If The Penguin has one relentless question, it’s this: What kind of monster is Oswald “Oz” Cobb, and how did he claw his way to power? The season finale, “A Great Or Little Thing,” takes us through an often absurd, occasionally chilling journey that peels back the layers of Oz’s twisted psyche, trying to answer if Gotham’s favorite waddling psychopath was destined to be this way from the start.
The answer? It depends on whom you ask. Sofia Gigante spends this episode bullying Oz’s mother, Francis Cobb, into spilling the truth about Oz’s early years. Through disorienting flashbacks framed by Francis’s haunted memories, we learn that she always thought her son was born rotten. After two of her three sons drowned in a Gotham sewer, Francis found young Oz’s flashlight in his coat pocket—a clear sign that he knew exactly where his brothers were while they choked on their final breaths. In her eyes, Oz was already a killer, desperate for her undivided love. Sofia’s dramatic black dress and red scarf during these flashbacks was a Liza-esque visual touch, adding a twisted glamour to Gotham’s underbelly.
What makes these flashbacks pop is how personal and subjective they feel. Unlike the cold, detached exposition we’ve seen before, this sequence features Deirdre O’Connell as Francis at her lowest, pulling us deep into her nightmare. It’s messy, bitter, drenched in grief, but also far from factual. We know Oz locked his brothers up out of impulsive rage, not premeditated murder. These memories are less about truth and more about what Francis believes—about how that belief has poisoned everything between her and Oz. Ryder White’s portrayal of young Oz hits all the right notes of slimy desperation, though his “Won’t you be my prom date, Mommy?” line was hilariously awkward, driving home just how unsettling Oz has always been.
For Oz, lying isn’t just his nature—it’s his survival mechanism. The finale solidifies the show’s overarching thesis: Oswald Cobb’s real superpower isn’t deceiving others, it’s deceiving himself. He’s a master at reshaping reality to fit whatever narrative benefits him the most. He can’t admit to Sofia that he killed his brothers—not because he fears her wrath, but because he’s retold the story in his head so many times that there’s no room left for guilt. Later, when Sofia promises him a spot in hell, Oz laughs it off—not out of arrogance, but genuine conviction. Why fear hell when you’ve convinced yourself your hands are clean?
The episode leans heavily into horror, forcing viewers to watch Oz’s lies take on monstrous forms. He manipulates Gotham’s crooked politicians, pitching himself as their only savior amid the Falcone/Maroni drug war. He charms low-level mobsters, selling himself as the underdog leader they need. And then, inevitably, he sacrifices his loyal lackey Vic in the most obvious betrayal imaginable. It’s ruthless, calculated, and utterly predictable—yet Oz doesn’t flinch. For him, it’s just another rung on the ladder. Vic’s arc across the season was modest, but his end was always a foregone conclusion. Oz’s “man of the people” act is 99 percent bluff, and loyalty means nothing in his world. Poor Vic was always going to end up discarded.
Sofia Gigante’s story ends with a lot less grandeur. She’s full-on supervillain here—ranting about her father, overconfidently keeping Oz alive for far too long. But Cristin Milioti’s electric presence makes every scene worthwhile. Watching Sofia burn the Falcone mansion, puffing on three cigarettes with Carmine’s old watch in her hand, is chaos at its most glorious. It’s a manic, fitting end for the show’s most intense character, and Milioti delivers it with every ounce of thrill and unpredictability she’s brought all season. That shot of her, cigarettes dangling, feels tailor-made for memes, perfectly summing up Sofia’s “I’m done with all of this” attitude. Meanwhile, her return to Arkham, with Dr. Rush back at the helm, is a chilling full circle. But hey, at least there’s a letter from Selina Kyle—hope from an unseen Zoe Kravitz cameo.
Then there’s the finale’s big, unsettling twist. The Penguin has often borrowed from other shows—sometimes Gotham, sometimes The Sopranos, occasionally Breaking Bad. But the final sequence is uniquely its own brand of creepy. Oz settles into his new penthouse, mother comatose upstairs, while his “best girl” Eve wears Francis’s old dress. She dances to the same old music, smiling as she praises Oz, calling him a good boy while he calls her “Ma.” It’s a moment of grotesque domesticity, revealing just how far Oz will go to rewrite his reality. Colin Farrell looks almost himself during the jazz club scenes—perhaps due to a toned-down makeup job or the un-greased hair—but the shift just adds to the chilling strangeness. Oz believes he’s won. He’s happy. The flickering spotlight in the sky reminds us Batman is still out there, but for now, Gotham belongs to the penguin.
The finale exemplifies the best and worst of The Penguin. It gives us a horrifying look into Oz’s psyche, even as it struggles to maintain a consistent execution. Theo Rossi barely moved a muscle all season, and the “Bliss” storyline fizzled out with zero payoff—no Poison Ivy twist, just another party drug. But when The Penguin finds its rhythm, as it did in this finale, it’s genuinely captivating.
And that’s a wrap on The Penguin! The series had its share of high points and plenty of lows, but it’s tough to dismiss the raw potential that occasionally shone through. Here’s hoping any potential second season digs deeper, embracing the weird and unsettling aspects that made the finale click. At the very least, it’d be worth watching just to see Sofia Falcone try to claw her way back.
