Season 1 of The Penguin on HBO Max was a hit with viewers and an award-winning program. It’s no wonder that people aren’t just hoping for a second season. Any reports or comments about the show from its creators still make the news. In this case, we have The Penguin’s showrunner and writer, Lauren LeFranc, and her feelings on a death that still hurts almost a year later.
WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE PENGUIN!
Oz Cobb carried the tradition of characters like Walter White (Breaking Bad), Tony Soprano (The Sopranos), and Vic Mackey (The Shield). You know Oz is a bad person, but something about him makes you root for him. It’s not like he was smooth or traditionally attractive. Fans loved him because he was a man of the people, and, when the chips were down, Cobb tried his best to keep his people safe.
There’s a phrase that when someone shows you who they are, believe them. We all saw who Oz was, but hoped that we were wrong. Well, we weren’t. Oz Cobb showed his true colors in the season finale when he choked Victor Aguilar to death, left him lying in the park, and then tossed his ID in the river. Vic was dead and nameless after helping his mentor become the biggest, richest, and most influential criminal in Gotham City.
As sad as it was, Lauren Franc doesn't regret writing that moment into The Penguin. And, honestly, we should applaud her for helping create that moment and standing her ground on keeping it once production started.
"Every character needs to feel rich and alive. And that’s really the thing that I came in with, and that’s the job of a writer."
During an interview with Deadline, LeFranc was asked if anything was non-negotiable with The Penguin. She said the death of Vic was one, saying, “I knew Oz would kill Victor in this intimate, terrible way. And so, for me, the non-negotiables were these are the characters and the type of story we’re telling. It’s grounded. It’s a crime drama. It’s a character study of everybody.”
Every fan had to see Victor Aguilar get murdered because they needed a reality check. The Penguin isn’t a good person. Sure, he can be likable and funny. But, behind the smile and the limp lurks a ruthless, devious, and unhinged man. And not just as an adult. Don’t forget that he let his brothers drown so he could have his mother all to himself.
Lastly, if Oz let Vic live, it would have taken the edge and dangerous nature away from him. Criminals in Gotham City can't have compassion because it's a weakness, and Vic made Oz weak. Plus, it will make him look more threatening to fans when Batman Part II debuts (if it ever comes out).
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