The Twisted Ending Of 'The Penguin,' Explained

2 days ago

Forbes

Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb in HBO's 'The Penguin'

HBO

The finale of HBO’s The Penguin ended on a disturbing note, with the titular villain showing his true colors and completing his ascendancy to the criminal throne of Gotham.

Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti both delivered spectacular performances as Oz Cobb and Sofia Gigante, the two scheming rivals trying to rule the dark underbelly of Gotham, leading into Matt Reeves’ upcoming film sequel, The Batman Part 2.

What Happened In Episode 8 Of ‘The Penguin’?

Once again, Oz found himself bound and helpless, enduring Sofia’s mind games. After finding out that Oz’s mother, Francis (Deirdre O’Connell) knew that Oz murdered his brothers, Sofia tried to force Oz to confess to Francis.

Remarkably, Oz flat-out refused to admit the truth, even when Sofia threatened to cut off his mother’s pinky, proving that Oz doesn’t care about his mother as much as he claims to.

For Oz, his own reputation always comes first.

But the psychological breakthrough Sofia was hoping for finally arrives, as Francis tells Oz that she always knew, and that she almost had him murdered to avenge the boys.

In a deliciously ironic twist, it was Rex Calabrese who was ready to kill young Oz, Rex being the respected gangster that Oz has spent the entire show reminiscing about, and trying to emulate.

Oz’s life is a terrible self-inflicted tragedy, with the man craving respect from those who look down on him, and dismissing the affections of those who really care.

After the truth is finally out, Francis stabs Oz in the stomach with a broken bottle before collapsing, which motivates Oz to escape through brute force, carrying his mother on his back. Oz survives and manages to get his mother to the hospital, but is facing defeat; the gangs he rallied against Sofia Gigante are turning against him, swayed by Sofia’s better offer.

Worse, Oz now understands that his mother doesn’t respect him—she hates him, actually. But his young protege, Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) is there for him with another narrative, reassuring Oz that he is the man of the people, the man who restored power to Crown Point and organized an uprising of the lesser crime families.

Oz then understands that there is a way to defeat Sofia and the rival gangs, that every single gang leader has a second-in-command who’s sick of being pushed around.

Thanks to Zhao’s right hand, Link, Oz has a way in, and a way out of the trouble he’s gotten himself into with Sofia.

Oz understands how the Link and the rest of the underlings feel, having spent his life playing the same role, and convinces them all to partake in a coup, slaughtering their bosses and restructuring Gotham’s criminal landscape.

Oz also has a narrative for Councilman Hady, offering him Sofia as a scapegoat for all of the gang violence that his scheming has wrought.

Hady is just as crooked as Oz, and happily takes the credit for Sofia’s capture, with the long-suffering Gigante matriarch back behind bars.

How Does ‘The Penguin’ End?

Oz successfully ascended to the very top of Gotham’s criminal underworld; in one scene, we even see him with his signature top hat and suit.

When Oz and Vic discuss their victory, Vic makes the mistake of opening up to Oz, confessing that he felt like the two were family.

Oz then performs the most brutal murder of the series, strangling Vic to death, before dumping his body in a river. In a darkly amusing final touch, Oz robs Vic’s wallet and takes his ID.

Oz understands that being the crime boss of Gotham is not for the faint-hearted, and he views Vic’s affection as a point of weakness, an emotional connection that might empower his enemies and complicate business down the line.

Oz is simply not interested in sharing power with a surrogate son, just like how he refused to share his mother’s love with his brothers.

While Oz seemed to genuinely care for Vic throughout the series, in reality, he viewed Vic as a useful underling, an admirer, someone to provide Oz with the respect he so desperately craved.

Vic’s story is the real tragedy here—the kid saw his family killed by the Riddler’s flooding, then turned down the opportunity to flee Gotham with his girlfriend, choosing to pursue his doomed partnership with Oz.

Vic trusted Oz's humanity, and failed to see the monster within.

As for Sofia, she looks to be getting out of prison faster than one would expect, as her final scene sees her opening a letter from Selina Kyle, AKA, Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), who is her half-sister.

Expect to see Sofia again in The Batman Part 2.

Oz concludes his story in the fancy apartment he always wanted, with his mother trapped inside. Francis has suffered a terrible stroke, and is now unable to tell Oz how she really feels about him—she’s been reduced to his pet, like a bird in a cage.

For Oz, this might be the pinnacle of their relationship.

Plus, Oz still has his girlfriend, the sex worker Eve, who willfully dresses up as his mother for him, and gives him the motherly praise he so craves.

The series concludes with the Bat Signal lighting up Gotham’s sky, signifying that the Dark Knight is finally ready to take on the Penguin.

The series showed admirable restraint in keeping Batman out of Oz’s story, but now that the man has shown his worst self, viewers are surely ready to see him face Batman’s armored fist.

Will There Be A Second Season of ‘The Penguin’?

It’s a possibility, but not the original intention.

Farrell and Milioti are confirmed to appear in The Batman Part 2, but a second season of The Penguin would have to take place in between the sequel and the third film of The Batman trilogy, which might prove a bit complicated.

Matt Reeves, director of The Batman, has expressed interest in exploring more of Gotham’s villains though another show, so we might see a character like Scarecrow, Two-Face, or even the Joker fleshed out in their own HBO series, and Oz Cobb might well make an appearance.