I Finally Understand What Colin Farrell Really Meant About The Penguin’s “Brutal” Ending 1 Month Ago

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Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Penguin episode 8.
After watching the finale of The Penguin, I finally understand Colin Farrell"s comments about the show"s brutal ending. Overall, I found The Penguin episode 8"s ending to be incredibly effective. Not only did it wrap up the stories of The Penguin"s cast of characters satisfyingly, 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 the story of The Batman 2, The Penguin stuck the landing after seven stellar episodes before the finale.
As I have alluded to, part of the reason behind the success of The 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 Penguin understood 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 up upcoming DC movies, it also made me realize exactly what Colin Farrell meant when he commented on The 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 Close Firstly, it is worth exploring the comments that Farrell made about The Penguin"s finale. At the beginning of October 2024, shortly after the release of The Penguin episode 2, Farrell appeared in an interview with Virgin 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 how The Penguin made 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 of The Penguin episode 8 Farrell was talking about. However, after watching The Penguin"s finale, these comments make complete sense to me now. Admittedly, Farrell could be talking about several moments, from sending The Penguin"s Sofia Falcone/Hangman back 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 of The Penguin episode 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 Penguin rarely 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

Image via Max With this in mind, Farrell was absolutely right about The 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 once The Penguin episode 8 aired. As it turns out, Farrell could not have been more correct. Everyone who watched The 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

Image via Max What makes Farrell"s comments about The 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 of The Penguin was.
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, something The 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, with The Penguin"s ending leaving viewers anticipating The Batman - Part II if only to see Oswald Cobb face justice at the hands of Gotham"s Dark Knight.