Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Penguin episode 7The Penguin episode 7 features several Easter eggs and references as the childhood of the titular Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) is finally revealed. Not only is Oz's past explored with some very dark truths, but the episode also includes some major deaths as well. There's also a critical decision that turns The Penguins' entire conflict with Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti) on its head, as key references and flashbacks are featured throughout this new episode.
In The Penguin episode 7, Oz Cobb's mother has been taken by Sofia Gigante and Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown). Following some significant reveals from Oz's dark past as a child and a major confrontation with Sal, Oz now has to contend with Sofia Gigante becoming even more volatile and dangerous than she already was, especially with his mother's life still in her hands by the end of the episode. To that end, here are 13 of the biggest Easter eggs and references in The Penguin episode 7, the penultimate episode before the new DC show's finale.
"Islands In The Stream"- Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
Ties Back To Penguin's Premiere
During The Penguin episode 7's flashback sequence set 34 years before the DC show's present-day events in 2022, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' "Islands in the Stream" can be heard playing on Francis Cobb's record player. However, this isn't the first time a Dolly Parton song has been heard in The Penguin. Not only was "9 to 5" heard on Penguin's car radio in the show's premiere, but it also served as the end-credits track for the series' very first episode.
Oz’s Leg
Dating Back To His Childhood
Featuring Oz Cobb as a young boy, young Oz can be seen wearing a leg brace. This confirms that Oz's "bum leg" has been an ongoing condition, rather than something that happened to him later on in life during his career as a Gotham gangster. Likewise, this also means that the "Penguin" nickname given to him due to his unique limp and stride has likely been with him his whole life.
Rex Calabrese Finally Makes His Penguin Debut
Having Been Referenced Multiple Times In The DC Show
After multiple references made in previous Penguin episodes, DC's Rex Calabrese finally makes his live-action debut in Penguin episode 7's flashback sequences. Also known as "The Lion" in the original comics, Rex was Oz's hero who eventually hired the young man to be his driver, beginning Oz's career as a gangster in Gotham City. To that end, Rex's gold car Oz previously referred to as a "chariot" is shown as well in this new episode.
Trolley Coin
Same Coin Oz Found In Penguin Episode 5
While playing flashlight tag in the abandoned trolley system tunnels beneath Crown Point, young Oz finds a trolley coin while searching for his brothers Jack and Benny. This is likely the very same trolley coin adult Oz found in his mother's things during The Penguin episode 5, prompting his rediscovery of the tunnels and central hub that became the perfect new base of operations for his drug empire.
The Overflow Tunnel Door
First Seen In Penguin Episode 5
As a truly disturbing twist, it's revealed that young Oz locked his brothers in an overflow tunnel during a storm. Leaving them to drown and returning home to be with his mother, the implication is that Oz never said anything about what happened to Jack and Benny, having been jealous about having to share his mother's love. To that end, this overflow door is the very same one adult Oz was shown looking at in The Penguin episode 5. Additionally, this same overflow tunnel ironically saves Penguin's life after Sofia sends a rigged car to blow up his underground operations at the end of The Penguin episode 7.
Beetlejuice
Released In 1988 (A Year Before Burton's First Batman Movie)
When Francis asks Oz where his brothers are, he claims they went to the movies to watch 1988's Beetlejuice. Directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as the titular ghost, it's worth pointing out that Burton's Batman was released the very next year in 1989 and starred Keaton as Bruce Wayne, the same iteration of The Dark Knight who fights Danny DeVito's Penguin in 1992's Batman Returns. Likewise, Burton's sequel to Beetlejuice was just released in theaters in September of this year.
Oz's Favorite Movie Explains A Lot
Fred Astaire's Top Hat (1935)
Putting on a movie with his mother, it's revealed that young Oz's favorite film is 1935's Top Hat starring Fred Astaire. Shown tap dancing while wearing a top hat, coattails, and holding a cane, the connections between Fred Astaire's style in this movie and DC Comics' original depictions of The Penguin on the page aren't hard to miss. Likewise, The Penguin episode 7 itself is also titled "Top Hat".
"Ginger F***ing Rogers"
(Also in Top Hat)
Held in the Falcone mansion as Sofia's captive, Francis tells Sofia that after her son kills her she'll tap dance on her grave "like Ginny f***ing Rogers". Another classic actress, Ginny Rogers was Fred Astaire's co-star in 1935's Top Hat.
"I Got You! I Got You!"
Mirrors Penguin's Batmobile Chase
Even though Salvatore Maroni ends up dying of a heart attack while fighting Oz Cobb, The Penguin still acts like he beats the Gotham crime boss. Likewise, he repeatedly tells Maroni's corpse that he got him. Keeping that in mind, it does mirror when Penguin prematurely celebrates evading The Batman and says the same thing during their car chase with the Batmobile, only to immediately get flipped over by The Dark Knight's powerful muscle car.
Salvatore Maroni's Ring
It Finally Belongs To Penguin
The Penguin also takes Salvatore's ring off his dead body and puts it on his own finger in The Penguin episode 7. Having originally been Sal's, Carmine took the ring when he ratted out Maroni's drug business before the events of The Batman. Then, his son Alberto Falcone took the ring after the Riddler killed Carmine. While Oz took the ring after killing Alberto and gave it back to Maroni as a sign of good faith, he now has the ring in his possession once more. As such, it's very much a symbolic token, one that certainly suggests The Penguins' rise to the top of Gotham's underworld is nearly complete.
"Is That What You Think?"
Sofia Using Carmine’s Exact Words From 10 Years Ago
Sofia Gigante visits Brookside to meet with young Gia Falcone, who says she saw Sofia's mask the night she gassed the family. However, Sofia uses the same tactics and exact words her own father used when Sofia suspected Carmine had killed her mother ten years earlier, acting shocked that Gia could think she'd be capable of doing something so horrible. Taking care of Gia and her suspicions, this interaction very much breaks Sofia who decides in the aftermath that she's done playing her father's games, choosing instead to create a new one and seeking nothing more than absolute revenge on Oz going forward.
Monroe’s Jazz Club
Where Oz Took His Mother Dancing
Taking Francis to what was once Monroe's Jazz Club, The Penguin episode 7 flashes back once more when Francis finally leaves her room following Jack and Benny's deaths and takes Oz out dancing when she makes him promise to get her everything she deserves. A memory that was first referenced by an adult Oz in The Penguin episode 2, the fact that Sofia now knows enough about it to bring Francis to Monroe's in the present certainly does not bode well for Oz going forward.
Detective Marcus Wise
Taking Penguin To Sofia Gigante
After surviving the car bomb explosion that took out Penguin's drug operations and an entire block of Crown Point, a dazed Oz Cobb is found by Detective Marcus Wise, the crooked cop Sofia hired in The Penguin episode 2 who is also corrupt in the original DC Comics. Knocking Oz out, it looks as though Sofia hired Marcus once more to bring him to her at Monroe's for a final confrontation in The Penguin's imminent finale.
New Episodes of The Penguin release Sunday nights on Max.
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022's film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family's empire.
CastColin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O'Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi
Character(s) Oz Cobb , Sofia Falcone , Victor Aguilar , Johnny Viti , Nadia Maroni , Francis Cobb , Salvatore Maroni , Milos Grapa , Luca Falcone , Alberto Falcone , Eve Karlo , Julian Rush
Release Date September 19, 2024
Seasons 1
Writers Lauren LeFranc
Directors Craig Zobel
Showrunner Lauren LeFranc
Prequel The Batman (2022)
Avg Episode Length 60 Mins
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
Release Date October 4, 2024
Release Date June 26, 2026
Release Date October 2, 2026
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Custom Image by Kevin Erdmann
English (US) ·