WiC Watches: The Punisher season 2
By Corey Smith
Episode 204: “Scar Tissue”
After the run-and-gun action of “Trouble the Water,” the fourth episode of season 2, “Scar Tissue” slows things way down, to the point that it almost feels like a reset. Gone are the small towns Frank was attempting to disappear into, and back are the bright lights of New York City, the primary setting for season 1. And we get a change of tone along with the change of scenery as we look at the trauma each of our principle characters are dealing with. Oddly, it appears Frank is the most well-adjusted person here.
First up, we fully pull back the curtain on Billy’s torment. There’s an interesting comparison to be made between Russo and Madani, as the latter was shot in the head by the former, and yet does not suffer the memory loss that Russo does. I guess blunt force (Frank’s fists) do more damage than a bullet? Anyway, Russo’s anxiety over not remembering huge chunks of his life come off as genuine. Russo takes out his frustration on an unlucky bus passenger stupid enough to insult him. As an audience member, I’m not excusing Billy’s violent actions, but I believe them to be a result of his scrambled mental state rather than part of some psychopathic evil plan.
Billy’s sole positive interaction is with his therapist, the young Dr. Dumont. Billy clearly trusts her, and even during his escape the previous episode, considered her plea to turn himself in. Later in the episode, Russo tracks down the former manager of his childhood group home, and then brutally murders him. Note to self: if a scar-covered man breaks into my house, do not jab a finger in his chest.
Madani is hot on Russo’s trail, as is the NYPD’s busiest detective, Mahoney, who has appeared in most of the Marvel Netflix series. Madani arrives to Billy’s victim’s house too late, with Mahoney literally right behind her. Madani whirls and shoots Mahoney twice in the chest. Luckily, his vest saves him, but clearly Madani is extremely jumpy. Another note to self: do not sneak up on a traumatized Homeland Security agent with her gun drawn.
Madani only learned of Russo’s potential victim thanks to Frank’s meeting with Curtis (Jason R. Moore), whose return is most welcome. Moore plays the character with a gentle warmth, but clearly he’s not ignorant of the world’s ills.. It’s in sharp contrast to the rest of the cast’s hostility.
Continuing out trauma theme, we also gain some insight into Rachel, whose real name we learn is Amy. After being locked in Madani’s bedroom (why her room has locks on the outside I have no idea), Amy slaps and berates Frank before fleeing the apartment. While out, Amy discovers Frank’s true history courtesy of a Google search, and returns to the apartment for a heart-to-heart with him. It’s the first time we’ve seen her be open and honest. It’s a welcome change from the angry tirades.
Anyhow, Amy reveals she was part of a con artist ring paid to take pictures of a mystery man kissing another man. The benefactor was the Russian gangster killed by the Preacher in the season premiere. Amy happened to be out when the Preacher showed up and massacred her friends, leading to her flight. We aren’t sure where this is going yet, but if all these people are dying because a guy made out with another guy, it’s gonna be pretty lame.
Before the episode ends, Russo shows up at his therapist’s apartment covered in the blood of his former caretaker. Dumont welcomes him in and agrees to help. Seems like the good doctor might be hiding some trauma of her own.
We might have come for the violence, but The Punisher is more than just a mindless revenge story. Sure, not everything here works — Billy’s scars aren’t really bad enough to cause the sort of personality-crushing reset he’s experiencing, for instance — but slowing everything down to examine the consequences of all the violence that happens around these characters is worth the trouble.
I’m still not fully onboard with caring about Madani’s trauma though, as at this point it feels rather generic (pill popping, nightmares, angry all the time, etc). Hopefully they get that turned around. It was nice to see Rachel/Amy do something other than yell at Frank, but the real treat this episode was Russo. Ben Barnes, finally free of that absurd mask, elicits small measures of sympathy, no small feat considering his history.