'The Penguin' Ending Explained: Ultimate power exacts the ultimate cost
Contains heavy spoilers for 'The Penguin'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Gotham's underworld had a huge void to fill following Carmine Falcone's death in Matt Reeves's 'The Batman' (2022). It set up Falcone and Maronis, the two rival families, up for a power struggle in the spin-off show 'The Penguin', but Oz (Colin Farrell) threw a wrench in the works, causing chaos while pushing his own ambition to become the next kingpin.
By the end, it's Oz vs Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti). Oz wants control over Gotham and Sofia just wants revenge for all his multiple betrayals. Following a big explosion at Crown Point, the two have an epic showdown in 'The Penguin' Episode 8 as the city's crime world awaits a new ruler.
Oz takes the throne in 'The Penguin' but pays a hefty price
After Sofia bombs Crown Point, her men bring Oz to old Monroe's bar where Francis (Deirdre O'Connell) and Oz once danced years ago. Sofia is already waiting for him, with Francis under her captivity. Sofia uses no gun to beat Oz. Instead, she pits his own mother against him by initiating a discussion about how he brutally killed his own brothers. Oz, who has always lived under the impression that his mother remains oblivious to what he did, gets the shock of his lifetime when Francis reveals that she has known everything all along. Sofia also reveals that Francis even had plans of getting Oz killed through Rex (Louis Cancelmi), the night they danced at Monroe's.
As Francis’s emotional wounds are torn open, she breaks a glass bottle and stabs Oz. In the chaos, she collapses unconscious, haunted by visions of her dead sons. Oz loses his calm and shoots at Sofia's men. She rescues his mother and takes her to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Oz sets up Sofia by making a deal with the ambitious Councilman Hardy (Rhys Coiro). He pins all the crimes on her and Maronis. When Oz returns to the hospital after Sofia's arrest, he's devastated to learn that Francis had a stroke and has slipped into a vegetative state.
Now when Oz has achieved everything he always promised his mother, she is incapable of enjoying it. By the end of the series, he has placed his mom in a hospital bed at the top of his penthouse suite. He has reached the top of the ladder of success but craves to hear from his mother that she is proud of him. All he can do is pat his own shoulder, offering himself a false sense of reassurance once again that everything he did was for his mother.
What happens to Sofia Falcone in 'The Penguin' finale?
After Oz escapes from Monroe's, she calls a bounty on his head while announcing that she'll hand over her family legacy to whoever can get her Oz. Zhao finally finds Oz but he is once again two steps ahead of her. Sofia is eventually cornered. Oz takes her for a drive and at a secluded location, asks her to turn away. While she expects him to shoot her dead, she is treated with something far worse. The cops arrive and arrest her for causing a bomb explosion in the city. She is again sent back to Arkham where she previously spent ten years of her life for a crime she didn't commit.
As she sits quietly in her cell, Dr Julian Rush (Theo Rossi) visits her and hands her a letter from Seline Kyle. The letter says that Selina is her half-sister.
Why does Oz kill Victor in 'The Penguin'?
Oz couldn't have become the kingpin without Victor (Rhenzy Feliz). The young boy saved his life more than once and yet Oz does the unimaginable. In the final episode, we see Oz and Victor sitting together at a bench overlooking the Gotham waterfront. Oz acknowledges that he couldn't have succeeded without Vic but then reveals that he can't have him as a weakness. He puts his arm around Vic's shoulder and chokes him to death. While Vic begs for his life until his last breath, Oz keeps saying, "You're a good man, Vic. You got a good heart. It wasn't for nothing."
Vic had been with Oz when he hit rock bottom. He had seen him at his lowest moments and now when he is entering a new phase of his life, he can't have anyone who knows his weaknesses. Oz didn't regret killing his innocent brothers back then, and he sure doesn't regret killing Victor now. The moment shows, that Oz never needed a family and he doesn't even deserve one.
Will there be 'The Penguin' Season 2?
DC fans waited throughout the series for Batman to appear. Surprisingly, the superhero doesn't but we get a hint that he has arrived. The final scene shows Oz dancing with Eve (Carmen Ejogo) at his penthouse. As the frame zooms out, we see the Bat Signal has been turned on. Does this mean that we can hope for 'The Penguin' Season 2 or is it to get us excited for 'The Batman' 2?
In any case, we can rest assured that this wasn't the last time we saw Oz and Sofia. They are sure to return, either in a second season of 'The Penguin' or on the big screen as Batman and Catwoman would return to Gotham in 2025.
'The Penguin' is available to stream on Max