The following contains spoilers for The Penguin, Episode 8, “A Great or Little Thing,” now streaming on Max.
All season long, The Penguin has been positioning Colin Farrell’s Oswald “Oz” Cobb as a hopeful Gotham City kingpin. He has been manipulating the Falcones and Maronis, pitting them against each other. As this is taking place, he hires more mobsters for his own gang to push the mushroom-heavy Bliss drugs on the black market.
However, as the Penguin keeps plying this trade underground in the tunnels, he keeps underestimating Sofia Falcone and Sal Maroni. This builds to a harrowing finale that shows how Oz adapts when circumstances require it. In the process, he shows that he is indeed the alpha in town.
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The Penguin Season 1 has the Penguin escaping after Sal and Sofia capture him. He brokers a deal with a corrupt councilman, Sebastian, before Link (of the Triads) and the other gangs arrange with Rhenzy Feliz’s Victor “Vic” Aguilar to bring Oz in. Their plan is to turn him over to Sofia at the airport. She burns her family mansion to the ground, knowing she has to leave Gotham after Sal’s death.
This is the reset Sofia has been craving all along. But first, she has to watch Oz die for killing her brother, Alberto, as well. In a shocking turn of events, however, the gangs murder their leaders. The juniors want to take over, which is the message Vic and Oz have been making all along: a new underworld. The time of the Falcones and Maronis is over; a fresh era has begun with the Penguin at the helm.
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Oz Cobb Frames Sofia For Many Deaths
1:39
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Oz, however, doesn’t want to kill Sofia. He takes her out into the grime of downtown and lets her know that she is part of an archaic system. She is stunned when he leaves her for the police to take. It’s partly because he sympathizes with her. He didn’t want to frame her years ago when Carmine needed a patsy for the Hangman murders.
Now, however, Oz sees her as a pawn. His deal with Sebastian is that they can frame Sofia for all the gangster killings and show the media she hasn’t rehabilitated. This will help Sebastian’s image as he tries to make a run to replace Bella Reál as mayor. With Sofia locked away and blamed for all the more recent gang-related crimes, Sebastian has what he needs to impress at City Hall. All while Sofia rots in Arkham. Oz sees this as a fitting punishment, while Sofia is reliving what Carmine did to her.
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Ironically, The Penguin’s Dr. Julian Rush is there overseeing Sofia. Not only is he her secret lover, Dr. Rush gives Sofia a letter from Selina Kyle, her half-sister. It teases that they will unite at some point, discuss their father Carmine, and how to bring toxic men like Oz to justice for all the violence they comitted against women.
The DC Riddler spinoff comic to The Batman, as well as the prequel novel, confirmed many women were part of Carmine’s violent crusade. The Penguin’s Summer Gleeson showed the depth of how many women died in Season 1. After Matt Reeves’ The Batman, it’s clear Selina wants to embark on this feminist campaign of revenge. Sofia is the perfect candidate to have as an ally with potential hidden resources down the line.
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The Penguin Season 1 winds down with Oz and Vic celebrating near the river. Oz is thankful how much Vic sacrificed to help him out, including convincing the juniors to side with them. Unfortunately, Oz strangles Vic near the shore. He’s apologetic about it, but he thinks that Vic is a weakness.
It stems from Oz’s mother, Francis, hating him when Sofia captured her. Francis admitted she knew Oz killed his brothers, Benny and Jack, so she stabbed him as punishment in their argument. Oz kept that in mind, thinking that family would be a liability or betray him. He believes he’s being proactive by removing Vic from the equation. It’s a tragic return for Vic’s loyalty in the series.
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Oz is in victory mode after all this success. Sebastian is helping him with contracts as they build a new empire. They can run their rackets, make money, consolidate and recruit more now that the power vacuum is gone. Oz is in a high-rise with Francis. She is in a vegetative state after he escaped from Sofia with her.
Francis hit her head and after coming out of the hospital, Oz decides to still take care of her, despite her trying to kill him. He sees it as loyalty after he promised her a kingdom since he was a boy. That’s the reason why he killed his brothers — he wanted to be Francis’ one and only child. With no regrets in mind, Oz has her there staring out at the city and its bright lights.
Carmen Ejogo’s Eve Karlo is there with him, dancing and acting as his queen. Oz seeks her approval for all he has done, cementing he still has mother issues. She delivers the praise Francis can’t. Mind you, Oz has no idea she sold him and Francis’ location out to Sofia in The Penguin Episode 7. The Penguin, however, is content. Ignorant is bliss. At least for now.
Sofia is in Arkham and could reveal what Eve did to hurt Oz. Plus, there could be Maroni and Falcone loyalists around, and Bella could use her political resources to damage Penguin and Sebastian’s alliance. Last but not least, the Bat-signal is in the sky at night, indicating The Dark Knight will be on the hunt to set up The Batman 2.
All eight episodes of The Penguin are now streaming on Max.
Following the events of The Batman (2022), Oz Cobb, a.k.a. the Penguin, makes a play to seize the reins of the crime world in Gotham.
- Release Date
- September 19, 2024
- Cast
- Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O’Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator
- Prequel
- The Batman (2022)
- Story By
- Bill Finger, Bob Kane
- Writers
- Lauren LeFranc
- Directors
- Craig Zobel
- Showrunner
- Lauren LeFranc
- Character(s)
- Oz Cobb , Sofia Falcone , Victor Aguilar , Johnny Viti , Nadia Maroni , Francis Cobb , Salvatore Maroni , Milos Grapa , Luca Falcone , Alberto Falcone , Eve Karlo , Julian Rush
- Avg Episode Length
- 60 Mins
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