The Actual Motive The Penguin Killed Off Rhenzy Feliz’s Victor Aguilar

This submit incorporates spoilers for “The Penguin.”

When “The Penguin” was first introduced, some followers have been involved over how a lot the present would have an effect on the general franchise (aka the Batman Epic Crime Saga). Would moviegoers really feel the necessity to watch this present first in the event that they wished to grasp “The Batman: Half II”? In the event that they did, that may in all probability do some injury to the sequel’s field workplace potential. We have seen with the Marvel Cinematic Universe currently that having every little thing be linked can result in diminishing returns; if every little thing is offered as being essential, quickly nothing will really feel that manner.

Luckily, “The Penguin” avoids this drawback by wrapping up its storylines in a pleasant little bow. By the tip of season 1, Oz Cobb/The Penguin’s (Colin Farrell) mom Francis (Deirdre O’Connell) is incapacitated, his enemy Sofia (Cristin Milioti) is again in Arkham Asylum, and all the opposite mob bosses in Gotham Metropolis are both on his facet or sleeping with the fishes. Oz is strictly the place “The Batman” left off with him, besides he is much more highly effective now.

And though we have realized fairly a bit about Oz all through these previous eight episodes, there’s nothing right here that movie-only viewers want to know. “The Batman” established that the Penguin is a great but ruthless villain; the TV present toys with the concept he is bought some good in him, however by the tip it is clear that our preliminary impression was spot on: this man sucks. He is a nasty dude, and Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader is true to beat him up every time he will get the possibility.

Close to the tip of the “Penguin” finale, “A Nice or Little Factor,” the present’s solely main addition to the bigger franchise appears to be Vic (Rhenzy Feliz), Oz’s good-natured sidekick. By the point Oz and Vic are consuming booze in an empty park collectively, it looks like Vic is all however sure to play a job within the subsequent Batman film. However then “The Penguin” cuts this thread off too; Oz invitations Vic in for a hug, and begins choking him to demise. It is brutal, even by this present’s requirements. Homicide by way of gunshot is one factor, however to lovingly invite somebody into your arms after which kill them? That is a complete new intimate degree of cruelty.

The worst half is how Oz kills Vic for seemingly no purpose in any respect. You’d assume, even simply from a cold-hearted technique perspective, that Oz would favor to maintain Vic round. Why would he homicide the child who’s change into his fiercest supporter?

In an interview with Deadline, “The Penguin” showrunner Lauren LeFranc defined why she thinks Oz killed poor candy Vic: 

“Oz has proven himself to be somebody who’s narcissistic and lives in his personal delusion. He has actually struggled with receiving love and seeks it out from his mom, however by no means absolutely trusts it from folks. In so some ways, he’s a damaged man. In relation to Victor, it was actually essential to me that Oz kill him — not as a result of he has any purpose to, and Victor did come by means of for him. Victor is like household. But Victor noticed Oz at his weakest, at his most weak. Oz actually looks like he wants a degree of energy. He cannot have weak point, so he kills Victor.”

It is a tragic clarification, particularly since Vic’s gesture of consolation amidst Oz’s grief over his mom was some of the touching moments of the entire present. It appeared, for a second there, that Oz had managed a breakthrough; after eight episodes of two-faced scheming, possibly Oz had unwittingly wandered his manner into a real friendship with a kindred soul.

However then Vic tells Oz that he is “like household” to him, not figuring out how little household means to Oz, and it quickly turns into clear that any sympathetic studying of their friendship we had was wishful pondering. Oz by no means cared for Vic, not for a second. Whereas Vic went by means of a complete season-long arc of studying to belief and even admire his new boss, for Oz this child was all the time a way to an finish, nothing extra. Oh, if solely Vic had gotten onto that bus!

What makes Vic’s homicide much more despicable is that, for a lot of the season, it positive appeared like Oz had a mushy spot for the child. Vic has a stutter and Oz has a clubfoot; each of those circumstances make it tougher for them to be taken significantly in life, but they each persist and hold profitable battles anyway. Oz sees a few of himself in Vic, which is likely to be why he would not kill Vic on the primary night time they meet. 

Oz sparing Vic’s life is a twisted “save the cat” second. He does a ton of different messed-up issues in that first episode, however his relative kindness in direction of Vic is the one factor that retains the viewers firmly on his facet. It juxtaposes nicely with Sofia, who’s extra sympathetic within the season general however who casually murders a child within the first episode. All through the season, Sofia grows extra sympathetic whereas Oz is revealed to be more and more sleazy, but the Oz/Vic dynamic (with its echoes of the beloved Batman/Robin dynamic) supplies Oz with simply sufficient goodwill to maintain us from turning on him totally. That’s, in fact, till these remaining moments. 

All through the season, we have allowed ourselves the consolation of believing that Oz solely kills for strategic causes. (Or, within the case of Alberto Falcone within the first episode, out of comprehensible anger.) All of Oz’s murders we might seen, even his childhood killing of his brothers, have been not less than in pursuit of a long-term aim for himself. Nonetheless, his homicide of Vic is a transparent departure from this sample and an act totally divorced from any form of coherent technique. That is the misdeed that’s, even by this present’s warped sense of morality, actually unforgivable. Vic’s demise is the second the place Oz loses all sympathy. It could have been enjoyable watching Oz climb his manner as much as the highest of Gotham’s underworld, however now it is time for Batman to take this monster down.

“The Penguin” is now streaming on Max.