‘Penguin’ Episode 6 Cliffhanger: The Best Fan Theories

So, who is the most brutal killer in Penguin? Is there a villain at the center of it all who rolls over, deceives everyone he works with, and then knocks them out at the first opportunity? Or it’s our girl Sophia Gigantegleefully mass murdering almost her entire family in her epic revenge plan? It’s hard to say, but in episode six, we both got to see a softer, more sentimental side of them both.

Summary: Sophia joins forces with her family’s nemesis Sal Maroney after Oz kills his wife and son. And while Sel hides out as a fugitive at Sofia’s house, cooking up some mean meatballs while he’s there, Sofia – in a new jazzy mullet and diamond ensemble – combs the streets to rescue Oz.

Oz (Colin Farrell) has his hands full with his mother Frances (Deidre O’Connell) and her Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. In a moment of clarity, she begs him to kill her when it gets really bad and says that if he loved her, he would. It’s an absolutely heartbreaking scene; a mother-son discussion of euthanasia and assisted dying that wouldn’t normally be out of place in a superhero spin-off, but like the rest of the series, manages to skillfully weave human stories into the fantasy world of Gotham City.

Sofia (Christine Milioti) feels equally emotionally moved as she finally finds the person she believes means the most to Oz, his lover Eva (Carmen Ejogo) and plans to kill her. However, when Eva talks about her “family” – the sex workers who were killed by Sofia’s father, Carmine – and when she reveals that she brought Sofia in and was willing to die if it meant protecting her girls, Sofia softens .

“No matter what I was born into,” she says sadly about Eva’s connection to her family, “I’ll never have it.” She realizes that Eve is a mother to a group of women, and because Sophia loses her mother at an early age – also killed by her father – she has a guilty conscience and allows her to live. It’s one of the first times we’ve seen a softer side of Sofia (besides sparing her cousin’s daughter Gia) and how, unlike her dad, she wants to end the cycle of violence against women.

Observing the softer sides of these two characters, we get a real cliffhanger at the end of episode six, where Sophia is shown loitering with a gun at the edge of the apartment while Francis and Vic dance in the foreground. Can Sophia kill another woman, a sick mother, in cold blood if it means destroying her mortal enemy? Here’s what we think could go down:

Sophia kills Vic and leaves Francis to live

Shooting Oz in the right arm may not have the same impact as killing his mother, but it still sends a message: Oz is also dead when Sophia and/or Sal capture him.

Oz’s mom takes a gun and shoots herself

A fight breaks out and Francis pulls out a gun and risks killing himself? Or is it more like…

Oz appears, interrupts the scene, but allows Sophia to kill his mother

Oz clearly wants to be able to do for his mother what she’s begging him to do, but in reality, he’s unlikely to be able to. Maybe there are meaningful looks between mother and son, and Oz allows Sophia to shoot her, knowing that’s what she wants, and her wish is finally granted – just not by him.

Sophia kills Vic and Oz’s mother

Nope, it’s Autopilot getting revenge for Sophia again, and she kills Frances and Vic. No time for feelings in a war for territory!

Penguin continues weekly on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.