The following contains spoilers for the finale of The Penguin
Summary
It’s finally over. The saga ofThe Penguinhas come to a close in the last of an episode run. At least it’s come to an end before DCU fans get to seewhere he goes inThe Batman Part 2. And what an ending it was. The spinoff ofThe Batmanthat was built to let people get to know Oz Cobb just a little bit better had plenty of explosive reveals, twists and turns. And the episode didn’t stop right up until the very end.
The Penguinis one of the most popular and successful shows of the entire year, let alone the fall. It’s gotten fantastic reviews and is absolutelyhauling in a ton of viewers. The show rewarded those viewers by wrapping everything up nicely. While there are certain directions a Season 2 or a continuation of the story in a movie could go, the show didn’t end with a cliffhanger, which makes it that much better. Lauren LeFranc and Matt Reeves rewarded the loyalty of its fans by paying things off.
What Happened In The Penguin Episode 8?
The chess pieces that been getting moved around the board throughout the season are finally set and the final game begins. The episode opens with the first big twist as Francis is taken through the memory of the aftermath of two of her sons being killed by Sofia and Dr. Julian Rush. Early in the memory the audience finds out thatOz’s mom always knewthat he was the one who locked his brothers in the sewers to drown. The early reveal was meant to take away one prominent theory about what might happen in the season finale and set up the next scene and really explain the depths of Oz’s willingness to keep the truth buried.
Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti
Streaming On
HBO Max
Thatnext scene has Ozwaking up tied to a chair in front of his mother, Sofia, Rush and a few flunkies. Sofia tells him that he has to admit to his mother that he killed his brothers and when he refuses she threatens to cut off Francis' finger. When this doesn’t get him to tell the truth, Francis tells him she already knew and in a fit of rage, breaks a bottle on the table and stabs him in the gut. She then hallucinates her two dead sons before having a severe stroke and she’s rushed to the hospital.
Vic and Oz then get to work hatching a plan to go to war with Sofia but are seemingly double-crossed by his former henchmen, who are now going after a bounty that Sofia has placed on Oz’s head. He and Vic are brought in front of Sofia as she’s preparing to leave town and it’s here where theend game ofThe Penguinbegins.
How Does The Penguin End?
AsThe Penguindrew to a close, Oz and Vic were paraded in front of Sofia and were prepared for execution when it turns out that his henchmen were double agents all along and Oz takes Sofia prisoner as they go for a drive. He explains to her that he was able to take over their gangs because he recruited people who were ignored and passed up like he was while a montage of mob bosses getting murdered by their underlings played.
Eventually, Oz and Sofia arrive at a spot where it appears he is going to kill her, however, just as she’s expecting to get shot, a spotlight turns out and the police arrive. Oz had worked out a deal with a councilman who pinned the Hangman murders on her. She is arrested and ends up back in a mental hospital, though it doesn’t appear to be Arkham. While she’s in her room, Dr. Rush comes in to tell her she got aletter from Selina Kyle(Catwoman fromThe Batman), and in the letter, she tells Sofia they are half-sisters, among other things. The audience sees Sofia for the final time reading through the letter as a small smile spreads across her fac
The audience sees Sofia for the final time reading through the letter as a small smile spreads across her face.
The next scene showsVic and Oz sitting together alone, quietly celebrating a victory that has unofficially crowned Vic as the king of Gotham’s crime families. The two discuss how much they mean to each other, and Oz tells Vic he couldn’t have won the war without him. When Vic tells Oz he’s like family to him, the mood quickly shifts and a move that first looks brotherly is actually Oz getting into a position where he can strangle Vic to death. As his dedicated and loyal compatriot dies, Oz tells him that family can be a strength, but it can also be a weakness, so Vic can’t come with him.
The final scenes ofThe Penguindepict Oz beginning to enjoy his spoils as he and his vegetative mother are no longer hiding out on the poor side of Gotham but are now in a highrise and her bed is aimed at a large bay window. The show fades out to Oz telling his girlfriend, who he speaks to like she was his mother that no one can get in his way now, an apparent nod to his next appearance inThe Batman Part 2when the Dark Knight will reenter the picture after going theentire series without a mention.
The Penguin
Cast
Created by Lauren LeFranc and starring Colin Farrell, The Penguin builds on 2022’s The Batman. The Max series chronicles the eponymous villain’s attempt to reach Gotham’s criminal peak, rising through the underworld in the middle of a power struggle.
