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The Punisher: One-Eyed Jacks

Review by An Honest Fangirl

"Oh hell no."
"Oh hell yes."

We continue to make some progress in the plot, but this was still a fairly meditative episode. You know, until Frank started to bash people's heads in with gym equipment.

A lot of this series is spent talking about Frank, about the kind of person that he is. Is he good or bad, is he sane or crazed dog off his leash, is it possible for him to live a normal life after everything he's been through? But I think that Amy might have been the one who summed Frank up the best out of anyone so far this season.

Frank is someone who is unwilling and unable to stand up from the table, even when there is no possible way that he can walk out of there a winner. It's simply not in his nature. He has to try again and again to win, to try and find the trick that will let him beat his opponent.

That stubbornness more than anything else is what has been driving him this season. It's very different from the righteous, vengeful anger that we got last season, but I think I'm enjoying this new side to Frank. Even as I worry over his arrogance. It's very hard to make yourself the dealer when you're dealing with people like Pilgrim and Russo.

We got a taste of that arrogance during the gym fight scene. Frank knew that it was obviously a trap, and yet he still walked in there without any weapons besides his fists. And yeah, Frank ultimately won that super brutal and well choreographed fight during which he definitely killed some people, but he didn't walk away from it unscathed either. He's not invulnerable, despite still being the devil that would walk into an Old West town.

Despite this though, I think that Frank might actually be one of the more mentally sound characters currently on the show. Which is honestly worrisome. The character that I'm probably most concerned about is Dr. Dumont. We know that Billy is a charming manipulator, and so every interaction with them has this tense undercurrent to it. I think that it's fairly clear that he's playing her to some degree, but I can never tell how much is him acting and how much is him being honest.

Billy seems to have found some kind of stability, however. The veteran, Jake, seems to be offering Billy a place and sense of belonging that Dr. Dumont cannot. Not going to lie, their dynamic did strongly remind me of Lewis, the lost veteran who was looking for a place before being radicalized, from last season. Maybe it'll play out in a different way, but I really can't see things ending well for poor Jake.

Especially considering that Madani now definitely knows who he is. That entire scene during the meeting was probably the most powerful one of the episode for me. Out of everyone, including Billy, I think that Madani is in the worst spot mentally and emotionally. Her entire speech about how she deserved to be at that meeting just as much as anyone else there made me cry.

We didn't necessarily get a lot more on Pilgrim, but there were a few interesting tidbits. He used to live/operate in New York before his conversion to faith and religion. He also carries around a lot of guilt, if that self-flagellation scene was anything to go by. I really want to know more about the religious community that he's in and how it ties in with the Russians. Right now, it just feels very disjointed.

Random Thoughts

I enjoyed how Frank was upset with the credit card fraud until he saw that there was pizza. Never underestimate the power of a good New York slice.

Always nice to see Turk again.

I continue to be baffled by how old Amy is supposed to be. Her credit card spending spree was very childlike. (And may have endeared me to her. A little.)

I wonder where Frank and Amy are going to go next. I doubt Curtis is going to let them room with him.
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An Honest Fangirl loves superheroes, science fiction, fantasy, and really bad horror movies.

2 comments:

  1. Anyone wondering why Madani is so messed up really needs to rewatch episode 8 of last season . While Billy is a fantastic villain he still trails Kingpin and Kilgrave. However what he did in that particular episode was a horrific piece of villainy that i dont think many have surpassed.
    I really loved Frank and Micro together last season but Frank and Amys almost daddy daughter relationship is catching up fast. Its extra poignant particularly with Frank knowing his own daughter would be around the same age. (14 or 15)

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  2. The fight in the gym was well choreographed, but incredibly icky. I had to look away.

    I enjoyed the Frank/Amy bonding, especially the pizza. :) He treats her like a kid and I think he sees her as one. Early in the episode, she looked sixteen; later, she looked twenty. (Maybe they vary the makeup.) At any rate, I think I like Amy now. The neat pile of receipts that she left under Madani's credit card made me laugh.

    There were lines of scars on Dumont's arm. Does she cut herself? And that fear of the window was really extreme. I keep thinking Billy will end up killing her. It's like she has a cobra sleeping on her couch.

    During the Billy/Jake scene in the bar, I was thinking of Lewis, too. He even looked a little like him.

    Excellent review, Fangirl.

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