This article from the HBO and Max miniseries The Penguin Season 1 Episode 1, “After Hours” contains significant spoilers.
Our FandomWire film and television critic Joshua Ryan called The Penguin “a perfect companion to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, delving deep into the underbelly of Gotham’s organized crime.” After watching the pilot, I’m sure you’ll agree.
Colin Farrell delivers a tour-de-force performance in an episode that sets a series tone and pace unmatched in any comic book television series to date. In the pilot, Farrell plays Oswald “Oz” Cobb, unaffectionately known to his peers as “the penguin,” the way he waddles through life.
Please keep reading to discover what happens in the rest of the episode!
Max’s The Penguin Season 1 Episode 1: When Does The Penguin Take Place in Matt Reeves’ The Batman Timeline?
The Penguin takes place hours after Edward Nashton, AKA “The Riddler,” sets off bombs at the Gotham sea wall to kill the mayor-elect, Bella Reál. The city is now flooded, damaging the city’s poorest neighborhoods but not the affluent white suburbs.
The news also reports the demise of mob boss enforcer Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong, now replacing John Turturro). Watching over the city is not the caped crusader but a rumpled, balding, morbidly obese man with piercing eyes and a sharp nose, and we can almost see the wheels turning for opportunities.
That’s when he heads to Carmine’s office.
Who Does Oz Kill in the Pilot of The Penguin?
Oz unloads all the rounds from his pistol on Alberto Falcone (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Michael Zegen) for talking down to him. After breaking into Carmine’s safe with a sledgehammer, he finds dirt on Mayor Hady (Entourage’s Rhys Coiro) and Underboss Johnny Vitti (Michael Kelly).
While drinking and going over Oz’s work with Alberto’s father, the lifelong loyal soldier has what I call a “Lefty” moment from Donnie Brasco, telling Alberto how he dreams of serving the neighborhood as he moves up the mafioso ladder. Alberto laughs and mocks him, and Oz kills him.
But not before Armando tells him he has a drug that is going to revolutionize the industry.
Who is Victor Aguilar in The Penguin?
Victor Aguilar (Encanto’s Rhenzy Feliz) is a teenager Oz abducts after catching him trying to steal the tires off his car. Oz forces Victor at gunpoint to help him move the body and belongings of Armando. Under pressure, Victor is revealed to have a stuttering problem.
Eve Karlo (True Detective’s Carmen Ejogo) is a Gotham escort and a close friend of Oz. He stops by, making Victor drive, to ask if she could be his alibi. She agrees, anytime after ten at night. They then drive Armando’s body to a scrapyard, where they burn his clothes and put his body in the trunk of a car.
However, not before Oz takes the ring off Armando’s finger, which used to belong to Salvatore Maroni. Carmine had won it and wore it like a badge of honor.
Why Doesn’t Oz Kill Victor?
We do not know why Oz (Colin Farrell) shows Victor mercy, but after handing the young man a cigar and telling him to look at the sunset, Victor talks his way into a job as Oz’s driver. It seems strange, considering Victor is the only one who knows Oz killed Alberto, but Oz is a cunning criminal with a plan.
One reason could be that he needs help caring for his mentally disturbed mother, Francis (Outer Range’s Deirdre O’Connell). Oz is a mama’s boy and needs Victor to watch over her. We gain some insight into the Penguin’s past—for instance, he had two brothers, but something happened to them.
However, as we discover at the pilot’s end, he tells his new apprentice, “guys like us need to stick together.”
The Penguin’s Season 1 Episode 1 Ending Explained: Who is Sofia Falcone?
Sofia is Carmine’s daughter and Armando’s sister. She has just been released from Arkham Asylum, where she was being rehabilitated as Gotham’s most notorious serial killer. She walks in on Oz, who is telling Vitti that he has a new drug that will revolutionize the industry—which was Armando’s plan.
Oz and Sofia have a past, but we are still determining what that is. Our guy looks uncomfortable. She invites him to lunch. Sofia eats like it’s her last meal, but she is sharp. She tells Oz that the new drug was her plan. She asks Oz how he knows about Armando’s deal and why he presents it as his own.
Oz is a master manipulator and can talk a good game. He thinks he has convinced Sofia (Cristin Milioti) of his intentions and that he is Armando’s partner. However, she whispers in his ear that he is either brazen or overly confident because he knows Armando is not returning.
How Does Victor Save Oz?
The pilot of The Penguin ends with Sofia capturing Oz, who tries to escape her and her henchmen. They bring him back to her home, where Sofia tortures Oz. One particularly nasty technique involves using a fishing line under his armpit. However, that’s when they hear a car crash into their home.
It’s the one they had Armando in. Sofia opens the trunk and screams. Oz hears this and begins to laugh and smile. Since Oz visited Salvatore (Clancy Brown) in prison and gave him the ring Carmine stole, it now looks like a Maroni hit. It also helps that Armando is missing his pinky finger.
Oz is let go, and he buys Victor a slushy, mixing the flavors, at the old neighborhood joint called Buddies.
You can stream only the new limited series The Penguin on HBO and Max, with new episodes dropping weekly.
The Penguin Episode 1 Recap and Spoiler Review — How Does Victor Save Oz?
The opening episode, “After Hours,” of the miniseries The Penguin is a perfect pilot! Colin Farrell delivers a tour-de-force performance in an episode that sets a tone and pace unmatched by any comic book television series to date. Simply enthralling and exciting from start to finish!
