‘The Penguin’ Episode 8 Recap & Review: A True Villain Is Born

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Penguin Episode 8, “A Great or Little Thing.”

The Penguin Episode 8 is a perfect conclusion to one of the most surprising television series of the year. While many expected it to be good, The Penguin has blown away expectations and will likely be a feature part of the conversation during the Emmys. Showrunner Lauren LeFranc‘s series improves with each weekly release, and the season finale is no exception, delivering the best installment of the entire series.

Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti) and Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) are face-to-face for their final showdown, with both actors once again delivering stunning performances. While they’re both incredible, as they have been throughout the entire season, Deirdre O’Connell gives her best performance of the series as Francis Cobb emotionally revisits her past traumas. Check out all the details from our recap of The Penguin Episode 8, “A Great or Little Thing,” below!

‘The Penguin’ Season Finale Switches Perspectives

The episode begins familiarly with the same flashback viewers have already seen from a young Oswald’s (Ryder Allen) perspective. However, he proves to be an unreliable narrator, as reality is far different from his mother Francis’ point of view. The Penguin Episode 8 reveals that Oz’s mother knew he had killed his brothers the entire time. She even debates having the local gangster Rex Calabrese (Louis Cancelmi) kill him, but she decides to use Oz’s love for her against him as a means to force him to build them a better life.

Despite Oz remembering their trip to Monroe’s Club together as a positive memory, it’s one of the worst moments of Francis’ entire life. The Penguin has spent his life believing he had kept the cause of his brothers’s death a secret, but his mother knew the whole time. All he has ever craved is respect from his peers and his mother’s love. Unfortunately, Oz has never received either, creating the villain he has become in the present.

Sofia Gigante Re-Opens the Cobb Family’s Wounds in ‘The Penguin’

Sofia is losing interest in a life of crime in Gotham City, but she remains intent on destroying Oz Cobb before she leaves. She has him bound in the same room as his mother, demanding he reveal the truth about what actually happened to his brothers in The Penguin season finale. Oz denies any involvement and pleads to Francis that she doesn’t listen to Sofia, without realizing Francis has been aware of the truth her entire life and has already confessed to Sofia.

Even under the threat of her finger getting cut off, no matter how much Francis pleads to Oz to tell the truth, he refuses. She tells him he’s a disappointment and she has known the entire time, even going as far as to say she wished she had let Rex kill him when he was a child. Despite her pleas, Oz still refuses to tell the truth. Francis loses control in an intense rage for her son, stabbing him in the stomach before suffering a stroke and collapsing. Although Oz is bleeding from his stomach, he uses the chaos to escape with Francis in The Penguin Episode 8.

Oz Cobb Takes on the Mantle of The Penguin in “A Great or Little Thing”

Oz makes it to the hospital, where he can get Francis some medical attention and call Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) to his aid. They meet in a hospital closet, where Oz has somewhat successfully stitched up his stomach wound. Vic has so far been unsuccessful in rounding up Gotham’s gangs as backup for their fight against Sofia, but he has one more ace up his sleeve. Before Vic goes to the Triads to execute his plan, Rhenzy Feliz delivers his best performance of the entire series, inspiring Oz to keep going and never give up in The Penguin Episode 8.

Although viewers are kept in the dark for the early stages of the plan, Vic sets his ideas in motion behind the scenes. Oz is turned over to the Triads, but Vic successfully orchestrates a scheme for the number twos of Gotham’s gangs to mutiny against their leaders, led by Vic’s new friend Link (Robert Lee Leng), the number two for the Triads. With the former Triad leader (François Chau) dead, Link, Vic, and Oz pull a fast one on Sofia and take control of the situation. After an epic chess match throughout the series, Oz Cobb finally has the upper hand in The Penguin season finale.

‘The Penguin’ Episode 8 Review: Exciting Teases for ‘The Batman: Part II’

Despite the main character of the series coming away victorious, The Penguin doesn’t conclude with a happy ending. Francis survives her stroke, but she lives semi-conscious in torment alongside her monster of a son, despite her previous wishes to be taken off life support if anything like this were to happen. Realizing that Sofia was able to use his family against him, Oz murders his protege Victor in cold blood so that he can finally be rid of his emotional ties. If there was ever any question, Oswald Cobb has truly become a villain, as he dawns a new suit and top hat, officially becoming The Penguin.

However, when the night is at its darkest comes a flash of light. Sofia returns to Arkham Asylum and receives a note from her half-sister, Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz). The Batman: Part II connections don’t end there, as The Penguin concludes with the Bat Symbol beaming over Gotham City, ready to take vengeance on those who have caused harm. A series this spectacular deserves an ending to match, and The Penguin season finale certainly accomplishes that task.

Check out the Agents of Fandom on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts for breakdowns and theories after each episode of The Penguin releases. Follow our socials for all the latest entertainment news and reviews.