"Front Toward Enemy" Continues The Punisher's Sense Of Consequences Strong!

The Good: Good performances, Decent character development, Good direction and writing, Decent philosophical balance
The Bad: Simplistic plot and development
The Basics: "Front Toward Enemy" puts The Punisher in conflict with Lewis Wilson when Wilson sets off his bombs and threatens Karen Page!


One of the inevitable problems with creating a perfect, or near-perfect, episode of television is that following it up almost inevitably becomes a little bit disappointing. The truth is, I never expected The Punisher to have that type of problem because it was hard to imagine that the show would rise that high. And yet, with "Cold Steel" (reviewed here!), The Punisher took what was usually a formulaic certainty for the Marvel Television Universe and made it feel fresh again through the intensity of the characters involved. So, "Front Toward Enemy" begins at a place that is conceptually an uphill battle given the quality of the prior episode. Despite that, "Front Toward Enemy" makes for a surprisingly gripping hour of television by returning to Lewis Wilson and his post-combat, post-return trauma storyline.

"Front Toward Enemy" is impossible to discuss without some references to precisely where "Cold Steel" ended because of how it deals with the consequences of the prior episode. After all, "Cold Steel" climaxed with Madani's operation intended to root out Agent Orange by baiting a trap with the idea that Frank Castle was coming for bullets that Homeland Security is monitoring. The trap drew out Russo and a small team of mercenaries and Madani's operation ended with heavy casualties on both sides, including Russo murdering Stein.

Madani is depressed about the failure of her operation and the death of her partner and she allows her mother to minister to her. Castle and Lieberman monitor Madani from across the street and are shocked when a bomb goes off on street level nearby. The bombing was one of three explosions at government facilities . . . bombs created by Lewis. Lewis sends a letter to Karen Page at the Bulletin, asking her to print his letter and threatening to kill more people if she does not. Back at the lair, Castle and Lieberman watch footage of the bombing and Castle is offended by the terrorist act. Rafael Hernandez visits Madani at her mother's home to try to find out what happened with her operation.

Karen Page responds to the bomber publicly in print and then on the radio. Lewis calls in to the radio program Page is on and threatens her while Frank Castle listens on. When Lewis says "Sic Semper Tyrannis," Castle figures out that the bomber is Lewis and he tasks Lieberman with finding him. Hoyle, however, manages to get to Lewis first and the resulting fight leaves Hoyle beaten almost to death. Castle calls Page and Page implores him to turn the identity of the bomber over to the F.B.I. Lieberman, however, finds where Hoyle has gone and Castle rushes over to try to stop Lewis Wilson and save Curtis Hoyle. The Punisher finds himself over his head when he tries to figure out how to defuse the bomb Wilson left on Hoyle. At the same time, Madani decides to take a stand at Stein's funeral, but meets with an unexpected person on her way to the event.

"Front Toward Enemy" is an interesting detour that picks Lewis Wilson's story back up and the reappearance of Karen Page in The Punisher's narrative is a nice way to tie the series back to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Page continues her character arc of being ballsy and assertive as a writer for the New York Bulletin. Page has transitioned nicely from being a damsel in distress to a strong character in her own right. In "Front Toward Enemy," Page takes a stand and actually baits the terrorist who makes the bombing personal to her.

The real important issue in "Front Toward Enemy" is that The Punisher, which has a tendency to be viewed as a pro-military, pro-America, honestly more redneck appealing comic book, actually has a dialogue about terrorism and the Second Amendment. "Front Toward Enemy" makes the implicit argument that militias and other reactionary groups are fundamentally anti-American and that the Second Amendment is not intended to be an absolute right. It is impressive that The Punisher uses the opportunity to speak to its potentially more conservative audience with a reasoned argument that tries to balance the liberal desire for fewer gun deaths with the reactionary arguments about gun rights and vigilante justice.

More than an issue-driven story, "Front Toward Enemy" continues the trend in The Punisher to have the characters drive the plot. Madani's grief and trauma are explored with realism that might not make great television, but they make Madani's character pop and make her relatable. Madani continues to trust Russo and the viewer waits for Russo to make a slip of the tongue, the way Madani does when she notes that Russo was not at the operation where Stein lost his life. Lewis Wilson's transition from patriotic soldier to deluded terrorist is handled with appropriate philosophical delusions. Wilson has become brutal and fails to equate his actions and perspective with those of an enemy of the state. The writing for the episode is sharp and complicated on the philosophical front.

The make-up in "Front Toward Enemy" is absolutely brutal. When Castle finds Hoyle, the carnage makes the character unrecognizable. It is agonizing to see Hoyle so beaten and the make-up is so well done that the entire scene between Castle and Hoyle is difficult to watch for how Moore looks.

Daniel Webber manages to find the right balance in "Front Toward Enemy" between philosophically angry, coldly delusional and twitchy as fuck. Jon Bernthal continues to make Frank Castle the embodiment of masculinity and emotionalism. In "Front Toward Enemy," Castle tells the story of his relationship with Curtis Hoyle's lost leg and Bernthal makes a scene where Castle is simply telling a story into intense and heartwrenching television. The cold anger Bernthal presents while Castle and Wilson are squared off is intense and Bernthal taps into his dark side for his delivery of the lines in a powerful way.

The real magic of "Front Toward Enemy" is that The Punisher continues to transition from a potentially monolithic character plagued by an insatiable thirst for revenge into a well-motivated, deep character whose philosophical core remains surprisingly patriotic in a real (not faux, flag-waving) way.

And "Front Toward Enemy" continues to, delightfully, defy the expectations of a Marvel Cinematic Universe television show by making a military story with realism and a character-driven exploration of trauma that is unlike anything else in the MCU!

For other works with Tony Plana, please visit my reviews of:
One Day At A Time - Season 1
Pain & Gain
The West Wing - Season 2
"The Maquis, Part II" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"The Maquis, Part I" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

8.5/10

For other Marvel Cinematic Universe reviews, please visit my best to worst listing at the Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Uncomfortable Dichotomy Of "Just To Get A Rep!"

The Good: Excellent performances, Good character development, Direction
The Bad: Simple and predictable plot, Dillard's absence in the climax of the episode
The Basics: "Just To Get A Rep" is a Luke Cage episode that is split between obvious and uplifting, wonderful oratory and excessive use of the word "nigger."


By the time "Just To Get A Rep" begins, those watching Luke Cage are ready to have a frank discussion about the word "nigger." The topic is not a comfortable one, but given that the opening number in "Just To Get A Rep" throws the word around a lot before it is spoken by characters multiple times in the episode, there is no point pretending "nigger" isn't part of the Luke Cage vernacular. The character Luke Cage openly rejects the use of the word "nigger" and refuses to be treated like one, whereas many of the other characters throw the word around. And in Luke Cage many of the thugs are not throwing around the "affectionate" variation "nigga;" no, Luke Cage is packed with black characters calling one another "nigger." That's a tough thing to watch and reconcile.

For sure, viewers are supposed to understand that "nigger" is part of the vernacular of Harlem and using the word adds an authenticity to the setting that viewers would recognize as missing if it were not present. But by "Just To Get A Rep," the word "nigger" has been used on-screen and in the music that plays throughout the episode so much that it is just uncomfortable to watch Luke Cage. While Luke Cage is definitely intended to appeal to a black audience by giving viewers a hero they can cheer for because he very clearly represents their common experience, Luke Cage is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the MCU has very wide popular appeal, the majority of the audience that has made the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a blockbuster franchise worth billions is white.

It is worth bringing up the use of the word "nigger" in Luke Cage at the outset of a review of "Just To Get A Rep" because a predominantly white audience is going to be made inherently uncomfortable by the prevalence of the word in Luke Cage. People who think like that - for whom "nigger" is part of their worldview of black people - think lowly of black people and pretty much everyone else. There is something intensely unsettling about frontloading the word "nigger" in an episode and then having one of the clearest lines of the episode being a young black woman "pleading the Eighth" (when she means "plead the Fifth"). "Just To Get A Rep" prominently features black characters using the word "nigger" as a pejorative along with an ignorant black character who people with hate in their hearts assume is the norm for black people. In other words, it is hard to be a part of the discussion on ethnicity and ignorance, "nigger" as slang vs. pejorative, use of it from white people vs. black people, when black characters are presented as both ignorant and angry. While the episode climaxes with two characters giving very articulate orations, the viewer who considers such things has to wrestle with the fact that the diction and philosophies presented are done so at essentially equal levels between the character who throws around the word "nigger" and the one who rejects it. Luke Cage objects whenever anyone calls him "nigger" and rejects the thought behind it, but he speaks as well and seems to have as much love for Harlem as Stokes, who throws the word around plenty and constantly utilizes the services of people using the word. As with so many things, Luke Cage is troubling because it makes it impossible to dismiss the word "nigger" as an arcane, hate-filled word that should not be used by anyone of any ethnicity, because the heroes and villains of the episode use it or are surrounded by it in equal measure.

"Just To Get A Rep" picks the story back up from where the show was focused in "Who's Gonna Take The Weight?" (reviewed here!) because "Step In The Arena" (reviewed here!) was very much a divergence from the prior episode. "Step In The Arena" was split between simply digging Luke Cage and Connie out of the physical hole they were in, while the main plotline came to a standstill. "Just To Get A Rep" deals with the ramifications of "Who's Gonna Take The Weight?" well.

While Stokes watches a performance in the Harlem Paradise Club, Claire Temple is robbed elsewhere in Harlem. Temple chases down her assailant and takes back her purse, while Stokes learns that the robbing of the Crispus Attucks Center left him broke. Stokes charges his people with going to the streets of Harlem to take money off the business owners there. Shades Alvarez doubts his potential effectiveness, but Stokes's goons take to the streets and tell everyone they rob that the protection money is being taken because of Luke Cage. When Aisha's father's baseball ring is stolen, she comes after Luke Cage. At the barber shop, Dapper Dan dresses Luke Cage for Pop's funeral. When Aisha comes in, though, the well-dressed Luke Cage goes through Harlem getting back what was taken for a musician, a stripper, and Aisha.

Shades advises Stokes to sell off the club, which Stokes rejects. Luke Cage arrives and in the fight that Stokes's goons initiate, Shades recognizes Luke Cage for who he was in prison. As Claire Temple tries to figure out her place in the world while talking to her mom, Shades shows Stokes footage of a prototype weapon that might be enough to stop Luke Cage. Knight is told that Scarfe is under IAB investigation. Stokes wants the guns from the junkyard trade back in order to get good with Domingo and Diamondback, so Scarfe is put on recovering them from the gun disposal unit. While Stokes and Cage are among those who speak at Pop's funeral, Scarfe considers rejecting his predicament instead of doing Stokes's bidding.

"Just To Get A Rep" might have a complicated element to the philosophy behind it, but it is a generally simple hour of television. Stokes reacts to losing his influence and Luke Cage goes to the streets to protect the citizens of Harlem from his dramatic overreaction before Pop's funeral. But "Just To Get A Rep" is solidly entertaining. Cornell Stokes attempts to seize power and, once he figures out Luke Cage's true nature, he tries to inspire the community to rally to his perspective. And it works until Luke Cage speaks.

Luke Cage's oration at Pop's funeral is the stuff of great inspirational speeches and while it is wonderful, those who are watching Luke Cage as a season will find it somewhat odd that it is coming from Luke Cage. Mariah Dillard is noticeably absent from "Just To Get A Rep." While it makes sense that Cornell Stokes would use Pop's funeral to try to advance his agenda, he is a known criminal surrounded by criminals. Dillard plays politics and the huge community funeral seems like an opportunity for her and her absence is palpable. But also, several likes Luke Cage delivers sound exactly like things one would expect from a career politician like Mariah Dillard. In that way, "Just To Get A Rep" seems to be servicing the episode's plot and conflict more than a realistic sense of the Harlem setting in Luke Cage.

One of the best acting moments in "Just To Get A Rep" comes from Theo Rossi's performance of epiphany. As Shades Alvarez recognizes Luke Cage - which, following on the heels of "Step In The Arena," finally makes sense as Cage's baldness and clean-shaven look is entirely different from his look as Carl Lucas - as the man he once knew as Carl Lucas, Rossi gives an incredible reaction. Director Marc Jobst almost misses a key opportunity to capture the shot by framing it so far back, but Rossi manages to project his look so the reaction is a great one of true revelation to his character.

Mike Colter continues to deliver an amazing performance in "Just To Get A Rep." Anyone able to watch the episode and not admit that Colter is one of the best-looking actors of all time, is either blind or has a very odd measure for beauty. But in "Just To Get A Rep," Colter proves once again that it is more than just the clothes that make a man and his inspirational speech at Pop's funeral makes the audience completely believe in Luke Cage. Luke Cage is presented in "Just To Get A Rep" as a man of action who speaks like a hope-inspired politician. It's a wonderful combination of character attributes to define a hero and Colter sells the balance amazingly well.

Mahershala Ali does well with portraying Cornell Stokes in "Just To Get A Rep." Stokes is a man losing everything who is not aware of just how far he has fallen. Ali does an excellent job of playing Stokes as smart-enough to be a contender in Harlem's mob culture by the way he plays Stokes formulating his strategy for getting the weapons Diamondback has. Ali matches Colter for his level of screen presence, which complicates the debate surrounding the two characters and their positions in Harlem.

Jidenna opens "Just To Get A Rep" with an impressive performance, even if it is riddled with him throwing around the word "nigga" and its more potent variant. The song is good and his stage presence is energetic, even if he slurs the refrain. The return of Claire Temple to the narrative is enough to thrill anyone who loves the other elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but her return serves no real function within the episode itself.

"Just To Get A Rep" might spark a genuine conversation among its viewers about the uncomfortable language that is shared among blacks and those racist against blacks, but on its own it barely advances the Luke Cage story.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Luke Cage - The Complete First Season, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the debut season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Frank Whaley, please visit my reviews of:
World Trade Center
Swimming With Sharks
Pulp Fiction

7/10

For other Marvel movie, television season and episode reviews, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a listing of those reviews!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Philosophy And Amazing Direction Make "New York's Finest" The Peak Of Daredevil!

The Good: Direction, Acting, Character development, Plot development/serialization.
The Bad: None!
The Basics: Long scenes of dialogue and unbroken fights pit Daredevil against The Punisher in a philosophical battle that allows Daredevil to finally achieve a perfect episode!


Throughout my reviews of the second season of Daredevil thus far, I have refrained from commenting on the actor of Jon Bernthal, who plays Frank Castle. The truth is, for the first two episodes of the season, Bernthal has played Castle well within the range of what one might expect, given his performances in the first and second seasons of The Walking Dead (season two is reviewed here!). That makes his early performances on Daredevil a function of good casting, as opposed to genuinely fresh acting. That changes for Bernthal in "New York's Finest." "New York's Finest" allows Jon Bernthal to show off his acting chops as Frank Castle is finally given real dialogue and Bernthal nails the emotional intensity of every second amazingly well.

Between the interplay of Jon Bernthal and Charlie Cox as The Punisher and Daredevil and the amazing direction from Marc Jobst, "New York's Finest" is the essential episode from the second season of Daredevil to watch. In fact, "New York's Finest" manages to do what only the Jessica Jones episode "AKA WWJD?" (reviewed here!) managed to do for the Marvel Cinematic Universe before; it creates a perfect hour of television!

"New York's Finest" picks up immediately after "Dogs To A Gunfight" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible, as a result, to discuss it without spoilers of the prior episode's ending. "Dogs To A Gunfight" climaxed with D.A. Reyes's use of Nelson & Murdock's law firm and Grotto as a trap to draw out The Punisher. The disastrous plan led to Daredevil being captured by The Punisher and Reyes's plan falling apart.

Opening with Matt Murdock dreaming of a nun (presumably his, unbeknownst to him, mother), Daredevil awakens on a rooftop chained up by The Punisher. Page and Nelson confront Reyes in the wake of the botched trap to draw out Frank Castle, while Murdock witnesses Castle setting up for his next hit. Foggy Nelson goes looking for Claire Temple at Metro General, suspecting Murdock is going to need medical attention, witnessing the carnage the gang war in Hell's Kitchen has wrought. Page returns to the office, where Grotto calls and reveals he is fleeing Hell's Kitchen.

While Daredevil and The Punisher discuss their motivations, Nelson finds Temple and warns her that Matt is up against the man who is filling her emergency room with bleeding bodies. After a tense encounter whereby Frank Castle talks his way out of killing the building's night watchman when he finds Castle on the roof of the building, Page has a conversation with Assistant D.A. Tower. Page gets information on The Punisher, while Foggy negotiated with two thugs to disarm a tense standoff in the hospital. When Frank Castle brings Grotto to the rooftop after taping a gun into Matt Murdock's hand, the situation on the rooftop deteriorates rapidly. Castle's choice of rooftops is revealed to be entirely planned as he rains fiery hell down upon the Dogs Of Hell bar below, which forces Daredevil to save his adversary's life from the bloodthirsty bikers!

"New York's Finest" is an intense episode of Daredevil and a great hour of television. Long before the action starts in the episode, "New York's Finest" uses the bulk of the episode to do what seldom happens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; characters talk. Frank Castle and Matt Murdock have a genuine debate about their natures and the conversation is insightful, intelligently written and powerfully-delivered. "New York's Finest" is the closest Daredevil has gotten to producing an episode of television in the realm of greatness of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Duet" (reviewed here!). The philosophy and larger themes in "New York's Finest" resonate well outside the confines of the Daredevil universe. The long scenes of dialogue between the season's primary protagonist and antagonist are unlike most anything on television.

More than that, the first major act that features Daredevil and The Punisher squaring off to talk, is one of several long pieces in "New York's Finest." Unbroken until the building manager comes to the roof, "New York's Finest" exhibits just how good television direction and editing can be. It would be utterly unsurprising to me to learn that the scene was Bernthal's audition for Daredevil; the patter and timing between Bernthal and Cox is so effortless and natural feeling. The timing feels fresh and the scene - which is just two people talking - moves along at a great pace, it is so engaging. Bespite the unfortunate rhyme in a key bit of dialogue, the exchanges between Daredevil and The Punisher are amazingly good television.

"New York's Finest" is not just talk, though. If the episode is not nominated for both Best Direction and Best Editing Emmys, then the awards truly are rigged. The episode climaxes with a stairwell fight scene that is absolutely amazing direction. I've watched the episode multiple times now, but the stairwell fight scene even more; I can only find one cut in it! The long shot is expertly choreographed and cut and it is so much more than most television fight sequences. It is awardworthy.

Karen Page's part in "New York's Finest" is to expose that a conspiracy exists surrounding Frank Castle and in this episode, she gets key information that there is something more to Castle than initially appears. Despite all of the new character elements in "New York's Finest," fans of Daredevil and the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe will appreciate how Claire Temple resurfaces. The return of Rosario Dawson's character is a thrill and the allusion to her working off her punishment for her actions at the climax Jessica Jones (reviewed here!), before it is made explicit, is a fun connection for the fans.

"New York's Finest" is an episode of Daredevil that assuages the fears of fans who were worried that The Punisher would completely overwhelm the second season of the show. The conflict between Daredevil and The Punisher transitions from philosophical to physical in a very organic way, but the sense of resolution at the end of the episode is palpable, making it feel much more satisfying than a part of a larger narrative. Between the quality of the performances, direction, philosophy, and character development, "New York's Finest" is one of the best episodes of television I've ever reviewed!

For other works with Charlie Cox, please visit my reviews of:
The Theory Of Everything
Daredevil - Season 1

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Daredevil - The Complete Second Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the sophomore season of the blind vigilante here!
Thanks!]

10/10

For other television episode and movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, please visit my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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