Frank finds Konchevsky's base of operations, and while Madani struggles to find Billy, our angry amnesiac reaches out to a fellow veteran.
Amy fools Frank with 3-card Monte, and gets nowhere asking about what he does as "the Punisher" and what they should do. He gets frustrated and she explains his problem is he doesn't want to lose, even when the odds are against him.
He tells her to determine how they got in this situation, and she starts theorizing about what could've happened with Konchevsky. After she finally shows Frank how the trick works, Amy says Konchevsky is from New Yerk, and he immediately decides this makes things easier and he'll go after him. He has her do the trick again but fails, and she says knowing the trick doesn't make it easier because she knows him, and his only way to win is not to play. Frank pays a visit to everyone's favorite street rat Turk and asks about Konchevsky, then threatens to kill him when he says he'll call NYPD and the National Guard. Turk directs him to Kazan's Gym, and while they're dangerous, they aren't armed at the gym because of cops coming through. Frank tells Turk to go to the gym and say Frank has the photos and the girls, and after negotiating a deal between them, he can have 25% of the earning. While Billy struggles with a dream, Madani jolts awake and goes through her hotel, thinking someone's there. She sees an unscarred Billy, but it turns out to be a dream. A frightened Billy then wakes at Dumont's and recognizes the doctor, and she tells him not to go back to sleep but think about how he's feeling. He gets angry and snarls he that doesn't want to talk about it, so she has him stop and count things in the room to calm down. Billy asks why she hasn't called the cops, and she explains that while she could get in trouble, letting him in seemed like the right thing to do. He thanks her as she gets him more water, in the process showing us she used to self-harm, and he says she might be the only person right now who cares about him.
Madani returns to her apartment to find Frank and Amy settling in, and is annoyed when Frank doesn't care what Billy did to Arthur.
Frank asks if Madani thinks putting Billy behind bars will fix her problems, and Amy, noting that this isn't going to end soon, suggests Madani, as a Homeland agent, help with the Russians by deporting them. Realizing she wasted her time, Madani demands that Frank be out of New York within 24 hours, and leaves, not noticing Amy swipe her card from her purse. Over at the Pilgrim home, John is whipping himself with a belt when the Schultzes arrive. Eliza visits Rebecca, who has accepted her impending death and says she's fine with how things are aside from one thing. Anderson talks to John about Frank and Amy, and believes his faith is strong enough for him to make a "return" to New York. John calls it an unclean place, but agrees as thanks for the good life Anderson has given him. The Schultzes lament that the rest of the world doesn't help each other as they do, but say it soon will, and they begin praying. While Amy wastefully uses Madani's card to have a frivolous day, Frank waits on a rooftop to watch Turk deal with the Russians. Turk heads into the gym with the tip about Chicago, but the men gather around as one chokes him, as another explains someone killed Konchevsky there.
Dumont finds Billy struggling to stay awake and gives him some clothes for what they'll do next; he declares that he's not going back, and they'd have to kill him.
She tells Billy he doesn't have a monopoly on the emotions he feels make him non-understandable, but he reminds her she can at least remember her experience. Frank arrives at the apartment confused to see the stuff, then becomes disgusted when Amy shows Madani's card and says Madani can afford it. He stops when he notices a Lombardi's pizza, then gets a call from Turk, whom the Russians force to say everything is fine and to meet him at his place. Frank agrees, but confirms to Amy that he was lying, and she realizes Konchevsky must be dead, because he didn't come after her himself and the people who have so far haven't been Russian. Despite this, Frank is still determined to go, deciding to make the trap be his, as he'll know what's coming. Back at the Pilgrim house, John tells Rebecca it'll just be a few more days, and she reveals the thing she told Eliza is she wants John to be the last thing she sees. He is upset that he has to leave, but she promises him she'll be waiting when he returns if he works quickly and stays strong in his faith. Billy steps out of Dumont's shower and hears her in a session with another veteran, who is struggling with his less-ordered life and drinking. She explains a statue she has of Asclepius, a Greek healer whom the gods killed for being able to prevent and counter death. Like the statue's snake is thought to represent change when a person is healed, she tells the man that how he heals depends on how he deals with his change. He assures her he's still going to his support group, which Billy seems interested in, and she tells him he's not alone. Madani visits Curt as he sets up for a meeting, and after chatting, says she's desperate to look under every stone, but he tells her to wait until after the meeting. He then suggests she sit in, and after listening to one man, another complains about her, a civilian, being there, but she counters that she's experienced things like getting shot and holding a body, and that fighting for what you believe ruins your life. He apologizes, and after the meeting she tells Curt she can't imagine someone experiencing these things and moving on. She asks about Billy, but Curt says greed changed the man, not the war. He claims he'd tell her if he knew where Billy was, and when she says she wants him behind bars, Curt shares his feelings about what Frank should've done. The episode goes on as Billy makes a new friend and Frank decides to bring some punishment to the Russians.
This episode starts in a rather lighthearted way, but ends on a violent note people more expect from Frank Castle and company.
The first reaction I had to the opening was a good laugh as Frank and Amy have a simple, light moment together. Jon Bernthal and Giorgia Whigham have excellent chemistry that is demonstrated nicely as they poke fun at each other. At the same time, the card trick is a perfect example of Frank's nature, as like Amy says, he refuses to give up, even when facing impossible odds. Generally this is how he's been with most things in his life, and it has worked out before, like when he saved his platoon, but it's also a drawback. In being too stubborn to accept a loss, Frank could end up at some point taking on more than he can actually handle, because while his philosophy is to be the one holding the cards, you can't be the dealer in every situation. Like Daredevil, Frank has issues letting people get to close, which is understandable considering his family's murder, but it's not always something he should avoid. Last season we saw a great friendship build between him and Micro, and there were moments that without Lieberman, Frank would have certainly died. Some earlier lines this season from Amy have had her mocking Frank's macho nature, and while it's often a bit silly, she has a point in how prideful he can be. I've read that in the comics, Frank refuses to even take painkillers, believing they dull the senses, and as an extension of that, here he refuses to go to the hospital despite having an injured hand. It wouldn't necessarily be huge if it didn't return later, but I get the feeling the injury will pop back up as he continues fighting and be a lesson for the Punisher. While he does have this pride, we also see Frank's tactical genius in this episode, sending Turk to meet the Russians and watching how they react. From their actions, and the call he gets from Turk, he is able to surmise there's more tot he situation than he and Amy guessed, yet stays safe himself. He also gives himself an advantage in that the men think they've fooled him and send a force to Turk's, leaving the gym open for an attack from him. This gives Frank the perfect opportunity to learn something, as along with how he knows there will be fewer foes, he saw who seemed to be in charge when Turk spoke to the guy behind the counter. The climax of the episode sees Frank taking on the Russians, and as with 3-card Monty, he's outmatched but continues fighting, and is impressive to see. We don't see too much more of Amy this episode, and thought we see a lot of selfishness on her part when she spends Madani's money, it becomes a rather comedic moment due to Frank giving up his lesson and eating pizza. There is a bit more seen of John Pilgrim, however, as we're shown his brutal method of punishment for himself with his belt. There are emotional moments between him and Rebecca, and we learn about him as they mention him "returning" to New York, but a mystery of what his experience was. Now there are questions about what could've led him to have this negative opinion on the city, and what his beliefs are that cause his brutal self-punishment. Billy doesn't change much other than giving Dumont a "thank you" in this episode, but he's never afraid to make moves despite his criminal status. He seems affected while listening to Dumont, and takes what he hears later to reach out to someone he thinks will better understand him. There's a strange moment with Dumont herself at the end of the episode that shows she has issues herself, and I wonder if they're involved with her arm scars. Madani takes a better step this episode, I'd say, as while she has continued her obsession with Billy, talking to Curtis was a good move. He would obviously know Billy well, and has already talked to Frank about the man, and she's able to learn a bit that will hopefully help her later. With Frank's hand recovering and mysteries being solved, people are continuing to collide in the best Punisher way possible.
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