by Spoiler Alert! This article contains spoilers of The Penguin.
The Penguin continues the gritty saga of Batman’s world by delving into the rise of this iconic villain. Spanning eight thrilling episodes, with six released so far, the series explores Gotham’s dark underworld and the fierce battles for control within it.
In the first six episodes of The Penguin, Oz aka The Penguin, steers through Gotham’s criminal world to build his empire after the events in The Batman (2022). Episode 1 kicks off with Oz’s ruthless struggle for dominance in the chaos of Gotham following Carmine Falcone’s death. Here, Oz begins his journey to secure his place as a powerful player in Gotham’s criminal underworld. After being busted by Alberto Falcone (Carmine’s son) for plotting against the Falcones, Oz impulsively kills him. Oz seises a critical drug shipment originally intended for the Falcone family, marking a bold step in his power play. He soon encounters Victor Aguilar, a scrappy young man caught stealing his car’s tires, and sees potential in him as a trustworthy partnerin his criminal empire. Victor represents Oz’s ambition with a more empathetic and less hardened persona. He also represents Oz’s growth within criminal enterprises, from being an innocent kid in need to a tough criminal.
Episodes 2 through 4 unravel a struggle between Oz and Carmine’s daughter, Sofia. Sofia Falcone, recently released from Arkham, returns with a fiery determination to reclaim her family’s lost empire and restore the Falcone legacy in Gotham’s criminal ranks. Sofia is desperate to avenge her brother’s murder and questions everyone’s loyalty to the Falcone side. She undermines Oz, but he quickly overcomes her disregard by forming alliances with Salvador Maroni. Oz’s complot reveals his astute side as he uses incriminating evidence and Carmine’s legacy to manipulate Gotham’s criminal underworld while developing a mentorship with Victor. He sees a side of himself in Victor and is convinced to help him succeed and overcome any struggle he ever faced. Victor has nothing to lose, his family passed away in the city’s flooding and his girlfriend, Graciela, has left Gotham. While having the opportunity to run away with Graciela, his crimes were too big to ignore. Both Victor and Oz are aware of this and develop a complex relationship in which they have each other’s back and support. Yet, how long can this last? Will Oz risk his growing business for Victor?
In Episode 4, the highest-rated one so far with a 9.5 on IMDB, Sofia gains full control of the Falcone empire. It is revealed she was sent to Arkham because her father framed her to be The Hangman and fell for his crimes. After surviving a decade in Arkham, Sofia emerges with a ruthless impulse to seize power. She eliminates her remaining family members—except for her niece—in a chilling scene marked by her toast, “Cent’anni,” ironically wishing them a long life as she cements her own – “May you live 100 years” –.
By Episode 5, the rivalry between Oz and Sofia increases as they both fail to make the Head of the Triad side with them and their mushroom drop business. Later on, they get attacked by Nadia Maroni who discloses Oz’s culpability for Alberto Falcone’s death as well as the betrayal to both the Falcones and Maronis. Episode 6, titled “Gold Summit,” spotlights Oz’s efforts to fortify his mushroom empire, a venture originally tied to Sofia, which he now strives to dominate entirely. Oz faces attacks from several enemies seeking to downplay his growing influence. In the meantime, Oz is trying to hide his mom from his adversaries, who think she is already dead. He is stuck between vulnerability and ambition, fighting between keeping loyalty and committing the cruel attacks his position demands. At the end of Episode 6, Sofia finds out Oz’s mom is alive and where they are hiding. We get a final scene of Sofia holding a gun and secretly staring at them.
What will happen in Episodes 7 and 8?
As much as I wanted Oz and Sofia to succeed together, that was never an option. Sofia could forgive Oz’s betrayal from the time she was sent to Arkham but she would never forgive him for Alberto’s murder. Their story and their relationship have been intriguing and kept audiences captivated because they have both suffered and nothing moves anyone more than a person who overcame their grief and became successful. There’s no wonder why this show is one of the highest-rated in 2024.
Audiences are often captivated by villains with complex motives, and The Penguin taps into this intrigue, making viewers sympathize with the dark yet relatable struggles of both Oz and Sofia. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if audiences start rooting for Sofia and Oz more than Batman. Nonetheless, we must let our delusions go because nothing lasts forever, not even their empires. The question is, who will survive for now? As much as I love Sofia and her new approach as a “Gigante”, I think Oz has outsmarted her and will eventually win this rift. Oz has been building alliances strategically to ensure his success. Whilst he no longer has the Maronis on his side, he almost has the Triad. He needs to be convincing and powerful enough to win people over. As an advantage, he already has the best facilities for mushroom growth, not only will he have a product to sell but a big quantity for a big demand. In the meantime, Sofia has been more focused on revenge rather than securing an indestructible business. Oz has already stolen her product and idea. She is reinventing herself as this new Maroni-Gigante Merge and people in the block will have many reasons to undermine her.
I’m putting my money on Sofia killing Oz’s mother, which will only push him to forget about any compassion or vulnerability he still drags with him. The pain of losing his mom and failing to make her proud will make him even more impulsive and merciless. Victor will probably not survive this war as well, making Oz distrust anyone and using people for his gain. This evolved egoism will be needed to become the most feared and powerful mafia boss in the criminal underworld of Gotham. In a way, Sofia ended up chasing what she was running away from because Oz would become the new Carmine Falcone. Not just overtaking his empire but turning into this cruel and demented criminal. Perhaps Victor will either die or end up in jail after Oz pins everything on him, plants the evidence, and gets away from any legal consequences.
The Maronis will all die, and Sofia will either die or escape. However, the comics are already written, so this is a guess if we were to focus merely on the cinematic world of the critically acclaimed “Batman” story. We also must take into consideration that plot twists and unpredictability are what make these types of shows the best ones. So perhaps, we will be mesmerized by yet again an unprecedented event.
Episode 7 is titled “Top Hat”. I think this is the episode where Oz reaches his potential, and the hat will represent his rise as a symbol of wealth and the bourgeoisie. Episode 8 is titled “Great or Little Thing”, guessing by the title, we will see who ends up being great -hence Oz improving his position- and who will end up as a meaningless memory, for example, Salvatore Maroni and his descent. Maybe we will also see examples of greatness through figurative speech, like Victor Aguilar’s death and how it wasn’t in vain.
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