WiC Watches: The Punisher season 2
By Corey Smith
Episode 201: “Roadhouse Blues”
The first episode of a new season can get bogged down with catching up with all our favorite characters. Shows with large ensemble casts like Game of Thrones can spend the entire episode jumping from plotline to plotline, leaving the audience exhausted. I’m happy to say that “Roadhouse Blues” does not suffer from that problem. Other than oh-so-brief looks at Jigsaw and Agent Madani, we spend all of our time with Frank Castle as he makes his way through the United States on a road trip with no destination.
The majority of the episode centers on Frank meeting local bartender Beth. Their one-night romance brings Frank back to Beth’s no-name town just in time to land himself in the middle of another violent conspiracy. But before we get to that, we get an extended look at Frank’s attempt to live a normal, if rudderless, life. The night Beth and Frank spend together is tender and honest, and ably pulled off by the charismatic Bernthal.
As Beth and Frank’s seemingly innocent romance runs its course, a troubled young woman lurks in the background, running from someone we will soon meet: John Pilgrim, whom we watch calmly strangle the young mystery woman’s contact at a separate location. Pilgrim leaves a cross impression in the man’s neck, which we’re guessing will prove important down the road.
Anyhow, after driving for two hours, Frank turns around to go have another night with Beth. Frank quickly realizes something is amiss when Pilgrim’s thugs show up searching for the mystery girl, and our first action scene of the season kicks off in the bar’s bathroom, as Frank bashes about a trio of thugs. Afterward, Frank attempts to sneak out of the bar but is thwarted, and we’re off to the races.
When the violence finally does properly erupt, bad guys drop faster than Netflix’s Marvel shows. Frank has an ally in the bar’s bouncer, who dies after putting up a valiant fight. Frank leaves a dance floor strewn with bodies but emerges alive, but Beth is wounded in the melee. Frank speeds off to the nearest hospital, gunning down several cars full of bad guys on the way. After it’s all over, Frank isn’t in a good mood, but as he grumbles to his new charge, he hopes there are more bad guys lurking about.
“Roadhouse Blues” is a solid episode. It might seem slow compared to what we’ve seen before, but I’m guessing that’s an anomaly. And in any case, the quiet moments between Frank and Beth are no less entertaining than when the bullets fly later in the episode.
Unsurprisingly, Bernthal stands out. As Frank, he’s naturally charming, but has a blistering rage bubbling just beneath the surface at all times. The pleasure of watching him transition from concerned and compassionate citizen to a violent tornado of mayhem is a big part of the reason why The Punisher is one of Marvel’s better Netflix entries.