Memory is kind of fascinating, isn’t
it? All it takes is the right stimuli and suddenly you’re reliving a moment
from your past. All it can take is the right noise, or smell. I’d say, most of
the time it’s good, remembering fun nights out, parties, or just spending time
with someone you’re crazy about (even if she didn’t know it). But,
unfortunately, you can relive bad times too, particularly vivid break ups, personal
and public tragedies and the like. And, worst of all, there are those memories
that start out as happy, but can be warped due to time, and circumstance. Frank
Castle knows that better then most. Let’s get to it.
We open to a flashback. Be prepared
for a lot of these, me thinks. In it, a happier Frank Castle is taking a ferry
to Ellis Island with his two kids. He’s trying to entertain them with some freestyle
rhyming, I think. His daughter is into it, but his son is clearly not. As they approach
the island, his kids ask about why he fights. Well, his daughter asks if he
fights for a reason, and his son makes some… inappropriate remarks about Middle
Eastern people. Frank angrily scolds his son, but seems to immediately regret
it. We then move over to present day Frank, remembering all of that. Feels pretty
meta, if you ask me.
 |
| He's pretty much the exact polar opposite of Wayne Knight. |
After his trip down memory lane,
Frank hits up a diner for breakfast. He seems intent on enjoying his breakfast,
and reading an article on his latest… evening excursion via an article written
by Daredevil’s Karen Page. He’s most of the way through his bacon and eggs when
the diner gets a call. Frank, and everyone within ear shot, is clearly weirded
out when the waitress who answered the phone says it’s for him. Frank answers,
and is greeted by a man called Micro. The two chat for a minute, Micro mentions
a video he sent Castle, while Castle tries to keep him on the line while
scouring the rooftops for a sign of his ‘fan.’ He spots a tell tail glint on a
building just as he hangs up. Frank slips outside, walks calmly for a bit,
before making a break for the room. He gets to the rooftop he thinks Micro was
hanging out on, but only finds an empty space. And a flashlight and mirror,
which created the glint he saw. To his frustration, the man called Micro had
been hanging out on the diner’s roof. He also left Frank with a burner phone
that Micro could reach him on. Well played, sir.
That night, after another wife-centered
nightmare, Frank takes out Micro’s disk and plays it on his laptop. The video
in question is of a middle eastern man being tortured, and later executed, by
several armed soldiers. Said guy is Ahmad Zubair, an Afghan policeman that had
worked with Agent Madani. Frank angrily slams his laptop shut. He goes to see
Curt later on, and asks his friend if he’d accidently spilled that Frank Castle
was still alive. Curt flat out denies it, much to Castles’ relief. Well, sort
of relief. He’s pretty high strung about being stalked, shocking I know.
With Madani and Stein in Homeland,
Agent Madani reveals that she’d also seen the tape about Zubair’s execution.
Unfortunately, her copy of the disk was stolen before she could show it. She’s
still certain that Schoonover and Castle are involved somehow, and wants to
look into that via an old squadmate of theirs. Unfortunately, Stein points out
that their boss, Wolf, would never go for her interviewing the guy on a case he
doesn’t want them on. But, Madani isn’t one to be deterred. She convinces her
boss to let her take a training course, it’s about extracting hostages from
hostile situations, as put on by a private company called Anvil. One of Anvil’s
top brass is a fella named Billy Russo, the old squadmate she wants to
interview. How convenient.
Castle looks into his next contact,
Karen Page. He get’s a private word with her at her place, and gets her to help
him look into this Micro character. At her office, she’s able to scrounge up an
article her paper was given about Micro. Apparently, he’s a guy named David
Lieberman, and he’d gotten in trouble for leaking secret, i.e. illegal, intel about
some government agencies. Interestingly, Homeland Security reported him dead. How
odd.
Madani gets to meet Russo after her
live simulation. She tries to covertly get some intel on Frank, but her boss
seemed to have predicted this, and Wolf steps in to forcibly cool her jets.
Thankfully, Russo suggests that they meet up for a drink after work, where they
can talk freely.
Frank, meanwhile, looks into Micro’s
family. He stages an accident with Mrs. Lieberman, she hit him with her car, to
get a look at the house. Micro, who’d been watching via hidden cameras, starts
freaking out. When Frank refuses to answer his calls, he grabs a gun and heads
out. Frank and Mrs. L bond over their lost loved ones, and Frank even helps her
fix a busted garage door. He leaves just before Micro works up the nerve to attack
him. That night, Frank shaves and makes himself look presentable. He grabs a
black bag of gear and slips out.
 |
| Think Frank misses the days when he didn't a fifty/fifty shot of ending the day with a gun pointed at his face. |
Agent Wolf gets home, and seems to
be prepping to have a nice evening in when he’s attacked by Frank. Wolf is surprisingly
spry for an old guy, and the two tussle for several minutes. Frank is able to
knock him out thought. He binds Wolf’s hands and starts interrogating him. Wolf
play’s dumb, which gets him a bullet in the leg. Frank asks about Micro and
Schoonover, wanting answers. Wolf is able to get his hands free, he headbutts
Frank, grabs the gun and points it at him. Oh, how the tables have turned. Wolf,
now in a position of power, starts monologuing. He reveals that he as indeed involved
with Schoonover, and in the murder of the Castle family. They did it because
they thought Frank sent the tape to Micro in the first place. Wolf gloats, and
pulls the trigger. Turns out, Frank had only loaded a single bullet. The two
fight again, but Frank ends it quickly, snapping Wolf’s spine.
Madani and Russo have a drink
together. She asks about Castle, and about Schoonover. Russo claims that he considered
Frank a good friend, and that while he knew Frank killed lots of folks, he also
knows that Frank wasn’t dirty. He goes so far as to say that if Madani even
spoke to him once, she’d get that vibe. Things are interrupted when Madani is
called into work… to her boss’s place. Uh-ho.
 |
| Not sure if that's Frank's interrogation face, or his murdering face. |
The next day, Frank gets a call
from Micro. He reveals that he’d shaved and faked a limp to screw with Micro’s
tracking equipment. The two almost start arguing, but Frank asserts dominance over
their situation. He forces Micro to drive around town, to several locations to
prove he’s willing to deal. What Micro doesn’t know is that Curt is watching
him from the roof tops with a high-powered sniper rifle, to track him. The final
destination is David “Micro” Lieberman’s grave. Curt is the one to meet him,
telling Micro to leave Frank out off things. Frank leaves dejected. He returns
to his hobo version of the Batcave, gets his computers running, and a bottle of
scotch ready. Frank springs out of Micro’s trunk, walks over, and decks him. What
a way to end the story.
Another good episode. It’s
interesting to see the ‘meeting’ phase between the Punisher and Micro. In the
few instances where they’ve worked together outside of the comics, they’ve
already been established partners, so seeing them before they know each other is
interesting. Micro is typically Frank’s tech support. I’m curious to see where
the story goes. Are their more guys in Schoonover’s secret cabal? Who’s in on
it? Who killed Zubair and why? Both are important questions that need answering.
I especially liked the tactical thinking Frank showed when interrogating Wolf.
One GSW to show the prisoner Frank is serious, keep him from learning that
there was only one bullet, and let the idiot gloat when he thinks he’s got the
upper hand. Brilliant moves. Frank is a talented man, and I think he’s going to
turn his sights and talents on Wolf’s friends.
Twitter: @BasicsSuperhero
No comments:
Post a Comment