The Penguin Episode 8 Recap & Ending Explained

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The Penguin

Penguin Finale Oz and Sofia Custom DC Image

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Penguin episode 8The Penguin episode 8 brings the new DC show to a close with a major ending, creating a darkly satisfying ending (and beginning) for Colin Farrell's Oz Cobb while also setting up Matt Reeves' The Batman - Part II. As has been seen in the entire series, Oz has been working non-stop to become the next kingpin of Gotham's criminal underworld. Although he finally does succeed in this goal by the end of The Penguin episode 8 (it's not without cost).

At the end of The Penguin episode 7, Sofia Gigante successfully captures Francis Cobb (Deirdre O'Connell), holding her at the very same jazz club where Oz promised his mother the world when he was a boy after the deaths of his brothers. Now, The Penguin's finale brings Oz's rivalry with Sofia to a head as Cobb finally gains the throne he's long desired. To that end, here's our recap of The Penguin episode 8 and its huge finale ending.

The Penguin Episode 8 Spoilers & Key Story Takeaways

Flashback reveals Francis always knew the truth about Oz and his brothers, Rex offers to kill Oz, but Francis changes her mind and lets Oz live.
Sofia Gigante forces the full truth to come out at Monroe’s. Oz doubles down on the lies, but Francis comes out with the truth and admits her hatred for her son, stabbing Oz with a broken bottle before suffering a stroke.
Oz escapes with Francis and takes her to the hospital, and Victor meets him there.
Sofia meets with gang heads, offering everything to whoever can bring her Oz before she leaves Gotham for good.
Oz goes to City Hall, pitching a story to Councilman Hady where Sofia is blamed for everything.
Sofia burns Carmine’s watch and the Falcone mansion before heading to the airport. She meets the Triads there who have Oz, but Zhao is betrayed by his deputy who sides with Oz.
Oz drives Sofia, revealing that all the deputies and right hands have become new gang heads with loyalty to Oz himself.
Oz leaves Sofia by the river to be arrested and taken back to Arkham.
Francis is in a vegetative state, unable to witness or appreciate Oz’s victory.
Oz thanks Victor, and Victor calls him family. Oz then kills Victor.
Selina Kyle sends a letter to Sofia in Arkham, confirming she's her half-sister.
Oz enters his new penthouse wearing a tux and a top hat with an umbrella, and Francis has her own room and hospital bed. Penguin then dances with Eve who’s dressed as his mother.
The Penguin finale ends with the Bat-Signal lighting up in Gotham City.

Sofia's Final Moves Against Oz Cobb's Penguin Explained

Wanting To Hurt And Kill Oz Before Leaving Gotham

Having grown tired of playing her father's games, Sofia Falcone/Gigante (Cristin Milioti) decided to play an entirely new game, one where the goal was simply to cause Penguin as much pain as he had caused her before leaving Gotham for good. Having used former Arkham doctor Julian Rush to learn the full truth about Oz's past from Francis, Sofia had Oz brought to Monroe's where she demanded that Oz and Francis reveal the truth to each other that he killed his brothers, and that Francis had always known from the very beginning.

After Oz Cobb doubles down on his lies, even in the face of his mother losing a finger, Francis is the one who finally admits her hatred for her son and what he did. Ultimately, Oz escapes Monroe's with his mother who suffers a stroke shortly after, motivating Sofia to offer the entire Falcone empire to whichever gang can bring her Oz before she leaves the city. Burning down the Falcone mansion before heading to the airport, Sofia was so close to getting closure and a new start for her life, had Oz not gained the upper hand by doing something she never could have anticipated.

How Penguin Gained The Upper Hand Against Sofia Falcone

Uniting The Deputies To Take Gotham For Themselves

Just like Sofia who chose to play a new game, Oz Cobb changed the rules as well in The Penguin episode 8. An idea given to him by his right-hand man, Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), Penguin secretly forges alliances with all the deputies from each of the Gotham gangs. Cobb offered them a shot at making names for themselves by betraying the gang heads and taking control of the operations for themselves, all while pledging loyalty to Penguin himself.

This is how Sofia Gigante was caught by surprise when the Triads offered her Oz at the airport, with Link shooting the dai lo Feng Zhao. This allowed Oz to offer Sofia Falcone up to the police, where she was subsequently arrested and put back in Arkham. Likewise, even Sofia herself admits that she didn't see it coming, though she does make sure Oz knows that she does finally see who Cobb really is, no matter what lies he might tell others (and himself).

Why Oz Doesn't Kill Sofia In The Penguin Episode 8

He Needs A Public Scapegoat

Sofia Falcone falsely imprisoned in Arkham Asylum in The Penguin

It may seem surprising that Oz ultimately lets Sofia live after everything she did. However, it ultimately makes sense considering everything she's still able to do for him alive in Arkham. After all, Oz's entire pitch to Councilman Hady earlier in The Penguin episode 8 was all based on Sofia being made to look like the crazy Arkham patient who went on a killing spree.

Sofia has become the perfect scapegoat with all the blame for the Maroni murders, Bliss, the Crown Point explosion, and more to be squarely placed on her, the result of an ongoing "Falcone-Maroni" turf war rather than the truth that the Maronis and Falcones had joined forces to go after Penguin himself. Hady would look good by providing a villain, and Penguin would have far less heat as he becomes the new head of Gotham's underworld. As such, murdering Sofia would have certainly lessened the power of Penguin and Hady's fabricated narrative.

Why Penguin Chooses To Kill Victor

Family Is Both A Strength, And A Weakness

Having all the power and the top seat in Gotham's underworld, Penguin makes the shocking decision to kill Victor Aguilar, the young man who had been his right hand from the very beginning of The Penguin. While strangling Victor, Penguin apologizes while telling him that he's a good man with a good heart. However, Oz determined that he and Victor had become far too close (Victor had just called him family).

While Oz agrees that he and Victor have become family, he also admits that family is just as much of a weakness as it is a strength, and he can no longer afford to have any weaknesses now that he's finally made it to the top. Nevertheless, it's an incredibly tragic and horrible final act on Oz's part at the end of The Penguin's finale. This is especially true considering all that Victor had done for him, including giving Oz the idea to unite all the deputies earlier in The Penguin episode 8.

Penguin's Finally The King, But The Bat-Signal Is Lit

Where Has Batman Been This Whole Time?

The bat-signal and Robert Pattinson as Batman

As Oz Cobb dances with Eve in his new penthouse, the camera pans outside to Gotham City below, just as the Bat-Signal turns on. Ironically, the Bat-Signal lights up just after Eve tells Oz that there is nothing more standing in his way. While The Dark Knight had been absent for the entire show, the Bat-Signal being lit does create a connection between the events of the show and presumably the upcoming events of The Batman - Part II. As such, the implication seems to be that Batman will indeed clash with Penguin in the future DC movie when it releases in 2026.

All episodes of The Penguin are now streaming 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.

Cast Colin 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