Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for The Penguin episode 8!
It's hard to believe, but it’s true: The Penguin series on HBO has ended. The season was engaging, from Colin Farrell's Oswald Cobblepot thrust into taking charge of Gotham's crime world to Sofia Falcone (played by Cristin Milioti) giving it all to surpass Oz.
The Penguin, the direct spin-off series of Robert Pattinson's The Batman (2022), has impressively laid the groundwork for the second part of Matt Reeves's film. The miniseries focuses on how Oswald Cobblepot cleverly planned his actions to become the most notorious figure in Gotham after the death of Carmine Falcone.
Though the Caped Crusader didn't appear in the film, Oz ensured maximum entertainment, and The Penguin even teased the appearance of Catwoman in the upcoming film. The spin-off began with a chaotic situation and ended with a thrilling yet sad conclusion. Read more to know what happened in the last episode.
Chaos takes center stage in The Penguin's finale on HBO
The eighth and last episode, A Great or Little Thing, begins with Sofia blowing up an intersection of Gotham City, hoping it would result in Oz's brutal death. Her move against Penguin was well-planned but not fatal enough to kill the leading foe in the series.
Penguin and his loyal sidekick, Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), made it alive out of the explosion, completely ruining Sofia's wish. The episode saw Victor trying to connect with other gang members in the city while Sofia's henchmen left the unconscious Oswald in a bar.
Also Read: The Penguin filming locations: How the creators brought Gotham to life, explored
As the last episode of The Penguin continues, Francis Cobb (Deirdre O’Connell) is seen taking neon hypnotherapy under Dr. Rush (Theo Rossi). Francis' painful memories about her son Oz emerge as she remembers Penguin eliminating his own siblings. She realizes she is ignoring Oz's brutal actions and feels guilty about it.
Not only this, but another flashback scene revealed a time when Francis wanted to kill Oz after a tragic event. However, being a mother, she couldn't commit the crime of killing her son. Another flashback saw baby Oswald Cobblepot saying, "I’m gonna take care of you, Ma..." and promising to give her everything she deserved.
Francis Cobb stabbed her son in The Penguin: Sofia's other plan worked out
Sofia might have failed in killing Oz in the explosion, but she succeeded in manipulating his mother, Francis Cobb, who ends up stabbing the Penguin in his stomach with a broken bottle just before she suffered a stroke. Despite that, Oz took her to the hospital and even started fixing his wound. If you haven't watched the episode yet, know that it's quite brutal that you might want to cover your eyes.
Meanwhile, Sofia manages to hold a meeting with other gangs of Gotham City, offering them a deal she believes is better than Oz's. She offered them Hendrick's gin as a replacement for Penguin's low-quality beer.
Not only this, but Sofia Gigante also promised to leave Gotham forever if anyone brought Oz to her. Sofia's plan was indeed attractive but Link Tsai (Robert Lee Leng), a clever gangster was skeptical about her plan and said "You want us to believe you’re going to walk away from all of it? Why would you do that?", which was undeniably a notable question.
Also Read: What year does The Penguin take place? Exploring the timeline of the HBO show in the Batman universe
Sofia Gigante burned down the Falcone mansion only to end up in Arkham Asylum
Yes, you read it right. Sofia's obsession with taking down Oz was so deep that she didn't hesitate to burn down her own family's mansion, and Sleigh Bells's 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night' made the scene even more haunting. Sofia got prepped to meet her enemy for the last time, thinking Tsai had captured him.
The Penguin's finale takes an interesting turn as it's revealed that Tsai lied to Sofia and gunned down everyone. This results in Sofia being the captive, with Oz driving her and saying, "You have no idea what it feels like, born into nothing," explaining what drew him toward brutal actions.
Upon hearing this, how can we not expect Sofia to tease Oz for the last time? She mocked him, saying, "I didn’t see you, but your mother, she did. She knew from the very beginning. You’re a monster," once again highlighting the titular villain's dark past.
However, her tease didn't affect Oz, as he chose not to kill Sofia and did something worse than that. Penguin had already convinced a corrupt official to frame Sofia for all recent crimes, including drugs and murders. As a result, Sofia Gigante was greeted again by the Arkham Asylum.
Also Read: Who plays Magpie in The Penguin? Exploring her role as a Batman villain from the comics
Oz's win felt like a loss in The Penguin finale
Even though Oz defeated Sofia, she still took away everything he had. Penguin returned to his mother at the hospital, discovered her in a coma, and realized Francis wouldn't tell him about being proud of her son anymore.
As The Penguin reaches its final scenes, Oz remembers his promise to his mother and even fulfills it, but in a sad way. He took his mother to the penthouse after taking control of Gotham and showed her the stunning view.
However, he can't feel the victory, even though he might have achieved it. Oz's mother is still and a tear falls down her cheek as she couldn't react to anything. Oz's misinterpretation made the finale emotional as he said, "I know, it’s everything you wanted."
Another highly devastating moment in The Penguin finale took place when Oz choked his righthand Victor to death. He considered him family, but it had become a weakness for Oz. So, he ended up eliminating Victor.
The Penguin finale hinted at Zoë Kravitz's Selina Kyle
In the final part, Oz is seen dancing with Eve Karlo, a sex worker dressed up like Francis, who continuously tells him how she's proud of him. The finale shows Oz's obsession with his mother and how messed up his idea of success and happiness has become.
The episode ends with a shot of the Bat-Signal in the sky, followed by Sofia receiving a letter from "Selina Kyle" in the Arkham Asylum. Though Zoë Kravitz didn't appear as Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, she's expected to reprise her role in the upcoming film.
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