WiC Watches: The Punisher season 2
By Corey Smith
Episode 211: “The Abyss”
Well, here we are again. It seems like The Punisher only has two kinds of episodes: ones that show off what the actors can do and move the plot forward, and ones that waste the cast members’ talents and spin the wheels of the plot. “The Abyss” is the second type of episode, so buckle up.
After being arrested for the murder of three innocent women, Frank is transported to a nearby hospital under heavy guard. And while the we learn that all the gunfire Frank took last episode was mostly rock salt and rubber bullets, which explains how he’s still alive, the rest of the hour is lacking in the logic department.
Daredevil’s Karen Page shows up to meet with Frank. It’s a sweet reunion, and reminds us of the chemistry these two had back in Daredevil season 2. The Punisher is adamant that he deserves to be punished for killing those women, and urges Karen to steer clear of the whole debacle. Karen Page is more interesting and fleshed out than any of the other female characters on the show, and it’s a shame she’s only here for one episode.
After visiting the scene of Frank’s murder spree, Madani isn’t so sure that Frank was the culprit, and teams up with Karen to prove his innocence. Sure enough, it turns out Russo actually murdered the women before Frank showed up, but I have no idea why it’s so hard for Madani to believe Frank could accidentally kill someone when he’s always spraying bullets around populated areas. At least Karen believes it could have happened, even if she’s still standing by Frank.
Either way, the show squanders a chance to ask interesting questions about Frank’s methods. This is like the reveal of Russo’s role in the murder of Frank’s family. I’d rather see the show dig in to how Frank occupies a moral grey area rather than constantly absolving him of responsibility for terrible things that happen around him.
Back to the plot, there’s still the issue of that $5 million bounty on Frank’s head, which inspires a cop to try and murder Frank. Still under the impression that he murdered the women, Frank eagerly submits to the execution. It’s a sad moment.
Anyway, when Amy intervenes, the assassin turns his attention to her. Frank is furious, but being handcuffed there’s little he can do. Madani and Page show up in the nick of time and conspire to break Frank out of the hospital. But Mahoney intercepts them and whisks Frank off in an ambulance to the nearest police precinct.
Elsewhere, the Preacher learns that his wife has died. That news comes from Rebecca Schultz, who urges him to continue trying to kill Frank and Amy. At this point, couldn’t they just ask Amy for the pictures. I’m still bemused that all this blood is being shed over a picture of one dude kissing another. It’s not a crime, sheesh.
We also learn the source of Dr. Dumont’s physical and emotional scars: her father once tossed her out a window while arguing with her mother. But as with the revelation of Preacher John’s past, I don’t really care anymore. It also doesn’t explain why Dumont jumps from slightly odd psychiatrist to full-blown criminal accomplice. Even more odd is Russo’s insistence that Dumont talk about her past and not hide things from him. Who’s the psychiatrist here?
This is another uneven episode. I don’t know if Marvel or Netflix wanted more episodes per season, but whoever it was made a bad call. We’re wasting a lot of time on characters we don’t care about while avoiding harder, more satisfying questions. With just two episodes left, it seems unlikely that last part will change.