It's been quite a while since we last talked about this show, hasn't it? Let's say we get back into it. With the Lewis subplot all wrapped up, this episode shifts the focus back to the bigger story regarding Russo, Rawlins, and the Kandahar cover up.
The conflict with Russo takes most of the focus, as Frank is surprisingly shaken by the revelation that his old comrade in arms is actually now his major opponent. I think the sporadic viewing hurt this as, it did take me a minute to remember why Frank is so despondent. Still, it seems like we needed more time seeing these two as allies so that the sting of betrayal could really be felt. Madani's venomous attitude toward him has more weight to it as we saw that bond to a much greater extent.
Speaking of bond, the one between "Pete" and Micro's family is put into jeopardy, with the prior's real identity exposed to the public. I'm kind of surprised the son didn't latch on that more. A kid his age should be blown away by the fact that he's friends with the Punisher. Then again,the news does frame him as a straight up terrorist as opposed to a vigilante, so that might have had something to do with it.
The climax of the episode does put Frank in a more ruthless light. Where his appearances on "Daredevil" made it clear he leaves innocents unharmed, here he guns down mooks without hesitation. Yeah, they're working for the bad guys, but there are some who are clearly retreating or trying to surrender and they still get bullets for their trouble.
For his part, Frank does admit to Leo that he is scarier than "Pete". I still think an attempt to play up that he only goes after bad guys might have helped assuage her fears Also, bring up that time that he killed some ninjas. That would certainly score some points with the kids How that doesn't come up more in conversations is beyond me.
Speaking of Micro's family, it was nice to see him reunited with his daughter. It's something he's clearly wanted from the beginning and the payoff was worth it. There's still the wife and son, but that'll come later.
Using them as hostages was a little on the trite side, but they do have a bond with both Frank and Micro, so it does enable the pair to maintain their alliance, even if they are approaching their mission's endgame.
To her credit, Sarah does make a valiant effort to fend off her kidnappers, and only relents when her son is taken hostage.
This was a good "jump back in" episode. It did move the plot forward, but it also managed to naturally get me up to speed on all the goings on. It also brought a healthy does of action, as well as good character moments.
With the final confrontation between Frank and Russo looming, I'm not sure how there's still two episodes to go. The season could have the big climactic battle in the next episode and have the finale be a sort of loose end tying character driven affair. A lot of shows have been doing that recently. I guess I'll have to find out. Hopefully, it won't be four months before the next one. There's still a lot of other Marvel shows to cover.
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