The second episode of The Punisher (2017).
As Frank rides on a Circle Line ferry, he has a flashback of riding the ferry with his kids past the Statue of Liberty. Frank recalls how he got mad at Frank Jr. for suggesting he was just fighting in the war to kill a bunch of Hajjis. Later, as Frank is eating at a diner in Queens, he reads that day's edition of the New York Bulletin. Sure enough, his massacre of the Gnucci poker game is in the crime section, and the story has been covered by Karen Page, former legal secretary to Nelson & Murdock who was part of Frank's defense team. Frank has barely had time to process this when someone calls the diner asking to speak to Frank. The waitress hands the phone over to Frank, who finds Micro on the other end of the line. Micro wants to parlay with Frank, on the condition that Frank see the videotape Micro had left for him in his house. When Micro hangs up, Frank rushes outside, and locates a rooftop across the street where he thinks Micro is watching him. Micro isn't there, but he's left a burner phone behind for Frank to reach him on, and is himself on the roof of the diner.
That night, as Frank is sleeping, he once again is awakened by the recurring nightmare of a masked Marine shooting Maria in the head. He opens his computer and looks at the CD that Micro had left behind for him. It's a video of Frank and several other Marines, all wearing ski masks, standing around Ahmed Zubair, as a CIA official tries beating information out of him. After a while, the official tells the Marines to kill Zubair, at which point Frank steps forward and shoots Zubair in the face. The tape is enough to rattle Frank, who can't stop shaking. So the next day, Frank meets with Curtis to see if Curtis has heard anything about someone named Micro or accidentally let slip that Frank is alive to anyone, but Curtis assures him he didn't.
In the meanwhile, Dinah and Sam are spending their morning walking around the reflecting pools at the 9/11 Memorial, talking about how the attacks and the War on Terror have changed things. The conversation eventually turns to Ahmed Zubair and Frank Castle, and Dinah explains why she's certain that US Marines are responsible for Zubair's death: she was sent a video by an anonymous source that showed Marines torturing and executing him because they knew he was a police officer. Unfortunately, Dinah doesn't have the video in her hands because it was stolen from her in Kandahar. She's also convinced that Wolf has been told by people up on high to keep her away from the Zubair case explicitly because she'll find something that could hurt the careers of a lot of very powerful people. On the bright side, Dinah has found that one of Frank's friends, Billy Russo, currently resides in New York City. Since being discharged, Russo has opened up a private military contractor firm called Anvil. As Wolf doesn't want Dinah anywhere near the Zubair case, Dinah gets him to allow her to see Russo under the pretense of getting some training, as Anvil has facilities for law enforcement training exercises.
Frank, meanwhile, reaches out to Karen Page by disguising himself as a homeless man, and waiting for her to drop some cash in his hand as she walks by. Karen is surprised to see Frank, and especially the fact that he's reaching out to her, given the circumstances under which they parted. He uneasily admits he didn't want to risk her shooting him like the last time he showed up at her apartment. He follows Karen back to her apartment. Since the apparent death of Matt Murdock at Midland Circle, Karen has taken up drinking and even has a little shrine to Matt in her living room beneath the TV. Frank discloses to Karen what he knows about Micro, and, like with Curtis, asks her if she let slip his status as alive to anyone beyond Matt. Karen assures Frank that, aside from Matt, she didn't, and promises to see what she can find out about Micro. Frank leaves Karen a vase of flowers, which she is to leave in her windowsill to signal a meeting, if anything comes up. Before they leave, Karen spontaneously hugs Frank, relieved that someone from the good old days wants to make contact with her.
When Karen goes back to her office at the Bulletin, she thumbs through the archives, asking for help from editor-in-chief Mitchell Ellison when she's unable to find anything about Micro. The name does ring a bell with Ellison. Apparently, there was a somewhat seedy conspiracy theorist a while back who approached the Bulletin claiming that some hacker by the name of Micro was selling government secrets, and was later killed while resisting arrest. When Karen presses Ellison for more details, he explains that he didn't run the story because the man's only source was a DHS agent who refused to go on record. Not only that, but Carson Wolf dropped by the Bulletin in person and made Ellison spike the story on the grounds that going public with the story would interfere with vital DHS cases. Ellison still has a copy of the article in his office, and offers to give it to Karen if she stops acting like a bratty teenage daughter.
Micro, meanwhile, is brooding in his den, watching his wife Sarah, son Zach, and daughter Leo on cameras he's installed in his house, while also watching for Frank to appear on surveillance cameras.
Dinah and Sam spend part of the day at Anvil participating in a simulated hostage rescue. Sam accidentally "kills" one hostage, but Dinah assures him that this work is never clean. They are approached by Russo, who introduces himself to the two and propositions about potential government contracts with the DHS. Dinah takes this as an opening to start asking Russo leading questions to get info on Kandahar, but Wolf sees what she's doing and stops her. Russo offers to meet with Dinah off-duty to continue their conversation.
Frank, meanwhile, sees the flowers in Karen's windowsill, and meets with her at a park bench in Grand Ferry Park, overlooking the East River. Karen hands over the information she gleaned from Ellison, including Micro's real name, David Lieberman, and his home address. She is uneasy, saying she'll only help Frank as long as he doesn't kill anyone.
Frank then goes to the Lieberman house and "accidentally" walks in front of Sarah's minivan as she's pulling into the driveway. Sarah takes Frank into the house so she patch up a cut from where he hit his head on the pavement. David is freaked out enough by Frank making contact with his wife and kids that he grabs a gun and drives over, intent on protecting his family from Frank. Frank takes the opportunity to look around the Lieberman house, after asking for a cup of coffee. He connects with Sarah over their shared grief for their lost loved ones. He also offers to check Sarah's minivan for any damage. He has no idea that David is sitting in his car outside, trying to call him, but is unable to because Frank removed the battery from the burner phone.
Once Frank gets back to his quiet apartment, he shaves his head, seeing no need for the "hipster" look, while having flashbacks of being with his family in the park. He then heads to Carson Wolf's fancy house with a gun and ski mask at hand, and breaks in by crawling in through the chimney. He then surprises Wolf as he comes home from work. After a drawn out fistfight, Frank overpowers Wolf and ties him to a dining room chair using his necktie. He tortures Wolf for information, but Wolf is defiant, saying he's learned from time at Gitmo that torture is ineffective. Nonetheless, he lets slip that David was a perceived traitor who was killed resisting arrest. The whole time, Wolf manages to loosen his restraints, and eventually is able to undo them enough to free himself and grab Frank's gun away from him. Wolf rips off Frank's ski mask and goes pale at seeing Frank's face. After getting over his initial shock, Wolf smugly reveals that Frank gave them everything they needed to come after him by droning on and on about his homecoming tradition of going to the park with his family for a picnic. As to how David factors in to all this, Wolf reveals that they thought Frank is the man who leaked the tape of the Zubair execution. He prepares to shoot Frank in the head...only to find the gun is empty as Frank just used the last round when kneecapping him. This gives Frank the opening to charge Wolf, and after a quick struggle, break his neck.
Dinah meets with Russo at a bar for drinks, and talks with him about his military service. Russo admits he enjoyed every one of his kills he committed in Afghanistan, especially one night where he and Frank were trapped and had to fight against teams of enemy combatants to save their squadmates. The conversation is interrupted when Dinah is called away to investigate Wolf's murder.
The next day, Frank gets a call from David on the burner as he's eating breakfast at another diner. David is impressed at Frank's ability to throw him off the trail, and reveals he located Frank by watching for a group of bad guys to drop dead. Frank decides to smoke David out, and find out where he's living. With help from Curtis, Frank spends the day sending David on a wild goose chase around the city. The chase ends at Mount Zion Cemetery, where David has a grave marker erected for him. David approaches his grave. After a few minutes of waiting, he is approached by Curtis, who has a message from Frank: Frank isn't interested in what David has to offer him, and if David does anything to Curtis, Frank will pay a visit to David's family. Seemingly rejected, David returns to his car, and drives back to his den. Only on his return does he realizes that Curtis was simply distracting him while Frank stashed himself in the trunk of David's Impala. As David chuckles in humble defeat at Frank's ability to outsmart him, Frank knocks him out.
Tropes
- Bait-and-Switch:
- Frank has a bouquet of flowers for Karen, and it initially seems like they're his way of offering his condolences for Matt. Only for him to then establish that he wants her to put the flowers in her windowsill when she has information on Micro.
- Armed figures in SWAT gear appear to be moving in on Micro's hideout, only for it to be Madani and Sam doing their anti-terrorist training.
- Batman Gambit: Frank allows Wolf to get free and take his (unloaded) gun so that he would do a little Evil Gloating, thus revealing important information.
- Big Brother Is Watching You: Micro is following Frank through drones and surveillance cameras. He also uses hidden cameras to watch his family.
- Blood Knight: Billy Russo admits he enjoyed killing back in Afghanistan, especially this one night where he and Frank were trapped and had to fight against hordes of enemy soldiers.
- The Bus Came Back: Mitchell Ellison makes his first appearance since Daredevil season 2, getting a
One-Scene Wonder as Karen pumps him for anything the Bulletin might have on Micro. - Come Alone: Frank does the "get them to move from one location to another to reveal surveillance" version.
- Continuity Nod:
- Karen said to Matt in "The H Word" that she was covering the crime beat for the Bulletin. Here, what compels Frank to reach out to Karen is seeing that she's the author of the Bulletin story on his poker table shootout from the last episode.
- When Karen is pumping Ellison for information about Micro and Carson Wolf, Ellison is holding a Bulletin copy in his hand headlined "CHAOS UNDER THE STREETS".
- Karen never mentions Matt's name out loud, but she is clearly mourning his "death" in The Defenders, given how she's dressed in black and also is uneasy about what Frank will do with the information she gives him.
- The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much: Karen's article about the poker table shootout is headlined "5 Dead in Little Italy Murder-Suicide", given the way Frank killed the head of the crew with his own gun.
- Desk Jockey: Carson Wolf laments that he is no longer allowed on the field due to being a higher rank.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Losing Matt has driven Karen to start drinking.
- Faking the Dead: Micro lets both his enemies and his family believe he is dead to protect the latter.
- The Glomp: Karen suddenly hugs Frank as he's leaving, a hint at her own mental state at that time with Matt apparently dead.
- Informed Judaism: Micro is (supposedly) buried in a Jewish cemetery.
- It Works Better with Bullets: Wolf tries to shoot Frank after disarming him. The gun clicks on an empty chamber.Frank Castle: Gun's empty, asshole.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Wolf tells Frank that torture is not a useful tool in gaining information. Frank still tortures him for a bit, and subverts it as he's made sure Wolf's restraints are loose enough for Wolf to free himself...
- Just Between You and Me: ...because Frank intends for Wolf to then gloat to him not realizing he's holding an empty gun.
- Meaningful Name: Where's Frank's new favorite diner? Why Pete's Diner, of course. Because his name is Pete. His fake name. His fake name is Pete.
- Mouth of Sauron: Curtis approaches David at his grave marker, claiming Frank isn't interested in whatever David has to sell to him. It's a ploy to distract David while Frank is slipping into the trunk of his car.
- Neck Snap: How Frank dispatches Carson Wolf.
- Oh, Crap!: Wolf once he "disarms" and unmasks Frank.Carson Wolf: Holy shit! You don't know how to die, do you? This is rich. [laughs bitterly]
Frank Castle: You gonna read me my rights?
Carson Wolf: No. I don't think I'm gonna do that. [lowers himself back into the chair] Tonight's the night you're gonna die, Frank. The third time's a charm. The frickin' Punisher? [scoffs] You're pathetic. I almost feel sorry for you. We knew exactly where you'd be. Exactly where to go to get you. You bored your squad shitless talking about your homecoming tradition. Picnic in the park, Frank? You really were your momma's little apple pie, weren't ya?
Frank Castle: What are you saying? You killed my family to get to me?
Carson Wolf: Misdirection. A good player hides his hand, Frank. We figured if there were enough dead bodies, nobody would really care to look close enough at any given one of them. It was a calculated risk. You understand, right?
Frank Castle: And Lieberman. What about Lieberman? Who is he? [Wolf stands up again]
Carson Wolf: We thought you were the one that sent him the tape. Now close your eyes, Frank. I'm gonna do you a favor. You're gonna see your family really soon. [Frank doesn't close his eyes] No? Suit yourself. [Wolf pulls the trigger...and the gun clicks empty]
Frank Castle: Gun's empty, asshole. - Pants-Positive Safety: Frank stows his pistol in the front of his pants while interrogating Wolf, which allows the latter to easily snatch it from him after breaking loose from his bonds. Turns out Frank was counting on this happening and the gun is empty.
- Papa Wolf: Micro nearly brings himself to kill Frank when he use his below mentioned Wounded Gazelle Gambit.
- Punk in the Trunk: Frank gets to David's base by hiding in the trunk of his car, slipping in while Curtis is distracting David.
- Rage Breaking Point: In a flashback in the beginning, Frank gets angry with his son and grabs him by the face when he tells his sister that Frank is just fighting in the war to kill a bunch of Hajjis.
- Rule of Three: Thinking he has the drop on Frank once he gets hold of the gun, Wolf gloats that he's gonna make sure Frank dies tonight, 'cause "third time's a charm".
- Second Episode Introduction: Karen Page, Billy Russo, David Lieberman, and Sarah Lieberman make their first proper appearances in this episode.
- Shout-Out: Wolf's house incidentally is the same house that appeared in John Wick as Marcus's residence.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Micro and Frank engage in several over the com.
- Staged Pedestrian Accident: Given that Frank is Made of Iron, being knocked down by Sarah's minivan is hardly going to kill him!
- Suspiciously Apropos Music: Carson Wolf has "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" playing on his stereo while being kicked in the head. The fight even ends in time with the ending to the song.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Frank still drinks black coffee by the bucket.
- Vehicle Vanish: Frank disappears behind a passing truck as he attempts to chase Micro down. Unlike other examples it's a deliberate use of this trope as the truck is passing between Frank and where he (incorrectly) thinks Micro is—the next shot shows Frank racing up the stairs to the roof, where he only finds a torch shining on a mirror to give a fake 'glint'.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Frank lets himself get hit by Micro's wife Sarah so that he can get into her home and learn about Micro. It also conveniently gives him a limp, which throws off Micro's gait recognition software.
- Wrestler in All of Us: During his fight with Carson Wolf, Frank spears him and a few seconds later, hip throws him onto a table.
