The Penguin episode 6 recap and Easter eggs: New alliances and old tensions

The Penguin episode 6 is now streaming, and the The Batman spin-off series is now three-quarters over. That means we've almost reached boiling point in Gotham City's criminal underworld, and the balance of power is ever-closer to shifting as the finale rapidly approaches.

We break down the main plot beats in the latest episode right here, as well as the comic book references you might have missed. As you might expect, though, there are major spoilers for The Penguin episode 6 ahead, so this is your warning to turn back now if you haven't watched the episode and don't want to know what happens. If you need a refresh on last week's installment, revisit our guide to The Penguin episode 5 recap and Easter eggs.

The Penguin episode 6 recap

It's clear some time has passed since episode 5, as episode 6 opens with snow falling over Gotham. Oz has also got his new "underground empire" up and running, a lab making the new drug 'Bliss' in the sewers under the Crown Point neighborhood. The limited number of mushrooms that survived the fire in episode 5 has now grown and multiplied exponentially, and Oz and his new crew are running a pretty big operation. Oz tells Victor that they're taking care of the neighborhood and his name will "live forever." He's also close to making a deal with rival syndicate the Triads.

Meanwhile, Sal is staying with Sofia, and the pair are both hungry for revenge against Oz, with Sofia egging on Sal.

There's no power in Oz's new apartment in Crown Point (or the rest of the neighborhood) and the generator isn't working, either, so it looks like a pretty cold winter ahead. Francis is getting increasingly agitated, too, and keeps talking about Oz's dead brothers. 

The bodies of three men who were selling Bliss for Oz are found strung up in the streets with missing fingers, and it's clear this is the work of the Maronis and the Gigantes. Meanwhile, Victor bumps into Squid, a guy he knows from his old life in Crown Point, and he wants to work with him and Oz.

Sofia and Sal break into Oz's old apartment, searching for evidence of a loved one who they can use to hurt him the way he hurt them when he killed Alberto and Taj, and Sofia strikes gold when she finds a pair of women's underwear and a polaroid of Eve in a drawer in Oz's bedroom.

Back in Crown Point, Francis is really struggling with hallucinations. She tells Oz that she's worried about losing her dignity and Oz helps her dress up and put her makeup and jewellery on. 

Later, Oz corners a councilman in a parking lot on his way home and does some pretty nasty stuff involving the guy's nose and a pair of pliers while he demands that he sorts out the situation with Crown Point's lack of power. 

Victor meets up with Squid and says they're not looking for anyone else to work with them right now, but offers him some cash instead. Squid is angry and says Victor can't just pay him off, and threatens to tip off the Gigantes and the Maronis. Panicking, Victor shoots Squid in the neck, and he dies.

Sofia is hanging around outside the Iceberg Lounge looking for Eve, and Roxy offers to help her for a price. She later arrives at Eve's apartment, but Eve says she was expecting her and she asked Roxy to send her up. She still believes that Sofia is the Hangman and murdered her friends, but Sofia tells her that it was her father and that Oz knew all about it and helped him cover up the murders. After their chat, Eve tells Sofia where she can find Oz. "You deserve your shot," she tells her. 

Oz meets with the Triads and tries to recruit them to take revenge on the Gigantes and the Maronis for the way they've been treated by the families' crime bosses. We learn that it was gang leader Donny Sullivan's men who were murdered earlier in the episode, too. Oz treats them to a pretty rousing speech before giving them each a beer and making a toast to "taking back Gotham".

Meanwhile, the power comes back on in Crown Point, and Francis and Victor have a celebratory dance in the apartment. Unbeknownst to them, though, is Sofia watching from the doorway with a crowbar in her hand…

The Penguin episode 6 Easter eggs

The Triads: The Triads are a criminal syndicate operating in Gotham's Crown Point neighborhood who Oz is trying to get on his side in The Penguin, but they also appear in DC Comics.

Crown Point: Oz, Victor, and Francis are now living in Crown Point, in hiding from the Gigantes and the Maronis. In the comics, it's infamous for being one of the worst neighborhoods in Gotham.

The Penguin airs weekly on HBO and Max in the US, and Sky and NOW in the UK – stay up to date with our The Penguin release schedule. For more, check out our The Penguin review and our guide to the other upcoming DC movies and shows.