Yet again, government/law enforcement corruption is front-and-center in the MCU, with a rogue CIA operative and military personnel running drugs with assistance from the head of the Department of Homeland Security's New York office. Dinah is reassigned to New York at the beginning of the series because her investigation into her partner's death was getting a little too close to things these corrupt people wanted to remain hidden. After AIM had the Vice President in their pocket in Iron Man 3, Wilson Fisk had just about the entire NYPD on his payroll in Daredevil, Cottonmouth had corrupt cops working for him in Luke Cage, not to mention the whole HYDRA and SHIELD debacle in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is there anyone in the government left to trust? Well, yes, there is. Madani and her higher-end superior are both Reasonable Authority Figures, Sam is a good agent who was only on the outs because Wolf was already corrupt, and even Rawlin's boss at the CIA is disgusted with his actions. On the whole, there are more honest law enforcement and government officials in this show than corrupt ones, showing that, slowly but surely, the corruption in the MCU is being cleaned up.
There's an interesting theme to consider in the two women Frank has the most interactions with in the show: Sarah and Karen. Both are dealing heavily with the loss and pain of their loved ones' supposed "death". Sarah and David are reunited by the end of The Punisher season 1, and Karen reunited with Matt in Daredevil season 3, and yet Frank is the only one who will never get that.
In the first episode, Frank is reading a copy of Moby-Dick that Curtis has loaned to him. In one adaptation of Moby Dick, Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock) portrayed Ishmael. Before Ahab gets dragged into the sea and killed by the white whale he's been hunting, he pushes Ishmael off the boat to save/protect him from being dragged down as well. When Matt had offered to do things Frank's way just once to deal with the Blacksmith, Frank pushed Matt off the boat to save/protect him from being killed when the ship explodes. Difference is, Frank survives.
When Frank is at the diner at the start of "Two Dead Men" and reading Karen's Bulletin article about his massacre of the Gnucci poker game, he takes his coffee regular and orders his eggs over-easy. This is the diner where Micro first establishes contact with him. At the next diner, he takes his coffee decaf and orders his eggs scrambled, mixing things up to throw people off his scent.
When Curtis walks in on O'Connor's corpse in the apartment, he covers his nose from the stench. When Frank comes in later, he has no reaction to the smell. Earlier, when Frank and David were in the chop shop, Frank tells David that after a while, you get used to the smell of dead bodies. Frank has been around so much death, killed so many people, that the stench doesn't seem to register at all anymore. Even Curtis, a fellow corpsman, has reverted back to a civilian mindset at this point, but Frank is still "at war."
O'Connor gripes about being spat on when he returned home from the Vietnam War. The spat-upon Vietnam War veteran is nothing more than a long-enduring urban legend. There is no documented case of this ever actually happening, and popular opinion of veterans at the time was sympathetic to veterans, even among those critical of the war. It's an early hint that O'Connor is a fraud, and considering he's also a bit a Conspiracy Theorist, it's no surprise that his belief in this legend became a part of his fiction.
The scene where Lewis tries to free Isaac's birds is a brilliant microcosm of the issues surrounding well-meaning but extremist views, and how that impacts bystanders and innocents. Lewis turned the cage toward the window and opened the door, letting in the icy fall air into the apartment, but the birds refused to leave their cage because not only did they not like the frigid New York climate, but they were safe in their home. In effect, Lewis tries to give them freedom to live and survive outside their cage, not realizing that he's doomed them by killing their owner and trying to set them loose in an environment that they can't survive in. This is basically what would happen if an extremist like Lewis got what he wanted, with the birds representing the innocents and regular people whose lives are shattered, ruined, and possibly doomed due to the extremist's actions. Every person that Lewis kills in his rampage has loved ones and dependents, who would be left in a similar state, and this extends to the other people, good and bad, who are killed throughout the series as well.
Frank's story starts in Central Park, when a woman (Maria Castle) and two kids (Frank Castle Jr. and Lisa Castle) die in a shootout. At the end of the first season there is another shootout at the carousel, and another woman (Dinah Madani) and two kids (the teens that Russo kidnaps as hostages) get involved, only this time everyone survives.
Why did Dinah let Frank go, even though he was the one to kill Ahmed Zubair? Well, she just witnessed Frank being tortured and almost killed by Rawlins (which is what happened to Zubair) and then almost bleeding to death in David's hands (which is what happened with Sam and Dinah). Frank's situation directly parallels the situations of people whom Dinah wanted and failed to protect, and also reminds Dinah of a very traumatic situation she was in recently. No wonder she eventually decided to protect Frank.
In keeping with each of the other Marvel Netflix shows, The Punisher carries a theme of legacy. This time around, it's the legacy of our sins, and the actions we take to avoid the fallout. Each of the protagonists has to accept that they have grievously erred (Micro with his family, Dinah with Stein, Frank with just about everything that goes wrong) and learn how to repair the damage or move on. By contrast, each of the antagonists either attempts to sweep it all under the rug (Rawlins), blame everyone but themselves (Lewis and O'Connor), or revels in their wrongdoing due to self-delusion (Russo).
Rawlins' "I point, you shoot" mentality is best manifested in Frank and Gunner's and the Anvil operatives on Gunner's property. Everyone on that battlefield was fighting for their lives, but Rawlins is over in DC playing real-life Call of Duty on his laptop. "I point, you shoot" really means "You are my NPCs and I couldn't care less what actually happens to you. If you die, there will be others to take your place."
When Frank is stabbing Rawlins to death, he states to Rawlins that "I'm a reminder." If you know anything about Latin, there was a famous Latin motto in the Middle Ages, Memento Mori ("Remember that you have to die"). Sure, the obvious threat of Frank's intention to end Rawlins' life is there, but it also carries with it the death of legacy — all mortals are doomed to die and to be forgotten, so there is a vanity involved in our choice to cling to our Earthly deeds and possessions. Given how valuable Rawlins' CIA career was to him, Frank is a reminder that not only will Rawlins himself die, but everything he worked for will die too.
The title of the next episode is "Memento Mori".
One of the popular readings of The Punisher is as a product of the military-industrial complex; the government considered him an expendable resource and molded him into a weapon, which is why he now needs an excuse to fight a war. Given this, it seems fitting that the series takes this reading to its logical conclusion: Frank's Super Hero Origin here is literally caused by a secret military conspiracy.
When Curtis is warning Russo not to let Lewis work at Anvil, he tells Russo about Lewis nearly shooting his father, to which Russo says, "God, I've always wanted to do that." He then laughs awkwardly when Curtis gives him a dirty look. Later, we learn that Russo had a fucked-up childhood; no doubt that's something he actually has wanted to do.
"Hell Broke Luce", the song playing while Frank is using his sledgehammer on Lance and his buddies, has a pair of lyrics that are very telling: "How is it that the only ones responsible for making this mess / Got their sorry asses stapled to a goddamn desk." Throughout the show, people get called out for not having seen action (Dinah does it to Rafi at one point, for example). Likewise, when he's infiltrating Colonel Bennett's base, Frank has reservations over possibly having to kill soldiers that are just following orders. Hell, the entire ambush in Kandahar was the result of orders given by Rawlins, and after the mission is completed, Rawlins is more bothered about if they took out the target than he is about all the dead and wounded casualties that the unit has taken. On the whole, the song is largely anti-war and against the fetishization of the military.
"Virtue of the Vicious" is formatted as a Rashomon-style episode. The alternating perspectives of the same event, seen in conjunction, offer a clear analysis of an event, specifically how those in power have to alter particular events in order to keep their names untarnished and how pursuing the truth can be far more dangerous than the actual events. As Dinah and Frank are coming together again, they learn an important truth about those with power and how they have allowed their ideas and morals to impugn on their reading of a particular person. Karen’s interpretation of the event allows for clarity about the shady characters and the clear repercussions of a damaged and unhealed soldier like Lewis.
Russo’s acknowledgement of a mental incapability in Lewis indicates a further analysis of Russo, the separation of himself from any kind of blowback, to avoid the unwanted eyes prying into his life. When the time jump occurs to six hours earlier, the stark differential between the bloody hotel room and the perfectly clean one promises different perspectives but the same outcome.
Frank’s willingness to help Russo indicates that he, like Madani, has no idea who Russo truly is or who he has become. Despite seeming like partners again, Frank refuses to allow Russo to be in the operation itself; he is using the “us vs. them” ideology, ensuring that he will be the only one fighting against Lewis. His viewing of the situation is different from Russo’s, which seems to be the focal point of the episode, as perspectives are shown and are seemingly different from anyone else’s. When the senator’s viewpoint is shown, the scene ends with laughter from Karen, whose viewpoint of the entire situation is vastly different. The analysis of different viewpoints and the repercussions of each person telling them shows the way events can be skewed, even on a minimal scale, never mind in the eye of the public.
Karen’s version of the story, showing Senator Ori in an entirely different light, indicates that those in power will continue to keep a story in their favor in order not to soil their name, similar to Billy Russo. Senator Ori cannot show cowardice in the face of the public, or allow it to be known that Karen is the one who saved him or that he was willing to sacrifice her in order to survive. The repercussions of his real actions would be far worse, and cost him the only thing that is more valuable to him than his life, which is his reputation.
Madani’s attempt at the truth creates a rift between she and Russo, whose attempt to hide his mistake creates a newer understanding of him for Madani. Russo’s comparison of Frank to a beaten down dog creates an alienation between he and Frank, making it clear that he is not like him and that, like Lewis, the wars have gotten the better of him and taken a toll on him. Having an understanding of the war itself, Russo’s comparison is more astute in describing Lewis, whose mental state is more fractured and broken than Frank’s.
Showing Madani and Frank both going through a staircase, despite one going up and one going down, indicates that they are on the same side, despite having different ways of going about it. Russo’s intervention, and consequently his sudden appearance, indicates that he is not on the same page as them, wanting to protect himself rather than assist anyone in any other way. Separately, Frank and Madani realize that Russo is not on their side, but is one atop the ladder, which could be why he stands so high above them in the stairwell itself. The implication is that, because Russo is higher than them, he has more to lose and therefore is unwilling to risk it, even and perhaps especially if the truth is revealed. He has become a powerful person who is capable of altering the story, capable of changing it so it fits the version of reality he wants to tell.
According to Ebon Moss-Bachrach, David is a cryptologic linguist in Farsi and Pashto. This explains why he sent the Zubair tape to Dinah Madani, who in an early episode mentions speaking Farsi at home.
The story of Frank Castle and William Rawlins is akin to Frankenstein and his creation. Frankenstein creates/brings life to a being that doesn't want it (or wasn't prepared), while Agent Orange pretty much creates the Punisher by killing Frank's family. The Punisher is his monster, his creation. Similarly, Frankenstein is killed by his monster, his abomination, after he gives him life. Agent Orange meets his end by injecting Frank with adrenaline (new life). Frank breaks his bonds, just like in every retelling about Frankenstein's monster, and grips his creator by the throat. He then proceeds to destroy him.
At first, it seems like The Punisher felt the need to basically rehash Frank’s origin even though Daredevil season 2 had pretty much covered it, but on a closer look, it's not, when one looks at Frank and Billy Russo. Frank and Russo are Fire-Forged Friends. Both are career military, closer than brothers, and USMC to their bones. They both experience the same situation–being assigned as muscle in a covert operation that even before they find out it’s off-the-books is morally dodgy as hell. And their reactions are diametric opposites.
Namely, Frank rejects it and tries to return to his family and tell himself the lie that he was only following orders while still knowing in his gut it was messed up. Russo leans into it, protects it, gets rich off it, while still knowing in his gut it was messed up but not caring.
When both of them get stripped down to who they really are by the events that result from their choices, Frank stands up and says “This shit was wrong” and does what he can to make it right while still owning his own shitty choices and the fact that he knew it was wrong and did nothing. He went in knowing there was no escape route, because he wanted to make up for what he’d done in any way he could. While Russo made the exact opposite choice of lying to himself right up to the bitter end.
Schoonover doesn't seem the sort to give himself a fancy pseudonym, especially something off the wall like "the Blacksmith." It makes a bit more sense when you remember that the PMC he ran is called ANVIL.
Amy said she wanted a career in Marine Salvage. In some ways, one might say she saved Frank.
Fridge Horror
Ahmad Zubair's death, along with every innocent killed by Operation Cerberus, officially went unpunished, and in Zubair's case his direct murderer got a pardon. Frank's got his revenge, but the people in Afghanistan will not get their justice and the CIA won't take responsibility for the murder there or on American soil committed by one of their most rewarded agent. Also while the audience roots for Frank the CIA just gave a new identity to someone for cleaning up their mess and, unless they are that short sighted to not see that coming, will likely continue his violent crusade against crime the moment something provokes him, (according to the trial in Daredevil, Frank likely got trauma due to the headshot he got that makes him feel in constant fight or flight mode). Of all the Marvel Netflix vigilantes, it's the Punisher who just got state-sanctioned.
Frank's memory of Billy having lunch with his family is meant to show what their relationship was like in happier times. However, hearing them joke about Billy trying to pass himself off as an orphan may send chills down your spine once you remember the state of his mother. It shows that Billy would rather delude himself and those around him into thinking that he is alone in this world, than admit that his mother is alive.
Was Rawlins arrogant in disregarding Frank's warnings about the ambush...or maybe he did know it was an ambush all along, and it was his way of tying up loose ends. Which makes it darker when one realizes the fact that while Russo never figured it out, his ass was supposed to die there, too.
Especially since Frank and Russo mentioned in conversation right before this that this operation is taking place a full month before their tour is scheduled to end, AKA the time when soldiers are most likely to be making mistakes.
Gunner says that when he went to return the knife to his now-dead companion, he saw that the higher-ups were using that soldier's corpse to smuggle drugs. So, there's a real possibility that Rawlins disregarded Frank's warnings because he needed more heroin containers.
Fridge Logic
If Lewis had access to a whole bunch of claymore mines, why did he need to improvise explosives?
is nothing more than a long-enduring urban legend. There is no documented case of this ever actually happening, and popular opinion of veterans at the time was sympathetic to veterans, even among those critical of the war. It's an early hint that O'Connor is a fraud, and considering he's also a bit a Conspiracy Theorist, it's no surprise that his belief in this legend became a part of his fiction.