Now that The Penguin has reached its pitch-black conclusion, I think it’s safe to say that head writer Lauren LeFranc, stars Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti, and the entire cast and crew have combined to create one of the strongest, most surprising, and most rewarding comic book stories committed to TV or film. By branching off of the Matt Reeves movie The Batman, LeFranc enhanced her characterization of the villainous Oz Cobb (Farrell), establishing him as a true powerbroker in Gotham, and a monster with absolutely no moral fiber. We came into the series raving about Farrell’s make up and prosthetics that were required to morph him into Oz. We leave the series blown away by new characters Sofia Gigante (Milioti), Francis Cobb (Deirdre O’Connell), Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), and more.
The rest of this story digs into massive spoilers for the season finale of The Penguin, so stop reading now if you are not caught up.
There are no happy endings waiting for the main characters at the conclusion of The Penguin. Lauren LeFranc let it be known throughout the show that no one was safe, killing off high-powered characters like Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown) because they made the mistake of getting in Oz’s way. During a post-finale conversation with LeFranc about her overall plotting, and the resolutions she conceived for her characters, the showrunner told CinemaBlend:
For Oz, where he ends up in the end, I think is tragic in a way. But because he made his own choices. He made his own bed. He embraced a dark delusion. I think for Sofia, this full circle quality that she experiences is very tragic. It’s a fate that's, I think, worse than death. And same with Francis, in her own way, feeling trapped in her own body. And Victor! . Victor's situation is also terrible. I mean, yeah, it's bad for everybody. I guess there's sadly no real happy ending here for any of our characters.
Against all possible odds, Oz has positioned himself near the top of Gotham’s criminal food chain. He has eliminated a number of leaders in the rival crime families. He has framed Sofia, and sent her back to Arkham, the worst possible place – in her mind – that she could have wound up. Oz recognized that his warped love for Victor could eventually be perceived as a weak spot, so he murdered the young man in cold blood. And as for the mother that he has worshipped for the bulk of his bizarre life, Oz keeps her locked in a penthouse overlooking Gotham. He’s maintaining a promise that he made to his mother, in a warped way. But she’s paralyzed following a debilitating stroke… though that tear Francis sheds suggests that she’s all too aware of the prison in which her son has locked her.
LeFranc went on to reflect the fates of these key characters, telling CinemaBlend:
I guess the way that I view our characters’ emotional arcs does feel connected to the tone of the show. It does feel correct for who we're dealing with – with Oz being our primary character that we're following, and then just trying to build out a world that made sense. With our perspective of Gotham City, it made sense the way that things ended for everybody.
One reaction I heard from friends who were watching The Penguin was that as the show evolved, they were reminded that Oz and his cohorts are villains, capable of horribly ruthless things. Yes, there are moments when the powerful writing and plotting meant that you might have sympathized with Oz, Sofia, Victor, or Francis. But the show very quickly came back around to remind you that these are ruthless people, willing (and almost eager) to cut down anyone who stood in the way of their goals.
By the second episode, I all but forgot that this story took place in a city policed by Batman (Robert Pattinson), though I did love the Bat Signal appearing in the night sky, reminding us that the Dark Knight will be coming for Oz… eventually.
For the moment, The Penguin has ended, and I don’t think we are getting a Season 2. I also do believe that there’s time for a different Gotham spinoff show to help fill in the gap while we wait for Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part 2, which will not arrive until October 2026. Make sure that you are checking our guide to Upcoming DC Movies to learn more about Reeves’ story, and other DC films in the works.
