Penguin Finale - a rambling review

[@Scuzzbopper.]

The minute Vic told Oz that he was family, I was "oh no...".

[@tenmark7055]

My 2 cents - I thought that Oz was playing a joke on the bros... but when he cuddled up against his mom watching the movie - thats when it changed from prank to homicide.

[@Rmlohner]

An early thing that gave me hope for the show was when Colin Farrell said he'd be very surprised if anyone was still rooting for Oz by the end. And they actually had the guts to follow through on that. The show runner has said she has some hopes for Sofia's story to be picked up by someone else, but she has no further plans herself.

[@xjesh868]

The coldest thing to me is Oz spends the entire show waxing poetic about legacy, then dumps Vic's ID in the river. Kid won't even get a funeral.

[@joelbarba3]

12:00 So I learned this is from a book called Healing the Wounded Heart about sexual abuse. They dedicate an entire chapter on incest, with anecdotes from the author's clients. Most people don't know this, incest isn't just physical or sexual, and as a result its more pervasive than we think. There are different levels of it. Oz does indeed have an incestuous relationship with his mother, but the type of incest that he showcases is what's categorized as "emotional incest". It's a type of non-physical sexual abuse that happens when a family member turns to another family member for the kind of comfort they would seek in partners. Usually, though it happens when an parent (who understands romantic dynamics but is lacking in healthy dynamics with their partner) begins to mold their kid into what they need them to be. Examples of that are like, fostering curiosity when changing or putting on makeup, or taking them shopping to look forward to the compliments when showing off the wardrobe. Those things alone don't make it incest. What makes it incest is the attachment. Oz's situation... differs, though, because the roles are flipped. In his case, its not the parent instigating it; the issue is that Oz can't/wont create relationships with kids his age as a result of his sociopathy. So, throughout the years, he turns to the easiest place he can get that comfort. A mother's love is often given without condition, so there is often little to no resistance from her and no possibility of failure for him. Gifting things like the Falcone necklace, and the way he does put it on her, that is how he plays out a para-romantic relationship in a safe space. I agree that this is probably not a usual request that Oz gives Eve. I don't think he would ever take the roleplay into a sexual space, so it doesn't qualify as an Oedipus Complex. However, I do think he has a para-romantic fixation on his mom.

[@RomanSnow]

I do still think Os didn't initially intend for his brothers to die down there, but that he surmised that that would be the consequence of his choice when he still had ample time to fess up and do something about it. Neither Francis nor Sofia have enough information to come to this conclusion, but I don't think it would've made a great deal of difference if they did.

[@gobatron6589]

Francis even says it to Rex, even if he didn't mean to he had the time to realise and fess up

[@RomanSnow]

@gobatron6589 True!

[@WhitneyAllisonGG]

Oz and Eva scene is the fantasy of his relationship that with his mother's approval. Oz is willing to pay for that fantasy and I like the scene. I never saw it as Oedipus complex banging his mom with Oswald. Vic was really rough... but he is death was unexpected but how it happened was shocking. Penguin was actually excellent and I did like it where I always eager to watch the episodes.

[@docweidner]

Vic begging, with the Pleases, the first and now last words he ever said to Oz are just stuck in my brain. I am right there with you it was a great finale and sucked in the way it should. I was afraid for Vic for much of the season and even still the way it happened. As for Eve and Oz at the end. It does make me rethink the tub scene a couple of episodes ago where she didn't want him looking at her. I'm probably reading too much into that.

[@superkid801]

What a finale it was! I was happy to see the Batsignal! What a journey it has been with Oz! Good thoughts on the episode and throughout the series as well

[@melodyqueen6432]

Everything you said about sex workers i affirm 1,000%. The emphasis on "emotional support service" for a "private client" is so very accurate, and honestly kind of tame. The reality is sometimes your main source of revenue will just... decide they dont need you anymore for one reason or another. And then they may also later demand your service out of no where. They can be manipulative and abusive and jealous at all stages... and that can all be just a single client. My conclusion - good accurate introductory representation of the dangers of being a sex worker. Unfortunately it does this without any destigmatization of sex work in general. I don't expect this level of subtext in 2024 in my live action DC universe (whatever that is these days) so bonus points there. All that said, I think the writers were pretty explicit with some Oedipus theming around Oswald and his mother. It felt asexual but still romantic, including scenes with them in bed together.

[@bookkwyrm]

For me, I was hurt but not dissatisfied by what felt to me like a bittersweet ending for Sofia, who I had kind of latched to as my main focal character. I think they can organically bring Sofia's connection to Selina into the movie though, because the only real important part that needs to come up is that a) they are half sisters and b) Selina would have reason to believe Sofia was framed as the Hangman, since Carmine strangled her mom.

[@shadow80y]

I don't think he knew that his brothers would die but it didn't seem like he mourned them either

[@randomaccessbufferpoint804]

This finale absolutely broke me. Such a great episode. Can't wait for Batman 2, and I sure hope they do more projects like this (hopefully not too many, though - we're seeing the state of Marvel.)

[@JustinAshbrook]

My theory as to how this will tie into the Batman 2 is that it will reintroduce batman by having him show up and fight Penguin in the beginning. And Sofia will stay in jail and not appear.

[@JenniferFuss]

I figured he offed Vic because the council guy did told him he needs to be squeky clean, and with Vic being around and being ambitious Oz couldn't be clean. Still would have preferred a nicer ending for Sofia, tho at least she has the chance for more story ^^;

[@Elwaves2925]

Loved this show and I do get the "not sure I liked it" aspect but I also think it was necessary. It would have felt wrong, too late, to leave it until another season. As it happened, I was expecting him to stop, which would then lead to a change of allegiances for one character involved. Then it didn't stop and I verbally said "Oh fu..." However, I didn't want it to happen. I also liked seeing Oz in his more traditional outfit, it signalled that the Penguin we know had arrived, which made this an origin story of sorts.

[@The_Phantasm]

I think you really captured my thoughts on the show as well. The only thing I would say didn't work for me is the character of Dr Julian Rush played by Theo Rossi. I didn't feel like the character was ultimately terribly necessary and often felt like he was there for the sake of being there. Also I think this might be a me thing, but I personally was actually hoping that Sofia would actually die in the end. That's because I'm honestly extremely exhausted of the Falcone family constantly being adapted in Batman media as opposed to actual Batman characters. The Falcones were always in the comics just a generic crime family from the olden days of Gotham that were there to show Batman transition from fighting regular gangsters to actual supervillains and yet we keep revisiting them. To me they are just placeholders for the real villains.

[@meander112]

Engagement for the engagement god!

[@CounterpartJack]

First time I did not watch the review before the episode. Good call. Also, agreeing 100% (Unrelated: I have a hyperfixation on the nickname "RDL": is it for "Romanian Deadlift"?)

[@bookkwyrm]

I don't think the last episode says that Oz knew what he was doing when he closed the door. Most of what she says to Rex is that he had every opportunity to tell her, that if he had just said something, she could have saved her babies. Behind the scenes stuff isn't canon obvs, but the showrunner also said she thinks of Oz's first act of evil in that event isn't malice, but inaction.

[@samuelbarber6177]

This show was so much better than it deserved to be. Like, I don’t think actually asked for this but… can I have more?

[@aaronhuff2813]

I was satisfied. Batman has to be a beast to handle this Rogues gallery. I love the Penguin. You could say Sophia killed Vic by making Oz fear love. She cut him to his core. She won and got nothing. Vengeance doesn't pay. That's why Batman has to evolve here as he learned to Gotham's detriment vs Riddler. Will Sophia learn? Future Huntress? Hmmmm

[@YoungMovieReviews]

It's Gotham. There's no happy endings

[@Nay-kp6uu]

I didn't want Batman in the series, I was fine with it. But the end, yes. I needed a symbol of hope, for multiple reasons.

[@Starbush69]

I’m honestly at a loss for words with this finale. It was well done don’t get me wrong. But it left me feeling empty at the same time, which I feel like was the point. At least they didn’t kill off Eve the sex worker, which wouldn’t have surprised me considering the tone of this series. So, that’s something positive. 😅

[@WhiteWolf496]

I have so many things to say that if I said all of them it would turn into a whole essay. So I'll just say I think this series was incredible. I think it does a better job of using connective tissue of the film but still telling a full and "satisfying" (I think the unsatisfying moments make it satisfying if that makes sense) story. I gave up on marvel series a while ago but none of them I have seen, have a satisfying, singular conclusion. It all just feels like setup for new thing, while this show literally drops that at the very final shot and its wonderful.

[@lasseehrenreich5502]

I don't have anything to say but he is a common for the algorithm

[@Cornberry]

He is a common

[@lasseehrenreich5502]

@@Cornberry What Do You Mean by the ?

[@Harlegeist]

He is a common

[@palanfuiniel]

I really enjoyed the show - but I'm just so dismayed and tired that in year of our lord 2024 we are still featuring actors in fat suits. Especially for a role like this, which was blatantly just written for James Gandolfini. We'll never find a fat actor of his caliber again, because they'll just give the role to a Matt Damon type and praise his "amazing transformation." No shade to the makeup and effects artists, who were hired to do a job and did it amazingly - I just wish they didn't have to use their gifts for evil like this.

[@slimjimhelper]

I think penguin killing Vik was out of character to me. Vik had just proven through the moves he was making that he had the intelligence to pull something off with the other crime families. In this show penguin did a lot of killing for strategy, and he is certainly a terrible person capable of killing anyone, but it was shown in this show as a strategic advantage, killing certain members of the crime families etc. He didn't go around killing people on his own gang for the sake of it. Vik had complete loyalty and a lot more use for the penguin, so killing him was rediculous and out of character. I'm not mad Vik died, but I thought it was silly the way it happened.

[@slimjimhelper]

Even killing his brother was a sort of advantage to get close to his mother. I see no advantage for Penguin in killing Vik, in penguins characterisation

[@xenon8117]

I felt like he blamed Vic for not protecting his mother when Sofia grabbed her which led to her shouting how much she hated him. He will never be able to admit how that scene really played out to anyone.

[@slimjimhelper]

@@xenon8117 I can see that point and respect it, but the kill didn't seem to be out of anger or revenge, he wasn't angry or revengeful in that scene where he kills Vik, in my opinion

[@xenon8117]

@slimjimhelper Vik was also distracted dancing with her which meant he wasn't on guard and was a weakness. Maybe a combination of points as to why but you're right, I don't think it was for failing now the episode has had time to sit with me.

[@slimjimhelper]

@@xenon8117 I agree with you there. And that actually reminded me of a scene earlier when you could see penguin was jealous of Vik when Vik was helping penguins mother by pretending the brothers were alive to comfort her and how much more time Vik was spending with penguins mother (same way penguins brothers were) , and it was clear the mother prefered Viks company. I think also penguin may have killed him out of a weird sense of "protection" now his mum was all safe as he was on top, he doesn't want to, in his mind, "protect" another person who's close to him as they are a potential liability. The more I let the episode sit, the more I actually think it was in penguins characterisation. Proves it's a great show though if we can have discussions like this!

[@eliselianaboyd2547]

The whole sex work thing is a take on one else has picked up on. Great review 👏