"Penny and Dime" is the fourth episode of season 2 of Daredevil (2015).
A group of Kitchen Irish attend a wake for their associates that were killed in Frank Castle's machine gun attack. As everyone in attendance clinks glasses and drink a shot of whiskey, a new visitor shows up. This is Finn Cooley (Tony Curran), whose son Kelly was among the victims. He's just arrived on the first flight from Dublin. Finn walks over to the coffin containing his son's body and comments that he didn't want his kid to follow in his footsteps, but he insisted. One of his men, Seamus, approaches the grieving Finn and tells him that death is part of the business. This angers Finn, who promptly kills Seamus by stabbing him through the left eye with an ice pick. The now-riled-up Finn tells the rest of his men that the Punisher stole $1.2 million from them, and he wants his money back.
Acting on this, Finn's men go out and begin threatening every lead they can find at gunpoint for answers. From threatening a bar owner, they learn about Frank's dog, and from the pet store owner, they get an address on Frank's residence. Inside, they find the dog he took from them. Searching the apartment, Finn notices a map of Manhattan, with a couple of brochures pinned to the map over a point in Central Park, and realizes exactly who they're up against. As Finn and his men get into their cars and drive away, they don't see Frank standing across the street, watching them.
At his apartment, Matt is getting dressed when Karen shows up. Karen gently flirts with him as she helps him put his tie on. Matt can't help but notice that Karen seems pretty good at doing ties. She comments that she's good at it because her brother wasn't. Matt is genuinely surprised to learn that Karen has siblings, since she's never talked about them.
Matt and Karen join Foggy at the Clinton Church, the three having arranged a very private funeral for Grotto. In his eulogy, Father Lantom explains that Grotto was a deeply flawed individual. Every Sunday, he'd come to church to attempt to atone for his sins, donating whatever money he had on him, hoping for redemption that never came. After the service, Matt steps aside with Father Lantom, praising him for the fact that he chose to be blunt about Grotto; Father Lantom replies that they can't ignore Grotto's criminal past, lest they not learn from it. Matt asks Father Lantom for forgiveness for his failure to save Grotto; despite doing everything he possibly could, he still feels guilty. Father Lantom tells him that guilt is a motivator—if his guilt is still there, his job must not be done yet.
Meanwhile, in a camper van, Frank stitches up his left arm. When he's done, he sets off, looking for a score to settle.
Back at Nelson & Murdock, Karen shows Matt and Foggy the evidence that Blake Tower slipped to her, in particular the x-ray of the Punisher's skull. The fact that he got shot in the head at some point suggests to her that there's something else going on. She's convinced that Reyes might have some personal investment in the Punisher case, like past misconduct she's trying to cover up. To Karen, their best shot at protecting the firm is to find the Punisher first. Foggy, who sees such a move as career (if not actual) suicide, is dragged away from their conversation by a phone call. Matt is more receptive to Karen's theory and even flirts with her. Matt is pulled away from his brief flirting session by Foggy. Foggy tells Matt about a client that has defaced an elevator in his building in response to not having working A/C or water, which they need to file before the end of the day. During this time, Karen slips out of the office. Matt and Foggy quickly realize that she made off with the Punisher files as well. Matt makes to go after her, but Foggy advises him to find the Punisher himself, before Karen does.
Matt leaves the office, changes into his Daredevil armor, and visits Melvin Potter at his workshop to check if his new helmet is ready. Though he's early, Melvin has indeed prepared a new cowling, this one made from a near-indestructible carbon-nanotube-based compound. He also has added some reinforced alloy gloves. Melvin offers to show off some new armor he's wearing under his work shirt for protection, but Matt politely declines.
Karen tracks down George Bach, a former nurse at Metro-General, now reduced to working as an office building janitor. Over a cup of coffee, Bach explains to Karen that the Punisher was shot in the head. The shot in particular left him in a vegetative state, which led the hospital to only assign one nurse to him. He didn't have any family or visitors, aside from the 'suits'. The 'suits' pushed for the Punisher to be declared deceased and even filled out a DNR form. He flatlined for about a minute, and then like a miracle, he suddenly came back to life. Within ten minutes of waking up, Bach recalled the Punisher grabbing him and asking him to take him home. He did, and lost his job for it. Karen asks if he remembers the address.
As night falls, Frank is sitting on a park bench by a carousel in Central Park, staring blankly out into space as if lost in thought. Finn's men show up and corner him. Frank attacks Rory, the leader of Finn's crew, grabs his gun and holds him hostage, but not before Rory is able to inject a syringe containing anesthetics into Frank's neck. Using Rory as a human shield, Frank opens fire, killing the group of henchmen surrounding him and wounding Rory. Just as he begins to relax, Finn and a couple more men show up, telling him he's surrounded. Frank's vision blurs as Rory's anesthetic kicks in. Finn's remaining men proceed to knock Frank down with tasers, which render him unconscious.
Simultaneously, Brett Mahoney is wrapping up forensics at the bar that Finn's gang had shook down earlier looking for information on the Punisher. As his partner steps out, Brett hears a crash in the backroom. He draws his gun, enters the backroom, and finds Matt in the back. Brett is reluctant to share anything with Daredevil, saying that just because he helped the NYPD catch Fisk doesn't make them allies—and anyway, Brett considers him part of the criminal problem. Between Daredevil effectively beating up criminals and the Punisher just shooting them, no one in the Kitchen respects the NYPD anymore. Asked if this was the Punisher's work, Brett reluctantly tells Matt that the Irish have put a bounty out on the Punisher and innocent people all over Hell's Kitchen have been attacked as a result. Matt leaves, though not after reminding Brett that he's on the same side.
Karen arrives at Frank's old house in a taxicab. Careful to avoid being seen, she sneaks around and breaks in through the back door. Simultaneously, Matt arrives at the Central Park carousel, where Rory is still hanging on to life. Matt grabs him by the arm and gets him to reveal where the rest of his crew have taken Frank.
Frank has been taken to an underground room in a catacomb, where he is bound to a chair and guarded by a couple of Finn's men. Finn comes in and informs Franks that he's dying tonight, but he'll get one chance to meet his maker with arms and legs attached. Finn's guards begin beating Frank, trying to get him to talk, with no success. Finn himself then swallows a few pills, then dismisses his guards. Now alone, Finn asks Frank where his money is being held. Frank scoffs at how out of touch Finn's priorities are. This angers Finn, who punches him repeatedly, and suggests that Frank is seeking retribution. Frank starts to disclose where he's stashed their money, but it's just a ploy to get close enough to headbutt Finn. Finn calls his guards back in to restrain Frank, and then he takes a drill and begins drilling into Frank's left foot.
Karen searches Frank's house, using her smartphone as a flashlight. She panics when she accidentally bumps into a toy lying on the floor, making a noise. Noticing a container full of toys, she takes a yellow plastic flashlight out and turns it on. Karen then notices a pair of discarded sneakers on the stairs and makes her way up to the second floor, not knowing that she's tripped a silent alarm. On the second floor, Karen enters a bedroom that belonged to Frank's daughter Lisa, full of paintings, several figurines, and a couple of toys. Her attention is drawn in particular to a book on a table called One Batch, Two Batch, Penny and Dime. She flips through a few pages, but her attention is then drawn to what's on the mantle above the fireplace: a shrine to Frank's military career. On it, Karen finds photos of Frank with his comrades, and cases containing medals he received for his actions in combat.
Back at the catacombs, Matt shows up and overpowers a couple of Finn's guards. The drill having failed to work, Finn has his men bring in Max, the dog Frank had taken from them, and threaten to shoot him if Frank doesn't give up the money. The sound of Finn starting up the drill gets Frank to crack, and tell them that he's left the money in his van at 48th Street and 10th Avenue. Finn leaves the room, calling his men to inform them of the money location. What they don't see is Frank opening up the cut he made in his arm earlier to extract a small razor blade he had inserted there, and using it to cut his bonds.
In the tunnels, Matt takes out another group of Finn's men. Two of Finn's men drive out to the van. When they open the back doors, they find the briefcase containing the money. All of the money is there, the henchman in question reports back to Finn, but then he notices something else in the case. Indeed, the case has been rigged with a motion-activated bomb which detonates at that moment, destroying the van and killing both men instantly. Finn hangs up, preparing to kill Frank, and that's when Frank makes his move: he uses the piece of blade to slice at the guard, grabs the guard's gun, and shoots Finn twice in the back. Frank shoots the guard in the head to finish him off, then picks up a shotgun and advances on Finn, killing another of Finn's men along the way. Frank backs Finn into a corner, points the shotgun at his head, and asks him who was responsible for the death of his family. Finn says, "Who cares!" Frank promptly pulls the trigger, blowing off the right side of Finn's face. A shootout erupts between Frank and a couple of the remaining men, and he's shot in the shoulder while seeking cover behind a coffin lid.
As Frank takes cover, he repeats to himself, "One batch, two batch, penny and dime," the title of the book Karen was looking at in Lisa's bedroom. Matt then appears, and takes out the men who were shooting at Frank. Working together, Matt and Frank overpower the rest of Finn's henchmen, though Matt has to stop Frank from killing a few of them.
Back at Frank's house, Karen is interrupted by the sound of a van slowly driving past on the street and hides so as not to be noticed. Once the van is out of sight, she notices a photo of Frank with his family, posing at the carousel Frank was captured at. Karen barely has time to study the photo when the same van suddenly parks in front of the house, and several men in suits climb out. She hastily stashes the photograph in her purse and exits out the back door.
Matt helps the wounded Frank out to the cemetery, and puts him down to rest against one of the grave markers. Frank is impressed with Matt's work, and admits he was wrong about Matt being "a pussy." Matt chooses to stay with Frank until emergency workers can arrive. Matt, curious, asks Frank what his "penny and dime" rhyme means.
Matt Murdock: Yeah.
Frank Castle: So, you know. It's just, I couldn't do nothing, you know? All the things. I couldn't take my wife to bed. Ball with the boy. Shit... I was too tired, I couldn't even drink a goddamn beer, you know? But not her. My girl was up. See, she wanted to, uh, she wanted me to tuck her in. She... she outgrew it, she knew it, but she didn't care. She wanted it. She had that book. Her favorite book was out on the pillows. One Batch, Two Batch, Penny and Dime, you know? I read her that book every night before the shit. I read it every single night, but, see, that was over now, because Daddy's home now. She looked at me and she begged me, Red. She begged. She begged. I said, "No. Daddy's too tired, see. But I'll... I'll read to you tomorrow night. I promise." Yeah. Never think that for her there was not gonna be any tomorrow, see? The last time I'd see her, I'd be holding her lifeless body in my arms. Meat was spilling out of her, Red. The place where her face used to be. I think I'm done, Red. I think I'm done.
A police siren becomes audible as Frank finishes speaking. Moments later, Brett and another unformed officer arrive in their patrol car. His partner covers Frank while an annoyed Brett slaps his handcuffs on Matt. But Matt then has an epiphany:
Brett Mahoney: What?
Matt Murdock: You heard me. You caught him, not me. It can't be me. It has to be you.
Brett Mahoney: Why?
Matt Murdock: To protect the Kitchen. The lawful order.
Brett Mahoney: Talk me out of filing a report—
Matt Murdock: Take the collar. Take the credit. Get a promotion, if you can. You've earned it.
Brett Mahoney: Bullshit.
Matt Murdock: No, people have to know the system works. Not his justice and not mine. Vigilante days are done in this town. The police are in charge.
Brett Mahoney: That's not how it happened.
Matt Murdock: Then make it how it happened.
Brett, realizing Matt has a point, uncuffs Matt. Matt subsequently watches from afar as a heavy rainstorm begins and Frank is wheeled on a gurney to a waiting ambulance, guarded by Brett and an assortment of patrol and ESU cops.
Matt, Karen and Foggy convene at Josie's to watch the evening news report on Frank's arrest. Matt's advice has paid off, as Brett is being credited with the capture. Karen comments that the media's calling Frank a "cold-blooded psychopath" will make it hard for Reyes to spin herself as a hero. The three make a toast to Brett and to a safe Hell's Kitchen. While Foggy dismisses himself to get another round of drinks, Matt flirts with Karen, asking her about her brother, though she seems initially hesitant to bring him up.
As Matt and Foggy wait for Karen outside, Foggy comments on Matt's flirting with Karen, warning that if he keeps it up, he might just find himself happy. Foggy then heads off, intending to sleep off the adrenaline of the past few days. Taking a glance at the downpour, Karen offers to walk Matt home. Matt happily accepts. The two walk off into the rain, not caring about getting drenched. Outside Matt's building, Matt stops, takes a moment to brush raindrops off Karen's shoulder and face, then suddenly cups her face and kisses her. As they break the kiss, Matt asks Karen if she'd like to go out to dinner with him tomorrow night, which she eagerly agrees to without hesitating. Returning to his apartment, Matt prepares to grab a beer from his fridge and relax, only to find a figure on the couch in his living room: Elektra Natchios.
Tropes seen in this episode include:
- Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: This episode relies on drama scenes as much as it does its action scenes.
- The first twelve minutes are dedicated to grieving, as we are treated before the credits to Finn Cooley and the other surviving Kitchen Irish holding a wake for the comrades they lost to Frank's hit in episode 1. After the credits, we have Matt, Karen and Foggy attending Grotto's funeral.
- We get Karen's search of Frank Castle's house.
- And perhaps most importantly, Matt's and Frank's conversation in the graveyard where Frank reveals his motivation to "Red" as they wait for the police to arrive, which many considered to be the most defining moment for the Punisher, more than any of his action scenes.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Finn Cooley in the comics was an ex-Irish Republican Army bomber who was disfigured by one of his own bombs. In the show, he looks normal. Although he does eventually get his face blown off like his comic book namesake, it's by a shotgun, and he doesn't survive it.
- Agony of the Feet: Frank gets a drill through his left foot while being tortured. As Matt helps him escape, Frank has a major limp and swagger due to that injury and the blood loss.
- Anachronic Order: The scenes with Matt, Foggy and Karen going to Grotto's funeral are implied to be taking place at the same time as the scenes of Finn and his crew shaking down people looking for the Punisher.
- And Your Little Dog, Too!: The Irish mobsters threaten Frank's pet dog to get him to give up the location of their money. He gives up the location of his camper van, but doesn't tell them that it's been booby-trapped to explode.
- Ax-Crazy: Finn comes off as more than a little unhinged when he suddenly and brutally murders an old friend at his son's funeral.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Matt and Frank fight their way out of the catacombs like this. Downplayed in that Matt has to repeatedly stop Frank from killing the opponents and Frank is clearly on his last legs from his injuries and blood loss.
- Bad Boss: Finn does not give a solitary shit about the people under his command; he threatens them with death should they fail, and it's not an idle threat. Best demonstrated when he nonchalantly thanks Castle for "thinning the herd" after he kills a few of his men. Either because he's happy he has less overhead to pay off when he gets his money, or because he considered them weak and better off dead than a burden to him. Neither are hallmarks of great leaders.
- Bait-and-Switch: While talking with Karen at Josie's, Matt leans forward and sensually rubs Karen's arm with his thumb a few times, looking like he's about to chew her out for sneaking off without telling him or Foggy where she was going. Instead, much to Karen's surprise, he asks her more about her brother.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: Karen lays out what she's concluded from the Punisher file, and insists that their best chance at standing up to Reyes is if they get to the Punisher first. Foggy wants nothing to do with it, calling Karen's logic borderline career suicide. Once Foggy is pulled into his office by a phone call, Karen turns to Matt hoping that he might back her up.Karen Page: Am I insane? Matt?
Matt Murdock: [looks up at her] I'm sorry, what?
Karen Page: I—nothing. Just... Father Lantom's eulogy really got to me, I guess.
Matt Murdock: Yeah, he does that.
Karen Page: Punisher's a lunatic.
Matt Murdock: But you care anyway?
Karen Page: Uh, I wouldn't say that. It's more like... curious. [Karen walks over and sits down on the filing cabinets next to Matt] I mean, between these files and—and—and Reyes's obsession and the fact that... humans are a pretty complicated species to begin with? I just—I feel like there's got to be more to the story.
Matt Murdock: I think you are... [his jaw silently opens and shuts as he tries to find the right words]
Karen Page: [smiles] Oh my god, you think I'm insane! [Matt and Karen laugh]
Matt Murdock: [grins] I'm kidding. Compassionate. [beat] It's a good quality, Karen. The stuff of saints.
Karen Page: Yeah, well, I'm no saint.
Matt Murdock: I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that. - Batman Gambit: Frank allows himself to be captured, knowing he'd be tortured, knowing that he had a bargaining chip so they'd leave him alone for a while (the money), and knowing this would allow him to escape and kill the remainder of the Kitchen Irish. This is all reasonable, but the success of his plan relies on them leaving him alone long enough to dig out a razor blade he'd hidden under the skin of his forearm and that they'd have him tied with rope or zipties instead of cuffed or chained.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Strongly averted, as Frank describes in gory detail of how "meat was spilling out" of where his daughter's face used to be.
- Beard of Evil: Finn is a violent, sadistic, psycho murderer with a full beard.
- Berserk Button: Finn kills a friend who suggests he just accept his son's death, and takes a drill to Frank's foot when Frank implies he didn't care about his son.
- Blatant Lies:
- When showing the Punisher files to the guys, Karen claims that Blake Tower slipped her the file, not mentioning that she talked him into giving it up.
- A minor one, but when Matt asks Karen about her brother when they're in Josie's, Karen describes him in the present tense like he's still alive, rather than admit he's dead and she had a part in his death.
- Bolivian Army Ending: The gang is crippled and the dust is settling, but the bleeding Frank openly speculates to Matt that he may not live through the night (before the police and and EMTs arrive).
- Boom, Headshot!: Frank takes out Finn this way, with a shotgun point-blank.
- Briefcase Full of Money: The money Frank stole from the Kitchen Irish is in a briefcase, and has been booby-trapped to blow up in the face of whoever tries to open it.
- Brutal Honesty: Father Lantom doesn't try to sugarcoat Grotto's life or attempt to Never Speak Ill of the Dead. He claims that the best he could do is say he went to and donated to church, and that if they ignore his criminal past, there was no learning from it.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Finn replies to Frank asking who killed his family, his response is "Who cares?" He might just be saying so as one last middle finger to him, though.
- Came Back Wrong: Based on Matt's reactions to Karen presenting the files she stole from Tower's desk, he seems to think that the bullet to the head may have done something to Frank's mentality.
- Chekhov's Gun: Early in the episode we see Frank working on a bloody wound on his arm. He hasn't done anything recently to sustain a wound like that... Fired much later when he spoiler:pulls a razor blade out from under the skin of his forearm to free himself from the ropes the Irish have bound him with.
- Cops Need the Vigilante:
- Defied by Brett Mahoney. When Matt-as-Daredevil drops in on Brett while he's finishing up forensics at a bar that Finn's guys shook down for info on the Punisher, Brett explicitly says that just because Daredevil stopped Wilson Fisk doesn't mean he and the NYPD are fighting for the same cause.Matt Murdock: We're on the same side, you and I.
Brett Mahoney: You're on your own side. - Matt takes Brett's words to heart, and persuades him to take all the credit for Frank Castle's arrest.
- Defied by Brett Mahoney. When Matt-as-Daredevil drops in on Brett while he's finishing up forensics at a bar that Finn's guys shook down for info on the Punisher, Brett explicitly says that just because Daredevil stopped Wilson Fisk doesn't mean he and the NYPD are fighting for the same cause.
- Cold-Blooded Torture:
- Finn and the Irish mobsters torture random bartenders and shop owners looking for Frank. A shocked petshop owner hesitates slightly too long in terrified confusion and Finn's new Dragon blows out his elbow with a shotgun
- In the climax, Finn drives a power drill through Frank's foot to force him to tell them where their money is.
- Continuity Nod: During their brief flirting at the office, Matt mentions, "[Compassion is] a good quality, Karen. The stuff of saints." Karen replies, "Yeah, well, I'm no saint," subtly referring to her killing James Wesley (or foreshadowing for the Season 3 episode "Karen").
- Damned by Faint Praise: The most positive thing Father Lantom can say about Grotto is that he donated to the church. He explains to Matt that he can't sugercoat Grotto's life and his criminal deeds because they wouldn't learn anything from it doing so.
- Deadpan Snarker: While Matt and Foggy's comments on the newscast are all directed at Brett, Karen takes the opportunity to snark about how this affects the firm's conflicts with Reyes.Karen Page: Press are calling Castle a "cold-blooded psychopath." The D.A.'s gonna have a helluva time using his prosecution to turn herself into a hero. It's all working out perfectly. [sips her beer]
Matt Murdock: Wow. Way to bring us down... - Defiant to the End: Even when Frank turns the tables on him and has him at gunpoint demanding to know who killed his family, Finn doesn't flinch or beg.
- Disney Death: As the terminated hospital nurse explains to Karen, the Punisher flatlined for a solid minute before suddenly waking up.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Matt fails to detect Elektra in his apartment for a solid minute because he's on a bit of a love high from kissing Karen.
- The Dragon: The short Irishman Finn identified by name at the wake becomes Finn's Blood Knight bruiser willing to do horrific things for him.
- Due to the Dead: The episode opens with a wake for the Irish mobsters killed at the massacre, attended by the rest of their gang and Finn. And then this is followed by a smaller funeral for Grotto, attended only by Matt, Karen, and Foggy.
- Dying Alone: Karen states this as a reason why the three feel motivated to attend Grotto's funeral, only for Foggy to counteract that the police found Grotto's body among a bunch of knocked out Dogs of Hell bikers (though it's pretty clear he's just relaying what Matt told him about what happened).
- Establishing Character Moment: Finn turns up at his son's funeral, stabs an underling through the eye with an ice pick before popping pills for his nerves, desecrates his son's corpse, and shrieks that he wants his money back. All of this establishes him as psychotic, cruel, unhinged and greedy.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Finn is quite pissed at the death of his son, though as Frank points out, getting his money back seems to be more important to him.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- Thanks to clues he left for them in his shithole apartment, the Irish find Frank at the Carousel where his family died. They wait until the ride is shut off and all the families have left before confronting him. This may be Pragmatic Villainy, though.
- Finn promises Frank a quick end if he does as he's told, and spares Frank's dog when he finally agrees to do so.
- Evil Redhead: Finn has red hair and is a violent crime boss.
- Eye Scream: When Seamus tells Finn that his son's death was just an occupational hazard of the business, Finn proceeds to kill the guy by stabbing him in the left eye with an ice pick, driving it all the way into his skull. Finn meets his own end with a point-blank shotgun round to his left eye courtesy of Frank Castle.
- Facial Dialogue: There's no dialogue at all when Karen is looking around Frank Castle's house, so it's necessary to use her facial expressions to get an idea of what's going through her head.
- Facial Horror: Frank firing a shotgun into the left side of Finn's face point-blank.
- Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: The nurse that removed Frank from the hospital got fired as a result. When Karen tracks him down, she finds that he's reduced to being a janitor.
- Fatal Family Photo: Karen finds numerous photos of Frank with his family around his house. She swipes a photograph of Frank with his wife and both of his kids at the carousel where they were all killed.
- Fan Disservice: A half-naked Frank bloodily stitching himself back up after inserting a blade into his arm.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Matt rescuing Castle finally earns him some praise, though he's still mildly annoyed at Matt's Thou Shalt Not Kill policy. Matt in turn stays with Castle until the police arrive, even though he's risking arrest to do so (and probably would have been if anyone but Brett had arrived first).
- First Kiss: Matt and Karen have theirs in the rain.
- Foreshadowing:
- As Karen sneaks through Frank Castle's house, she fails to notice a sensor alarm flashing.
- The mysterious van that arrives to investigate the alarm indicate that the Frank storyline isn't over yet. The Punisher (2017) implies that the men might be Billy Russo's Anvil operatives.
- Brett's comment to Matt of "You're on your own side" sets up some of the tension between immediate results and proper oversight that come into play in Captain America: Civil War.
- This is the first time Karen has even mentioned her brother, and she is taken off guard when Matt tries to probe further about him.
- Gorn: Frank kills Finn by shooting him point-blank with a shotgun, blowing off the left side of his face, which the camera focuses on.
- Heroes Love Dogs: Invoked by Frank so the Irish will believe his confession and give him time to escape.
- Hesitation Equals Dishonesty: Played for Laughs at Josie's when Matt gets some alone time with Karen.Matt Murdock: Hey. You okay?
Karen Page: [after a beat] Yeah.
Matt Murdock: [grins widely]
Karen Page: [laughs nervously] Okay, that wasn't convincing, was it? Ummm...[runs a hand through her hair] I don't know. I just uh...days like today remind me how precious life can be, y'know?- Right after this, Matt asks about Karen's brother, and there's a moment of hesitation before she settles on "Ummmm, he's sweet. He was a...good brother." Considering the role she had in the car accident that killed him, it's no wonder she's caught off guard by Matt's question.
- Hope Spot: Just when Matt finally scores with Karen, his ex-girlfriend of dubious morality turns up to complicate matters.
- Improvised Armour: In the crypt, Frank improvises a coffin lid for a ballistic shield.
- Instant Sedation: Averted. Rory tries to inject a syringe into Frank's neck, and while Frank's vision does become blurry, it doesn't knock him out instantly. It's not until Finn's guys deploy a couple of tasers simultaneously that he goes down.
- Intertwined Fingers: Karen and Matt Holding Hands in the Romantic Rain.
- The Irish Mob: While the Kitchen Irish have been an undercurrent this whole season, they are now back, with a vengeance. Finn arrives from Ireland, assumes direct control, and sends the lads on a brutal spree searching for and quickly finding Frank.
- Internal Reveal: Karen discloses to Matt and Foggy the evidence she swiped from Blake Tower's desk.
- I Want Them Alive!: When Castle grabs a mobster as a Human Shield, the man shouts at the other mooks not to shoot as the boss wants Castle alive. Castle has no such problem and guns his men down without hesitation. Unfortunately he's already been injected with a sedative and more mooks arrive with tasers to subdue him.
- Kick the Dog: The Irish mobsters, seeing Frank won't break, threaten the dog he rescued.
- Laugh of Love: As soon as Matt stops Karen so that she'll turn back to face him, she stares at him for a few seconds, and they break out giggling as she realizes "Ohmigod, he wants to kiss me!"
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: While watching the news on Frank Castle's arrest, Matt comments, "I think that's enough Punisher for one night." Probably fitting if you've been binge-watching the first four episodes, as this episode marks the end of the first act of season 2. Same for Foggy's comment moments later, "I think I've had enough excitement for one evening," as he dashes off into the rain.
- Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: Foggy, being the ever faithful wingman, smirks when Matt and Karen begin flirting at Josie's, and makes an early departure to give them a little privacy.
- Lonely Funeral: Only Matt, Karen, and Foggy show up for Grotto's funeral.
- Made of Iron: Like his comicbook counterpart, Frank has an unnaturally strong level of pain tolerance. Even after being brutally tortured with a drill, he still has enough strength to break free and shoot his way through a bunch of gangsters.
- Male Gaze: Before kissing Karen, Matt takes the time to brush some raindrops off her skin. Matt's heightened senses mean we are treated to an extreme close-up of Matt slowly running his finger over the soft skin on Karen's right arm while listening to the sound of her nervous breathing.
- Manly Tears: Frank is fighting them back when telling Matt his motivation for hunting down criminals.
- The Men in Black: The ex-nurse who was in charge of a comatose Castle said he was often visited by men (and sometimes women) in suits with earpieces, who were apparently in favor of having him taken off life support. Later another van of such types responds to the silent alarm in Castle's house, though it's a white van instead of the usual Van in Black.
- Mood Whiplash:
- Finn driving the power drill into Frank's foot before the scene abruptly cuts to Karen quietly searching Frank's house.
- Matt is bathing in the afterglow of his First Kiss with Karen, then suddenly snatches up a knife on realising Elektra is in his apartment with him.
- Mythology Gag:
- Karen pulls out the x-ray of Frank Castle's skull, from the day his family was killed. It's essentially a rendition of the Punisher skull. With a bullet-hole.
- Castle burying a blade in his arm and using it later to break out is from the "Man of Stone" storyline of The Punisher MAX.
- Melvin Potter offers to show off the body armor he's wearing, which bears the two dark blue panels of his Gladiator armor in the comics. Matt respectfully declines and says, "I'm gonna take your word for it."
- Melvin appears to have the Stilt-Man
armor on a wall in his garage. - Frank luring the Irish mobsters to the money only to set off a bomb instead was the scheme of Nesbitt in "Kitchen Irish," The Punisher MAX story from which many of the Irish mobsters' names are drawn.
- Finn's torturing Frank using a power drill draws on another Garth Ennis Punisher story, this one from the Marvel Knights era, in which Frank discusses finding a man who'd similarly been worked over with a power drill by rogue IRA elements.
- Finn's getting shot in the face point-blank with a shotgun evokes his comic book counterpart, whose face was ruined by an explosion.
- Matt and Karen's first kiss in the rain echoes Matt's first kiss with Elektra in the film.
- Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Subverted at Grotto's funeral, as Matt notes after the sermon. Despite him being a Reformed Criminal, Father Lantom doesn't make an attempt to sugarcoat his immoral lifestyle just because he is dead, since otherwise there would be no learning from his mistakes.
- Newscaster Cameo: NY1's Pat Kiernan reports on the Punisher's capture.
- No-Sell:
- Frank no-sells tasers. Three of them put him on his knees, but then he stands up. Two more, and he finally goes down... because five tasers and a syringe full of tranquilizer. After he killed half a dozen Irishmen.
- All efforts at torturing Frank fail. He might grunt, or even scream, but he doesn't move.
- Offhand Backhand: Frank can do it with a damn shotgun.
- Outliving One's Offspring:
- Finn makes it clear to everyone around him that he is displeased about his son's death. Of course, he is more concerned about his money than he is about his kid.
- Frank explains his Survival Mantra is in remembrance of the children's book he used to read to his daughter before she was gunned down.
- Parting-Words Regret: Frank expresses how much remorse he still has about promising his daughter he would read her book the next night, only to have her die in his arms that night after he returned home.Frank: I said, "No, Daddy's too tired, see. But I... I'll read to you tomorrow night. I'll read to you tomorrow night, I promise."
- Pet the Dog: Quite literally, as Frank has adopted Max, the dog he took from the massacre, and tries to keep it from harm. He only gives up the money when the gang threatens Max, but even then has anticipated this, by planting a bomb in the briefcase containing the money.
- "Rear Window" Investigation: Karen breaks into Frank Castle's house, obtaining a photo of Frank with his family at the carousel. She then narrowly avoids being noticed when a van pulls up in the front of the house driven by a couple of guys in suits.
- Relationship Upgrade: After more than a season of teasing, Matt and Karen become a couple in this episode.
- Reveal Shot: Matt returns to his apartment, smiling after his moment with Karen, and finds someone waiting for him; the last shot of the episode is of the figure in question, Elektra.
- Romantic Rain: Matt and Karen's Relationship Upgrade. Once Foggy departs, Karen looks up at the downpour that's opened up, sticks her hand out to get a feel for how hard the rainfall is, then offers to walk Matt home. They're both drenched by the time they get to Matt's building. After a moment, Matt slowly brushes raindrops off Karen's shoulder and face before they share a kiss.
- Shipper on Deck: Foggy can see Matt flirting with Karen while he steps away from them at Josie's. As they're waiting outside in the rain:Foggy Nelson: Careful, Matt.
Matt Murdock: What's that?
Foggy Nelson: Keep going like this, you just might end up happy. And for a Catholic boy, that's a pretty dangerous thing.
Matt Murdock: I don't know what you're talking about.
Foggy Nelson: [pats him on the shoulder] Godspeed, Matt Murdock. [Karen comes out]
Karen Page: Hey! Where next?
Foggy Nelson: Home. I'm gonna sleep for a week. Someone had the awful idea of doing shots! [Karen giggles as Foggy removes his newspaper to use as an umbrella] I think I've had enough excitement for one evening.
Karen Page: Okay...
Foggy Nelson: See you two in the morning! [dashes off into the rain]
Matt Murdock: See ya, Fog.
Karen Page: Bye!
[Karen smiles as she looks up at the sky, then at Matt. Noticing the rain, she steps forward and sticks out her hand to see how hard it's coming down]
Karen Page: [nervously] Do you mind the rain?
Matt Murdock: No. [Karen wordlessly laces her fingers through Matt's hand]
Karen Page: ...Then I'll walk you home. - Shout-Out: Karen finds a drawing that Frank's kids had made of Luke and Darth Vader.
- Skeleton Key Card: Karen uses one of her credit cards to pick the lock when breaking into Frank's house.
- Skewed Priorities: Subverted; despite how generally erratic and violent Finn is, he knows that no gang war could ever return his son, so instead he pursues his lost money, which he can get back, with the added zeal of a man avenging the death of a loved one.
- Stealth Hi/Bye:
- Karen pulls it on Matt and Foggy, using the distraction of Foggy telling Matt about a potential client to slip out of the office.
- Matt pulls one on Brett in the bar closet while Brett is answering his radio.
- In the final scene, Elektra pulls such an entrance on Matt. Matt being in a bit of a lovesick daze after kissing Karen is the most likely reason he doesn't notice her right away.
- Stepford Smiler: Karen's got a bit of this when Matt is talking to her at Josie's:Matt Murdock: Hey. You okay?
Karen Page: [smiles] Yeah. [Matt raises his eyebrows and grins] Okay, that wasn't convincing, was it? [laughs nervously] Umm... I don't know. I just, uh... Days like today remind me how precious life can be, you know? [Matt puts his hand over Karen's right arm and strokes her skin with his thumb a few times] - Survival Mantra: Frank constantly recites the title from his daughter's favorite book since his days in the army. See Title Drop below.Frank Castle: One Batch, Two Batch. Penny and Dime.
- This Is a Drill: In true IRA style Finn bores through Frank's foot with a drill.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: Frank while sitting on the park bench at the carousel, thinking about his family's death.
- Title Drop: Twice. First done visually in a children's book that Karen finds in Frank Castle's house. It's done verbally by Frank himself as he is trying to escape the Kitchen Irish.
- Too Dumb to Live: Yes! Tell the short-tempered gangster boss whose son just died on your watch that death is a natural part of their business. Surely that isn't going to cause him to do anything terrible to you—oh.
- And then that same boss for telling Frank "Who cares?" about the deaths of his family, prompting Frank to shoot his head open like a melon. Although Finn may not have been expecting to get out of the situation alive in any case.
- Too Kinky to Torture: Frank outright incites Finn to torture him (with the drill) and only gives up the location of the money because his dog gets threatened. Even then, he's booby-trapped the money to explode.
- Torture Technician: Finn's handy with a drill.
- Trojan Prisoner: Frank allows himself to be captured so he could escape and kill the remainder of the Kitchen Irish.
- Two Lines, No Waiting: Matt's rescue of Frank from the Irish happens simultaneously with Karen searching the Castle house.
- Verbal Tic: Because it's the episode where Frank Castle finally gets some real lines, this tends to be the one where most people notice his habit of punctuating his statements with "you know," "yeah," and "hmm."
- Xanatos Gambit: Frank Castle upon being subject to torture at the hands of Finn and his gang. He doesn't give up the location of Finn's money until they threaten his dog. He gives it up easily, knowing full well that he rigged the briefcase with an explosive surprise for the bag men who open it.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Finn is killed in his first appearance. But damn if he didn't leave a memorable impression.
- We Have Reserves: Naturally, when the Kitchen Irish corner Frank at the carousel, he manages to kill and wound a couple of them before they take him down with multiple tasers. Finn doesn't seem at all concerned about just having several of his men killed.Finn: Thanks for thinning out the herd a little!
- Working the Same Case: Matt and Karen come to learn about Frank Castle's family at the same time through different means: Matt through Frank's monologue at the graveyard, and Karen from searching Frank's old house.
- You Didn't Ask: When Karen is tying Matt's tie for him:Matt Murdock: Not that I can verify, but you seem good at this.
Karen Page: [smiles faintly] Uh, well, my brother wasn't, so... that's where I came in.
Matt Murdock: You never said you had a brother.
Karen Page: Uh...you never asked. [runs her hands over Matt's shoulders]
