HBO’s ‘The Penguin’ Episode 8 Review - Oswald Cobb, Man Of The People

The opening scenes of The Penguin Episode 8 take you to a dramatic high. You smile broadly as you observe two characters choosing delusion over reality. A young Oz continues to hide the truth about his brothers from Francis, and Francis starts embracing her son's dark side because it brings the promise of a luxurious life. When Oz tells his mother that he actually sees her, that he knows how she smiles to fool people into believing something or how she smokes more when thinking, Francis smiles like a woman who feels happy when she realizes that there is someone in this world who actually listens to her and cares about her needs. The rest of the episode unfolds predictability. Much noise is produced regarding Oz's mortality, but since it has already been confirmed that Colin Farrell will reprise his role in The Batman sequel, we watch the show with the knowledge that this character, in the end, will remain alive. We also get the obligatory "future setups" before the end credits.

However, what I found ridiculous about this episode was Sofia's lack of preparation before confronting Oswald. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and now Oz slips away from her grasp easily. At least, we get to see Francis calling Oz "a spineless prick," and it's suggested that Oz doesn't love anyone as much as he loves himself. He can allow someone to cut off his mother's finger to save his own skin. I wasn't surprised by Vic's fate or taken aback by those final scenes. Nevertheless, these decisions seem natural, as they come from the Penguin. He does what you expect him to do in this series. This is simply another way of saying that you shouldn't expect too many shocking events from this finale of The Penguin.

Looking back at this episode, I wonder why I felt nothing as I watched Vic die. The reason must be the fact that I always knew he was being set up for this moment from the beginning. His backstory was dispensed like a footnote to just add an illusion of depth and personality. Vic's shallow function is evident throughout the series. Perhaps, with any other character, we could have harbored doubts about Vic, but we are very familiar with the Penguin's deeds. His actions, in a way, look preordained, so a show about him cannot really run wild with free will. This means that for all its dramatic enticements (that are slight and come out only occasionally), The Penguin is nothing more than an ostentatious Prestige TV. I suspect it will become some kind of a Holy Grail for the fans of the superhero genre who mainly go to mediocre superhero shows and films.

Final Score – [5.5/10]