‘The Penguin’ Episode 8 “Big Or Little Thing” Review: Heartbreakingly Perfect
Almost two months since the series premiered, The Penguin has finally released its eighth episode thus concluding the series. Find out our full thoughts below in our The Penguin episode 8 review.
Last week I commented on a return to form, where the show had taken a very slight downturn but was rescued (not like the series needed rescuing) by the seventh episode. This week, we got to see the repercussions of that and Oz’s initial act of evil back in the ‘80s.
The Penguin follows Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) as he makes a power grab to become the kingpin of Gotham City. Following an explosive last episode (pun intended), only Sofia Gigante (formerly Falcone) stands in his way. Soon Oz must face his past and relationships and find a way to the top.
Compared to the previous episode, this episode obviously has a lot more to do and unpack. First and foremost was the expansion of that ending, where Oz was kidnapped by a corrupt GCPD officer on behalf of Sofia (Cristin Milioti) after his operation was car bombed. He’s then put into a position where he is forced to face his true colours. It’s an amazing scene that is extremely tense but also vile, just due to how awful Oz is as a person.
The people around him aren’t upstanding citizens either, with his mother (Deirdre O’Connell) also doing, or planning to do, something awful when he was a child (played again by Ryder Allen in flashbacks/hallucinations). Technically, the show is at its strongest here too, with some inventive uses of lighting, cinematography and of course excellent makeup work.
Ultimately, I believe the fates of Vic Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) and the show’s villain Sofia Gigante made sense, and I think those three big teases left open-ended at the end of the episode were awesome and connected the worldbuilding back to where it started.
From start to finish, this episode was an exhilarating hour of television and will be sure to become a staple for when I feel like rewatching something amazing.
The Penguin episode 8 was directed by Jennifer Getzinger and written by Lauren LeFranc.
‘The Penguin’ Series Review
The Penguin is many things, but bad it is not. A heavily complicated story hinging on parental relationships between children and their parental figure, a tale of ambition and goals.
Lauren LeFranc and Matt Reeves have led a great writing team in forming and executing what has become the best DC series, barring Peacemaker which I would have to rewatch to confirm. Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti both deliver career-high performances, bouncing off each other with supreme skill. Its visual style is similar enough to The Batman to guarantee its universe continuity, but different enough to let itself establish its own identity. A truly amazing series for DC Studios to kick off their Elseworlds slate.
DC Studios‘ The Penguin is now streaming on HBO and Max. It was developed by Lauren LeFranc, and produced by Matt Reeves. It was produced by Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions, DC Studios, and Warner Bros. Television.
Thank you for reading our The Penguin episode 8 review and thank you for reading our full coverage of The Penguin. For more DC news, stay tuned here at Feature First.
