The Penguin cast and crew explain the tragic ending(s) and what’s next for Oz

As a lover of crime dramas and a connoisseur of dark humor, I must say that The Penguin has been one of the most captivating shows I’ve watched in recent times. The way it weaves together the intricate web of Gotham City’s underworld, while simultaneously exploring the psyche of its protagonist, is nothing short of mesmerizing.

Last Sunday saw HBO airing the eighth and final episode of ‘The Penguin’. It was simply outstanding! I must admit, I never thought a spin-off series from the 2022 film ‘The Batman’ featuring a secondary antagonist would end up among my top picks for the year. But here we are. The show, ‘The Penguin’, was a captivating blend of darkness, humor, action, and tragedy. The character, Oz Cobblepot (Colin Farrell), finally achieved his dream of ruling the underworld of Gotham City, but at the cost of any vestige of goodness he once possessed.

In “A Great or Little Thing,” Oz appears to make multiple deals with his soul. Towards the finale, it is revealed that he has acquired the luxurious penthouse he had long pledged to his mother Francis. However, an unfortunate twist emerges as he keeps her in a semi-unconscious state, which goes against her heartfelt request from a few episodes prior – to grant her a peaceful passing.

In simple terms, towards the end of the movie, we observe Francis subtly revealing a solitary tear. Actress Deirdre O’Connell shared with Variety her experience playing that scene, stating, “I’m not sure if he realized it or even knew how to do it, but he expressed his withdrawal of affection.” She further explained, “In the recording, it was crystal clear that Oz had withdrawn his love, and I could feel it. He made me cry that tear.

In the seventh episode, I found myself delving into the past of the enigmatic Oz. What unfolds is a chilling revelation: not only did he abandon his two brothers to perish in a flooded tunnel, but his mother, Francis, has been aware of this all along and chose to live with this knowledge instead of seeking justice for her other sons. As showrunner Lauren LeFranc shared with Indiewire, “Episode 7 is not just Oz’s origin story, but Francis’s as well.” You see, she’s a devoted mom, struggling to raise three boys on her own. She’s overworked and often brash, yet there’s an underlying love and affection in her actions. However, as the story progresses, we begin to understand that Oz’s actions had a profound impact on Francis, causing her to change in some way and lose a part of herself.

Initially, the series seems to suggest that Oz’s character traits are due to his mother’s negative impact. However, the later episodes challenge this notion, implying that Oz cannot use his past as a justification for his monstrous behavior. According to LeFranc, he aimed to avoid the typical tropes of blaming the protagonist’s mistreatment in childhood for their actions as adults. He was determined to ensure that there would be no excuses made for Oz’s behavior.

By the finale, Oz’s excuses become untenable as his girlfriend Eve (Carmen Ejogo) poses as his mother to provide him with the support Francis could no longer or ever wanted to give. Instead of genuine affection, he accepts a fabrication. As Matt Reeves explained on the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, this choice was made to illustrate Oz’s troubled psyche: “He can’t get what he needed from his mother because she’s no longer capable due to the traumatic events and his actions, so he creates an alternative with Eve. It’s a disturbing portrayal of his internal turmoil.” This plot device underscores why we watch the series – it takes Oz to a new place by the end, setting him up for change in the next movie as a result of the experiences we’ve witnessed throughout this show.

The Penguin stars talk Vic’s final moments

In simpler terms, during the final episode of “The Penguin”, instead of showing affection towards Victor Aguilar, whom he considered like family, after a series of intense encounters with Sofia Falcone, Oz cruelly chooses to strangle Vic to death on a park bench, underscoring the harsh lesson that close relationships could expose one’s vulnerability.

Feliz explained to TIME that what stands out in that scene for Victor is his initial, extremely exposed state. “It’s quite tender,” he said, “slow-paced and deliberate. In essence, Victor is expressing his love for Oz, albeit indirectly because they are too manly to say it openly. The underlying sentiment is palpable. When I read the script, I found it beautiful and wanted to portray it in a way that was sensitive and intimate. Since Colin’s shots were taken simultaneously, the entire sequence feels natural and harmonious, like a sweet conversation… just before things take a turn.

It took all night. We were outdoors, it was a cold winter day in New York. We shot that on Roosevelt Island on the riverbank. It was real silent. It’s gruesome, and it’s brutal. Toward the end of the show, those light moments kind of dissipate and we’re left with something pretty dark and twisted. We’re witnessing Oz turn into something kind of irredeemable. Being on set that day, everyone felt sullen. There was a darkness in the air, there was a hush.

In this episode, Oz faced yet another critical juncture among many such moments. As Farrell explained to Variety, “That night held a profound darkness.” To make the audience feel deeply connected to Rhenzy’s Vic, he emphasized, it was essential to create a world that would captivate not just the viewers but also the crew, who would grow to love the character alongside the audience.

Initially, the writer had envisioned Vic’s death as him protecting Francis, but things didn’t go as planned. In the fight between Sofia and Oz, Sofia managed to manipulate circumstances so that Oz turned against Vic. This would have been a tragic twist. However, as the script was developed further, the writer subtly altered her vision in a crucial way that made the scene more impactful. The new concept was both heart-wrenchingly terrible and deeply tragic: Oz had to kill Vic because he couldn’t stand Victor’s level of vulnerability.

Will Sofia ever return?

In contrast to Oz and Francis, Sofia Falcone was relatively fortunate as she didn’t end up dead and isn’t living in a perpetual state of misery, despite being wrongfully imprisoned for a decade and now returning to prison.

In her interview with THR, LeFranc pondered over different possibilities. She expressed, “I contemplated [Sofia’s death].” She further added, “I wish some viewers might have wanted Sofia to triumph over Oz, as Oz is indeed a villain. Ultimately, it’s crucial to feel complex emotions towards his accomplishments given the lives he sacrificed. For me, Sofia’s most devastating fate would be returning to Arkham after tasting freedom and witnessing the potential she could have realized. In my opinion, this is the more heartbreaking resolution for her. I desired her to retain a glimmer of hope at the end, even in the finale, because I believe she deserves that much.

In my opinion, many viewers believe she truly deserves even more than what she’s gotten; Sofia seems to have made a significant impact as the most prominent new character on this series. As LeFranc shared with The A.V. Club, my aim for the show was to develop a complex female character who I hope has left a lasting impression and stands out among others in this genre. I hope she continues to grow and develop. Just like Penguin, who has been around for 75 years with multiple interpretations, Sofia is simply my take on her. I’d love to see her evolve further in the comics, and perhaps one day a story about her will be written – that would be truly amazing!

Why didn’t Batman appear in The Penguin, and what’s next for Oz?

Revisiting Sofia once more promises to be a delightful experience, and this encounter raises an intriguing question: when can we expect the cast from The Penguin series to grace our screens again? It’s been confirmed that The Penguin will reappear in The Batman: Part II, slated for release in 2026. However, it seems he might not take on the primary antagonist role this time around. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Farrell shared that he has approximately five to six scenes in the film.

As a fan, I was thrilled to see how the finale of “The Penguin” subtly foreshadows “The Batman: Part II”. When Oz danced with his fake mom under the bat signal in the sky, it felt like a promise for more. The showrunner, LeFranc, explained to Entertainment Weekly that this ending sets up an intriguing contrast between Oz’s self-delusional triumph and the Batman’s reality check: “I found it captivating how the Batman undermines the surreal world that Oz had built for himself, suggesting that his accomplishments might not be as genuine as he thinks, and leaving us questioning, ‘Is it really over? Or is there more to come?’

During the process of scripting the series, LeFranc and Reeves often pondered over the possibility of incorporating Batman into the show, potentially with Robert Pattinson reprising his role from the film. As Reeves explained, “Throughout the writing of the season, we frequently debated whether there could be any integration that would seem justified. We experimented with several ideas, but nothing that was fully developed ever seemed to fit in a way that felt authentic.

One concept they considered was involving Victor (Vic) in a scenario with Bruce Wayne, but they eventually opted to exclude Batman from the series altogether. As producer LeFranc clarified, “We aimed for our characters to be the main focus of this show. Anything that might divert attention away from them wasn’t fitting with the kind of program we wanted to create.

Have you considered the possibility of another season for The Penguin? The ratings have been impressive and only improved as the series progressed, culminating in record-breaking numbers for the finale. Given these positive responses, it seems HBO might be considering it. As for the creators, they’ve begun discussing potential directions: “Me, Lauren [Neal], Dylan [Clark], and Colin are starting to brainstorm ideas,” said director Matt Reeves. “For us, what matters most is delivering quality. If we were to return, we must maintain that high standard. We don’t want to simply produce more; we want to create something exceptional. That’s what we’re discussing now. While it’s still in the early stages, we’re optimistic and eager.

Farrell expresses readiness to be submerged in numerous prosthetics again if a compelling idea for season two arises. He stated, “If there’s an outstanding concept [for season two], and the writing is powerfully written and as impactful or more so on paper compared to the first season, then naturally I would participate,” he told THR.

But that’ll be then. For now, congrats to the cast and crew of The Penguin for a great season of TV. See you at the Emmys.

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2024-11-14 23:42