian Hady, one of Gotham’s corrupt councilmen, steps into view. Oz tells him several lies about how Sofia and Salvator Maroni’s actions caused terror in the streets—which isn’t all that false until the part when Oz presents himself as innocent in all of this mess. As a matter of fact, Oz wants to help clean it up. However, the dirt runs deep and the Penguin just wants to roll in that grime for a sense of power.
Sofia, once again licks her wounds but has a newfound resolve in her eyes. She’s finally going to take that offer that Julian had proposed to her, to take a plane and start a new life in another country. All that might, all the stomping over Gotham, meaningless in her pursuit of happiness.
The only thing left is for her to find a successor within the ranks of Gotham’s finest gangs, the same ones who had ties to Oz. She brings a proposition to the table as the leaders gaze at her with wary eyes. “Whoever finds Oz first can have all the means to control Gotham for as long as they can hold on to it“, Sofia declares as the gangs look at each other, amused at what they are listening to.
Understandably, her next move involves her untethering herself from the pain that had haunted her all this time. If she would lead a new life, it was time to let go of her father’s presence. As such, she sets the Falcone mansion on fire, burning portraits and a whole lot of her family’s possessions with it.
Meanwhile, a Triad leader, Feng Zhao reports to Sofia that the Penguin has been captured and she gleefully requests for a meet at the hangar where she plans to depart so that she can have her last laugh.
However, the tables turn as the Triad’s loyalty was with Oz all along and soon enough Sofia is cornered. So close, yet so far. Oz takes her on one last trip as her driver, bringing her to an isolated location where she ponders upon her end. The two of them take one last look at each other as Sofia calls Oz a monster for everything he’s done. As she turns around, she gets ready for the final shot…
But wait, a bright light turns on overhead. Sirens swirl into the vicinity. Oz is nowhere to be seen as cops rush in to subdue Sofia.
Oz celebrates this huge win as the councilman declares all of his lies as truths on television. Chiming in with the news, he shouts for joy and intends to commemorate the occasion with Francis and Victor.
Nonetheless, as he shouts, he realises that Francis isn’t responding at all, and despite the nurse telling Oz that she is in a vegetative state, Oz refuses to listen and pleads for her to tell him that she is proud of him. He eventually breaks down and makes himself vulnerable at this point.
Yes, he won, but at what cost?
Soon after, Oz and Vic take a swig outside the venue, as they reminisce on their lives. Of chances taken and reputations. Of newfound family.
And that’s when the show hits us with another curveball. Vic thanks Oz for everything up to this point and assumes a familial tie to him. Oz, upon hearing this, grows emotionally conflicted but pulls himself together to make one final move. He strangles the kid to his death as he claims that the emotional tie makes him weak.
Vic’s body is left in the dark as Oz reclaims the money that he had previously given to his protege.
In the penultimate scene, we note that Sofia has been sent back to hell at the Arkham State Hospital due to the many convictions she had framed with. She’s cornered up once again as Dr Julian walks in, telling her of the various letters that had been sent to her, with one in particular that she should take a look at. A mysterious black envelope, she opens it, and it’s from her half-sister Selina Kyle… a.k.a Catwoman!
As for Oz, he’s danced his way to the top and bought his penthouse overlooking Gotham City. He is wearing that crown with glee.
He proudly tells his ma “Look, this is everything you ever wanted“, a nice place with a view of the cityscape and that he got it for her. But all she could respond with was a tear.
As he heads down, Eve greets him but something is amiss as she’s dressed up like how his ma used to dress. From here, we realise that Oz is getting her to play into his fantasies of the affection that he craves so much.
The Incremental Decline of Oz Cobb
By the end of the series, we are left loathing Colin Farrell’s Penguin as he turns out to be that very monster that Sofia called him. Sure, we might have had some sympathy during the early stages and tried to understand his quest for power but all that becomes unforgivable once we learn of his selfish ambition.
It’s not just the rationalisation of his power-hungry motives, it’s the lack – or rather the worsening of his character that we are just so appalled by. While we might have been wary about Sofia, it turned out that she was the one who required our sympathy.
Almost everything that Oz did during this finale brought no redeemable qualities to his character as the senseless killing of Victor cemented his legacy as a psychopath. He had no conscience. His impulsive moves were all for his gain, even his mother wasn’t spared from it.
Francis did tell him in a prior episode to euthanise her if she ever became a vegetable. Oz, however, cruelly keeps her alive, thinking that it is for her when in fact, it is to serve his corrupted sense of acceptance and love.
So, yes the villain won this round.
What’s next for Matt Reeve’s “Batman” universe?
The crime boss should be back for some more as Colin did tease that he would be donning the suit for about 5 or 6 scenes in the next “Batman” film. Although nothing is set in stone, there is a lot of setup in “The Penguin” that allows viewers to speculate where the direction might be going next.
By the end, we see Oz put on a suit that echoes his comic book look as he finally brings a top hat. So, we know that we’ve gotten to the Penguin we deserve and not a grimy rat at the bottom. He’s a fully-fledged demon in this city.
Now, if you were like us wondering where the hell was Bruce Wayne in all this, the series does give a glimmer of hope right at the end as a bat signal lights up in the sky while Oz is in his penthouse. Nevertheless, it’s a little strange considering everything that happened and Batman was nowhere to be found during these events.
Yes, Batman is only one individual and he cannot be in every place at every time. So, there had better be a good in-universe explanation for his absence, especially when Sofia and Oz blew up a hole in the city. Maybe Bruce was preoccupied with the mystery that will be surrounding the events of the next film.
With the sequel to Matt Reeve’s “The Batman” said to be coming in 2026, the events of “The Penguin” will factor heavily into it as the power struggle has landed the bird on its perch. Oz’s influence and psychopathic tendencies make him even more dangerous than when he was first introduced. While Batman certainly didn’t face too many problems in taking him down the first time, it will certainly be a lot harder to do so in the sequel.
As for Zoe Kravitz’s Selina Kyle, her alliance with Sofia is quite the match due to the connection with Carmine Falcone and it poses several questions about her loyalties. As we know, Selina is a little ambiguous when it comes to her morality. This might put her at odds with Batman in the picture and it remains to be seen whether Catwoman will have a more villainous arc in the next one.
Of course, we’ve also seen how Oz’s actions and connections have pointed to Gotham needing a systemic cleanup. The corruption runs deep, within the ruling class, the judicial system, the law enforcement. All of these are failing.
Matt Reeves has teased that he might intend to bring the Court of Owls to The Batman. We agree that this would be a logical step in this journey as an organisation that has been pulling the strings in Gotham’s underbelly this whole time could be a huge upset to Batman and his entire belief system. Considering how we already see the seeds of corruption being sown within the mayor’s office, it’s not hard to assume the deep roots that a society such as this could have.
“The Penguin” is currently streaming on HBO Go.
