The Most Consistently Wonderful Component Of The Marvel Cinematic Universe Is . . . The Punisher Season 1!

The Good: Impressive acting, Good themes, Engaging characters, Surprisingly smart plot and character development, Artful direction
The Bad: Problematic set-up. Moments of predictability.
The Basics: Netflix manages to create a work of surprising genius and greatness for the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the first season of The Punisher!


For all of its creativity and its high production values and the caliber of performers drawn to it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become unfortunately stale. The general concept of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has steadily developed from a few fantastic characters existing within a familiar and realistic world to an expansive setting populated by aliens, gods, and artifacts of virtually unlimited power. The plots have become something of a repetitive epic: the hero story played out with varying degrees of power and personality with familiar villains each equipped with their fatal flaw. In the blockbuster film portion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are very few surprises left to be had; the films now tread toward the safe and familiar as opposed to the audacious and groundbreaking.

But in the television section of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are still some surprises to be had. And the greatest surprise of the franchise is the overwhelming quality of The Punisher Season 1.

Netflix has a pretty strong record with creating great television and its contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been erratic - like the blockbuster film section they started amazing and became unfortunately more predictable and familiar. Netflix made a safe bet when it began developing Daredevil and it showed took an impressive risk with Jessica Jones Season 1 (reviewed here!) - which I, admittedly, probably underrated and has become the element of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I have returned to more than any other. With the success of Daredevil Season 1 (reviewed here!), Netflix fast-tracked the development of The Punisher Season 1 and the truth is I did not care when it was first announced.

I had no interest in The Punisher Season 1; I have no real interest in the comic book source material. In the Marvel Comic books that I've read in which The Punisher has made a guest appearance, he was a gun-toting maniac with no real depth or character. Daredevil Season 2 did a fine job of making Frank Castle into an interesting-enough character who was not monolithic, but the show seemed to burn out almost the entire significant story for Frank Castle - including having Castle encounter and defeat his most significant adversary. So, when The Punisher Season 1 was announced, it seemed like there would be remarkably little they could actually do with the character that was intriguing or worthwhile.

And yet, Netflix found a way.

The Punisher Season 1 is most hampered by its set-up; Daredevil Season 2 illustrated Frank Castle's backstory, gave him a clear direction, and found him murdering his biggest adversary. Castle was a U.S. Marine who returned home from Afghanistan and was with his wife and children in the park when they were gunned down in front of him. Castle himself took a bullet to the skull which left him emotionally trapped in the moment of his wife and kid's murder. Castle has since been on a quest for vengeance and at the climax of his tenure on Daredevil, The Punisher found the person most directly responsible for the slaughter and killed him. The Punisher has to strain just a little bit to make itself relevant following all that.

The Punisher Season 1 opens with Frank Castle completing his mission for vengeance. Having taken out the people directly responsible for the death of his family, Castle hunts down the three criminal organizations that were involved in killing his family. With them exterminated, Castle assumes an alias (Pete), gets a construction job and lays low for several months doing his own thing. But, from his home, he took a CD marked MICRO and on it is a video of an Afghan police officer who was working with the U.S. being tortured and killed in Kandahar. After Castle helps one of his coworkers at the construction site out of a life or death situation and slaughters a bunch of mobsters, Castle is contacted by the man who made the MICRO disc: David Lieberman.

Like Frank Castle, David Lieberman is a man presumed dead by the world; unlike Castle, Lieberman is a technical and computer expert who understands that the execution is evidence of war crimes and that Frank Castle - who is on the video - knows the people involved in committing the crimes. Lieberman connects the dots for Castle; ultimately the death of his family was the result of the people on the MICRO video attempting to silence Castle and make sure their crimes never came to light. So, Lieberman and Castle work to identify the people involved with Project Cerberus who as still alive and who called the shots - and committed war crimes - and bring them to justice. While they investigate using their leads and prior knowledge, Dinah Madani from the Department Of Homeland Security investigates to try to get justice for her murdered partner (the police officer who was killed in the video). Rapidly promoted at Homeland Security, Madani reluctantly starts to trust Sam Stein and she gets close to private contractor and former member of Project Cerberus, Billy Russo. As both teams try to learn the identity of the man giving the orders in the MICRO video, they come into conflict and Madani realizes that Frank Castle is both alive and her best chance to get the justice she desires!

The set-up, then, is a little bit of a stretch: Frank Castle, the man who has spent years hunting down and murdering everyone even peripherally involved in the death of his family just happened to miss a pretty significant group of responsible parties. But the MICRO conceit being directly related to the quest for vengeance that he apparently succeeded at executing aside, The Punisher Season 1 manages to do some great things.

The first is that The Punisher is riveting television because it is at least as much talking as it is action sequences. The Punisher Season 1 features characters in therapy, investigators tirelessly following leads without super powers (following a chain of evidence) and telling stories to one another. The show does not hinge on the cheap reversals; one of the biggest character revelations is spoiled by anyone with a brain by a name that is thrown around and when it is made explicit in the show, it is not treated as a shocking cliffhanger - the characters who have not put it together before now are too busy surviving at the time to stop to feel betrayed! Most of the dialogue in The Punisher is organic, emotive and smacks of realism.

Second, The Punisher has genuinely well-developed themes and characters who act like real people. Curtis Hoyle is a former Marine who now runs group therapy sessions for Marines and soldiers who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. And The Punisher Season 1 gives the characters and the show enough time to talk about their feelings and express a sense of loss. War is hell and it doesn't end when the soldiers come home; the show illustrates that military personnel are often haunted by their own actions. That is incredibly well-developed in the first season of The Punisher. Also well-portrayed is the idea that not everyone can be saved, as tragic as that is.

Finally, The Punisher seems to quickly realize that there is very little left that the show could do that is new and imaginative in the field of action sequences and violence. The other Netflix contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe have pretty well mined hand-to-hand combat, gun violence and martial arts. So, rather early on directors in the first season of The Punisher stop glorifying the violence with gore. The shots are quick and when they are bloody, they are not frequently lingered upon. The artistry of some of the sequences is impressive and the net result is that when the biggest sequences come at the season's climax, they are all the more horrific and surprising. In other words, while there is a bit of violence in The Punisher, the show seldom glorifies it, lingers upon it, or makes the entertainment value of the episodes hinge upon it.

What is arguably the most impressive aspect of The Punisher Season 1 is that it manages to keep a good tension going throughout the entire season. There is the sense that, at any moment, any of the characters could actually be killed and that leads to some interesting dramatic surprises in the first season. Characters who appear in the first couple episodes are set up as if they would be the traditional sidekick and primary adversary for Frank Castle, but the show moves beyond them quickly and in interesting ways.

As well, because Frank Castle was so well-defined in Daredevil, rather than (poorly) redefine or retcon Castle, The Punisher Season 1 uses the well-established Frank Castle and surrounds him with new, interesting characters who are able to hold their own on screen with the grunting ex-Marine. In the first season of The Punisher, the essential characters are:

Frank Castle - The Punisher, the ex-Marine who is constantly haunted by the death of his wife and children. He goes into hiding with David Lieberman and begins a quest to get revenge upon the people who ordered and orchestrated the attempt upon his life that led to his family being slaughtered. He is resilient, focused, and willing to do almost anything to accomplish his goals. Karen Page reaches out to him and he, in turn, reaches out to Curtis Hoyle. Using his alias, Pete, he continually visits David's wife Sarah and her family,

David Lieberman - Once an analyst for the government, he came across the recording of a civilian being killed by the U.S. and attempted to whistleblow. When he sent Madani a copy of the video, he was hunted by agents and shot at. Having faked his own death, he went into hiding to protect his wife and two children. When Frank Castle resurfaces, Lieberman is able to identify him and he works with Castle to bring the guilty parties to justice so that he can return to his wife,

Dinah Madani - Newly promoted to the Department Of Homeland Security, she immediately uses her position to begin a personal investigation: the murder of her former partner in Afghanistan. She is promoted again quickly and she designs an operation to capture heavy weapons going to known criminals. Unfortunately for her, Castle and Lieberman steal the weapons before Homeland can and Madani becomes aware that Castle is still alive. She gets close to Billy Russo to try to learn all she can about Project Cerberus and Castle,

Sarah Lieberman - David's "widow," she has been mourning David's death for a year when Pete comes into her life. Pete starts helping around the house and is nice to her children. While she is monitored by David without her knowledge, Pete comes to her aid when her children start acting up and others begin sniffing around,

Sam Stein - A competent, but underappreciated Homeland officer, he starts working with Madani and risks his career to help her with her pet project. After showing her the ropes in the office, he becomes Madani's most trusted confidant in the intelligence community, helping her piece together the identity of the people on the MICRO video,

Billy Russo - A private contractor who runs the military/security company Anvil, he used to work with Frank Castle. His military ties run deep and his livelihood depend upon those connections, which makes him very appealing to Madani. Like most of the world, he believes Frank Castle is dead and he defends Castle's legacy to Madani at every opportunity,

Curtis Hoyle - One of the few people who knows that Castle is alive, he is a distinguished veteran who now provides group therapy for other veterans. He tries to counsel Lewis Wilson and he protects Castle's secrets, but he soon becomes the target of those who want to find Castle,

Lewis Wilson - A combat veteran who quickly becomes influenced by a right-wing fanatic, he finds life in New York after his wartime experiences untenable. He tries to use his voice to make change, but steps over the line to become a terrorist himself. When he targets Karen Page, Frank Castle is put on a collision course with him,

and Rawlins - The man pulling the strings, he is about to get promoted in the CIA when Castle starts to hunt for him. He becomes a liability to the CIA when deploys agents on U.S. soil against Castle and another member of Project Cerberus and it backfires.

The Punisher Season 1 is well performed by all of the actors involved and the overall quality of the thirteen episode season is enough to be utterly unsurprised that it has already been renewed for a second season by Netflix.

For a better understanding of what this season is like, please visit my reviews of the individual episodes at::
"3 AM"
"Two Dead Men"
"Kandahar"
"Resupply"
"Gunner"
"The Judas Goat"
"Crosshairs"
"Cold Steel"
"Front Toward Enemy"
"Virtue Of The Vicious"
"Danger Close"
"Home"
"Memento Mori"

For other works from the 2017 - 2018 television season, please check out my reviews of:
"Crisis On Earth-X, Part 2" - Arrow
"A Life Spent" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Inhumans - Season 1
Stranger Things - Season 2
Rick And Morty - Season 3
"Beebo The God Of War" - Legends Of Tomorrow
"Don't Run" - The Flash
"Reign" - Supergirl
"Into The Forest I Go" - Star Trek: Discovery
Twin Peaks - Season 3 ("The Return")
Game Of Thrones - Season 7
The Defenders - Season 1
Friends From College - Season 1

8.5/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Memento Mori" Gives The First Season Of The Punisher A Perfect Ending!

The Good: Incredible performances, Artful direction, Good character moments, Excellent plot progression, Themes
The Bad: Nothing!
The Basics: The Punisher's first season closes with "Memento Mori," which makes for the season's second perfect episode!


Perhaps the biggest surprise of the first season of The Punisher is that, going into the season finale, it's not really possible to say "What a long and bloody road we took to get here . . ." The Punisher could have been a constant bloodbath, a dumbed-downed, blood and gored-up, triggerhappy vengeance story, but Netflix managed to make something smart, complex and emotionally real. For sure, there has been blood, but it's hard to look at the first season of The Punisher and argue that it was more violent and gory than, for example, Daredevil Season 2 (reviewed here!) where there was violence with Daredevil, The Punisher, Elektra, and blood-draining ninjas.

So, as "Memento Mori" opens with Frank Castle beaten to a pulp as a result of the events of "Home" (reviewed here!), it is with the promise that The Punisher will not diverge from the formula that got it to this end: it has to be smart. And wow, is it!

Madani and Lieberman bring Frank Castle to her parents' home where Madani begs her father to treat the severely wounded Castle. Dr. Madani gets Castle breathing, while at his own lair, Russo extracts a bullet from himself. Russo takes his cash, the police walkie-talkie and kills his way out of Anvil. After Castle recovers, while the CIA and Homeland are hunting him, Lieberman brings Castle money and advocates for him to retire. Castle, though, is determined to finish what he started. Madani lets Castle leave, but tells him that if she sees him again she'll be forced to either arrest or kill him. Madani returns to Homeland Security where she is called onto the carpet by James and Hernandez.

Lieberman returns to his wife and kids to begin the period of readjusting to their lives together. Curtis Hoyle wakes up to Russo in his apartment. Russo keeps Hoyle at gunpoint in his apartment, but Castle manages to box the two in by sniping from across the street. Castle negotiates for Hoyle's life and Russo and Castle agree to finish their conflict that the carousel where their conflict began. But when Castle and Madani converge upon the park, they discover Russo's endgame is not as simple as a shootout.

There are very few preconceptions I had going into "Memento Mori." The biggest assumption I had in advance of sitting down to the episode was that there was a decent chance that Russo would survive the season, leading Madani to become disillusioned enough to become a Punisher herself. As horrific as some of the events in "Memento Mori" are - the sounds of the gagged teenagers crying is particularly unsettling, arguably more than the visual gore - there is the sense throughout the episode that it actually could go any way. With both Russo and Castle shot, there is the feeling either or both could die and as the episode races toward its climax, "Memento Mori" feels anything but predictable.

"Memento Mori" starts, uncomfortably enough, like a medical drama with the gore coming from Frank Castle's wounds and the medical procedure needed to save him. Director Stephen Surjik seems to realize quickly that the level of gore is moving toward disturbing, so Russo's exit from his facility is treated with more speed and art than realistic gore. That helps to make "Memento Mori" accessible. So, too, does the fact that the episode quickly transitions into characters talking and people exploring the consequences of the prior twelve episodes.

The realism of the Lieberman's awkwardness is magnificent. Jaime Ray Newman watching Moss-Barach and the kids playing cards allows her to present Sarah Lieberman with wordless charm. Newman is great at showing the build-up to the Liebermans' reunion quickie. Impressive as well is the level of detail that writer Steve Lightfoot and Surjik put into the piece where Russo can easily recognize - and the viewer can credibly believe - the sound of Castle releasing his rifle's magazine.

Surjik creates a beautiful-looking season finale with "Memento Mori." The simple shot of the clouds over New York City is artful and the falling coffee mugs are fantastic. Surjik taking the time to show things like Curtis putting on his prosthetic leg continues the sense of realism that is seldom shown on television. In fact, it is funny for how realistic most of the episode is that Surjik has Hoyle's coffee maker work at superhuman speeds.

"Memento Mori" reveals well the level of personal betrayal Frank Castle has been feeling for the latter half of the season by showing the moments leading up to Castle's family getting slaughtered. The scenes with Frank Castle and his family are heartwrenching. Russo continues to be well-characterized as the ultimate villain of The Punisher through the illustration that he has made his own narrative.

Ben Barnes makes a truly disturbing transition over the course of "Memento Mori." Russo goew from being a military minded man with some sense of his own personal ethos to a deranged maniac without ever seeming like the transformation is inorganic. Barnes is terrifying as Russo in almost every scene he is in in "Memento Mori."

"Memento Mori" is a series of surprises and revelations and it is incredible. The performances are wonderful by all involved and the fact that Frank Castle both develops as a character and remains true to his moral core makes for compelling television. Whoever thought that The Punisher could create a legitimate tearjerker?! But "Memento Mori" is that; it develops from a series of tense, action moments that manage to bring about plot resolution to big character moments to the season's ever-present exploration of the effects upon a soldier of their actions while at war.

"Memento Mori" is an amazing end to an incredible season of television. The balance of art and realism, horror and heart makes for - and no one is more surprised than me! - a perfect season finale.

For other Marvel Television Universe season finales, please visit my reviews of:
"AKA Smile" - Jessica Jones
"World's End" - Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"And Finally . . . Black Bolt" - Inhumans

10/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Essential Conflicts Of The Punisher Come "Home!"

The Good: Good acting, Decent pacing, Compelling character moments, Impressive direction
The Bad: Moment of predictability, Graphic violence becomes so realistic it stops being at all entertaining
The Basics: The Punisher gives the viewer two significant catharsis's in "Home," which is challenging and difficult, but still manages to be wonderful.


As The Punisher rushed toward its ending, the show created a final series of conflicts that were compelling and worked to close the book on the story of Frank Castle and David Lieberman (in case the show only got one season) and seed enough for a second season. "Home" is the penultimate episode of the first season of The Punisher and it is bold in the way it sets up both its plot and the potential for Madani to evolve into another Punisher.

"Home" picks up very shortly after "Danger Close" (reviewed here!). Castle and Lieberman, on the run from Russo and Rawlins, are forced to turn to Madani in order to try to get Sarah and Zach Lieberman back from Billy Russo. "Home" leads to another cold conflict between Frank Castle and Billy Russo and the dynamic in the episode is dramatically different from the prior episodes where Castle believed Russo was his old friend.

Frank Castle comes in to the Department Of Homeland Security. There, he makes a tape for Madani detailing Cerberus, the people involved and his involvement in the illegal CIA-run death squad. In the same building, David Lieberman tries to reassure his daughter, but Leo figures out quickly that her father and Frank are probably going to go rogue to get Sarah and Zach back safely. Madani learns, from Frank, that Frank himself was the triggerman on her partner in Kandahar's murder. Lieberman quickly locks up the computers, preventing Russo from getting access to the Micro video and the video confession Castle made for Madani. Castle orchestrates a prisoner exchange: Lieberman and Castle for Sarah and Zack Lieberman. While Frank is turned over to Russo, Lieberman appears to be killed during the exchange.

Russo interrogates Castle, desperate to find out what happens when Lieberman's computer timer reaches zero (before it happens). With less than five hours until the clock reaches zero, Russo becomes more desperate and David Lieberman is reunited with his family. When Rawlins enters the interrogation, Castle turns verbally agressive. At Homeland Security, Madani tries desperately to find out where Frank Castle has been taken, while Lieberman tries to explain the past year of his life to Sarah. With three hours on the clock, Castle makes his move and prepares to sacrifice himself in the attempt to end Rawlins and Russo.

"Home" is an episode that starts quiet and turns absolutely brutal as Rawlins tortures Frank Castle. The episode combines surreal imagery from inside Frank Castle's mind in a compelling transition that illustrates well Castle's conscious and unconscious minds. Through the use of surreal dance scenes, Jet Wilkinson smartly illustrates how a torture victim might escape into their own mind as the brutality of the experience increases. The Punisher very compellingly explores the idea that torture does not work as a means of getting reliable information and it is refreshing to see that on television today.

The set-up with David Lieberman being "killed" during the prisoner exchange is well-executed, but a fairly obvious conceit. But while that conceit is predictable, the episode does not belabor that or drag it out for especially long. Instead, Lieberman is quickly revealed to be alive and the episode refocuses on Lieberman being reunited with his family, Lieberman standing up to Madani to protect Frank Castle and Castle being tortured mercilessly. The Lieberman family reunion is a decent catharsis, which plays as one of the episode's more enjoyable moments opposite the brutality of Castle being tortured.

Russo is revealed in "Home" to be more complex than he initially appeared. While Rawlins tortures Castle, he is presented as a man whose power has gone completely gone to his head. Maniacal and twisted, Rawlins becomes obsessed with torturing Castle. Russo, on the other hand, maintains his moral core (in his own twisted way) when he makes a promise to Castle for a clean, quick death. Upset by how Rawlins will not allow him to give Castle a fast death, Russo has to make a decision about where he truly stands.

"Home" is one of Jon Bernthal's best ever performances as he embodies perfectly the exhaustion that comes with portraying torture. Bernthal plays the dance scenes beautifully, with an uncommon calm and plays the character of Frank Castle in a way that is compelling and incredibly rendered. "Home" gives Bernthal the chance to show off how deep of a performance he can give.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach plays David Lieberman magnificently with a sense of desperation at one of the episode's key moments that helps the emotional core of the piece land. Amber Rose Revah continues to embody Madani as the consummate professional and Paul Schulze is terrifying as Rawlins as the C.I.A. operative goes completely over-the-top.

"Home" might be bloody and uncomfortable, but it continues the trend of The Punisher making compelling, realistic and disturbing television.

For other Marvel Television Universe penultimate episodes, please visit my reviews of:
"A Little Song And Dance" - Agent Carter
"The Dark At The End Of The Tunnel" - Daredevil
"Bar The Big Boss" - Iron Fist

9/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Ease Into Inevitable Bloodbath: "Danger Close" On The Punisher.

The Good: Well-directed, Good performances, Moments of character development
The Bad: Simple plot, Erratic pacing
The Basics: The Punisher begins to accelerate toward the season's conclusion as "Danger Close" raises the stakes and the body count.


As the first season of The Punisher rushed toward its conclusion, the fans had a reasonable question of "how can they possibly sustain this?!" After all, by "Danger Close," Frank Castle is publicly exposed, he knows his old friend is his enemy and one of the primary villains of the season is already dead. It seems like there is very little left for the season to do, save help Madani get justice for Stein's death and for Frank Castle to actually take out Rawlins.

"Danger Close" follows on the heels of the perfect episode "Virtue Of The Vicious" (reviewed here!) and it refocuses the show on David Lieberman, who was absent from the prior episode. Lieberman renews his partnership with Castle, though Castle continues to feel betrayed by the fact that Lieberman met with Madani without him.

Frank Castle sits alone with the homeless people near burn barrels by the river, while Russo wages a public relations campaign against him and Madani. As Russo publicly turns on Castle, The Punisher - still wounded - makes it back to Lieberman's hideout. After Castle removes the shrapnel from his arm, Lieberman volunteers to stitch him up. At the Lieberman house, Sarah recognizes Frank Castle on her television as the man she knew as Pete. Russo meets with Madani and interrogates him. Russo stonewalls, while Rawlins reaches out to James for authorization to access surveillance that will allow him to find Castle and send Russo after him.

While Castle remakes his Punisher armor, Sarah and Zach are taken by people outfitted as New York City Police Officers. Castle notices damage in the Lieberman house and he becomes determined to save Sarah and Zach, while sending David to find and rescue Leo. Madani and Hernandez call James in while Russo rebels against Rawlins's authority. Using Rawlins's intelligence and access, Russo's mercenaries storm Lieberman's hideout only to find The Punisher waiting for them!

Ebon Moss-Bachrach continues to be the very human heart in The Punisher as Lieberman. Moss-Bachrach speaks in compassionate tones, softly and in a way that is clearly empathetic in every encounter Lieberman has with Castle. Lieberman does all he can to show Castle an uncommon level of support and remind him of the fact that they are on the same side. From almost the first moments of The Punisher, Lieberman has been one of the grounding, most relatable characters on the show and he continues that in "Danger Close." During one of the episode's key moments, Moss-Bachrach and Ripley Sobo manage to perfectly embody a deep relationship, which is impressive given how little time they have spent together on-screen.

Lieberman and Castle are easily one of the best pairings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Their relationship is not only symbiotic, it is synergistic. Lieberman provides Castle with his needed tactical knowledge; Lieberman comes in "Danger Close" to entirely rely upon Castle for his ability to do what he cannot. Lieberman is smart and protective, but he needs Castle's ability to act with brutal efficiency. Lieberman takes a more active role in recovering his daughter, Leo, when Leo manages to flee in advance of her mother's capture.

The primary adversary in "Danger Close" continues to be William Rawlins and just as the plot moves toward a potential Punisher bloodbath, various elements begin turning on Rawlins. Rawlins justifies all of his past actions to Marion James and he manages to sound credible. Rawlins has done terrible things throughout The Punisher and in "Danger Close" it becomes evident just how deep a game he has been playing. Rawlins has no real allegiance to anyone or even any institutions; he claims to want to protect the United States, but he shows no real belief in any of the ideals of the nation. The ease with which he moves to throw Russo under the bus is terrifying and characterizes him perfectly.

"Danger Close" is one of the more graphically violent episodes of The Punisher, living up to what one expects from the source material. The raid on Lieberman's facility is intense, well-directed and increasingly bloody. The fact that "Danger Close" precedes the major bloodbath with a far smaller and incredibly intense attack on Sarah Lieberman helps to build a tension in the episode. The tension in "Danger Close" builds and plays out well without going for the cheap reversal.

While the acting and moments of character in "Danger Close" are quite good, the plot is simplistic and the pacing is disproportionately slow compared to the abrupt speed and unrelenting tension that consumes the final third of the episode. The result is that "Danger Close" ends up as more of an average hour than an exceptional one.

5.5/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Virtue Of The Vicious" Continues Netflix's Tradition Of Creating Perfect Television!

The Good: Wonderful acting, Great pacing, Good narrative development, Wonderful character development/reinforcement
The Bad: Nothing!
The Basics: "Virtue Of The Vicious" creates a perfect hour of television for The Punisher by playing a number of huge moments with realism and a surprising amount of class!


I cannot think of a show that I have been more pleasantly surprised by, yet taken so long to get through, as the first season of The Punisher. Netflix picked an unfortunately busy time in which to release their latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and with the impending return of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., it's not like the MCU is going to be less crowded this week! The truth, however, is that The Punisher has been a pleasant surprise and were it not for a massive crossover event in the DC Television Universe, I would have easily and enthusiastically finished the first season of The Punisher by now. But today, I'm back with "Virtue Of The Vicious." And it was incredible!

"Virtue Of The Vicious" picks up where "Front Toward Enemy" (reviewed here!) left off and it's impossible to discuss the new episode without some references to the events of that one. After all, "Front Toward Enemy" found Frank Castle being revealed to the world as alive when Castle rescued Hoyle from the mine that Lewis Wilson had put on him. "Virtue Of The Vicious" picks up after an assassination attempt on Senator Ori, which Wilson warned Castle about. The episode is a bit of a divergence from the prior episodes, but it continues the intriguing quality of The Punisher where it explores realistic consequences of violence.

Lewis slays a man in his home and tries to set the man's birds free. The man was Isaac, an employee of Ben Russo. Russo is interviewed by Mahoney and Mahoney insinuates that Anvil was over-extended by taking Senator Ori's protection duty. Castle calls Russo to warn him that Lewis will try again. The narrative then turns to a flashback, with Senator Ori telling Mahoney his perception of the assassination attempt. Karen Page is interviewing Ori when a bomb goes off. Wilson kills two of Russo's men . . . aided by Frank Castle. Page tells Mahoney a different story, one where Wilson and Castle were fighting one another through the Senator's suite. Wilson's murder of Isaac quickly becomes clear; he needed an Anvil uniform to get access to the hotel where Ori is set up. Karen claims to have been rescued by Frank Castle.

Dinah Madani was in the hotel at the time of the bombing and the gunfight as well. On her first day back at Homeland Security, Rafael Hernandez is told the truth about the op in which Stein was killed and she removes the bug in her office in front of him. Madani exposes Rawlins to Hernandez and she learns that all of the mercenaries killed in the sting operation worked for Anvil in the past. Madani interrogates Russo and after the bombing, she manages to find Castle. That leads to a stalemate in the hotel stairwell that turns Madani and Russo against one another. While Castle manages to escape to the basement and rescue Karen Page from Lewis Wilson, he is severely injured and Wilson makes a choice with incredible consequences!

With "Virtue Of The Vicious," it is official: Daniel Webber is one of the best actors playing unsettling and troubled characters working on television today! Webber opens the episode with a chilling and simple series of actions: shooting a man through a peephole and then playing with Isaac's birds. Throughout the episode, Webber portrays Lewis as an extremist who is brutal and arguably as efficient as Frank Castle, but with a very different political agenda.

"Virtue Of The Vicious" takes the time to reinforce and explore the character of Frank Castle. Castle has been a pretty monolithic character - existing in the moment of his family's death - on a quest to right the wrongs done to him and the other members of Cerberus in Afghanistan. Frank Castle is a monolithic character, but he is not one who is unprincipled. Karen Page makes the argument to Mahoney that bombing people over their anti-gun stance is not Frank Castle's style. Madani, similarly, advocates for the philosophical core that guides Frank Castle. While the perception of The Punisher might be that it's a redneck, gun-lover's corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the reality is that the show - and the character - is more complex than that. Castle might be a big advocate of the Second Amendment, but he is not someone who would kill people for disagreeing with him. In fact, when Russo turns his gun on Madani after she identifies herself as a Federal agent, that turns Castle against his old friend.

There are many shows that piece together a story by showing different characters' perspectives - the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "A Matter Of Perspective" (reviewed here!) comes instantly to mind - but "Virtue Of The Vicious" manages to feel fresh and different. The characters are all deep and complex, from Karen Page (who, instead of cowering, attempts to reason with Lewis) to Frank Castle who does everything he can to save Karen Page's life.

Deborah Ann Woll illustrates that she was cast for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as far more than a pretty face. Her performance in "Virtue Of The Vicious" is riveting, especially at a key moment as Page is held hostage by Wilson. Woll's performance opposite Royce Johnson at the episode's climax reinforces Woll's ability to play the role of Karen Page with subtlety and nuance with only her eyes and the tilt of her head.

"Virtue Of The Vicious" hits perfection in the most subtle and clever way possible. The episode contains huge character moments and big plot reversals that, on a lesser show, would have been milked for melodrama or end-of-episode twists. But one of the key moments in "Virtue Of The Vicious" has Madani realizing the truth about Russo and the death of her partner and in the episode it is treated as a professional investigator would; with a level of detachment and desire for justice, as opposed to instantly revealing the sense of personal horror for melodramatic effect. In a similar way, when the episode is put together, all of the various aspects come to make perfect sense; Madani turns to Karen Page because she already knows the truth about Russo, Castle, and Rawlins, for example.

Jim O'Hanlon directs "Virtue Of The Vicious" in a way that keeps the pace moving and makes even the moments where characters are simply telling stories to one another into gripping television.

Ultimately, "Virtue Of The Vicious" puts The Punisher on a very short list within the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a work of art that is layered, complex and realistic . . . and perfect!

For other Marvel Cinematic Universe works with the character Brett Mahoney, please visit my reviews of:
Daredevil - Season 1
"AKA Top Shelf Perverts" - Jessica Jones
Daredevil - Season 2

10/10

For other works in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, please visit my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"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 Punisher At The Midpoint: "Cold Steel" Is Almost Perfect!

The Good: Impressive acting, Great character moments, Decent plot progression, amazing direction for capturing details.
The Bad: Minor issues with Lieberman's character.
The Basics: The Punisher hits the story's midpoint at "Cold Steel" and achieves a near-perfect episode!


For a show that features a pretty heavy cast of very masculine men, The Punisher Season 1 has done a remarkably good job of presenting the complex emotions of various men who have been traumatized by war. Fans of Netflix, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and even fans of The Punisher who might have been concerned that the first season of Netflix's The Punisher would be a bland, violent revenge story have quite a bit to be pleasantly surprised by with the execution of Frank Castle's continuing story. In fact, over the course of the first eight episodes, there are only two aspects of the show that stand out as actually stupid. The set-up of The Punisher is that Frank Castle has spent six months off the grid after eliminating everyone who was even marginally involved in the murder of his family . . . and it turns out that his research into that was woefully inadequate. So, right off the bat, there is a somewhat ridiculous quality to The Punisher in that Frank Castle seems somewhat moronically underprepared for a guy whose just gone on a worldwide killing spree.

The other moment of sheer stupidity in the first half of The Punisher comes in the last few seconds of "Crosshairs" (reviewed here!). Because "Cold Steel" opens right after that moment, it is impossible to discuss the midseason episode without addressing the moment of utter idiocy from the climax of "Crosshairs." (Consider that a spoiler alert for those who have not seen "Crosshairs!") "Crosshairs" found Lieberman devising a way to reveal the identity of Agent Orange - the man who committed war crimes using Schoonover's Cerberus Squad, and Frank Castle, on the MICRO video - by tracking a phone back to where Agent Orange is holed up. That plan worked and Lieberman told Castle the location at which they found themselves was a CIA safehouse. Despite that, Castle attempted to shoot Agent Orange, Rawlins, and only Frank Castle seems surprised when the window through which he attempted to shoot Rawlins was bulletproof. For sure, it's a cool visual moment when Rawlins stands before the bullet-shattered window, but Castle is pretty fucking stupid to have thought that a CIA safehouse would not be bulletproof. Hell, I'm a civilian and the moment Lieberman said "CIA Safehouse," it screamed to me that the windows would have to be bulletproof - especially for a building that had so many windows! Despite that lingering moment of utter ridiculousness, "Cold Steel" starts strong.

Billy Russo visits his mother in an in-patience psychiatric facility where he has had her committed. After talking to her and drugging her, he departs to go seduce Madani. Back at the lair, Lieberman manages to identify Rawlins as the head of C.I.A.'s covert operations. While Lieberman freaks out, Frank Castle comes to believe that the lack of information on the C.I.A. site indicates that they are out of the woods. But when Lieberman notices that the camera feeds to his family's house are out, he sends Frank to look in on his wife and children. Castle finds Sarah Lieberman alive, well, and in crisis over how to actually discipline her son, who continues to act out. Sarah gets a little drunk and kisses Frank, which upsets Lieberman back at the lair (who sees it on the feed Frank fixed).

Rawlins meets Russo out in an abandoned lot, where they make plans to apprehend Castle based upon the intel they gleaned using the bug in Madani's office. While Lieberman and Castle make amends, Lieberman realizes that Madani might be the key to getting back to his family by using the MICRO video and Castle as an eye witness to lock up Rawlins. Russo approaches four mercenaries to participate in the operation to kill Frank Castle before Homeland can scoop him up. When Lieberman wakes up, Castle sets him straight on his relationship with Sarah and the two men in hiding are surprised when Sarah reaches out to "Pete" about Zach. Sarah correctly sees the escalation in Zach's bad behaviors and Frank does his best to parent David and Sarah's child.

The Punisher has had a pretty decent habit - up through and including "Cold Steel" - of not making the viewer wait especially long for reversals. Instead of building a story that is based upon big, sudden turns, The Punisher is all about developing characters and make them make sense. Billy Russo has been a slow burn of an adversary in The Punisher (though the name of his company and the tradition of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for businessmen to be utterly corrupt, ambition-driven villains telegraphed his real character), but by "Cold Steel," he is pretty much out - at least to the viewer.

Russo opens "Cold Steel" and the scene he shares with his mother is an excellent example of how The Punisher develops its characters. Russo enters a room with a woman in a bed and anyone attuned to the performance by Ben Barnes can tell right away that he is exerting dominance over her. Barnes has a stiffness and professionalism in the scene with his mother that screams of a man exerting control over a helpless person. Those who are actually listening to the dialogue will realize long, long before Russo identifies the woman that she is his mother, but the way the moment plays in "Cold Steel" is confirmation, as opposed to revelation. That makes for a much smarter and troubling moment than many of the other reversals in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - just when the viewer thinks they know the depth of how crappy Russo is, he does something suspect, and the viewer might hope he can't be as bad as they suspect, but he goes even lower! Ben Barnes proves himself to not be just a pretty boy with the way he is playing Russo and in "Cold Steel," he goes even darker than before in a way that is skilled and subtle. The final scene of "Cold Steel" plays off the first in a way that is utterly terrifying because of Barnes' performance.

David Lieberman continues to expand the depth of his role as sidekick and there is something a little disappointing that he does not acknowledge that Sarah kissed Frank, not the other way around. Frank Castle, surprisingly, is a bit of a gentleman and he actually respects David not to poach his grieving "widow." The two start to actually bond afterward, despite the fact that Lieberman is drinking to get over what he feels is his wife's betrayal. Lieberman moves from being a concerned family man to jealous to drunk and accepting. Lieberman and Castle have different methods and "Cold Steel" reinvigorates Lieberman's obsession with getting reunited with his wife and family.

Madani continues to be characterized in "Cold Steel" as a smart, resourceful director at Homeland Security. She organizes an impressive trap to try to figure out who is pulling the strings in the Kentucky incident. In fact, Madani is so efficient that the only thing that credibly lands the suspension of disbelief in the trap she sets is that Russo and Rawlins do not know she has found the bug in her office. The only issue with Madani's character in "Cold Steel" (and lingering from "Crosshairs") is a missing scene; the viewer saw Madani sweep her office for bugs, but not her apartment. Madani is efficient and tactically-brilliant in "Cold Steel" and it is only her ignorance that Russo is her enemy that makes her operation go sideways.

The real credit in "Cold Steel" goes to director Antonio Campos. The raid scene that caps off "Cold Steel" is intense and Campos manages to insert the scene with a number of very important moments that play off subtle character movements and expressions. A masked Russo recognizes Madani's voice in the middle of the firefight and he makes choices based upon that, which are well-executed. The thing is, Campos creates a scene with a rising tension that is intense and smart, but it manages to feel fresh. It is not long into the scene where Madani and Russo's men square off that it becomes clear that there is going to be a significant casualty. "Cold Steel" delivers that moment and Campos is so gifted a director that even the viewer who has figured out who is not going to walk away in the scene manages to be surprised when the moment comes. Indeed, Campos constructs a scene that seems to telegraph a character's death, then pulls back from it; it is only when Russo's face is exposed that the viewer is likely to sit up and shout "No!" because they know that Russo cannot go down that way. "Cold Steel" manages to develop expertly.

"Cold Steel" is not all intelligence operations and gunfights; playing off those moments are the scenes with Frank Castle and Sarah and Zach Lieberman. That Frank starts to take a parental role in Zach's life is wonderful and continues the mature themes of The Punisher. Kids need parents and guidance, especially when they are in crisis and "Cold Steel" illustrates that well. While David Lieberman's actions in regard to Castle's interacting with his son is very human and realistic, it is still a little disappointing for the character - who is usually such a big picture type of guy.

David Lieberman's sudden erratic behavior, which makes sense when he is drunk, but not so much at the episode's climax, is realistic but a little bit of a letdown on a character front. Despite that, "Cold Steel" manages to be the best episode of The Punisher yet!

9.5/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Punisher Puts Frank Castle's Moral Dilemma In The "Crosshairs!"

The Good: Interesting character conflict, Good performances, Decent direction
The Bad: Very simple plot, Climaxes in a strangely stupid moment for the protagonist
The Basics: "Crosshairs" continues to throw all of the protagonists from The Punisher into further chaos and conflict!


There is something both refreshing and disappointing about the formulaic nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The works in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are like the repetitive epic; while the specifics and the style might vary, the stories told are essentially the same one over and over and over and over again. The refreshing aspect of this is that perceptive viewers can pretty much figure out from the beginning who the good guys are and which allies are likely to betray the protagonist, etc. etc. As a perfect example, having had almost no knowledge of the source material going into The Punisher, the moment Ben Russo's company - Anvil - was mentioned, it hearkened back in my mind to the fact that Russo and Castle's corrupt c.o. went by the street name The Blacksmith and I had Russo pegged as the show's less-obvious adversary for Frank Castle. By "Crosshairs," the rest of the audience is up to that speed.

"Crosshairs" follows the events of "The Judas Goat" (reviewed here!) and because of the serialized nature of The Punisher, there is no way to discuss the new episode without some references to the prior one. After all, "The Judas Goat" had major movement as Madani exposed herself and her case to Billy Russo. Lewis snapped and killed the fraud, O'Connor, which was a pretty big move. And by the point "The Judas Goat" ended, Billy Russo's true allegiance was revealed to the audience.

Lewis Walcott cleans up after killing O'Connor and returns home, where his father tries to express his concern for him. Castle and Lieberman plan to infiltrate a military base to meet with Colonel Bennett, whom Gunner said was a man who could identify Agent Orange from the MICRO tape. When Russo visits Madani at her office, Stein gets offended and shortly thereafter, Madani confides in her partner that she believes her office is bugged. Russo meets with Rawlins and they try to figure out how to get to Frank Castle.

At Bennett's weekly visit with his mistress, Castle breaks in so Lieberman can clone his phone. The moment Castle breaks in, the Mistress calls for back-up and Castle is left to take out U.S. soldiers who are hunting him. After escaping the military base, Castle and Lieberman wait for Bennett to go on the move. Lewis goes shopping for bomb materials, while Bennett gets debriefed by Russo and Rawlins. After Madani and Stein find bugs in her office, Lieberman tracks Bennett's phone, which puts Castle directly in front of Agent Orange!

"Crosshairs" is an interesting episode in that it is a pretty simple episode that takes the time to deliver a genuine character conflict for Frank Castle. Instead of having a big reversal that makes the plot more complicated, "Crosshairs" features a very small reversal; that Lieberman and Castle have rightly figured out that going after Bennett will put them in a trap. Lieberman proves his intelligence by coming up with a smart way to get the information they want without risking killing Bennett. Castle relies upon Lieberman to keep him from his own worst instincts.

But the real conflict in "Crosshairs" is within Frank Castle. Castle's quest for revenge upon everyone who was involved in the illegal actions coming out of Kandahar - and the death of his family and subsequent cover-up - is now putting Castle in conflict with some people who are still in the U.S. Military. The conflict that Castle has in the idea that there might be collateral damage among military personnel who are, essentially, innocent in the conspiracy he is investigating is a compelling one. Castle wants his vengeance, but he acts as a scalpel in "Crosshairs," not as a sledge hammer. That transition is well-handled in "Crosshairs" and it feels very organic.

The other major character in crisis in "Crosshairs" is Lewis and so far in The Punisher, he is simply coming unspooled. In "Crosshairs," Lewis falls apart as Madani takes control of her life. The contrast between the two characters is exceptional, but as Lewis falls in "Crosshairs," Madani comes out of the dark and actually starts trusting Stein more.

Amber Rose Revah has a comparatively small role in "Crosshairs," but her performance as Dinah Madani is quite good. At a key moment, Revah stops all that she is doing as Madani and she emotes powerfully with her facial expressions. Without any dialogue, Revah takes the viewer through Madani's entire thought process and as the scene progresses, her determination makes it entirely clear exactly what her character is searching for.

"Crosshairs" does a decent job with its smart plot twist and its character conflict, but it comes to a head with a sequence that defies the intelligence of the protagonists. There is an awesome reversal at the end of "Crosshairs," but to land that moment, one has to figure that Frank Castle is somehow less smart than the audience and that Lieberman - who seems incredibly smart and educated on a wide variety of subjects - is just terrible at communicating essential information to Castle.

Ultimately, The Punisher has a satisfying, if simplistic, episode with "Crosshairs."

For other works with Andrew Polk, please visit my reviews of:
House Of Cards - Season 4
House Of Cards - Season 5

6/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"The Judas Goat" Redefines The "Wounded Hero" Trope For The Punisher!

The Good: Wonderful direction, Amazing performances, Good themes, Decent pacing
The Bad: Simplistic plot progression, Painfully obvious reversal
The Basics: The Punisher makes a surprisingly complex and gripping episode out of consequences with "The Judas Goat!"


There is, unfortunately, a pattern to most of Netflix's Marvel Television Universe shows. At or near the midpoint of the season, the protagonist is severely wounded and/or loses their powers entirely. In the first season of Daredevil, that happened with "Nelson V. Murdock" (reviewed here!) and in Luke Cage, the protagonist's unbreakable skin was broken and the character was taken out of action in "Blowin' Up The Spot" (reviewed here!). So, by the time The Punisher gets to "The Judas Goat," the wounded protagonist episode is more an issue of reinforcing the pattern, as opposed to creating groundbreaking television.

"The Judas Goat" opens with Frank Castle severely wounded, an event that occurred in "Gunner" (reviewed here!). It's impossible to discuss "The Judas Goat" without references to "Gunner" as the circumstances under which Castle was wounded resonate into the new episode. As well, Rawlins, having lost an entire team of operatives (how he could deploy military personnel on domestic soil is a mystery that survives "Gunner"), is now that much more desperate to silence Frank Castle.

Frank Castle dreams of his coming home party - where his family and Lieberman's family's are blended. The dream turns into a nightmare when assassins come in and kill everyone in front of Castle and he awakens in Lieberman's bunker, with Gunner's arrow still in his shoulder. Lieberman has left the bunker to get the only aid he can think of: Curtis Hoyle. Hoyle extracts the arrow and sets to mending Castle, while elsewhere Madani wakes up with Russo. Russo uses his access to go through one of Madani's files and he recognizes the material as relevant to him. Russo demands to know why Madani is investigating Frank Castle and he insinuates that he knows Castle is still alive.

While Sarah Lieberman deals with her son becoming a bully, Lieberman intercepts a transmission that Castle identifies as coming from Billy Russo. Lewis Walcott is attempting to pass out literature in front of a courthouse when a police officer, when he gets arrested and abandoned by his co-conspirator. Madani and Stein investigate the scene of Gunner's death and Madani figures out essentially what happened and tasks Stein with running blood from the scene against Castle's DNA on file. Lieberman begins to suspect that someone other than Russo might know Castle is alive. Madani turns to Russo for help in finding Frank and Russo turns to Hoyle.

"The Judas Goat" opens with an obvious dream, but despite the fact the viewer knows it must be a dream, the direction is good-enough to make it engaging and it sucks the viewer in. Director Jeremy Webb stops just short of showing, on screen, four children being shot at the dinner table, but the nightmare sequence is still effective at conveying all Castle fears. Webb's direction in "The Judas Goat" is refreshing in that he takes the time to focus on expressions of the performers and he has a real artistry to his direction.

Jason R. Moore wins the performance award for "The Judas Goat." Moore plays Curtis Hoyle and during the gruesome surgery scene, his facial expressions of disdain completely characterize the military officer's distaste for civilians and their weaknesses. Moore is saddled with telling a story at a key moment and as Curtis Hoyle tells the story of the goat upon which he trained in order to be a field medic, the subtlety of his performance makes the story utterly compelling. Webb and Moore make a potentially dull expository scene absolutely gripping and heartbreaking.

Daniel Webber continues his utterly unsettling performance as Lewis. In fact, Webber's acting is so good that it compelled me to look up his biography. For someone who seems to have been an athlete and not part of the military, he plays shellshocked incredibly well.

"The Judas Goat" is a generally quiet episode that does an amazing job of exploring consequences, especially in how military people are treated after they are programmed and after their service is done. Hoyle, Walcott, and O'Connor all illustrate various aspects of veterans issues, but their common thread is that they have been left feeling betrayed by the country for which they served. Hoyle throws wood on that fire for Lewis when he outs O'Connor as a fraud. The entirety of Frank Castle's character arc has been about dealing with the consequences of his service, but the fact that so many others in his world are shown in "The Judas Goat" as having far more practical PTSD arcs.

Russo is presented in "The Judas Goat" as an old friend who has the resources to help Frank Castle. Castle seems to be the only one in the world who seems unable to grasp the concept that Russo might not be at all trustworthy, but the savvy viewer is likely to suspect Russo, much like Lieberman does. So, when Castle and Russo finally meet, there is a subtext to the scene that adds all sorts of tension to a very simple scene.

"The Judas Goat" is a decent reinvention of the "wounded hero" story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it leaves Frank Castle with a compelling choice. Castle is torn between his old comrade and his new one and as the episode winds to its conclusion, Webb does an amazing job of re-establishing Lieberman's loneliness. Lieberman had a one-man crusade and he saw Frank Castle as a way to advance his cause and he now faces losing Castle. Lieberman is self-tortured by his solitude, which is an interesting foil to Frank Castle.

Jon Bernthal continues to rock The Punisher with his smart, subtle performances. For a character who is often emotionally distant, Bernthal has made Frank Castle gripping to watch.

Ultimately, "The Judas Goat" continues the trend of making The Punisher into a surprisingly smart, complex, character-driven piece that exceeds the expectations one might have from the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

For other works with Jaime Ray Newman, please visit my reviews of:
Heroes - Season 2
Veronica Mars - Season 3
Rumor Has It. . .

9/10

For other Marvel Cinematic Universe reviews, please visit my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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