The Penguin Episode 8: "Great or Little Thing" recap and review

Starting the season finale of The Penguin with a flashback about what Francis did after she found out Oz killed her sons (his brothers) was brilliant. She was depressed and wouldn't leave the room because her kids were murdered by their brother. It became worse when she realized why. Oz wanted her all to himself. Then, things get even deeper.

When we get to the present, Sofia Gigante has Oz tied to a chair and tells him that his mother knows he killed his brothers. That shocked Oz since Francis never told him or hinted at it. The best part is that Francis didn’t send Oz to a neighborhood thung named Rex to become part of a crime family. She wanted Rex to murder her last son for killing her other kids. The icing on the cake for Sofia may have been seeing Francis break a glass bottle and stab Oz with it.

"Just because someone knows something, doesn't mean that they don't need to hear it from the person who hurt them." -Sofia Gigante

As Sofia Gigante, Cristin Milioti talked with the joy of making her enemy hurt but with the disdain of having to be in the same room as the man who killed her brother. She wanted to make him feel the same pain she went through and she did that. Francis told Oz she knew everything he did and always hated him. The smile on her face can only be described as sinister and self-satisfying.

When I interviewed The Penguin’s production designer, Kalina Ivanov, she pointed out how great Cristin Milioti was. Specifically about how her eyes tell a story. She was 100% right. Even when Cristin Milioti wasn’t speaking, it was like she was beaming her emotions at you like a Cyclops optic blast.

"You gave people jobs in Crown Point. You got the power back on." -Victor Aguilar to Oz Cobb

In typical Oz fashion, he escapes. This time, things are different. His mother betrayed him and he’s bleeding from the hole she inflicted. When everything seems lost, hope comes from an unlikely source, Victor Aguilar. He motivates Oz by reminding him that he’s a man of the people. When no one cared about Crown Point, he gave the people jobs and got the power turned back on. Oz may be a sociopath, but something about fighting for the little guy makes Oz likable.

This is the definition of character development. The kid who couldn’t stand up for himself in episode 1 was reminding Oz of all the things he accomplished. Victor defending Oz to the crime bosses without stuttering was a life-changing moment. In episode two, Vic couldn’t talk to a waiter without getting nervous. Now he’s fearlessly talking to dangerous people with clear speech. If he hadn't done that, Link (Feng Zhao's LT) wouldn't have realized how much the bosses don't care about them and Oz wouldn't have defeated Soifa.

Unfortunately, we should have known that Victor wasn’t going to survive this season. Oz couldn’t have anyone in his circle that he cared about because his enemies would exploit his weakness. So Oz chokes Vic. Easily the saddest moment of the series. But people like Victor Aguilar don't survive in Oz's world.

"Link was tired of being overlooked. He ain't the only one either. Years of being brushed aside, laughed at, told to eat (censored) and (censored) like it. It breaks ya. Make ya want to break someone else." -Oz Cobb

Initially, this was going to read that Oswald Cobb is the luckiest person in the world. While some of that is true, we can’t overlook who he is. Oz Cobb is a man of the people. He wasn’t born on third base telling people he hit a triple. He had to lie, cheat, steal, and work for everything he’s gotten. When the time came, Oz did what the other crime bosses wouldn’t and paid it forward. Not by giving them a handout. He gave them a chance. The old kings are dead, long live the new king.

As for Sofia, keeping her alive was the smartest way to end this story. Don’t forget, she became the Hangman in the comics. What’s to stop her from doing it in The Batman universe? Plus, with The Penguin likely getting a second season, she will want revenge, and her sister, Selina Kyle, may help her.

Stay tuned to Caped Crusades to learn the future of Oz and Sofia.

What did you think of the ending of The Penguin? Do you think the show deserves a second season? We want to hear from you. You can email us at entertainment@fansided.com.