A Great or Little Thing: The Penguin Finale Review and Recap

All the lies, secrets, and betrayals have come to a head in The Penguin series finale. Season 1, episode 8, “A Great or Little Thing” (from an Oscar Wilde play), is the last episode of the hit Max original series. Set in the DC Extended Universe, The Penguin explores the many trials and tribulations of Oswald Cobb as he attempts to seize power from the crime families in Gotham City.

Each episode has been a tense and turbulent hour-long glimpse into the lengths everyone is willing to go to rise within a city that wants to keep knocking them down. And now, we’ve finally witnessed the culmination of a season’s worth of struggles. Let’s recap the series finale below, and then look ahead at how this will tie into The Batman Part II.

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Devil in the House

Last episode, a young Oz left his brothers Jack and Benny to drown in the trolley tunnels. Episode 8 opens with Francis contending with the loss of her precious sons. Rex, the resident gangster, offers financial support. When that doesn’t take, he offers emotional support. And when that doesn’t take, Rex offers to help Francis get rid of Oz for good. The memory is mixed with the present, however, since the older Francis is re-living all of these moments.

Finally, at Monroe’s jazz club, we understand why. Francis sees Dr. Julian Rush and Sofia Falcone spying on the memory, encouraging her to walk through that traumatic evening. In a shocking reveal, we learn that Francis really did intend to let Rex murder her child. However, young Oz promises to give his mom the best life as long as she doesn’t give up on him. Clearly, that’s one of the first instances of our resident smooth-talker charming his way out of a bad spot.

Stand for Something

Meanwhile, Victor confronts the gangs with which Oz is allied. Crown Point is once again caught in the crossfire of Gotham’s villains, and Vic believes Oz can restore his home if given the opportunity. But the gangs are there for the product, not the Penguin. They leave. Vic, at a loss, searches for Oz.

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How Much Does a Pinky Cost?

Now we’re fully back in the present. Back at a dilapidated Monroe’s, Sofia performs a sweeping and disturbing allegory about baby birds. The babies, she explains, fought to the death over food. And the mom allowed it. In this way, Sofia forces her captives, Oz and Francis, to confront the years of repressed truth between them. But even as Sofia threatens to cut off Francis’ pinky, Oz won’t admit his evil deeds. Actually, even when Francis tells her son she’s known for years, he can’t own up to murdering his brothers.

This scene in particular really shows just how deep Oz has deluded himself about his own importance and righteousness. Because he’s our protagonist, we’ve been rooting for him. But the finale in particular reminds us how despicable this Rogues Gallery villain has always been.

Oz Takes Flight

Fed up with Oz’s lies, Francis stabs him with a broken glass bottle. But her aging body and raging illness don’t allow her the victory. Francis falls. Hard. Protective to the last, Oz surges up and fights his way out. He reunites with Vic at the hospital. Reminding Oz that he “gave people dignity,” Vic orders the gangster to get up and finish the job. At the Falcone mansion, Sofia offers her house, business, and territories in exchange for Oz. She’s leaving Gotham, and wants him dead before she’s gone.

Link calls Vic to ask where he and Oz are. Our hearts sink as we register what must be betrayal from the Dai Lo’s deputy. But what can we expect in a city where everyone looks out for themselves?

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Justice

Here comes the charm. Spreading his favorite thing — falsehoods — Oz goes to City Hall. With a councilman in his pocket, it’s easy enough to get an audience with the man. Oz feeds him lies about the Maronis and the Falcones for the press. Inventing a somewhat-true tale, Oz gives the people a hero and a villain, all while getting away with money and power. In return for helping the councilman, Oz wants more legitimate power and sway with city politicians.

When he pins it on Sofia yet again, we have to wonder if his remorse was ever genuine. The Penguin is a fascinating character study, to say the least. Oz is an unreliable narrator because he’s lying to everyone, including himself. He’s needy and emotional, but does everything to prove that he’s not — or punish himself when he is. But more on that a little later.

Watch This

Burn, baby, burn! In her final act of defiance, Sofia gathers her father’s clothing and burns down the mansion. She meets Link at the airport, smiling as she approaches a bound and pleading Oz. But the Dai Lo’s deputy betrays Sofia. Just like old times, Oz drives Sofia away from the airport amid a stunning Italian aria. As he monologues, we also see a montage of the gang deputies betraying their leaders.

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Caged Birds

In a fate worse than death, Oz leaves Sofia to the police. “The Hangman” once again makes the news as a killer and enemy of the common people. It’s a tragic turn of events, but not for Oz Cobb, of course. He returns to the hospital in order to celebrate, brag, and receive his mother’s approval. However, Francis suffered a serious stroke and is in a permanent vegetative state. She can’t see what Oz has accomplished. Naturally, Oz makes it all about him and how he finally fulfilled his promise. Isn’t she proud of him? Vic comforts Oz while Oz shouts and sobs, unable to cope with this outcome.

Love and War

Things can’t get any sadder, right? Very wrong. While drinking together in the park, Vic tells Oz that he thinks of him as family. Recognizing Vic as a weakness, Oz strangles Vic to death, throws his ID in the river, steals his cash, and leaves him to rot. If that isn’t devastating enough, Sofia is back in Arkham. Zoning out amid the screams and metallic sounds, Sofia gets mail from Dr. Julian Rush. He encourages her to read a specific letter.

This letter circles back to what inspired The Penguin in the first place: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory comics. In the letter, Selina Kyle (Catwoman) reveals that she’s Sofia Falcone’s half-sister. We don’t know what Sofia will do with this information. However, it seems to bring her joy before we cut away.

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The Penguin

Ladies and gentleman, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. We proudly present Oz dressed in a black and white tuxedo with a long, fur-trim coat. The classic costume is here! Oz just can’t resist the gold vest and purple car, either. Resplendent and comic-accurate, Oz has brought his mother to a penthouse. Still as a statue, Francis sheds silent tears as she looks out over the city lights. Oz leaves her for a dance downstairs with Eve Karlo (any relation to Basil Karlo/Clayface?), who wears his mother’s sparkling gown and a brunette wig. Eve tells Oz everything he wants to hear as he twirls her across the beginnings of his new empire.

The Batman

The last shot of the show is the Bat-Signal rising high above Gotham’s cloudy night. We already know that The Batman universe is set to include a film trilogy. Plus, The Penguin fits directly into the canon of those movies. After all, Oz debuted in The Batman — now he’s one of our main players for the rest of the film series.

Tonally, it’s pretty likely that The Batman Part II will pick up right here with Batman finally intervening because of the bombs. The Penguin picked up only a week or two after the events of the first film, and the episodes themselves had very few time skips. With fans wondering where Batman’s been during this crime war, it makes the most sense that the vengeful vigilante will appear as soon as he’s called … that is, on October 26, 2025.

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