Viewer Log: The Punisher ep 6

I'm going off the rails on a crazy train!

General Zod, Prince Orm, Bucky Barnes, Scar, Goneril Lear, Regan Lear, Edmund Gloucester, Claudius, Brutus, Peter Pettigrew, Obadiah Stane, Loki, Anakin Skywalker, Saruman the White, Ben Solo, Jason Todd, and Harry Osborn. What do all of these characters have in common? I’ll reveal this in the conclusion. Let’s get to it.

Frank, seek professional help.

This one opens to a pleasant dream. Frank, high on pain killers and low on blood, has a dream/hallucination of him having a nice dinner with his family and the Liebermans. Things shift to full on nightmare mode when a kill squad storms in and… well… kills them all. In reality, Frank has multiple GSW’s, cuts and an arrow in his shoulder. He’s also got an over 100-degree fever, because, why not? Micro, not having any other option, enlists Curt to help save Frank.

Curt, with a little help from Micro, is able to pull the arrow out of Frank and get the rest of his wounds dressed and cleaned. Once Frank is stable, Curt rounds on David, demanding why he couldn’t just leave Frank alone. David doesn’t give him a straight answer, and Curt leaves in a huff. A short time later, Frank wakes up, babbling about burying Gunner. David does his best to calm Frank, telling him that he took care of Gunner.

At the Veteran Therapy Session, Curt his dealing with the usual issue that is O’Connor. The crusty veteran is basically just being a dick and using his experiences as justification for said dickishness. Curt, clearly shaken by seeing Frank laid up, isn’t having any of it. He asks if O’Connor had seen Lewis, the young vet that’d been struggling, but O’Connor is dismissive.

Meanwhile, Madani is having a… rough week. She and Russo, whom have been fraternizing, had a fight when the latter discovered some files the former had taken to her apartment. They’re all files on Castle. She and Stein learn about Henderson, the fact that he is dead, and that there was some kind of massive shoot out on Henderson’s property. Madani had some blood tested, and it comes back as a match for Castle. With that evidence in hand, she and Russo have a clandestine meeting, where she uses that info as leverage to try and get Russo to work with her to save Frank. She needs Frank to testify about her open Zubair case, and Russo obviously wants to keep his friend alive. Russo doesn’t give her an answer as to whether he’ll help or not. Regardless, Russo starts broadcasting on multiple radio frequencies “Raven, this is Black Bird, respond.” Frank is Raven, Black Bird is Russo.

All alone, but together.

The Punisher and Micro have a bit of a bonding moment as they reminisce about family dinners over some microwave meals. It’s a very touching moment, showcasing what both men have lost, Castle forever, Lieberman temporarily. The topic shifts over to Russo, who continues to broadcast his message. David is clearly unsure of if they can trust Billy Russo, but Frank is adamant that Russo is family.

While that is going on, Curt bails Lewis out of jail. The young veteran had gotten into a scuffle with the NYPD for protesting. Lewis, while happy to be out, demands to know why Curt would help him after ruining his chances at ANVIL. Curt stands firm by the assessment, that Lewis isn’t completely stable and can not be trusted on the battlefield. He also let’s Lewis know that O’Connor is a liar. While the NRA enthusiast did serve, he didn’t sign up until 1977, and never even got sent over to Vietnam. Lewis leaves in a huff. A short time later, Russo arrives and starts asking Curt questions about Frank. He makes it clear that he knows Frank is alive and wants to make contact.

Curt reports to Frank and David. Curt basically begs Frank to at least talk to Russo and see if he can help. David wants to interject, but Curt says that he doesn’t have an opinion on this one.

Lewis arrives at O’Connor’s home and confronts him about his Military History. Lewis is absolutely disgusted to learn that O’Connor did indeed embellish his records and accomplishments. They get into a fight, with the younger man coming out on top. He repeatedly stabs O’Connor in the stomach, killing him. Oh, that is not good.

Frank does meet up with Russo at a clandestine meeting. Frank let’s Russo know about things, how Agent Orange, Schoonover, and the Morgue director were smuggling heroin into the US using KIA’s corpses. Russo, while horrified, tells Frank to back down, and offers to get his friend out of the country. New name, new face, the works. Frank asks for time to think about it and they set up another time to meet.

Later, Micro watches as Frank stomps by the Lieberman house. He apologizes to Sarah for missing dinner. He comes in and offers Sarah some advice. Basically, he says that while things suck now, and her kids might drive her nuts, but, those same kids will help give her the strength to keep moving forward. She asks if he found something similar to help him, but ne doesn’t give her a straight answer.

That night, Russo has a third clandestine meeting… with Agent Orange. He reports that Frank isn’t coming. Well shoot.

What a Twist!

 Did you guess what that list above meant? Yep, it’s a list of family and close friends that stabbed their family/friend in the back. A bit of stretch in places, I know, but I was trying to make a point. I’m all for trusting those ya love, but I’d have had to side with Micro on this one. Especially given the fact another person that Schoonover was someone Castle once trusted implicitly and was screwed by. As to Russo’s betrayal, got to say, saw it coming. Fiction has made me instantly distrustful of anyone that runs a Private Military Contract company. Just screams evil. I’m curious to learn if Russo’s partnering with Agent Orange is a more recent development or had he been in the CIA Agent’s pocket for a long time. I’m curious to see where they go with Lewis. The kid has had a rough time of things of late, suffering from his war scars, not finding a place in civilian life, being lied to, and, in his mind, repeatedly betrayed. Those sorts of things have a bad habit of breaking good people. Should be interesting, if nothing else.

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Twitter: @BasicsSuperhero

Viewer Log: The Punisher ep 5

The Punisher and Micro are going to rough it in the woods.

When we last left the Punisher, he and David “Micro” Lieberman had interrupted a Homeland Security sting, stealing a bunch of weapons and ammo. While… well, stinging the sting, Frank and Agent Madani had a chase, followed by a game of chicken. Said game was interrupted by Micro slamming into her car. Frank dragged her out of the wreckage and told a concussed Madani to stay out of his way.

Back at their base, David and Frank are arguing. Frank berating David for nearly killing a federal agent, and David arguing that he did what he had to so the mission would succeed. Frank leaves in a huff, shouting “Going to see your wife” when David inquires where he’s going. David rather sheepishly replies “Now you’re just trying to be hurtful!” At the Lieberman’s, Frank bonds with 2/3 of the family and gets invited over for dinner.

At Homeland, Agent Stein and Director Hernandez are looking into what happened at the Sting. Madani, despite being told to rest, arrives and insists on working. Hernandez does let her stay but lets her know that there is going to be an internal investigation. Unsurprisingly, Feds get upset when they lose a bunch of weapons. He asks is she has additional info that they can turn over now, but she keeps the Castle Card close to her chest. Why? Well, keep in mind after the whole thing with her deceased predecessor, Carson Wolf, she’s not 100% certain on who she can trust with this info. Shortly after, she sees a picture of Castle during his trial, with Karen Page beside him, and decides to interview her about it.

Think Karen misses the days when the men she met didn't
have a 50/50 chance of being a vigilante superhero?

Back at the lair, Frank makes an offhand comment about David’s son being kind of a dick, like David. David, deciding to take the high ground, ignores the comment and asks Frank a simple, but important question. Who took the video? Who was it that was troubled enough by Cerberus’ actions to risk their job, very possibly their life, to expose this. Frank, having a pretty impressive memory, states that it was Gunner Henderson. I assume he either A. Remembered who was standing where, or B. Knew that Henderson was the most troubled by their actions. They decide to track Henderson down, to find out what he knows about Cerberus, the drug traffic, and/or Agent Orange. 

Agent Orange, meanwhile, is actually running a CIA training program in Fairfax, Virginia. It is during his interdictory speech to the recruits, and a later medal awarding ceremony, that we learn his real name is William ‘Bill’ Rawlins. And that Rawlins is the Director of Cover Operations at the CIA. Oh, and he’s up for a promotion, to Deputy Director of the CIA. Hm… the corruption runs deep with this one, me thinks.

Back with Madani, she interviews Karen Page. The Agent in Charge and the Reporter have a surprisingly tense moment, with both women all but stating their thoughts. Madani “I know Castle’s alive, and you know where he is,” and Page “Yep, but I’m not telling you, and its better if you drop this.” Later, she tries to get Stein to help her with the Castle Case, but he’s not interested. He believes, rightly so, the internal investigation takes precedence over a dead man’s quest for vengeance. She tells him Frank is alive, much to his shock. After their both interviewed for the investigation, Stein didn’t talk, he agrees to help her. On the condition that, if they don’t find Castle or legit proof to move the investigation forward, they kick it up the chain of command. Madani reluctantly agrees.

Frank, meanwhile, checks in on Karen. They exchange info, with Karen pretty much begging Frank to go back into ‘retirement.’ Or, if that is impossible, capture these guys instead of killing them. After relating a very sad, in retrospect, story about his son, Frank rather angrily tells Karen that he’s not stopping until they’re all dead, end of story. Karen walks off in a huff.

Hm... should I make an Oliver Queen slumming it joke, or
point out the Irony of a guy named Gunner favoring a bow?
Decisions Decision.

A short time later, Frank and David gear up to track down Gunner Henderson. Frank doesn’t really want David along, but the hacker is being rather insistent about this. Since being discharged, the guy has been living completely off the grid. No running water, power, or any other modern comfort. The only reason they did find him was because of the land he owned. Once they make it to Gunner’s property, David stays with the van while Frank goes a hunting. He finds Gunner’s cabin, and nearly gets killed by him via several arrows. Oh, the irony of a guy named Gunner being an expert bow and arrow marksmen. Things calm down, though, and the two former soldiers touch base about their recent histories. The death of Frank’s family and so on. When asked, Gunner explains that the final straw had started with a kid. The kid had lent Gunner a knife shortly before said kid’s death. Gunner had gone to the grave, to posthumously return the knife and pay his respects. Instead, he found his superiors taking the boy’s body and stuffing it with drugs, to be shipped stateside. Yeah, I can see why he’d want to metaphorically roast the sons of #$!#@es after that. Their info exchange is cut off by a kill squad’s arrival. See, what with a new job opening up, Rawlins had been keeping an eye on things. He’d learned that Madani had been working on the Castle Case, and that Henderson was on her list of people to interview, and thus decided to nip that problem in the bud.

Using improvised traps, a customized spy drone David had brought, and special forces bad-assery, Frank and Gunner take out the goon squad. Frank also take the time to deliver an ultimatum to Rawlins via a headcam. To Rawlin’s credit, he doesn’t immediately void his bowels. Both Frank and Gunner are wounded, pretty badly, though and both pass out due to blood loss. Unfortunately, looks like Frank won’t make it to the Lieberman’s for dinner. Micro finds Castle and rushes him back home. One more battle down, dozens more to come.

The plot is definitely beginning to thicken with this one. Discovering who Agent Orange really is, and that his career is riding on Cerberus’ and the drug running remaining the blackest of ops, does suggest that Frank has a shite storm on his way. People have a tendency to play rough and dirty when their jobs and positions are on the line. I don’t understand it personally, but then, I kind of really hate my day job. So, there’s that. I’m curious to see where things will go with Micro’s family. The Liebermans seem to really like Frank, and he them, but as this episode proves his mission makes having a social life… difficult. At best. Finally, I will say I’m curious to see what Madani and Stein are going to do if/when they catch up with Frank. Madani is almost single minded in her pursuit of Frank, to find out what he knows about Officer Zubair’s death. And yet, I could see them siding with Frank, in only on the idea that as monster’s go, this one is really good at killing bad guys. Here’s hoping they keep the bar high.

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Review: Black Panther

Hail to the King.

Fun zoology fact for you all to start this one out. As some of you may know, Black Panthers aren’t really a thing. They are actually any species of big cat, though typically Jaguars or Leopards, that has Melanism. Basically, their bodies produce more Melanin then normal, making their fur much darker. If you look closely, you can still see the spots on these cats. It’s the polar opposite of being an albino. Weird, right? But hey, can’t expect people to just get that just by looking at the animals, right? Enough zoology, let’s get to it.

It's a good group.

We open on a brief history of Wakanda, as illustrated by little Vibranium beads. Millions of years ago, a Vibranium meteor struck the continent of Africa, seeding the area around it with the alien metal. It altered the land, the vegetation, and the animals around it. Fast forward to when humans are a thing, and five tribes discover this bizarre bit of land. The five tribes did battle until one, lead on by his Panther God, ingested a heart-shaped herb. This herb gave him super powers, the strength, speed and agility of the mighty Black Panther. The first Panther united his and three of the other tribes, while the fifth, the Jabari, preferred to stay isolated in their mountain home. Over the centuries, Wakanda used the alien metal and its bizarre properties to accelerate their development. Basically, before the rest of the world had planes, they were about a hairs breadth from that Arthur C. Clarke quote. You know “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” They decided to keep their advancement hidden from prying eyes, and in the modern age Wakanda is viewed as an isolationist, third world country.

We jump farther forward, to Oakland in the early 90s. There, King T’Chaka of Wakanda visits his brother N’Jobu. N’Jobu is one of the War Dogs, a group of spies that Wakanda has sent around the world to keep an eye on things. T’Chaka informs N’Jobu about an arms dealer named Ulysses Klaue attacking Wakanda and stealing their precious Vibranium. He accuses his brother of helping Klaue, as Klaue would have needed insider help to figure out where to hit. N’Jobu denies it, until his buddy James reveals himself to also be a War Dog. They have these Vibranium tattoos across the inside of their lower lip to identify themselves. James, real name Zuri, had informed T’Chaka of the Prince’s actions. T’Chaka tells his brother that he’ll be brought back to Wakanda to be judged for treason.

In the present day, king T’Chaka is dead, and his son, T’Challa is expected to succeed him. To facilitate this, he and his scary as heck body guard, General Okoye, extract another War Dog from an undercover opt. I’m sure the fact that the agent, Nakia, is his ex has nothing to do with his desire to collect her. And by extract, I mean that T’Challa and Nakia end up killing most of the enemy force. They take Nakia back to Wakanda and prepare for the ceremony. The ceremony, which takes place in a partially dammed waterfall, involves the four tribes of Wakanda being given the option to Challenge T’Challa for the right to rule. “But wait,” I hear someone asking, “wouldn’t that be incredibly unfair? He has superpowers!” And you’d be right, but the elders of Wakanda have an elixir that T’Challa is required to take that strip him of his powers, to make it a fair fight. Obviously, as the heir of the Panther Tribe, T’Challa gets an automatic pass from his mother, Ramonda, and sister, Shuri. The other three Tribes also pass on the option, but then the Jabari tribe show up. The tribe’s leader, M’Baku, challenges T’Challa. Wait, so they didn’t want to be a part of Wakanda initially, but still get a say in the coronation? Odd. T’Challa and M’Baku fight, and while it’s close, T’Challa triumphs. The final part of the ceremony has T’Challa drink the Heart-Shaped herb again, and take a spiritual walkabout. He’s greeted by his father in the afterlife, whom gives T’Challa the advice to surround himself with capable allies.

Is there any monster more terrible then one that
need not been?

Meanwhile, Klaue and a mysterious man named Erik Stevens steal a Vibranium hammer from a museum. Which of course gets the attention of Wakanda. T’challa, against the wishes of his council, elects to stop Klaue, once and for all. He, Nakia, and Okoye move out. They infiltrate a hidden casino in Busan, South Korea, and interrupt the trade that Klaue had set up. Turns out, Klaue was going to sell the Vibranium to Agent Everett Ross, a CIA operative that T’Challa met during that whole Civil War fiasco. A firefight breaks out, and T’Challa’s team gives chase. After smashing up several cars and trying out a bunch of new features in his upgraded Black Panther suit, they capture Klaue. T’Challa wants to take Klaue back to Wakanda, but Everett isn’t budging. Especially not after he has a few words with Klaue, who tells Everett that Wakanda’s international image is just a façade. The fact the country’s king runs around in a nanite cat suit, has a stealth plane, access to highly advanced weaponry which includes a means of remote controlling cars, and Fought. The. AVENGERS! really should have tipped him off. Just saying. Their discussion is cut short when Erik and his crew bust out Klaue, mortally injuring Everett in the process. As they escape, T’Challa sees that Erik has a signet ring disturbingly identical to his own. Because Everett was injured protecting Nakia, and has proven to be a… decent guy, T’Challa elects to take him to Wakanda for healing rather than chasing Klaue.

While Shuri works on Everett’s shattered spine, she can fix that in less then a day, T’Challa confronts Zuri about what he saw. About the man with the ring like his, the ring that was inherited from T’Challa’s grandfather. Zuri, whom is now some kind of high priest, doesn’t wish to speak of it, as he promised the old king his silence. To which T’Challa angrily orders him, as the New King, to speak. Well, that’s a right pickle to be in, isn’t it? Zuri explains that, when T’Chaka went to see his brother, he learned some disturbing things. N’Jobu had gone native while living in the US, and helped Klaue in a bid to get Vibranium weapons and distribute them to the ‘oppressed’ people of the world to start a revolution. They never actually say it, but it’s HEAVILY implied that N’Jobu is specifically talking about people of African Descent. Not just in America, but worldwide. T’Chaka scolds his brother, telling him that this isn’t their way. N’Jobu attacks Zuri in a fury, but T’Chaka saves Zuri, killing his brother. T’Chaka ordered Zuri to stay silent. When they returned home they lied and said that N’Jobu disappeared, and they left N’Jobu’s son in America to keep the lie secret. T’Challa is rocked by his father’s actions.

The King has returned.

Meanwhile, Erik “Killmonger” Stevens kills Klaue and brings his body back to Wakanda. He reveals himself to T’Challa and the elders, and demands to fight his cousin for the title of Black Panther. While highly unorthodox, apparently Erik is within his rights to challenge for the throne. The two do battle. They begin evenly matched, but Erik gets the upper hand and nearly kills T’Challa. Zuri begs for his king’s life, admitting his involvement in N’Jobu’s death. Erik kills Zuri with a spear thrust, and then chucks T’Challa from the waterfall. How does the saying go? The King is dead, Long live the King? Nakia spirits the Queen Ramonda and Shuri away to protect them. She tries to get Okoye to join them, but Okoye must refuse. She’s the leader of the Dora Milaje, the Panther tribe’s elite guardswomen. They’re loyal to the throne, not the king, so she’s honor bound to following Erik. She’s clearly torn up about it, but choses her side. Erik ingests the Heart-Shaped Herb, becoming the Black Panther, and then orders the grove they grow the stuff in burned. Thankfully, Nakia snuck in and stole one of the herbs.

While Erik prepares to distribute the weapons, Nakia, Shuri, Ramonda, and Everett travel to the Jabari’s mountains. They offer M’Baku the herb, in exchange they want him to fight and kill Erik. It’s an enemy of my enemy situation. Rather than take the readily offered superpowers, M’Baku reveals that his people had recovered a comatose T’Challa from the river and were keeping him alive as repayment for T’Challa sparing him. The group prepare the herb, feed him, and restore T’Challa’s powers. Initially a little groggy, he vows to stop Erik from completing his plan. So, it’s T’Challa and his entourage vs. Erik and the bulk of Wakanda’s army. What could possibly go wrong?

The Dora Milaje, aka the most terrifying group of warriors.
Ever.

The good first, as per usual. Everybody was perfect in their roles, from Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa to Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger. There was a lot of energy and passion to their roles. The rivalry between these two is pretty good, especially given the fact that they don’t even meet until about half way through it. T’Challa’s internal dilemma, on whether to uphold the isolationist principles of his ancestors, or to embrace the world like his contemporary allies want feels like a really relevant plot for today. Is it better to be walled off, safe, but unwilling to help those that you can, or open and helpful to everyone they can but as vulnerable as everyone else. Huh, sounds like what we’re doing here in America, doesn’t it? Danai Gurira as Okoye was also really great. She was intimidating as heck, with her bald head and her sonic spear. Which is pretty impressive, given the body she’s guarding. When you stand next to the Black Panther, you have to be pretty scary in your own right to draw attention. Letitia Wright as Shuri was also a lot of fun. She’s the energetic, scientific genius behind most of the Black Panther tech. I especially liked her mentality of ‘just because something works great doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.’ I loved the look of this movie; the incorporation of the different African clothing styles and traditions made the fictional nation of Wakanda seem very nearly real.

The negatives are pretty minimal, but still there. I suffered mental whiplash from this movie. It felt like a slow burn for the firsts half, working on world building and increasing tension as Klaue and Erik kept escaping T’Challa’s team. But then, after the casino scene things shifted into the fast lane. Erik’s arrival in Wakanda and usurping T’Challa’s throne, T’Challa’s family and friends traveling to the Jabari mountains and restoring him, and stopping Erik’s plan all took place over like a day and a half. There were also a few pointless moments. Like establishing Erik is diddling one of his teammates, just to have him kill her while fighting Klaue a few scenes later. Why even bring it up if you’re not going to do anything with it? Or, when M’Baku and his people are introduced, they say that he is kind of technophobic, but then never bring it up again. Again, why bring it up if you’re not going to do anything with it?

Overall, this was an A movie. While things went from… we’ll say… 10 to 60 in terms of pacing; the characters, visuals, and overall tone was good enough to make up for that. There is one aspect of the Black Panther mythos that I enjoy above all else, and that is the symbiosis of mysticism and science. It’s not like with Thor or Dr. Strange where they’ve tried to turn science and magic into two words that essentially mean the same thing. T’Challa, and his nation, exist in symbiosis. The hold tightly to their culture and ancient beliefs, but, at the same time, don’t let the old taboos, superstitions and the like hold them back from moving forward. There is a place for both aspects in this tiny African nation. In short, if Wakanda was a real nation, you bet I’d be doing my damnedest to be part of the first tour group there.

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