The Penguin Finale Review: To Be Remembered Like That, Could You Imagine?
Colin Farrell in 'The Penguin.' - Max
The Penguin's finale was a masterpiece of storytelling, with exceptional performances from Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, and Rhenzy Feliz. The episode was a thrilling and emotional rollercoaster, with a shocking and memorable scene that will be talked about for years to come.
An unforgettable ending to a dark Gotham saga
where power comes at a heavy price.
Season1Episode 8: A Great or Little Thing
It was all for the penthouse view—an ivory tower to climb, conquer, and breathe the rarefied air of Gotham's elite, whether they were the Falcones, Bruce Wayne, Bella Reál, or the city's police and criminals. In an interview with Interview magazine, The Batman director Matt Reeves described Oswald Cobb's ascent as a “dark American dream story.” From a young age, Oswald understood the world of haves and have-nots and responded accordingly with the kind of calculated ruthlessness that the American dream fosters—even going so far as to seal his own brothers in a watery grave. “His life is one of rejection, and part of his ambition stems from seeking acceptance,” Reeves explains. “He’s underestimated. He’s mocked. People see him as a joke, but deep down, he has all these ambitions fueled by his brokenness.” In its final chapter, The Penguin holds up a mirror to the Oz Cobb within every American: a sad, scarred child with no path forward except the false one leading back to the comfort of the womb.
Cristin Milioti in 'The Penguin.' - Max
The finale of The Penguin opens with a flashback induced by Dr. Rush, where Francis relives the moment she decided to end the life of her last living son. Tough twist—that Rex Calabrese, the man Oz modeled his populist branding and work ethic after, was the same man who suggested Oz be “taken care of” and even offered to do it himself. We return once again to the pivotal scene at Monroe’s, where young Oswald promises his mother the world, only now, we see Rex Calabrese lurking in the background in death-dealer mode. I must admit, I was wrong to view Francis Cobb as a stereotypical mafia mom in the first episode; she turned out to be a powerful catalyst in this “making of a monster” story. Deirdre O’Connell takes over flashback-Francis duties from Emily Meade, delivering a riveting performance when she wakes up in the present, fresh from the moment she decided to raise the devil.
Oz wakes up at the same run-down Monroe’s in the present day, tied to a chair at the center of Sofia’s makeshift kangaroo court/family therapy session. “After a series of gothic looks, episode seven introduces a sudden pop of color: a red flash under the collar of her coat during the bomb sequence,” Gavia Baker-Whitelaw noted last week about Sofia’s “Gigante transformation.” “According to [costume designer Helen] Huang, this expanded palette leads into the intense drama of the finale when Sofia and Oz face higher stakes than ever before.” Sofia, in her red scarf and black dress, commands the room like the fully formed comic supervillain she is, delivering a tale from her childhood about seeing a baby bird throw its sibling out of the nest to get more food from its mother. “Do you think the mother bird knew what her baby did?” Sofia taunts. Francis interrupts, “I know what you did to Jack and Benny! I’ve always known.”
‘The Penguin.' - Max
Oz refuses to admit what Francis already knows, even as Sofia threatens to cut off her pinkie. Francis finally reveals the truth: She has always known what Oswald did to Jack and Benny. “You’re a disappointment. You’re a waste of space. I wake up every goddamn day sick that I’m your mother.” As if to finish what she and Rex had started all those years ago, she breaks a nearby bottle and stabs Oz in the stomach before collapsing into unconsciousness, falling into the embrace of her sons' fading, ghostly images. However, her babies will not be avenged. Oz breaks free, shoots his way out, and carries his mother in his arms, the shock of her words pushing him further down the path of Gotham's newest costumed psycho-kingpin.
Victor meets Oz at the hospital, where he has taken Francis, bringing even more bad news as Oz patches himself up in a supply closet. Zhao and the rest of their coalition are abandoning him. Victor tried to rally them with an Oz-style populist call to action, but they wouldn’t risk themselves further for the Penguin when all they cared about was the product. Oz is ready to give up until Victor reminds him of the power he gained by providing jobs and restoring electricity in Crown Point—something bigger than any fake-drug operation of the week. Meanwhile, Sofia unknowingly sets her own trap, offering her entire remaining operation to anyone from the triads and other gangs who can bring her Oz. Tired of being overlooked by his boss, Zhao’s right-hand man, Link, tips Victor off while Oz does what he does best—attends to every available pressure point, especially at City Hall.
Colin Farrell in 'The Penguin.' - Max
Oz meets Councilman Hady at City Hall to remind him that voters will demand answers about the explosion in Crown Point. Oz, now occupying the mayor’s city council seat, delivers the scene with a delightful blend of arrogance and cunning, laying out a version of events that places the blame squarely on Sofia Falcone, who, according to Oz, sent a car filled with explosives into the tunnels in a drug war with Salvatore Maroni. The story paints a “same old war” narrative, with the Maronis and Falcones ripping each other off, culminating in Sofia burning Sal’s wife and son and blowing up his entire bliss operation. And it’s Sebastian Hady who can be the hero: the man who turned the lights back on in Crown Point and ended Gotham’s decades-long drug war.
It’s a crooked offer that the equally crooked councilman can’t refuse. With the media cover story in place, it’s time for the final showdown with Sofia. Throughout the season, the rivalry between Oz and Sofia has kept viewers on the edge of their seats, but given the series' title, the outcome was never truly in doubt. The final confrontation at the airport is thrilling, marking the culmination of a season-long battle between two complex characters brought to life by Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti.
The key to Oz’s success, as he tells Sofia, is simple: Link was tired of being overlooked, and he wasn't alone. Every gang had a second-in-command willing to betray their boss to rid themselves of the weight on their neck—a dynamic Oz understood and exploited. The montage showing each deputy turning on their boss might feel a bit rushed, but the larger point stands: No army is more powerful than one made up of the overlooked.
Colin Farrell & Rhenzy Feliz in 'The Penguin.' - Max
“Oswald Cobb: Man of the people,” Sofia says. “That’s what you have to believe.” And she’s right. In the face of corruption and twisted memories, Oz clings to the idea of being a man of the people with renewed fanaticism, while Sofia is handed over to Arkham Asylum—a fate worse than death. Her fate is a tough pill to swallow for those who admired Milioti’s portrayal of Sofia's tragic arc, but the arrival of a letter from her half-sister, Selina Kyle, hints at more for Sofia in future chapters of this Batman crime saga. The Penguin's success has likely shifted DC’s focus, with comments from Matt Reeves indicating interest in more series focused on Batman’s Rogues Gallery. Whether Sofia gets her own series or plays a role in The Batman Part II, her return seems inevitable.
Victory, however, proves to be bittersweet for Oz Cobb. Returning to the hospital with whiskey to celebrate, he finds his mother catatonic from a stroke. He’s painted the town in the colors of her dreams, but there will be no final words of pride, only the echo of her hatred. “That’s the thing about family,” Oz tells Victor as they sit on a cold bench by the river. “It’s a strength. It drives you. But damn if it doesn’t make you weak too.” In a shocking but fitting end, Oz strangles Victor Aguilar to death, discards his ID in the river, and leaves his body to be found by a passerby. The murder is swift and unceremonious, just like the hubcap theft that brought them together. In killing Victor, Oz severs all meaningful connections to his past, solidifying his position as Gotham's kingpin.
Colin Farrell in 'The Penguin.' - Max
Yet Francis Cobb still lives, unable to move or speak, soon to be tucked away in an ivory tower with an endless view of Gotham—a fate as cruel as any other ending in The Penguin. On the floor below, Oz, dressed in a penguin suit, dances with Eve, who’s dressed as Francis, repeating the lines Oz prompts her to say. “You did it. I knew you would, my beautiful boy. Gotham's yours, sweetheart. Nothing’s standing in your way now.” A bat signal appears in the night sky, signifying future battles with greater enemies lie ahead for Gotham’s underworld.
Say, where’s Batman been this whole time anyway? Are we to believe the Caped Crusader wouldn’t investigate a massive gang war, a new drug spreading through Gotham, or a city block reduced to rubble? We knew Robert Pattinson’s Batman wouldn’t make an appearance, but the series strains its internal logic by ignoring Batman's presence until the bat signal appears. Nevertheless, The Penguin's gamble on telling a Gotham story without Batman has paid off, delivering one of the year’s best shows and a comic book origin story that resonates with the times while staying true to the heightened reality of its source material. Oz is now the Penguin—like all of Batman's Rogues Gallery, a caricature of his trauma, driven to crime in search of false freedom.
TCG Score:☆☆☆☆ [4/5]
All 8 episodes of The Penguin are available to stream on Max.
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