Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Starring Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle / The Punisher), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Micro), Ben Barnes (Billy Russo), Amber Rose Revah (Dinah Madani), Daniel Webber (Lewis Wilson), and James R Moore (Curtis Hoyle) with Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
THE PUNISHER SEASON ONE
Produced by Marvel Television
Originally aired on Netflix
Number of Episodes: 13
Initial Streaming: November 17, 2017
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Fun The Punisher Season One Facts
The Punisher was created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr, and Ross Andru, debuting in The Amazing Spider-Man # 129 in 1974. Frank Castle is what comic book readers refer to as an ant-hero; a character who lacks conventional heroic qualities. Frank Castle takes the law into his own hands and dishes out a brand of justice that would appall more traditional Marvel Heroes. He hasn’t been imbued with cosmic rays or bitten by a radioactive spider, nor has he undergone a Super Soldier program. He is instead a decorated soldier from the United States Military who mentally and emotionally breaks after his wife and children are slaughtered after witnessing a crime in Central Park. The deaths of his beloved family leaves Frank Castle with a thirst for vengeance and an intolerance for bad people and over the years, he has shown in his various stories that he is willing to resort to just about anything to ensure that justice is served, be that kidnapping, extortion, coercion, torture, or even murder. The Punisher is more or less a one-man army, and a deadly one at that.
Frank Castle is truly one of Marvel’s most unique characters. Most of his stories see him fighting crime in his own small corner of the Marvel Universe, but he does crossover with other Marvel Heroes at times; most of whom disagree with The Punisher’s ways. Nonetheless, he’s shared the page with the likes of Daredevil, Spider-Man, Captain America, and Wolverine, and he’s had what were for me, two really memorable arcs in Marvel event series: Civil War and Secret Empire. As for individual runs, there are some fantastic ones to find out there, including those written by Greg Rucka (Punisher: War Journal), Jason Aaron (Punisher: MAX), and Garth Ennis.
Marvel Studios brought The Punisher to the big screen twice prior to the character’s MCU debut in Daredevil: Season Two. The first time was in 2004, with Thomas Jane portraying Frank Castle in a film that was distributed by Lions Gate. The second was Punisher: War Zone starring the late Ray Stevenson in 2008. Both Punisher films were Rated-R, and both were box office bombs. You can find my reviews of both films by accessing the dropdown menu of the site under the OTHER MARVEL STUDIOS MOVIES tab.
Marvel Television was founded on June 28, 2010, roughly six-months after the Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment and just over two years after the introduction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Marvel Studios with the theatrical release of Iron Man in 2008. Jeph Loeb was named Executive Vice President of Marvel TV upon the launch, working in a position that was similar to the one that Marvel Studios President Kevin Fiege held on the movie side of things. While projects surrounding The Hulk and Jessica Jones were in various phases of development by Marvel TV, it wasn’t until 2012 that a television series under the new regime truly got off the ground and that series was Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. A Pilot for the show was ordered by ABC over the Summer of 2012, with intentions to set the series within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, coming off the monumental success of Marvel Studios’ The Avengers as well as the other five films that comprised Phase One of the MCU: the aforementioned Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk (distributed by Universal Pictures), Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger.
Shortly after the debut of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel Television began shopping four individual series that would culminate in a team-up series; the same formula that Kevin Feige and his Marvel Studios team used in their First Phase of MCU films from 2008-2012 which culminated in The Avengers. These shows would be based on Marvel characters Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, and would culminate in a team-up series: The Defenders. The Netflix streaming service quickly reached a deal with Marvel Entertainment and Daredevil debuted on April 10, 2015, followed by Jessica Jones on November 20, 2015, a Second Season of Daredevil on March 18, 2016, Luke Cage on September 30, 2016, Iron Fist on March 17, 2017, and The Defenders on August 18, 2017. These shows were much darker in tone than traditional Marvel Studios movies were, and they were for the most part met with widespread critical acclaim. The most praise was heaped upon actor Charlie Cox and his portrayal of Matt Murdock / Daredevil, actor Vincent D’Onofrio for his portrayal of Wilson Fisk / The Kingpin, actress Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, David Tennant as Kilgrave / The Purple Man, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / The Punisher (who debuted during the Second Season of Daredevil), and Mahershala Ali as Cottonmouth. Daredevil eventually produced three critically acclaimed Seasons while Jessica Jones produced three as well, and The Punisher had two highly praised Seasons of his own. The First Season of Luke Cage was well received, but both Iron Fist and The Defenders team-up series were divisive. Though these Netflix shows were scripted to be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, callbacks to the MCU movies were limited, but certainly there for fans that were paying attention.
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MCU Easter eggs in the First Season of Daredevil begin with the show’s overall villainous plot as several crime lords have come together and risen to power amidst the rebuilding of portions of New York following the Chitauri invasion led by the Asgardian God of Mischief Loki as seen in The Avengers. The criminal underworld is fueled by drugs, financial conspiracies, human trafficking, and of course murder, and Matt Murdock quickly finds himself in a war to bring the regime down both in court alongside his best friend and fellow lawyer Foggy Nelson and on the streets as the black-mask-wearing Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. The event that MCU fans know as “The Battle of New York” is referred to as “The Incident” throughout the series. Other MCU Easter eggs in Season One of Daredevil include framed newspapers in the office of reporter Ben Urich of the stories he wrote on The Battle of New York as well as The Hulk’s fight with the monstrous Abomination (as seen in The Incredible Hulk). Also, the iconic Stan Lee, known for his numerous cameo appearances across Marvel Cinematic Universe films and beyond can be seen in a framed picture hanging on the wall at the police precinct. Furthermore, in context to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, Daredevil illustrates the consequences of big superhero fights such as the Battle of New York and how common people are affected. The Battle of New York left portions of New York in ruins, and The Kingpin and his cohorts have taken advantage of that, working from the shadows to profit from the carnage and building quite the empire for themselves at the expense of the innocent and the impressionable. Tackling these issues subtly sets up the premise of Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Civil War, a film that would address the outcry by many citizens for superheroes to be kept in-check via government regulation with Harlem (The Incredible Hulk), New Mexico (Thor), New York (The Avengers), London (Thor: The Dark World), Washington DC (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), and Nigeria, South Africa, and Sokovia (Avengers: Age of Ultron) all playing host to extravagant battles involving The Avengers that were costly in terms of both physical destruction and human lives.
Behind the scenes as Marvel Television continued to take on new projects, Kevin Feige and his Marvel Studios team were reportedly none too thrilled with the intended expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into television and streaming and a sort of real-life Civil War erupted within Marvel. This was a fight over characters and themes. As far as Marvel Entertainment as a whole was concerned, their shows and films existed in ONE Shared Universe, and everything was “All Connected.” On Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios’ side however, these shows were seen at the time as irrelevant, and the movies were all that mattered. Joss Whedon, who directed two Avengers movies for Marvel Studios in 2012 and 2015, respectively, while also assisting in the development of ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., in fact publicly called the divide between Marvel TV and Marvel Studios out in 2015, around the time that Daredevil was released on Netflix and that Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron was released in theaters, stating “I think actually the movie people were a little bit cross about [Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.]. They were sort of like ‘Well you can have this but not this. And this but not that.’ It’s complicated enough as it is without me adding another layer of complication. We also created a TV show called S.H.I.E.L.D. right before they made a movie where they destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. So, everybody’s having a GREAT time!”
Future written works would reveal that Kevin Feige resented Marvel Television over Jeph Loeb and his team being given control over Daredevil and other Defenders characters after Marvel regained the rights to them because he had intentions of using them in the films, and this made for a somewhat hostile environment where Jeph Loeb and his team worked hard to stay true to the narrative that was being told in the Marvel Studios films while Kevin Feige and his team made no effort to acknowledge anything that was happening on the television side of things. Kevin Feige was furthermore frustrated over having to answer to Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter and his Marvel Creative Committee which oversaw all MCU projects at the time.
On August 31, 2015, everything came to a head with the announcement from The Walt Disney Company that moving forward, Marvel Studios would move out from under Marvel Entertainment and would fall directly under the jurisdiction of Walt Disney Pictures with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige answering directly to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn instead of Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter. Reports emerged that revealed Kevin Feige had nearly resigned as Marvel Studios President due to the rift between himself and Perlmutter that had worsened over the course of the development of Captain America: Civil War. Disney CEO and Chairman Bob Iger talked Feige down with the promise that changes would come imminently, and those changes finally manifested themselves at the end of the Summer. These changes dramatically altered Marvel Studios as not only did Feige no longer have to deal with Perlmutter, but he no longer had to deal with the Marvel Creative Committee either, and the divide between the movie and film divisions that already existed widened to the point that each of the television shows significantly reduced their references to the events of the films, and to where most fans eventually grew to believe that only the productions that were produced by Marvel Studios were considered official MCU canon by Marvel Studios. In fact, despite many of the actors who signed Marvel Television contracts doing so under the impression that their shows took place within the MCU and with an understanding that the potential was there for movie crossovers, it wasn’t until 2019’s Avengers: Endgame that the first instance of a character that was introduced by Marvel Television formally reprised their role within the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a movie and that was done on a technicality when James D’Arcy reprised his role as a Variant of his Agent Carter character Edwin Jarvis during the 1970’s portion of The Avengers’ Time Heist. Aside from that, Kevin Feige showed no interest in bringing characters introduced by Marvel Television to the big screen for MCU crossovers, and during the climactic Battle of Earth in Avengers: Endgame, characters from The Defenders Saga were nowhere to be seen.
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In the meantime, Marvel Television went on to produce other series’ in addition to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., two Seasons of Agent Carter, and the Netflix shows, including the widely hated Inhumans show on ABC and in select theaters (September 29, 2017), three Seasons of Runaways on Hulu (November 21, 2017), two Seasons of Cloak and Dagger (June 7, 2018) on Freeform, and Helstrom on Hulu (October 16, 2020). Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. meanwhile lasted for seven Seasons, ending on August 12, 2020.
From there, on December 10, 2019, following the promotion of Kevin Feige to Marvel Chief Creative Officer by The Walt Disney Company, Marvel Television was folded into Marvel Studios with Jeph Loeb leaving Marvel Entertainment and the Studio focusing its television content on the production of shows for the upstart Disney+ streaming service that would be firmly and undisputedly set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, complete with multiple character crossovers from movies to television and from television to movies.
Then, Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched what Kevin Feige has since labeled The Multiverse Saga. As Phase Four evolved, Feige began to explore some of the toys that his suddenly deeper and wider sandbox boasted, beginning with a deal with Sony Pictures (with whom Marvel Studios began working in 2015 when Spider-Man was brought into the MCU) that would canonize all of Sony’s past Spider-Man films and the entirety of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe with it. All of this came together in the production of the Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures 2021 film Spider-Man: No Way Home which brought several characters from past Sony Spider-Man films into the MCU 616-Universe including Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker / Spider-Man from Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man 3, and Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker / Spider-Man from The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. What may have been the worst kept secret in Hollywood history was still monumentally exciting for MCU fans and longtime Marvel movie fans alike, but the dual Spider-Man appearances weren’t the only intended surprise. For also appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home was Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil! Though his appearance was little more than a cameo, it was immensely thrilling to see Cox share the screen with Tom Holland (Peter Parker), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), and Marisa Tomei (Aunt May) and after more than three-years following the end of the Daredevil Netflix series, MCU fans could finally get excited for the character’s future. Around this time, Vincent D’Onofrio appeared in Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series Hawkeye in a reprisal of his role as Wilson Fisk / The Kingpin as well. Meanwhile, and due to the rocky past relationship between Marvel Studios and Marvel Television, fans openly wondered – and debated – whether or not the respective versions of Daredevil and Kingpin in No Way Home and Hawkeye were one in the same as the versions of the characters that appeared in the Netflix shows.
Following the Marvel Studios debuts of Cox and D’Onofrio, each of Marvel Television’s Netflix series’ moved over to Disney+ from Netflix on March 16, 2022. Then, at the 2022 San Diego Comic Con, Kevin Feige announced that Cox and D’Onofrio would reprise their respective roles in a Marvel Studios Disney+ series titled Daredevil: Born Again. From there, Charlie Cox appeared as Daredevil once again in Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series on Disney+ (complete with the familiar Daredevil Netflix theme when She-Hulk questions who he is) and Cox and D’Onofrio each filmed scenes for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series Echo. On top of all of that, Jon Bernthal was confirmed to be appearing in Daredevil: Born Again in a reprisal of his Netflix role as well.
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
In November of 2023, Marvel Studios announced a new branding of select projects under the “Marvel Spotlight” banner. These were explained as projects that would be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe that would focus on self-contained, character-driven stories that fans could enjoy without needing to catch up on other Marvel content. Echo was announced as the first MCU project under the “Marvel Spotlight” banner.
As the canon debate continued to rage, no one from Marvel Studios would either confirm or deny that the continuity of the now former Netflix shows would be honored. Then, the 2023 book Marvel Studios – The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline seemed to confirm that the histories of the characters were not going to be honored, as there was no mention of either Daredevil or Kingpin in the book prior to their respective appearances in No Way Home or Hawkeye. However, during an interview with Screen Rant that aired on January 3, 2024 (less than three-months after the Official Timeline book was published), Marvel Studios Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation: Brad Winderbaum confirmed that the Netflix shows were canon and that the events seen in those shows took place within the MCU 616-Universe and upon the Sacred Timeline. So, yes, these are the same versions of Daredevil and Kingpin whose journeys viewers of those now former Netflix shows followed, and when he makes his debut for Marvel Studios in Born Again, it will be the same version of The Punisher as well! This was further confirmed the following day when a new trailer promoting Echo featured footage from the now former Netflix shows. Then from there, on January 10, 2024 (the day after all five episodes of Echo dropped on Disney+), each of the shows that comprised The Defenders Saga were moved to fit into the MCU chronology on Marvel’s Disney+ “MCU Timeline” menu page. It really was “All Connected” all along!
Marvel Studios’ Echo series premiered on Disney+ on January 9, 2024, with a Mature rating and very much boasting the spirit of the now former Netflix shows with plenty of blood, violence, and hard-hitting action scenes mixed in. Charlie Cox briefly appeared in the first episode of Echo, suited up in his familiar red suit (Cox wore a predominantly yellow suit in She-Hulk) battling the deaf soon-to-be-hero. Meanwhile, Echo’s past with Wilson Fisk (first established in Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series Hawkeye) was further explored with Vincent D’Onofrio stealing the show as Kingpin. As had been speculated in recent days, the past of Fisk as established in Daredevil was honored, specifically the murder of his father by his own hand when he was a child. Echo garnered a respectable 73% Approval Rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was confirmed to have been significantly edited by Marvel Studios in post-production. While Echo was always intended to set the stage for Marvel Studios’ Daredevil: Born Again, that series has undergone numerous changes as well, with Marvel Studios deciding to completely overhaul the series mid-way through production. The decision came at a time of self-reflection for Kevin Feige and his team following the return to Disney of Bob Iger and during a challenging time for the Studio that in addition to a Writer’s and Actor’s strike included some of the worst-reviewed and worst-performing Marvel Studios productions since Feige went into independent filmmaking from the divisive Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, to the critically loathed Secret Invasion series, to the box office bomb The Marvels, and on to outside controversies that included the leave of longtime executive Victoria Alonso and the removal of Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror (The Multiverse Saga’s intended Big Bad) due to a domestic violence incident and consequent arrest and conviction. Iger and Feige came together to approach the future from a “Quality over Quantity” standpoint with many suggesting that the decision to make The Defenders Saga canon only came recently and was made in desperation due to the general feeling that what the people that were overseeing the production of Daredevil: Born Again were doing with the characters and the overall narrative just wasn’t working. Chris Ord and Matt Corman were therefore relieved of their duties and Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead, who previously worked for Marvel Studios on Moon Knight and Loki: Season Two, were brought in along with Dario Scardapane (who worked as a writer on The Punisher series) as the new showrunner. Daredevil: Born Again was originally slated for a 2024 release on Disney+ but is now expected to be released sometime in 2025. Daredevil regulars Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson have recently been confirmed to be reprising their respectful Daredevil roles of Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, another creative change that was made at the beginning of 2024.
Upon the MCU (Sacred) Timeline, The Punisher: Season One takes place primarily after Spider-Man: Homecoming and before Doctor Strange.
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My The Punisher: Season One Review
3AM – Directed by Tom Shankland. Written by Steve Lightfoot
The first episode of The Punisher sees Frank Castle still tracking down any and every one that had anything to do with the deaths of his family. Once that is done, we pick up with Frank six months later. He has burned his skull t-shirt and left his days as The Punisher behind him. He is as haunted as ever, struggling to sleep peacefully and trying to take up reading as a hobby at the suggestion of his close friend Curtis. Frank is also working in anonymity at a construction site.
Frank is frequently harassed by his coworkers, but a new hire named Donny tries to befriend him. Frank wants no part of a friendship with Donny but can’t help but get involved after Donny gets mixed up with his coworkers in the robbery of local gangsters that takes a bad turn when his wallet falls out of his pocket, exposing his identity. The others believe that Donny must be killed, and they decide to bury him in concrete at the construction site. As Donny begs for his life, Frank intervenes, murdering all of his assailants. Frank then kills all of the gangsters that would have been pursuing Donny and ensures that Donny gets the money that was stollen.
Elsewhere, Homeland Security Agent Dinah Madani returns to the United States from Afghanistan and begins investigating Castle’s Afghanistan team, under suspicion that they were responsible for the death of her former partner. She is discouraged from digging into the situation by her boss, but getting answers to this riddle has become a quiet obsession for Dinah and she has no intention of backing down. She in fact requests that her new partner (Sam Stein) retrieve for her all of the files that the NSA has on The Punisher and on the late Ray Schoonover as well.
I was excited to see Frank Castle’s story continue beyond Daredevil: Season Two, and this was about all anyone could hope for in a first episode. Jon Bernthal is the living embodiment of the Frank Castle character, perfectly bringing him to life from off the page, and while I don’t quite yet know how to feel about the new characters that were introduced, I have high hopes for Curtis and Dinah and I’m looking forward to a series that should be as emotional as it is violent!
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Two Dead Men – Directed by Tom Shankland. Written by Steve Lightfoot
This episode of The Punisher revolved around Frank’s search for the mysterious Micro, who contacts Frank and informs him that he isn’t the only “dead man” walking around and leaves Castle a disc to watch which features footage of the execution of a man named Ahmad Zubair (Agent Dinah’s former partner) by a group of masked soldiers. The video enrages Frank and during a visit to his friend Curtis, Frank reveals to us as viewers that during his time of service, he was part of a CIA team that carried out assassinations and torturous interrogations in Afghanistan on behalf of the United States. Frank is of course one of those masked men in the video on the disc and we now know that there is evidence out there to back up Dinah’s suspicions about the fate of her partner, which should lead to some very interesting things as this Season progresses.
Karen Page appears in Two Dead Men, reuniting with Frank and agreeing to use her resources at The Bulletin to help him obtain information on Micro. Frank uses the intel to discover Micro’s real name (the presumed dead former NSA analyst David Lieberman) after which he pays a visit to Micro’s family home where he mingles with Micro’s wife. This concerns Micro deeply, but when he tries to threaten Frank, Castle counters, revealing that he now holds all of the cards and demands that Micro meet with him.
After a game of cat-and-mouse that frustrates Micro, he and Frank finally come face-to-face back at Micro’s hideout and this episode ends on that cliffhanger.
I should also note that we meet Billy Russo in this episode, seeing him mingle with Dinah, who questions him on the nobility of Frank Castle. Russo speaks extremely highly of Frank, insisting that he only became what he became because he was letdown by the system. From there, Dinah’s evening with Russo is cut short when she is called to a crime scene by her new partner, discovering that her boss: Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Carson Wolf, has been murdered. While Dinah is left to piece together the details, we as viewers know that Wolf was killed by Frank Castle after Frank broke into his home seeking answers. After seizing Frank’s gun, Wolf unmasked Castle and then mocked Frank after Castle began asking about the fate of his family. Wolf declared that Frank had been the actual target all along due to the belief that Castle had recorded and leaked the footage on Micro’s disc. Having heard enough, Frank reclaimed control of the situation and snapped Wolf’s neck. So, everyone that was responsible for the deaths of Frank’s family have not been terminated by Frank after all.
It seems that Frank and Dinah are on a collision course, and I’m here for it!
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Kandahar – Directed by Andy Goddard. Written by Steve Lightfoot
This was a very heavy episode of The Punisher. These now former Netflix shows hold very little back when it comes to grounding themselves in tragedy that is rooted in the real world and many, many fans count that as part of their charm, but the military angles this show is focusing on in terms of PTSD and soldiers committing heinous acts while “following orders” hits really hard, and thus far, this is anything but a feel-good show.
This episode delves into the past of Micro while Frank tortures the poor guy. Several early plot threads come together as we learn that Micro was sent the aforementioned disc for assessment and that his conscience prompted him to send it Dinah. After he did, he was hunted down by Wolf and shot in broad daylight, his body falling into a river. This was a very disturbing scene, not only because Micro was shot right in front of his frantic wife, but also because as Wolf and his men cornered him, Wolf kept shouting that Micro was armed, which he wasn’t. Micro survived the shooting thanks to a phone he was carrying in his shirt pocket that Wolf’s bullet struck. He then went into hiding in an effort to protect his family. Following his presumed death, Wolf framed Micro for crimes that he didn’t commit, branding the analyst as a traitor. Pretty hard to watch to be honest, but Ebon Moss-Bachrach performed admirably in these scenes and came across as very likeable.
That fact made the scenes of Frank torturing the naked and chair-bound Micro hard to watch as well, but Micro was not as helpless as it seemed as it turns out, as he had been meticulously setting Frank up for a stab wound that rendered Frank unconscious. The move was never intended to kill The Punisher, just to subdue him so Micro could gain control of the situation and plead his case: he wants to work with Frank against those who hurt them.
From there, we get more flashbacks, this time to Frank’s time in Afghanistan. Clancy Brown is back as Ray Schoonover in a reprisal of his role in Daredevil: Season Two, which was a nice touch, and we see the Special Forces team that Frank was a part of get put together and aimed at America’s enemies. Castle and Billy Russo are both leaders of the squad working under Schoonover and “Agent Orange.” We soon see the murder of Zubair again, this time with it being clearly shown that Frank was the soldier that shot the undercover policeman in the head. After that, Frank buried Zubair in an unmarked grave. With the hero of our show walking a delicate line between that could make him unlikable to viewer, given his torture of Micro and the kill-shot we see him make under orders, the showrunners cleverly shift to a mission gone wrong in Afghanistan that involved Frank and Billy’s team. We see that Frank was concerned that the mission was an ambush, and we see that he was right with several of his teammates getting seriously wounded. With the whole thing going to hell, Frank becomes the one-man army that The Punisher is known for being, violently clearing a path for the team to make an escape. Back at the medical tent, a very wounded Frank snaps at an unconcerned Agent Orange and physically assaults him. Billy pulls Frank off.
Back in the present, Micro informs Frank that there is no record of that specific mission, meaning it was never approved by United States Congress, meaning it was never legal. Knowing that Micro could have easily killed him if he truly had bad intentions, Frank agrees to form a partnership with the analyst.
Elsewhere, we see Billy Russo unsuccessfully try to recruit Curtis for his “Anvil” operation and later Curtis and Billy visit Frank’s grave. This scene informs us as viewers that Billy does not know that Frank is still alive. We also spend some time with a traumatized soldier named Lewis Wilson who is finding it difficult to adjust to life back home and we see Dinah discover that her former boss Wolf was dirty.
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Resupply – Directed by Kari Skogland. Written by Dario Scardapane
Frank is looking to restock his weapons supply and he has Micro search through law enforcement databases for incoming shipments of guns. Micro soon discovers an incoming shipment that has been planned to be a sting operation by Homeland Security. Frank decides that this is as good an opportunity as any and makes plans with Micro to intercept the team that is to be headed by Dinah Madani. Frank takes a nervous Micro out on a mission to score two vehicles, which Frank does in violent fashion. I will go ahead and say that the chemistry between Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is pretty great as they emerge as quite the odd couple. The uneasiness of their partnership was especially highlighted in a sequence that saw Micro insist that Frank visit his wife and help her with the insurance situation that stemmed from Frank allowing himself to get hit be her car. Said visit added even more tension to what was already there between Frank (a cynical mercenary) and Micro (an optimistic analyst who has never involved himself in violence). Really good stuff!
Frank and Micro’s mission to obtain the weapons stash was a great sequence. We saw Micro use his expertise to sabotage the communication systems of Dinah and her team, and we saw Frank rather easily commandeer the weapons stash without harming any of the agents. Frank reconvenes with Micro, and they swap vehicles, and this leads to a well-filmed high-speed chase involving Frank and Dinah as he tries to prevent Dinah from pursuing Micro’s van. However, the chase ends badly when Micro inadvertently plows into Dinah, flipping her car. Frank orders Micro to return to their base while he pulls Dinah from her soon-to-explode vehicle. Dinah is conscious enough to recognize Frank and she asks him if he killed Wolf. He proudly takes the credit and then warns Dinah to stay out of his way. More really great stuff!
This episode also features a lot of Lewis Wilson. We see Curtis visit him at his home, where he has built a small bunker in the backyard. We then see Lewis try to join “Anvil” with Curtis bluntly asking Billy to deny Lewis the opportunity due to his apparent mental instability. Billy begrudgingly concurs and you just know that Lewis is going to do something bad. Ben Barnes was fantastic here.
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Gunner – Directed by Dearbhla Walsh. Written by Michael Jones-Morales
A wounded yet more determined than ever Agent Madani returns to work at the NSA against the advice of her superiors. Dinah is in formed that there will be an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General due to the failed sting, and she is advised to fully cooperate. Agent Madini’s obsession with Frank Castle and Kandahar is consuming her more than ever however, and she begrudgingly tells her partner Sam that she encountered Castle following her crash. When she and Sam are interviewed, he begrudgingly keeps Dinah’s secret. In the meantime, Dinah interrogates Karen Page, but she is not forthcoming with any information pertaining to the whereabouts of Castle, insisting that as far as she knows, he is dead.
Elsewhere, Micro is deeply concerned over Frank Castle blowing his cover in order to rescue Dinah. The bickering between the two is fun and Frank eventually leaves to fix Micro’s wife’s car. Frank begins to bond with Micro’s daughter, but Micro’s son is another story, as he clearly does not want Frank there. Regardless, Micro’s wife invites Frank over for dinner to show her appreciation for his kindness. Later, Frank meets with Karen and gets emotional as he begs her to stand down and leave him and his story be for her own safety. Also, Frank and Micro decide to seek out Gunner Henderson, a member of Frank’s former team, after Frank reveals that it was Gunner who filmed the execution of Zubair.
Meanwhile, we catch up with the nefarious “Agent Orange”, whom we formally met in the Kandahar episode. We learn that he is a high-ranking CIA Agent named William Rawlins that is actively working for the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. Frank’s physical assault in Afghanistan left Rollins blind in one eye. Rollins has the Homeland Security Office bugged, and we see him listen in on a conversation between Agent Madani and her partner Sam in which she name-drops Gunner Henderson, as one of several former members of Frank’s team that she wishes to speak with. This concerns Rawlins, who is later awarded the prestigious Distinguished Intelligence Medal before being offered a promotion by Marion James, who is actively pursuing the Position of CIA Director. Rawlins agrees to take James up on her offer, assuring her that there are no “skeletons” in his closet.
In Kentucky, Frank locates Gunner’s isolated off-the-grid residence, but as he calls out to his friend, Gunner nails him with an arrow shot. As Frank struggles to regain his composure while promising Gunner that he means him no harm, Gunner slowly approaches Frank, and they begin to speak. Frank asks why Gunner recorded the execution of Zubair and Gunner reveals that he’d become sickened and outraged after discovering that the corpses of soldiers who were killed in action were being used by Orange to smuggle heroin. Gunner made the disc with hopes of exposing the atrocities that the mysterious Orange was committing.
So, as viewers, we can now see the whole picture of the plot that is fueling this series: Agent Orange was essentially a drug lord that illegally sent Frank Castle’s Special Forces team into off-the-books missions and had them carry out a variety of off-the-books interrogations and executions in the name of “freedom.” The execution of Zubair was one such mission and a concerned Gunner covertly filmed the incident, hoping to expose Orange, a CIA operative. The footage was ultimately leaked by Gunner to David Lieberman. Agent Orange knew what such a leak would do to his career and his own freedom with it, and he errantly grew to believe that Frank Castle was responsible for the leak, hence the hit on Frank at the park that resulted in the deaths of his family, and hence the attempted hit on Micro by Carson Wolf. The conspiracy goes far deeper than Frank ever imagined, way beyond mobsters and biker gangs. Wolf and Schoonover are dead, and a trail of bodies has been left behind by Frank, but his violent journey will never be over as long as Agent Orange lives.
Rawlins has sent a tactical unit in to kill Henderson before Agent Madani can connect with him and Gunner and a wounded Frank are significantly outnumbered. They fight nonetheless, taking down soldier by soldier as Rawlins watches the video feed from his computer desk. Both Frank and Gunner take gunfire, but with help from Micro via a drone in the air, they conquer each of their assailants with Frank speaking into one of the soldiers’ body cams directly to Orange, promising the CIA Agent that he is coming for him. This noticeably rattles Rawlins, who know knows that The Punisher (the ultimate skeleton in his closet) is still alive.
Gunner was mortally wounded during the battle and Frank was rendered unconscious due to his own injuries. Micro whisks Frank away from the scene and begins nursing him back to health. Frank regains consciousness long enough to commend Micro for his efforts.
Elsewhere, Dinah sleeps with Billy Russo.
Outstanding episode that juggled a lot of moving pieces well!
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
The Judas Goat – Directed by Jeremy Webb. Written by Christine Boylan
Oh, Billy!
A concerned Micro reaches out to Frank’s friend Curtis to help him save Frank’s life. Curtis complies and as Frank formally regains consciousness, we see him beginning to appreciate Micro and even view him as a friend.
In the meantime, Billy Russo becomes enraged with Dinah when he discovers Frank Castle’s file amongst her belongings. Dinah pretty much laughs off Billy’s ensuing inquiries and Billy expresses that he feels used by Dinah, suggesting that their budding relationship was merely a means through which she could learn more about Castle. The argument with Dinah sparks renewed feelings within Billy that Frank may yet live, and he therefore begins reaching out to Frank through discreet radio communications channels. The thought of someone else believing that Frank is still alive concerns Micro, but Castle insists that Billy is like family to him and that he would never mean Frank any harm. Billy soon turns to Curtis with questions concerning Frank’s mortality, but Curtis does not come clean with Russo. Curtis does however inform Frank that Billy is close to the truth and Micro decides that Frank meeting with Billy might be the best possible solution for all parties involved.
Meanwhile, Dinah meets with Billy and comes clean with him, informing him that Frank is still alive.
Frank and Billy therefore have their reunion and after doing some catching up, Billy offers Frank an “out” from everything that he is mixed up in, offering to use Anvil to safely and covertly relocate Frank overseas where he can work for Billy’s company doing the things that he does best. Billy suggests that Frank make the move that very night and offers his support and friendship regardless of whatever steps that Frank decides to take.
After meeting with Russo, Frank visits Micro’s family, which is spiraling out of control. Her son is defiantly lashing out as we see in some very disturbing scenes, but Frank comforts Micro’s wife with words of encouragement that an overlooking Micro seems to appreciate as he promises that good things are in store for the Lieberman Family. This comforts Micro as well, as Frank’s words assure him that he and The Punisher will continue to work together despite Billy’s offer.
Frank fails to answer Billy’s invitation, and we see a frustrated Billy get into a car with …. “Agent Orange” William Rawlins! Billy and Rawlins are in cahoots, and that’s not good for Frank Castle!
For comic book readers, Billy’s turn wasn’t surprising, but the character had been very likeable up to this point and that made all of this sting, despite its predictability. I assume that Billy knew Frank was alive before Dinah told him (probably got the call from Rawlins following the debacle in Kentucky) and I also assume that Billy has been using Dinah far more than she has been using him. This is a tangled web for sure, and again, I’m here for it!
Also in this episode, we saw Lewis Wilson murder one of his outspoken conspiracy-driven companions from Curtis’ support group after being lied to and abandoned by the man while handing out flyers on the steps of the courthouse. That scene in particular was very disturbing as we saw Lewis stand up for his rights to a police officer that was wrongly ordering him to remove himself from the premises. In a blatant lie, the officer accused Lewis of going for his gun before handcuffing him and placing him under arrest. This incident further pushed Lewis over the edge, leading to the murder.
Six episodes in, I am LOVING The Punisher. This is upper echelon MCU stuff for me, in the league of Daredevil and Jessica Jones. The acting and the writing and the direction is all spot-on and hopefully, this series doesn’t tank over the course of its second half like Luke Cage: Season One did.
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Crosshairs – Directed by Andy Goddard. Written by Bruce Marshall Romans
This episode opens with Lewis Wilson returning to his father’s home and contemplating suicide, which he ultimately decides against. The former soldier continues to lose his grip on his own sanity, and we later see him construct some sort of bomb. Bad things are forthcoming.
At the Homeland Security Headquarters, Billy Russo visits Agent Madani and tells her that he had been unable to reach Frank Castle and that he still believes Frank is dead. Madani pleads her case however, referencing the events that transpired in Kentucky, which Billy privately knows all too well. Dinah’s partner Sam is none too thrilled about Billy being in the know about The Punisher’s status but stays true to his word nonetheless about keeping her secret. Later, Madani deduces that her office is bugged, and this provokes her to organize a faux sting operation in an effort to find out who it is that has been listening in on her.
Meanwhile, desperate to know the identity of Agent Orange, Frank and Micro make plans to raid the residence of one of Orange’s top associates: Colonel Morty Benett. This means sending Castle in as a one-man army in an effort to extract information from Benett’s phone. The raid stresses both Micro and Frank out in different ways – Micro because he fears that Frank may kill Benett, and Castle because he fears he may have to kill soldiers that are merely doing their jobs. Agent Orange is aware of this specific threat after learning that Castle yet lived and he meets with Billy in a tension-filled sequence that ends with the both of them agreeing to essentially use Bennett as bait.
Colonel Benett turns out to be quite the kinky little bastard and when Frank infiltrates his living quarters, a team led by none other than Billy Russo responds. Castle roughs Bennett up but refrains from killing him and he takes down several of Russo’s men before making a virtually clean getaway with his mission accomplished. Back in the van with Micro, Frank notes that doing things like he’d just done is much easier when he can simply kill people. Nice little comedic moment there.
An angry Benett meets with Russo and Rawlins and Agent Orange vows to bestow upon Bennett a new life in another Country. Russo goes on to kill Bennett, however. He calls Rawlins to confirm the kill. At that very moment, Frank (who has successfully tracked Rawlins’ location) prepares to fire a kill shot while Agent Orange is standing in front of a window. Castle fires a perfect shot that would have hit Rawlins right between the eyes, but his bullet fails to penetrate the glass.
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Cold Steel – Directed by Antonio Campos. Written by Felicia D. Henderson
After the big twist in episode six with Billy, I have to say that the producers of this series have quickly went all-in on displaying Billy’s villainous side. His arrogance has really come through as has his vindictiveness. In this episode, we learn that his dark side is fueled by a traumatic past. He was abandoned by his drug-addicted mother when he was a boy, and we see at the beginning of this episode that Billy is actively torturing his mom, keeping her sedated and bound at a nursing home that he himself pays the tab for. Billy hates his mom with passion and delights in her torture. Soon after this disturbing scene, we see Billy actively lying to Dinah while actively sleeping with her. Later still, Billy meets with Rawlins (whom he clearly doesn’t respect any more than he respected Colonel Bennett) and somewhat begrudgingly agrees to take the bait that Agent Madani has placed on the hook in her efforts to find out who has bugged her office and has been interfering in her investigation. Billy and Dinah are now on a collision course!
Elsewhere, Frank and Micro deduce that Agent orange is CIA operative William Rawlins. This mildly panics Micro, who is about to have a very bad day. After discovering that his feed to his family’s home has gone down, Micro insists that Frank check in on them. Frank does, and as he is investigating, Micro’s wife happens upon him. He presents her a bouquet of flowers and she invites him in for a drink. She confides in Frank the struggles that she’s been having with her son while mildly flirting with him. After he turns the feed back on for Micro, Frank decides against staying for dinner, but Micro’s wife insists he take a to-go item home. As he leaves, Sarah kisses him.
Frank returns to Micro to find him significantly inebriated. Seeing his wife kiss another man has left him in a horrible mental state. As the night goes on, Frank shares a few drinks with Micro, and these sequences are a lot of fun as we see them joking and laughing together. Frank appears to actually be having a good time until Micro suggests that they call Agent Dinah imminently and tell her everything. Frank ends up knocking David out in order to prevent this. The next morning, Frank does his best to cure Micro’s hangover while plainly telling him that he has zero interest in his wife and that contacting Madani is strictly off the table. As the two talk, Sarah calls Frank, requesting help with her son. Micro sends Frank over and watches as Sarah tells Frank that she found a large knife inside his bookbag. Frank agrees to talk with the boy and does his best to scare some sense into the kid, but Micro’s son quickly breaks, and Frank backs off, consoling the emotional young man who just doesn’t know how to handle the loss of his father and all of the ways that it has changed his life. After encouraging him as best he can, Frank and Zach throw a football around, but Micro has seen and had enough. David actually approaches Frank and Zach, sending Castle into a mild panic. David has broken; he cannot handle knowing how badly his absence is affecting the people that he loves more than anything in the world and he is ready to come clean, consequences be damned, but Frank talks him down.
I really felt for the Micro character here. He really is in a tough spot. He is both hopeful and hopeless at the same time. He knows what he is doing for his family is the best thing for them, but also understands how bad it is for them. He selflessly wants to protect them, but he selfishly needs them and fears that they are slowly slipping away from him, actively becoming people that he won’t recognize when his reunion with them transpires. Micro is a true hero and Frank knows that, but Micro wonders if his family will see it the same way.
This episode ends with Dinah’s faux sting operation as Billy’s Anvil men collide with her Homeland Security forces. There is a lot of bullets and a lot of blood in this sequence as both groups mow each other down. Knowing that Dinah cannot discover him, Billy makes an escape, only to encounter Dinah’s partner Sam. Billy removes his mask and shows a stunned Sam his face, then repeatedly stabs Sam before fleeing. Madani catches up to a fallen Sam and is devastated by the state of him. Choking on his own blood while she caresses him, Sam is unable to tell her who it was that took his life before bleeding out in her arms.
Back home and in a very creepy scene, Sam’s killer washes Sam’s blood off Madani in her bathtub.
Again, they’ve gone all-in on showing what a manipulative and narcissistic psychopath Billy Russo really is and Ben Barnes may be the best thing about this show, which continues to deliver with each and every episode.
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Front Toward Enemy – Directed by Marc Jobst. Written by Angela LaManna
Frank has conceded and he and Micro are now looking to meet with Agent Madani. We see them staked out atop a roof keeping an eye on Dinah, who is deeply mourning Sam’s death and juggling an immense amount of guilt. Soon, Frank and Micro’s attention is diverted by a nearby explosion. The culprit is of course, Lewis Wilson.
Following the domestic terrorist attack, Lewis writes a manifesto and mails it to Karen Page, threatening The Bulletin if they don’t print it. Karen is repulsed by the words that she reads but is open to printing it if only to give a response. Her boss Mitchell Ellison (a character that I probably don’t compliment enough) suggests they wait for approval from the FBI. Meanwhile, Frank is disgusted by the actions of Lewis, and decides that the bombings deserve his full attention, walking back on his agreement with Micro to approach Madani. From there, The Bulletin prints the manifesto and Karen lambasts Lewis, which concerns Frank as he knows this will make her a target. He quickly deduces the identity of Lewis after Lewis calls into a radio show that Karen appears on. Curtis Hoyle realizes that Lewis is the terrorist as well, and he confronts Lewis, only to be brutally beaten by his own prosthetic leg. In the meantime, Frank reaches out to Karen and lets her know that he is going to handle the situation as only he can.
Frank discovers Curtis severely wounded and strapped to a bomb. Lewis contacts Frank and declares that he has been inspired by The Punisher, but Castle denounces him. His apparent admiration for Frank does come in handy though, as Lewis ultimately tells Frank how to defuse the bomb strapped to Curtis. Cops are closing in on the scene however, prompting Frank to flee. As he does, his face is captured by police dashcam footage, and this creates a media frenzy. The public now knows that The Punisher is back.
Elsewhere, Micro takes it upon himself to approach Dinah alone at a local bar, outing William Rawlins as Agent Orange and telling her the truth about Kandahar. Micro tells her that he has evidence that will bring Rawlins down but insists that Madani will need Frank Castle’s cooperation to make the story stick, as he was in the room when Dinah’s former partner was killed. As they quietly talk, they see the news footage of Frank’s face being caught on the police dashcam.
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Virtue of the Vicious – Directed by Jim O’Hanlon. Written by Ken Kristensen
This was a different kind of episode of The Punisher as we sort of see the same singular event through different respective eyes. Lewis Wilson has targeted United States Senator Stan Ori, an anti-gun advocate who is planning a fund raiser for the victims of the bombings that Lewis orchestrated. Ironically, he has Anvil for security through Billy Russo.
Agent Madani comes clean to Homeland Security with everything that she knows, and her superior in turn informs her that every single one of the men that opposed her team in the faux sting operation were employed by Anvil. At the hotel where the Senator’s fundraiser is set to take place, Dinah confronts Billy over the Anvil reveal, but he of course, insists that he had nothing to do with the whole thing. Karen Page also arrives at the hotel to interview Senator Ori before the fundraiser and there are a lot of moving pieces here!
While Karen interviews Ori, Lewis covertly takes down an Anvil agent and steals his uniform, then blasts his way into the interview room. As Lewis targets Ori, Frank Castle arrives upon the scene, prompting Lewis (who is wearing an explosive belt) to take Karen hostage. Lewis enters an elevator with Karen and Frank gives chase, but he quickly encounters both Madani and Billy.
In what is a pivotal moment in this captivating series, Billy shoots at Frank and then declares that he will not allow Madani to arrest him. This interaction shows a heartbroken Frank that Billy is an enemy while Dinah deduces that Billy killed Sam. Before things can escalate any further, police arrive to arrest Billy and Dinah, giving Frank an opportunity to escape. Frank successfully rescues Karen and Lewis blows himself up. Frank then eludes capture while Karen, Senator Ori, Billy, and Dinah are all interrogated by the NYPD and ultimately released.
Stellar episode!
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Danger Close – Directed by Kevin Hooks. Written by Felicia D. Henderson
Powerful opening to this episode as Frank, angry at Micro for going to Agent Madani without him, declares that his partnership with Mirco is over while taking on the mantle of The Punisher again, complete with skull logo. Before Castle can leave Micro behind however, the pair discover that trouble has come to the Lieberman Family door with Sarah and Zach getting abducted and Leo escaping alone. Knowing that he and Micro’s hideout has been discovered by their enemies through Sarah’s phone, Frank urges Micro to go to Leo while vowing to extract the whereabouts of Sarah and Zach from whoever comes to find them.
I loved seeing Micro reunite with Leo and the long and bloody sequence of Frank mowing through all of the men that were sent to bring him in was incredible. Said sequence ends with Frank speaking on the phone with Billy, who proposes a trade: Sarah and Leo for Frank and Micro. Frank agrees but goes to Madani before reconvening with Micro and Leo.
Elsewhere, Rawlins offers Billy Russo up as a scapegoat to his CIA boss in the culmination of three different sequences that first see him tell her that there are skeletons in his closet after all and then see her interrogated by Homeland Security. These scenes show that she is disgusted with the past and present actions of Agent Orange, but begrudgingly approves him using her resources to get to Castle nonetheless, in the name of their Country and her own political career.
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Home – Directed by Jet Wilkinson. Written by Dario Scardapane
Frank gives a full confession to the events that took place in Kandahar for Agent Madani, verbally and on the record outing the involvement of both William Rawlins and Billy Russo, and even himself, admitting that he was the soldier who delivered the kill shot to Ahmad Zubair, which noticeably disturbs Agent Madani. Micro meanwhile is not so willing to come clean with Madani, insisting that he will not do so until his wife and son are safe.
Dinah, Micro, and Frank devise a complex ruse that sees Micro agree to take a few bullets from Homeland Security during the previously negotiated exchange so that their enemies will believe Lieberman to be dead. Frank meanwhile will get taken into custody (which Frank wants so he can kill Rawlins and Russo).
All of this is really well done from Frank urging Micro to stick to the plan and Micro declaring how much he appreciates Frank. The exchange is a very suspenseful sequence and when Micro went down, I actually thought he’d been killed, and was thrilled to see that that part of it was a ruse. The subsequent reunion scene with Micro and Sarah and both of his children was raw, emotional, and touching and I loved all of that.
Meanwhile, Frank is enduring absolute hell. Frank has been taken back to he and Micro’s hideout where Russo and Rawlins need him to stop the ongoing countdown on Micro’s computer that they presume will out them and their crimes when it hits zero. Micro being killed was not a part of their plan, and Russo and Rawlins are feeling desperate as they begin to interrogate and torture The Punisher. It starts with emotion as Billy admits that he knew about the hit on Castle’s family and while refusing to take direct part in it, didn’t do anything stop it. Frank promises to kill Billy, but Russo is unphased, simply offering Frank one of two deaths: easy or difficult.
Rawlins then enters the room and it’s time for pain. Rawlins viciously and maniacally beats Frank, savoring each punch and every drop of blood. Frank does his best to laugh off much of it, but there is only so much that even he can take, and he begins slipping in-and-out of consciousness, experiencing visions of his beloved wife.
In a really interesting scene, we see that Billy Russo is disturbed by seeing Frank endure all of this, which suggests that in his own way, Russo does harbor some sort of affection for Castle. He promises Frank a merciful death if he will shut down the compute countdown and Frank agrees to take Billy up on his offer.
Frank does what he said he would do, but his actions result in two things happening: one, a live feed of the hideout is triggered online and two, Frank commandeers a knife that had been placed under the desk. Castle lunges at Agent Orange, stabbing him in the chest and viciously biting him. This sends Rawlins into a rage and Frank undergoes more torture and more beating. As Rawlins voices his maniacal intentions, Billy interrupts him, saying that he’d promised Frank a quick and painless death, but Rawlins not only refuses to grant Frank that, but ignorantly belittles Russo. This prompts Billy to covertly free Frank from his restraints and the result is glorious!
Castle violently assaults Rawlins, repeatedly stabbing him in the chest and throat and then gouging his eyes out as he chokes on his own blood. Rawlins is finally dead and what an incredible sequence this was! Just barely clinging to his life, Frank tells Billy that he will regret not being able to see Billy’s face during what’s coming next. Billy, not knowing that the countdown was a ruse and that Madani already had everything she needed to bring Russo and Rawlins down, is confused until Madai and her team storm the hideout. Billy is shot in the arm but manages to get away while Micro (who broke his promise not to interfere with Castle’s torture / revenge) rushes to Frank’s side and begs him to hold on.
This was an absolutely amazing episode of what has been a fantastic series! I need to commend actor Paul Schulze for his performance as William Rawlins, particularly in the Frank Castle torture scenes. He made me want to see his character die and that was his job, and he was appropriately devious and cowardly and petty and vindictive and disgusting. As for Jon Bernthal, what more can I say? He has had so many memorable scenes as The Punisher from Daredevil: Season Two to this series, but these torture scenes may have been his best. Watching the emotion pour out of him when he realizes the depth of Billy’s betrayal and then seeing the pure rage in his eyes when he goes into Punisher mode … it really is some exceptional acting. The blank stares and the primal roars make those rare moments of tears and smiles all the more meaningful and he is oftentimes as scary as he is likable. He is a character that is in constant mourning while juggling guilt with vengeance and The Punisher has been brought to life a few times before on film, but no one has captured the spirit of the character like Jon Bernthal. He is the quintessential Frank Castle!
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Memento Mori – Directed by Stephen Surjik. Written by Steve Lightfoot
I went into this episode wanting one simple thing: The Punisher vs Billy Russo and that’s what I got, and it was epic!
The episode opened with Dinah and Micro taking Frank to Dinah’s parents where her father (a doctor) saves Castle’s life. Meanwhile, Homeland Security forces go after Billy Russo at his residence, but he is ready for them and mows through each of them with ease. From there, Billy goes to meet with Curtis, where Frank tries to take Russo down with sniper shots. Billy shoots Curtis in the shoulder and Frank contacts Russo on Curtis’ phone. Billy agrees to spare Curtis in exchange for a showdown with Frank at a place of his choosing. He chooses the Carousel in Central Park.
We get a really great flashback to Billy spending time with Frank and his family at the Carousel. From there, Billy takes two Carousel employees hostage and waits for The Punisher. Frank and Billy both land shots on one another with Billy getting hit in the mouth. Due to the hostage situation, Frank cannot merely charge in and take Billy down and Russo takes advantage of this. As the tension escalates, Agent Madani arrives to provide Frank with backup, and Russo shoots her in the head. The distraction allows Frank to charge at Russo and he disarms him. Frank throws Billy to the ground and begins to pummel him. Russo uses his knife to gain an advantage, but Frank counters by grabbing a shard of glass that had been shattered on the Carousel during the fight and he stabs Billy in the stomach. Billy is severely wounded, and Frank now has the advantage again. Frank begins rubbing Billy’s face into the broken glass, slicing Russo’s flesh. As he does this, he informs Billy that he is not going to kill him after all as he wants Russo to live with the pain of being permanently disfigured and the knowledge that it was The Punisher who did it to him.
Frank then tends to the hostages and to Dinah, who goes on to live.
Frank is granted a clean slate by the CIA and Homeland Security for his many sacrifices, and he learns that Billy Russo did in fact live and has undergone several rounds of surgery. Doctors are unsure whether he will suffer brain damage or memory loss. Frank and Micro go their separate ways with Micro returning home to his family and Frank at long last taking part in the counseling sessions that Curtis hosts.
Both Micro and The Punisher are free men.
I loved the Castle vs Russo fight, and I loved this finale and where all of the respective pieces landed, and I loved this series. Yes, it was heavy at times, but it was the most grounded and violent production in MCU history, and it served as a perfect character adaptation of The Punisher in terms of bringing the source material to life. The writing, directing, and acting were all phenomenal and this is without question top shelf MCU stuff.
Go out of your way to watch this one if you haven’t already seen it.
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Highlights of The Punisher: Season One:
Jon Bernthal is Frank Castle
Ebon-Moss Bachrach as Micro
Ben Barnes as Billy Russo
Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani
Chemistry between Jon Bernthal and Ebon-Moss Bachrach
Jamie Ray Newman as Sarah Lieberman
Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle
Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
Paul Schulze is appropriately despicable as William Rawlins
Frank Castle vs Billy Russo
All of the Military flashbacks to Frank’s past
Frank Castle vs Agent Orange
Violence, gore, politics, and suspense that elevate action sequences and effectively keeps the show grounded in a way that makes this production one of the most realistic of any within the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Marvel Entertainment / The Walt Disney Company
Notable MCU Concepts and Characters Introduced:
David “Micro” Lieberman and his wife Sarah and their kids, Agent Dinah Madani, Agent Orange, and Billy Russo.
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