Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Penguin episode "Gold Summit." Stream the episode with a Max subscription and read at your own risk!
The Penguin left us with a thrilling cliffhanger in the final seconds of its sixth episode, and we've reached a moment that could end up highly impacting future character dynamics in The Batman: Part II. As Sofia Gigante looks to finally get her revenge on Oz for getting her locked up, I have a feeling that final scene won't end up playing out in the deadly way some viewers expect it to.
We're still reeling from (if maybe still celebrating) Johnny Ziti's surprising and intense death, and it's looking like yet another big character exit could be on the horizon. And not just in the sense that the show is ending soon and everyone is exiting. Let's recap where "Gold Summit" left off, and dig into why I think it's headed in a different direction from where others think it's going.
Sofia Found Oz's Flat Where Francis And Victor Were Living
With the help of Oz's girlfriend Eve Karlo, Sofia found the flat that Oswald, Francis, and Victor were living at in Crown Point. In her hand, we see a crowbar, and she's seen standing in the doorway watching Victor and Francis dance, unaware of her presence. Meanwhile, Oswald is across town meeting with the heads of rival gangs, completely unaware of how his life may change.
Sofia hanging out in the doorway makes it seem like bad things are coming, especially since we know what she's capable of. Sure, she wasn't actually The Hangman, but we saw her brutally kill Magpie and gas the rest of her Falcone relatives to get rid of any competition to her claim as head of the family. It seems obvious then that she'd want to kill Francis as a means of payback to Oz, but is that really what she's going to do? A fair few on X seem to think so:
- Nah bruh, if Sofia touches mama Oswald then it’s over fr - @Brandon38263769
- What do you think is going to happen, kidnapping or murder? I'm thinking, wound the boy and take the mother. Oz then has a reason to hate Victor and become the villain he's destined to be. -@Millennial_Fun
- I’m more concerned what will Oz do to Victor if he failed to protect Francis - @leoxzny
- The look in Sofia’s eyes as she watches Francis dancing shows lot of emotions running through her. Revenge definitely winning the race tho. #ThePenguin - @nellmatic
- Sofia finally knows where to hurt Oz but it's through his momma-- #ThePenguin -@starkcanarie
Sofia seems prepared to do something in the next episode of The Penguin, but I'm not sure exactly what. While I can't rule out a brutal Francis death, I think there's another possibility we should consider.
Why I Think Sofia Will Not Kill Francis
While killing Francis would devastate Oswald and be the perfect revenge for Sofia Gigante, I can't help but think she'll balk at the opportunity to kill his mother. After all, she knows the pain of losing her mother, and I think the trauma from that would make her apprehensive to kill someone she already assumed was dead.
I also think that in showing Sofia with a crowbar, The Penguin is dropping a major easter egg for fans of the Batman mythos. A crowbar played a vital role in one of superhero comics' most brutal deaths when Joker used one to beat former Robin Jason Todd to death. The shocking moment was most recently mentioned in live-action in Batman v Superman, and was reversed for the recent Robin Lives! alt-history comic arc, and I think it could factor into all of this in a roundabout way.
Victor Aguilar is like Oswald's Robin, and I think the crowbar hints that Sofia will end up beating him to death while leaving Francis unscathed. Sofia may not know the full extent of Victor and Oz's partnership, but she knows enough to know Victor is important to her former driver. It sucks to even type out because I love Rhenzy Feliz's Victor as much as CinemaBlend's Rich Knight does, but I think his death would be the most impactful this series could deliver yet. I'm hoping I'm wrong, and maybe Sofia will end up sparing both, but I doubt that's happening.
The Penguin airs on HBO on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET. I think anyone watching can't wait to see how this next episode plays out, so here's hoping the week flies by so we can see what Sofia does.