The Penguin Ending Explained: Batman returns, Vic departs; are you okay, Sofia?

If there’s one show that has held us all in a chokehold over the past several weeks, it’s The Penguin. A show about the infamous gang lord of Gotham who has always aspired to rule the city, fighting against other anti-heroes and Batman, it brought Oz Cobb—played by the surreal Colin Farrell—under the spotlight right after the devastation caused by the Riddler in The Batman’s climax. Oz saw an opportunity to become the Crime Lord of Gotham and pounced on it, unaware he would encounter Sofia Gigante along the way. Soon, they were at loggerheads, beginning a deadly game of deceit, power, and high drama. 

The Penguin Ending Explained

As the finale of The Penguin (Episode 8) unfolded, we saw the two characters intensify their strategies to win. What began with Sofia in a position of power, holding Francis and Oz hostage and revealing that Francis always knew Oz had killed his brothers, quickly turned upside down. Despite the rift between him and Francis, Oz managed to play a trump card and outmaneuver Sofia. In the climactic scenes, Sofia and Oz went for a drive. She thought Oz would kill her by the lakeside, but she didn’t know he had arranged with the Councilman to send her back to Arkham Asylum. This results in Sofia’s arrest and Oz’s rise to power with no competition in sight.

Justice For Vic

The scene then shifts to Victor, one of the key elements of the show from the start. A shocking tragedy awaits as Oz sits down with Vic for a conversation. In a vulnerable moment, Vic tells Oz that he considers him family. But in the next frame, Oz grips his throat and suffocates him to death, revealing his belief that family is a weakness he can no longer afford. A lifeless Vic falls to the ground, leaving viewers in shock. The reason is simple: Oz doesn’t want any loose ends that could make him vulnerable after his rise to power. He saw what happened when he had a mother (with Francis now in a vegetative state).

Speaking to Slate about the decision to kill Vic, showrunner Lauren LeFranc said, “I mean, I’m devastated by it too, but it felt like it was the thing that had to be done. From the very beginning, when I first came up with every character’s emotional arcs, my early pitches to [The Batman director] Matt [Reeves] always involved, one, this kid Victor, who would become the heart of the series in many ways, and two, that Oz essentially rips his heart out by the end to become the monster that he feels he needs to be in order to succeed.”

Also Read: The Penguin Review: Enter for Colin Farrell, stay for Cristin Milioti—DC's boldest series yet!

The Batman Part II is Coming

From the beginning, we knew The Penguin would lay the groundwork for The Batman Part II, serving as a bridge between the two films. However, the setup was far more cryptic than expected. It starts with Sofia back in Arkham Asylum following her arrest. She receives a letter from Selina Kyle. If you need a reminder, Selina is Catwoman, portrayed by Zoe Kravitz in The Batman. Sofia’s pleased smile as she reads hints at a major reveal to come. Meanwhile, in his penthouse, Oz now reigns without any competitors. Just as he’s celebrating, the camera pans out to reveal a bat signal in the sky—a potential warning to Oz that Bruce Wayne/Vengeance has returned to Gotham.

Lauren LeFranc shared that Matt Reeves’ only directive for The Penguin was to leave Oz in a position where Batman would clearly see him upon his return in The Batman Part II. The show achieves this both literally and figuratively. Now, as we prepare for Robert Pattinson's sequel, it's clear that both Oz and Sofia will play significant roles.

The Penguin premiered on September 20, 2024, with all eight episodes now available for streaming on JioCinema in India, offered in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Marathi. Stay tuned to OTTplay for updates on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.

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