Things are about to get very, very dark for The Penguin, based on the end of Episode 6, “Gold Summit.” Spoilers past this point, but it sure looks like either Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) or Francis Cobb (Deirdre O’Connell) is going to die next episode, in an homage to the classic DC Comics storyline “A Death In The Family.”
In the episode, Sofia Gigante (Cristin Milioti) and Sal Maroni (Clancy Brown) are trying to track down Oswald Cobb (Colin Farrell). Only problem? Oz is sticking to literally underground, growing his Bliss empire in the tunnels under Gotham City. It’s only when Sofia confronts Eve Karlo (Carmen Ejogo) that she discovers Oz is holed up in Crown Point. While Oz is out holding a “golden summit” with the main gang leaders of Gotham who aren’t the Falcones or the Maronis, Sofia shows up at his apartment just as the power to Crown Point comes on. And while she stands there with a crowbar in hand, she sees Francis and Victor dancing… And overhears Francis call Oz “my boy.” Now she knows that Oz’s mother is not dead, and it’s time to take a little vengeance on the man who killed her brother, Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen).
So why did you hear every single DC Comics fan’s heart stop at this moment? Well, there’s an infamous comic book storyline titled “A Death In The Family” that this is clearly teasing. Running through Batman #426–429 in 1988, the story was written by Jim Starlin with art by Jim Aparo and found The Joker killing Batman’s second Robin, Jason Todd. Even more than the specifics of the story, it’s probably best remembered because DC set up a 900 number that fans could call to let them know if Jason Todd should live or die. Guess what fans voted for? And if you’re curious, yes, DC actually did prepare both versions of Batman #428 (one where Jason lived, one where he died). However, they could have saved their money because comic book fans are a bloodthirsty lot.
The crucial point here, though, is that The Joker beats Jason to death with a crowbar. The most lasting legacy of “A Death in the Family,” which came around the time comics (Batman in particular) were starting to hew more towards dark and gritty than goofy and funny, is how Jason’s death impacted Batman. And how the eventual return of Jason Todd (it’s way too complicated to explain here) impacted that character going forward. He even briefly wielded a crowbar as his weapon of choice, as a way of retaking his trauma.
So yes, Sofia is carrying a crowbar when she sees Francis and Victor dancing. But there’s more to it than that. Some fans have called out how Sofia’s character is a form of The Joker for Oswald, and certain events have backed that up. She’s got scars, something that Heath Ledger’s Joker famously talked about in The Dark Knight. She’s wildly erratic and nihilistic. And she’s got her own Harley Quinn in a therapist who has given up everything to be her right-hand man in Dr. Julian Rush (Theo Rossi).
We’ve even written here from the first episode about how Victor is, essentially, a riff on Jason Todd for Oswald, instead of Batman. Victor is first seen stealing the tires from Oz’s car, just as Jason was discovered by Batman stealing the tires from the Batmobile. Oz sees something in Victor, just as Batman sees himself in his Robins. And like Jason, he’s prone to violence: in this episode, he kills a man (Squid, played by Jared Abrahamson).
So without it being an exact one-on-one — I don’t think Sofia, like The Joker in “A Death In The Family,” is going to get a nuclear bomb from Lebanon — all the pieces are on the board for Sofia, as The Joker, to beat Victor, as Jason, with that crowbar next episode.
I’m going to throw out some wild speculation, though… I doubt Sofia will kill Victor, even if she does beat him with the crowbar. There was a lot of talk in this episode about how Francis wants Oz to kill her if her mind is gone and the dementia becomes too much. Instead, I think it’s likely that Sofia kills Francis as an eye for an eye for Oz killing her brother, Alberto, taking that choice away from Oz. And Oz blames Victor for her death since he was unable to stop Sofia, ultimately killing him, and leaving Oz truly alone at the top of his criminal empire.
So yeah, it’s likely there will be a death in the family next episode. As to whether Victor, Francis, or both will die? Call that 900 number, folks, and let’s get this going.
Where To Watch The Penguin:
The Penguin Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
The first episode of The Penguin premieres Thursday, September 19 at 9 pm ET on HBO and Max. There will be an encore airing on Sunday, September 22 at 9 pm ET, and then the show will move to its regular time slot of Sundays at 9 pm ET starting on September 29.
Here’s the full list of episodes in The Penguin, with premiere dates:
- Thursday, September 19, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 1: “After Hours”
- Sunday, September 29, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 2: “Inside Man”
- Sunday, October 6, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 3: “Bliss”
- Sunday, October 13, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 4: “Cent’Anni”
- Sunday, October 20, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 5: “Homecoming”
- Sunday, October 27, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 6: “Gold Summit”
- Sunday, November 3, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 7: “Top Hat”
- Sunday, November 10, 2024: The Penguin, Episode 8: “Great or Little Thing”
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