There are some comic characters who always operate at their best when you’re beating them down. While the likes of Superman or the Fantastic Four are shining examples of hope and humanity that double down on being nice and heroic, there are others who do their best work while in a state of near-constant torment as they crawl through the carnage of their own lives. While obvious candidates such as Batman and Wolverine are best served by at least being sizably disgruntled at all times, the Punisher has always benefited the most when tasting the sting of an emotional and physical lash.
It’s high time that the makers of Netflix’s The Punisher realised that too and with the penultimate episode of season 1 upon us, we get to see just how much torment big Frank is willing to endure just to obtain the sliver of a chance at getting payback. Strap in, because it isn’t going to be pretty and it isn’t going to be pleasant – but then that’s just the way Frank likes it…
After creating a sizable hole in Anvil’s workforce by massacring the men sent to Micro’s hideout, Frank finally relents to his partner’s pleas and turns himself in to Agent Madani. Going on record to finally document all the shady shit that emerged from operation Cerberus, Frank not only details the drug operations and names the conspirators both living and dead, he also admits that it was he who shot Madani’s partner, Ahmad Zubair under orders which is something she wasn’t actually aware of. However, when it come time for Micro to spill, he holds back, using what he knows as leverage in order to convince Madani to go along with a risky plan to get back his kidnapped wife and son from Billy Russo.
Before we know it, we’re at a prisoner trade where Russo has agreed to turn over Sarah and Zach back over to Homeland Security if Castle and Micro is handed back to them in return. Of course nothing really goes to plan in these things and in the ensuing chaos, Lieberman’s family is saved while Micro seems to take some friendly fire in the back as Frank is spirited away by Russo’s men. However, this is ultimately revealed to be something of a bait and switch that not only serves to rescue Micro’s family while allowing Russo men to believe he’s dead once again (he isn’t, much to the relief of his wife), but it puts Frank in the belly of the beast and within arms reach of the men he’s desperate to kill.
Sure enough, the slippery Rawlins shows up, eager to get his pound of flesh for all the damage Castle has caused, but has he ruthlessly tortures the Punisher to get the codes they need to access and delete the files on them in Micro’s computer system, Billy starts to think that he might actually be better off without his raging boss.
And Frank? All Frank has to do is somehow stay alive throughout his brutal ordeal and wait for that one second when everyone lets their guard down enough for him to strike. But can his battered, bleeding body hold out until the opportunity arises?
If the last episode served to remind us just how much damage Castle can inflict, then “Home” helpfully jogs our memory concerning how much punishment he can take as the lion’s share of the episode involves Bernthal coated in blood while desperately trying to remain compos mentis. The last time we saw Frank in a state like this is when a member of the Kitchen Irish was taking a power drill to his legs during season 2 of Daredevil. However, in keeping with the run of episodes that finally figured out what the show was about, the acts of savage retribution carried out upon the irrepressible vigilante, manage to be just more than random acts of violence and we get even more of an insight into the complex animal that is Frank Castle.
As he absorbs the typical amount of outlandish damage that’s appropriate to a Nexfix Marvel show (Iron Fist could never), we see that he keeps drifting in and out of consciousness to spend idealised moments with his dead wife repeatedly set to Paul Weller singing You Do Something To Me. Whether making love or dancing at their wedding, Castle keeps floating back to his happy place while first Russo, then Rawlins start treating like their own personal stress ball. The scene almost perfectly illiterates one of the things I love most about the character and it isn’t emptying clips into criminals.
If always seen Frank as a massively tragic character who, in the rage of losing his family also, loses himself within a terrible ideal and various comic runs have played with the concept with Castle willingly giving the last parts of himself over to his war and here we also find the image of Maria urging him to let go and join her. The thing is, the whole thing is a trap and the fact that Castle is back at Micro’s hide out means that a secret camera gets operated to essentially film Russo and Rawlins red handed. Simply put, if Frank was to let go and die, he’d still technically win – however, that simply isn’t enough for Frank’s bottomless rage and instead of fading with his wife’s embrace, he makes damn sure he gets to shoot his shot when he can; and by fuck does he get it.
Thanks to a characteristically spot of self preservation and a large amount of self reflection, Russo frees Frank who takes devestating revenge against the man who ordered his wayward hit in the first place and it proves to be horrific and cathartic all at once. But the fact that the man rejected eternal peace (even imaginary) to settle his hash by tearing a man to bits like an animal proves to be not only deeply sad, but it’s yet another moment that the show perfectly nails it’s title character.
Elsewhere we find everyone shuffling around in order to be in prime position for the finale. Lieberman finally gets to reveal that he’s still alive to his family – before faking his dead yet again and then “ressurecting” once more. To be fair, Sarah takes it far better than I would and even Madani starts to agree with Daredevil and Karen Page before her and agree that in extreme cases, Castle way proves to be the only way to guarantee results. However, it’s Russo who is finally starting to come into his own as he remains the last guy left that Frank needs to get even with. While not actually involved on the attack on Frank that killed his family, Russo admits that he did know about it and said nothing in order to keep his wealth rolling in. Of course, this means that smug old Billy has probably shuffled a few more steps towards becoming his comic’s namesake, Jigsaw, but I’m glad the show is giving him a chance to cut loose before the Punisher gets to literally rearrange his face.
With only one episode left to go, I’m hugely relieved that that the show is going great guns (pun intended) while displaying that it truly does understand the tragedy of the man behind the skull. Yes, watching badnicks get hollowed out by vengeful gunfire is a massive draw whenever the Punisher is on the beat, but the fact that writers recognise that there’s more going beneath the surface that reminds us that Frank becoming his alter ego is actually a bad thing. It’s a massive character point that Bernthal jumps on to genuinely moving effect as he shows that Punisher is getting punished just as much as his victims.
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