The Penguin has come to a dramatic conclusion with this week's finale, as The Batman spin-off wraps up its eight-week run on HBO. As Oz and Sofia get ready for their final stand-off, we also learn even more about Oz's past – and there are some big twists in the present, too.
We break down everything that happens in The Penguin finale right here, including the episode's Easter eggs and the biggest questions we're left with at the end of the series. As you might expect, then, there are major spoilers for The Penguin episode 8 ahead, so turn back now if you haven't seen the finale and don't want to know what happens! And, if you need a refresh on last week's installment, revisit our guide to The Penguin episode 7 recap and Easter eggs.
The Penguin finale recap
The episode opens with a flashback to Oz's childhood, soon after the flashback in episode 7 left off. Local gangster Rex Calabrese shows up at Francis' door and offers to pay for her sons' funerals, but Francis says no. She reveals that she knows the truth: that Oz is lying and knows what happened to his brothers, and that their deaths are his fault. Rex thinks he has potential, though, and wants Francis to look the other way and ignore what he's done.
Back in the present day, Victor arrives at Oz's lab in the aftermath of the explosion with the Triads in tow. Oz, meanwhile, wakes up in Monroe's, where he and Francis are being held captive by Sofia. She asks him why he left his brothers to die and why he lied to his mother about it and tells him that Francis asked Rex to kill him. She starts to torture Francis and says she'll only stop if Oz tells the truth.
Of course, Francis already knows, and when the torture stops she breaks a glass bottle and stabs Oz in the stomach, saying that Rex should have killed him. She then passes out, and Oz breaks free of his restraints and shoots at Sofia's men. He manages to escape from Monroe's and takes his mother to the hospital, where Victor meets him.
Sofia meets with the Triads and tells them that she's planning to leave Gotham – and whoever brings her Oz can have control of all her business once she's gone.
Meanwhile, Oz meets with the councilman at City Hall. He tells him all about the new drug, Bliss, and says it was Salvatore Maroni's operation. He blames the Maroni murders on Sofia and says she blew up the lab. The councilman tells Oz that the mayor has formed an anti-corruption committee and is set to subpoena Oz.
Zhao, a member of the Triads, is waiting for Oz outside City Hall and takes him to Sofia. Meanwhile, Sofia sets the Falcone mansion on fire with a bottle of alcohol, a packet of cigarettes, and a fair dose of dramatic flair.
Sofia meets Oz and Zhao at the airfield before she's set to jet away from Gotham for good. Oz has one last trick up his sleeve, though – at some point, off-screen, he and Victor managed to convince the Triads to back Oz instead, and a shootout ensues against Sofia. The Gigante men are all taken down, and Oz takes Sofia down to the river. He tells her that she's going to hell and makes her turn around to face the river. She turns and waits, expecting to be shot, but nothing happens – until sirens approach and the cops arrest Sofia, with Oz nowhere to be seen.
Oz goes back to Francis in the hospital, but she isn't responsive. A nurse tells him that she's had a serious stroke and is now in a vegetative state. Oz is very distressed by this, and later Victor tries to comfort him as they pass a bottle between them back down by the river. Oz thanks him and says he couldn't have done any of this without him. Touched, Victor thanks Oz for taking him in and says Oz is like family to him. Oz then says that he can't take Victor any further with him and that family is "too much" and, in one of the series' most shocking moments, strangles Victor.
Sofia, meanwhile, is back in Arkham, where she receives a letter from Selina Kyle, her half-sister.
As for Oz, he has a new purple car and a swanky new penthouse apartment, where Francis is set up in a hospital bed looking out over the city. Eve is there, too, and Oz makes her dress up in his mother's dress and makeup. As they dance together, he asks her to tell him she's proud of him. He hasn't quite gotten away with everything, though – as the episode ends, the Bat-Signal illuminates the sky above Gotham.
The Penguin finale Easter eggs
Rex Calabrese: Rex Calabrese is a gangster from DC Comics. In The Penguin, he's a figure from Oz's childhood who his mother Francis worked for. In this week's episode, we see via a flashback that he was the person to spot Oz's potential in the crime world.
Bella Reál: Bella Reál is Gotham's mayor-elect, who was elected at the end of The Batman. She gets a mention in this week's episode when Oz is talking to the councilman, and he sees her across the room while he's in City Hall.
Selina Kyle: In Arkham, Sofia receives a letter from Selina Kyle, her half-sister, as Dr. Rush informs her. Selina Kyle, of course, is Catwoman's real name, and in The Batman (where she's played by Zoë Kravitz) we learn that Carmine Falcone is her father.
Bat-Signal: Right at the end of this week's episode, the Bat-Signal lights up the sky. This is the first sign we've had of Bruce Wayne in eight episodes, but it seems like he's finally woken up to the havoc Oz has been wreaking in Gotham.
The Penguin finale ending explained
What happens to Oz?
Oz, as usual, somehow makes it out of everything (relatively) unscathed in the finale. It was looking pretty dicey at several points, though, but he managed to wriggle his way out of Sofia's clutches not once, but twice before the credits rolled. Thanks to his plotting and scheming, he's got the Triads back on his side and Sofia behind bars, so he's running the game in Gotham's crime world. For now, anyway…
What happens to Sofia?
Despite her plans to leave Gotham behind and start a new life elsewhere, far away from her father's legacy, Sofia ends up back at Arkham State Hospital after Oz calls the cops on her. The Triads double-crossed her and helped Oz get Sofia isolated and primed for arrest down by the city's river. Oz had laid the groundwork earlier in the episode when he pins the Maroni murders on her during his conversation with the councilman at City Hall.
Why does Oz kill Victor?
Towards the end of the finale, Oz strangles Victor and leaves his body down by the river. Victor thanks Oz for taking him in and says Oz is like family to him. Oz then says that he can't take Victor any further with him and that family is "too much" before he kills him. With family like that, who needs enemies… As we've seen in previous episode's flashbacks, Oz doesn't play well with others when it comes to his family, unless it's his mother Francis, and he killed his two brothers as a kid.
How does The Penguin set up The Batman 2?
The Batman: Part II is currently set to hit the big screen in October 2026. While the plot is still being kept under wraps, we might be able to expect some repercussions for Oz's actions now that the Caped Crusader is involved – the Bat-Signal lit up the sky at the end of The Penguin finale, so Bruce Wayne has finally caught on to the havoc Oz has been wreaking around Gotham. That means we can probably look forward to another showdown between Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight and Oz in the upcoming movie sequel.
Will there be The Penguin season 2?
The Penguin season 2 hasn't been confirmed yet, but showrunner Lauren LeFranc recently told The Direct that another installment could happen under one condition. "I think that in order to do a second season, we have to feel like we can top ourselves. We have to feel like there's something more there to really dig into. I mean, I really care about all these characters, even if they're terrible people," she said.
"It's been a joy to write them, even though they're twisted and complicated and weird and darkly funny. So look, I think Gotham City is just such a fun sandbox to play, and I'd love to keep playing in it, but I think it just has to be the right thing. We should never do anything just to do it."
All episodes of The Penguin are streaming now on Max in the US and NOW in the UK. For more, check out our The Penguin review and our guide to the other upcoming DC movies and shows.
