THE PENGUIN - EPISODE EIGHT REVIEW & BREAKDOWN

Warning: This review contains heavy spoilers!

For eight weeks straight, The Penguin has proven itself to be a staple of the modern comic book genre in TV, delivering one of the most compelling DC stories since, ironically, The Batman film itself. Now that its long-awaited finale has aired, and unsurprisingly broken the notorious "Superhero show finale curse", what better way is there to celebrate the show's accomplishments than with one final review?

THE STORY

The Penguin's final episode, titled "A Great or Little Thing", begins with another of Dr. Julian Rush's notorious red-light therapy hallucinations, this time making Francis Cobb revisit the memory of when she asked Rex Calabrese to kill her son. It's revealed that not only does she know what happened to her dead sons, but that she also secretly detests Oswald for killing them, frequently referring to him as "the devil". Before leaving, Rex convinces her that having an aspiring son so devoted to her could actually work out in her favor, as he would do anything to give her the life she deserves. She takes Rex's words to heart, and subsequently gets cold feet towards her son's murder.

Back in the present, Oz is brought in front of Sofia and his mother for a brutally tense interrogation. Now aware of what Oz did to Jack and Benny, Sofia forces him to say it out loud, pressuring him by almost cutting off his mother's finger. Even with her life potentially on the line, Oz refuses to admit what he did, which baffles Sofia and angers his mother to the point of no return. After stabbing him in the chest and finally berating him, she suffers a deadly stroke that leaves her in a vegetative state, possibly the worst fate of any of The Penguin's characters.

Oz manages to escape with his life, just as Vic finally reaches Crown Point and witnesses the devastation for himself. He tries making a speech to the members of the Triad, but his words fall on deaf ears as they decide to join Sofia's ranks instead. She offers each of them a simple task: Whoever finds and captures Oz gets her entire operation. As Oz once again blackmails Councilman Hady, Sofia burns down the Falcone manor in a final "fuck you" gesture to her father and everything he stood for. Oz is subsequently captured by Feng-Zhao (François Chau) in what is soon revealed to be an intelligent ploy created by Vic in order to lure Sofia out of the city and into Oz's hands.

Defeated and humiliated, Oz forces Sofia to take a drive in his car just like the old days as he brings to the outskirts of Gotham city. The two have a final back-and-forth about how they'll see each other in hell, and just as it seems like Oz is about to shoot Sofia, she's arrested and brought back to Arkham by the GCPD. Even with victory in his hands, a loyal group of gangsters at his command and a protégé at his side, the news of his mother's stroke still hits Oz hard, and makes him realize that family will only hinder his pursuit to greatness. As he and Vic look back on their achievements, he tragically chokes the poor boy with his bare hands, thus cutting off any connection that could be used against him by his enemies.

The episode ends with Oz right where he wanted - At the top floor of a penthouse with his mother at his side. The poor woman can only spill a single tear as Oz promises to keep her next to him for as long as she lives, making her worst nightmare come to fruition. In Arkham, Sofia receives a letter from someone claiming to be her half-sister... none other than Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), the notorious Catwoman. The final shot of The Penguin is a gutting and uncomfortable dance between Oz and Eve Karlo, who he forced to dress up in his mother's dress and whisper in his ear how much she loves and admires him. As the two continue dancing, the camera pulls back from the penthouse window and reveals the Gotham City skyline... with the bat signal shining amidst the clouds.

THE GOOD

The Penguin does what many self-appointed "villain stories" are too scared to do: Showing how much of a horrible person their protagonist is. Episode Eight pulls no punches when it comes to Oz's manipulation and deceitfulness, whether it be through his murder of Vic or his inability to admit how much he ruined his mother's life. Aided by Colin Farrell's impeccable performance, Oswald Cobb has become an inherently fascinating character because of his depth and complexion; he's a person that you can both root for and hate at the same time.

Oz isn't the only character who gets a perfect sendoff, however, as every other character arc in the show feels expertly handled and concluded by the finale's end. Sofia ends up in the same prison that she endured for a decade, once again beaten and used by the same man that she vowed to get revenge on. Victor's end is tragic yet unavoidable, as his potential greatness could've easily overshadowed that of his mentor. Francis is now forced into Oz's hands without any ability to fight back for herself, living in hell with the demon she had the chance to kill years prior. In short, everything lands right in Oz's favor, but it's much less glamorous and satisfying than anything the audience hoped when the series first began.

VERDICT

Without any negatives to express, Episode eight of The Penguin does the impossible: Crafting a perfect finale in a genre notorious its inability to stick the landing. With Oswald now running the biggest criminal operation in Gotham, the wait for The Batman Part 2 has never been more exciting, as this cinematic universe of movies and TV has only just begun to deliver high-quality projects at every turn. The Penguin is a triumph, a modern masterpiece and a concrete example of what all future comic book media should strive to surpass.

10/10