Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Penguin episode 8.
After watching the finale ofThe Penguin, I finally understand Colin Farrell’s comments about the show’s brutal ending. Overall, I foundThe Penguinepisode 8’s endingto be incredibly effective. Not only did it wrap up the stories ofThe Penguin’s cast of characterssatisfyingly, but many of these storylines were emotionally resonant too. From Oswald’s conflicting final scenes to Vic’s tragic end and the fate of Sofia Falcone that promises connections to thestory ofThe Batman 2,The Penguinstuck the landing after seven stellar episodes before the finale.
As I have alluded to, part of the reason behind the success ofThe Penguin’s ending was the fact that the show did not shy away from darkness. Unlike many other villain-centric projects of recent years,The Penguinunderstood that its titular character should end the show as an antagonist, rather than an antihero or straight-up likable vigilante. Although this succeeded in setting upupcoming DC movies, it also made me realize exactly what Colin Farrell meant when he commented onThe Penguin’s brutal ending over a month before the show ended.
Colin Farrell’s Comments About A “Really Brutal” Episode 8 Scene Make Total Sense Now
Vic’s Fate Links to Farrell’s Comments
Firstly, it is worth exploring the comments that Farrell made aboutThe Penguin’s finale. At the beginning of October 2024, shortly after the release ofThe Penguinepisode 2, Farrell appeared in an interview withVirgin Radio UK. The actor was asked various questions about the show, his character, and the process of portraying such a deplorable character. However, given this interview was linked to the early episodes of the show, Farrell was also asked about howThe Penguinmade audiences care for Oswald Cobb in its first few episodes.
In response to the idea of Oz being made more sympathetic, Farrell stated“I would be surprised if anyone liked him by the end of [episode] eight,”before going on to say:
“There’s a few scenes in it that are really brutal man - particularly one in episode 8 that’s just - talk about the crew being involved and invested. When we were shooting the scene that I reference in episode 8, there was an awful funk on the set that night, like the whole crew… yeah, I don’t think I’m overselling, you won’t ask me which scene I was on about.”
These comments led to much speculation upon the interview’s release, with many wondering specifically what parts ofThe Penguinepisode 8 Farrell was talking about. However, after watchingThe Penguin’s finale, these comments make complete sense to me now. Admittedly, Farrell could be talking about several moments, from sendingThe Penguin’s Sofia Falcone/Hangmanback to Arkham Asylum to keeping his mother alive in a vegetative state. That said, I am certain Farrell was talking about the death of Victor at Oz’s hands.
Vic’s death was, undoubtedly, the most distressing element ofThe Penguinepisode 8. Although what Oz did to his mother and Sofia was also horrible, the show did a good job of setting up his complex relationship with the former and his rivalry with the latter to make both understandable, no matter how bad. With Vic, though,The Penguinrarely showed him and Oz at odds, instead building their friendship and bond over eight episodes. The final, sweet heart-to-heart between the two epitomized this growing bond, only to have Oz kill Vic to harrowing dramatic effect, proving Farrell’s comments.
I Think Colin Farrell Couldn’t Have Been More Right About The Penguin’s Ending
With this in mind, Farrell was absolutely right aboutThe Penguin’s ending. Many did wonder whether it would be clear which aspect of the show’s finale Farrell was referencing at the time the comments were made, but the actor insisted that no one would wonder about this onceThe Penguinepisode 8 aired. As it turns out, Farrell could not have been more correct. Everyone who watchedThe Penguin, myself included, knows that Farrell was referencing the scene in which Oz kills Vic.
Colin Farrell’s The Penguin Ending Comments Make The Show’s Finale Even Better
What makes Farrell’s comments aboutThe Penguin’s ending even better, however, is how it highlights the passion and love that went into the show. To have the lead actor of a project feel so strongly about his character’s actions sums up how strong the writing of the show was by Lauren LeFranc and her team. More so than that, though, is how affected the entire crew ofThe Penguinwas.
The fact that such an event in a fabricated story could cause such a widespread feeling of darkness around the set typifies how much human heart and emotion went into crafting the show…
Farrell mentions in his comments that there was a funk on set when filming the scene in which Oswald kills Vic, somethingThe Penguin’s Victor actor Rhenzy Feliz reiterated. The fact that such an event in a fabricated story could cause such a widespread feeling of darkness around the set typifies how much human heart and emotion went into crafting the show. Evidently, this emotion translated well for the audience, withThe Penguin’s ending leaving viewers anticipatingThe Batman - Part IIif only to see Oswald Cobb face justice at the hands of Gotham’s Dark Knight.
The Penguin
Cast
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
