I love “The Penguin.” I also hate it.
After seven episodes of masterful manipulation that led to countless deaths, Oswald Cobb (Colin Farrell) is very close to achieving his dream of running Gotham’s criminal underground in Episode 8. But it also comes with a devastating price.
This episode feels like three in one because of everything that’s packed into it. We start with Oz’s mother, Francis, still captured by Sophia Gigante (formerly Falcone, and played by Cristin Milioti). With the help of Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi), she’s trying to uncover the truth about what happened to Oz’s deceased brothers years ago, which leads to a devastating conclusion.
Spoilers, obviously.
Francis knew all along, but she only admits it when Sophia has captured Oz and starts to harm her. It breaks Oz a bit, but it doesn’t make him fully reject his mother. In fact, it fuels his rage, giving him the strength to break out of his restraints and turn the tables on Sophia.
Last episode, Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown) died in Oz’s sewer drug lab, which gave him a convenient explanation for the explosion that occurred (another Falcone vs. Maroni war), which he sells to a city official.
This sets up one of the best sequences in the whole show. Oz captures Sophia and drives her one last time, bringing his relationship with her full circle (he started as her personal driver).
He leads her to a field overlooking a prominent bridge. He puts a gun to her head. Sophia closes her eyes and the camera pans, with the audio cutting. This is it.
Then a searchlight hits her. She’s under arrest, framed for Oz’s crimes, destined to be sent back to Arkham Asylum — a fate worse than death for her.
Everyone else who stands in Oz’s way is eliminated. Unfortunately, his rise comes at a devastating price — Francis suffers a stroke and is left in a comatose state.
Then we get into the real gut punch of the episode. Scroll away if you haven’t watched it yet.
What happens to Victor
Oz kills Victor and it was done beautifully. While this show has a rotating cast of directors, showrunner Lauren LeFranc has done an excellent job making sure it has a consistent tone throughout. That consistency also applies to how it reveals information.
Episode 8 is directed by LeFranc, and it’s a testament to how sharp her eye is in regards to elevating a performance. After Oz wins, he brings Victor to a lake at night, where they bond over their victory. Then, Farrell expertly portrays Oz slowly adding up everything Victor has done for him — and how it could be then used against him. LeFranc, who has proven herself to be an excellent director of actors, doesn’t miss a single second of it and allows the scene to build, culminating in Oz’s shocking betrayal of Victor.
LeFranc has proven herself to be one of the best in the industry. Her steady hand is what makes “The Penguin” such a delicately crafted series — no one person seems to dominate outside of her vision, though it’s clear that the series benefitted from a profound level of delegation and collaboration. Watching the show’s “Inside Gotham” segments only made me appreciate more how much thought and care went into all aspects of this show. Even a relatively major/minor character (an important character who is part of the supporting cast) like Salvatore Maroni was given far more layers to him than most shows I see on streaming.
This is one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while. But Oz also deserves everything that’s coming to him. How this show simultaneously makes Oz sympathetic and despicable is a remarkable feat. He is a prisoner of his own trauma, but he’s also a deeply evil person who only cares about himself and doesn’t deserve another chance at redemption. When he killed Victor, he killed his humanity. He’s now an oppressive force no better than the Falcones or Maronis, who seems destined to be toppled by Robert Pattinson’s Batman.
This is one of the great comic book shows, especially how it explores class, family and the cruelty of its cold world riddled with crime and murderous betrayal. I highly recommend it, even for those who did not see Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.”
“The Penguin” gets a 9/10
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