Reviewer Rating: 5/5.0
5
I don’t know about you, but could 2026 and Batman 2 be coming sooner? I would love to see the women of Gotham take down Ozzy Cobb.
Maybe this movie will give the Penguin writers a chance to redeem themselves for all the crap they’ve done and get him out of the most unlikely of situations.
To be honest, I hated Penguins Season 1 Episode 8 in a lot of ways, but I admit it – it was one of the best episodes in the entire series. But aren’t they all like that?
This series feels too short, but in a way, it’s the perfect set-up for Batman 2.
Sophia was so close. While it’s infuriating that she couldn’t defeat the King of Gibberish, there’s also a certain satisfaction in knowing that Oz made a huge mistake by letting her live.
He may have thought he was sending her to hell on earth by throwing her back to Arkham, but he clearly didn’t take into account the fact that Selina Kyle – or Batman – was still out there.
Seeing Sofia receive Selina’s letter made me giddy. Plus, Dr. Rush is still in Arkham, another victory for the Queen.
My first thought? Returning to Arkham could be the perfect setup for Sofia to meet more villains that she can band together to finally take down Oz.
But the results are much more interesting.
Why? Because we know Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman) works alongside Batman. The last shot before the end credits makes it clear: Batman is back.
You have to wonder if Selina has been spying on Gotham City for him. There had to be a reason she decided to contact Sophia – especially now.
Of course, we don’t know what the letter said, but it certainly brought a smile to Sofia’s face. Did Selina admit that she wanted Carmine dead, but Batman stopped her?
It’s not just, “I wish Carmine would disappear, oh, I’m your sister.”
This probably means Sofia won’t turn into a supervillain like I thought she would.
I’ve been thinking her penguin-esque costume was a hint that she’d be taking over the role of Oz, but maybe that’s for the better.
Sophia doesn’t need to be some twisted villain. She can be true to herself and fight for what is right.
Since her brother’s death, she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be a criminal – I’ve said that before. She would always leave it to Maroni.
What Sofia wants is simple: revenge. Kill Oz and move on with her life. I honestly believe she planned to leave Gotham after taking him out at the airport.
But now she has a chance to defeat Oz the right way — because let’s not forget, Batman didn’t let Selina kill Carmine. I can see him and Selina having the same effect on Sofia.
Sofia is able to channel her anger into something meaningful, creating a satisfying arc.
She could help Oz leave for good and focus on making Gotham a better place, just like he was before he betrayed her to Carmine.
Of course, she has her share of obstacles.
She blew up a chunk of Crown Point in her attempt to kill Oz, taking the lives of innocent people in the process.
Let’s not forget Bliss, the drug she introduced that wreaked havoc on Gotham City and was the cause of all this chaos.
While her anger may be misguided, there is hope for redemption.
Batman is the last one to judge anyone, and while he dispenses justice from the shadows, Gotham owes him a huge debt.
Sophia can also serve in her own way, even if public salvation does not exist. After all, it’s going to be a tough sell, but it might make her redemption even more powerful.
I also think it will help when the truth about Oz is finally revealed.
This madman believes that with the support of his corrupt congressman friends and Gotham’s underworld, he will be Gotham’s savior. Especially Gotham’s underworld.
Let’s hope Oswald Cobb doesn’t get out easily.
What did Sophia call him? “Oswald Cobb, the people’s man”? This is the delusional dream of one of the most delusional characters on television.
Let’s not forget – he’s a damn rat who revealed himself to be a classic gangster snitch. As the saying goes, a rat is a rat, a rat.
Like most rats in gang history, he lied and manipulated to evade responsibility for his crimes.
Of course, his fellow congressman is using Penguin’s lies to prop himself up and sell his supposed promises of justice to the people of Gotham.
Meanwhile, Sophia is just a stepping stone on his winding yellow brick road to higher office.
It’s an almost perfect mirror of real-world organized crime: the rat-rattling that prosecutors use to advance their careers when they score big convictions against mob bosses.
Rudy Giuliani is just one example (there are many more) of people who are saddled with high-profile beliefs that may or may not be purely for the purpose of climbing the ladder of power.
Finally, how many times do they turn out to be as corrupt as the people they imprison?
But I digress, because there’s a lot more to Oz’s twisted story.
His entire “To Have and Have Not” speech in Penguin Season 1, Episode 7 is a prime example of people falling into megalomaniacal delusions.
Idiots – and I mean stupid idiots – believe something so blatantly ridiculous just because they feel slighted or underrepresented.
They didn’t realize until it was too late that they had chosen the wrong side, supported the wrong people, and invested in a cause that went nowhere.
What will happen? Everything falls apart because they’re so caught up in the delusion that they don’t notice that the Kool-Aid they’re drinking is poisonous.
Unfortunately, Vic never gets the chance to wake up from this delusion, and it’s painful to watch him give Oz a ridiculous pep talk in the hospital, soothing his ego.
I still don’t understand how he couldn’t see what was in front of him.
Maybe this is the stupidity of young people? I don’t know, but he learned his lesson too late – and other followers of Lincoln and Oz followed the same path.
Oz is basically the wizard from The Wizard of Oz: a little man hiding behind a curtain with nothing but an overabundance of self-awareness that makes him believe he’s powerful. Think about it.
At least Frances knew the real Oz, but shame on her for not handling it well.
She doesn’t have to let Rex kill him, but she can stop him through the proper channels.
Instead, she creates monsters—as Sophia says. Stroking his ego, encouraging him, and scorning him at the same time.
Why did she do this? Because he brought her good things? Yes. Such selfish thoughts are harmful to herself and everyone around her. What a hypocrite, right?
What does she get out of it now? She had nothing in mind but a life sentence.
She will spend the rest of her life in a hospital bed, a prisoner of Oz, because he will not grant her final plea to end her suffering.
Why? Because he was selfish and she taught him that and never held him accountable for what he did to her children.
Generally, I don’t like blaming parents for their children’s behavior. But in this case, she fed the monster, and that’s her responsibility.
As for Eve—what was she thinking?
Dress up like Oz’s mother, stroke his ego, and give him the twisted affection he’s always wanted from Frances?
This is some seriously crazy stuff. I know she’s probably scared of him, but seriously? You will stand up for your daughter, but you won’t stand up for yourself? GTFOH posturing.
Of course, there may be a twist. Maybe she’s teaming up with Batman or Selina. It’s obvious that she’s not excited about dancing with a crazy person, so I hope there’s a good reason behind her actions.
No matter how you feel about Oz, Sofia, or any of the other characters in Penguins , you have to support Matt Reeves and the entire cast and production team.
This was a really bad series and I’m really sad to see it go.
I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of the Batman movies. It feels too long, too bleak, and a little too dependent on Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
But what about this series? It has a completely different vibe.
I can only hope that Batman 2 has the same tone and intensity (including the perfect use of Nirvana songs like “About a Girl” – one of my favorite Nirvana songs of all time – and when Sophia Burns the Law at the Ercone House).
Of course, I want Sophia to win.
She is without a doubt one of the best new characters of the 2024 TV season.
Dare I say it? Yes I will. Because she absolutely did it: Cristin Milioti surpassed Colin Farrell in this series.
Over to you, TV fanatics! What did you think of the season finale of Penguin and the series as a whole?
Are you looking forward to Batman 2? How do you think the series’ storyline will unfold in the film? Hit the comments and share your thoughts!
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