Frank and "Rachel" hole up in a hotel to escape her pursuers, and Madani tries to convince everyone that Russo is lying about his condition.
Frank's injuries are making it difficult to stay on the road, but he refuses to let the girl drive or to stop anywhere, even turning on the radio to drown the girl out.
He finds them a hotel and gives her some money to get a room, and though she tries to escape out a bathroom, the receptionist is difficult and she pays up. They head around back to the room where she helps him pry off his boots, and after trading the names Pete and Rachel, he tells her to go to the bathroom. There, he reveals a bullet gave him the Forrest Gump treatment, and though he pours alcohol over it, he is unable to dig the bullet out. Once she's removed the bullet, he hands her a suture, and doesn't believe her when she starts saying how grateful she is. He ignores as she continues, and when she finishes the stitching, he tells her to get on one of the beds, forcing her when she tries to run. She becomes annoyed when he zip-ties her to the bed and lies down to sleep, and when she starts yelling out, he tapes her mouth.
In a hospital somewhere, Billy Russo jolts awake after a nightmare about what Frank did to him, and finds himself strapped into bed.
Across from him, Madani asks about his dream, and Russo asks why she bothers to come, as he doesn't remember her. His doctor, Krista Dumont (Floriana Lima) enters, and Madani asks if she's aware Russo is faking his memory loss; Dumont says that after moths of care, she is sure he couldn't be faking anything. Billy complains of face and head pains, requesting Tylenol, and says he isn't sure if he slept well, and Dumont asks Madani to leave so he can have his physical therapy. Madani coldly asks if she's aware of what Russo did, but she counters that, as his doctor, all she cares about is his health. Russo interjects with their metaphor that they're piecing his memory back together like a jigsaw puzzle, and Madani declares him the best liar she's ever dealt with. She continues that his new reality will be life behind bars, then leaves after Dumont asks if she sought therapy after her own head injury. Russo asks what he did to Madani, becoming enraged about not remembering he and Dumont already talked about it, and complains about how much they talk. Dumont releases him when he calms down, and after he requests pills again, she leaves reveals to him how he shot Madani in the head. In another hospital, Beth wakes to find John Pilgrim going through her get-well cards, and he ignores her question of his identity in favor of a chat. After lighthearted comments about the cards, he tells her to think about the people who gave them, because he knows them and wants to know Frank's. She notes he's not a cop, because she told them she didn't know Frank's name, and though he points out it's weird for a strange to be that noble and drops Rex's name, she claims Frank was just some guy she spent the night with. He claims Frank is the cause of her pain and stays, so she gives the name Pete, and when he delivers another threat, she also says Castiglione. Beth is left shaking with a tear going down her face as Pilgrim tells her he'll say a prayer for her and leaves.
Back at the hotel, Frank cuts "Rachel" free and asks about the people chasing her; she avoids responsibility for the deaths the night prior and says she doesn't know.
Still not buying her act, Frank points out she could've easily talked to the receptionist or started screaming for help, but she refuses to say anything else. The irritated Frank then pulls some photo canisters out of her pocket; she at first claims they're for a school projects, then admits she doesn't know what's on them but she would give them to the people if they'd let her explain that. Pointing out they don't want to talk, he says she's lucky because he got involved, and he kills his enemies before they can get him. "Rachel" scoffs that such a life isn't sustainable, and mocks Frank for his bullet wound; she offers to make them fake IDs to escape, a hole he points out in her college story. When she brings up his anger, Frank says he was in a mellow place before this, but due to his old-fashioned nature, he had to help a young woman. She quiets Frank by countering that he seemed happy to be fighting, and he decides to head out, tying and taping her again. At Russo's therapy session, he hides his face to down his pills, and he and Dumont talk about how his body is stronger, but he's not allowed in the gym and so can't run. He admits to still having sleep trouble, though she marks a different spot than his difficulty rating, and he becomes frustrated when she asks again about his dreams. He describes parts of his mangling: the skull on Frank's armor, blood, and shards of glass; he says they're just dreams but they both know he gets anxiety from them. Dumont says they have to keep doing the sessions because his answers will eventually change, and he has an outburst about his head and face again when she tells him the doctor says there isn't a reason he should have such pain. Unable to recall what happened to his face, the latest thing Russo remembers is being in the barracks with his unit; he says how he and Frank were like brothers. He doesn't know where Frank is, however, and he becomes annoyed again about how he's been told about his condition and life, but doesn't feel anything working; he asks if he can get the Tylenol he asked for, apparently forgetting he had some before. Pilgrim and his worker Tech (Ian Poake) find Frank's last hotel, confirm their leads, and find a clean record; Tech thinks he could be a bystander but Pilgrim isn't convinced. Asked about technology, Tech says it's "cool shit" and the world would stop without it; Pilgrim says they can hope so and requests that he not curse again. Back at the hotel, Frank goes to the receptionist and pays for the room on the other side of the building from his and "Rachel's." After returning to free "Rachel" and give food and a drink, he grabs a crowbar and starts bashing his way to the other room through the closet. While Madani meets Hernandez for an awkward dinner, things ramp up for Frank and "Rachel" when Pilgrim's goons show up, and things don't go as planned for either side.
Much of this episode was a nice way of calming down from the last one's craziness, and gave us insight into our new characters.
The main part of this, of course, would be "Rachel," who it seems clear didn't give her real name since, like Frank said, she hasn't been honest since he saved her. Every time he asks her about what's going on, she's defiant and tries to say she doesn't know, pulling the innocent college girl routine. Naturally, Frank doesn't buy any of her crap, and I think it's safe to assume he doesn't believe "Rachel" is her real name, especially since she gave it right after he gave "Pete." At this point, while we know there's more to "Rachel" than she's really saying, and there's so many questions about who she really is and what she was doing. Tied to this is Pilgrim, who thus far we know almost as little about; I'm just realizing now that I only know his name because I saw it online. Pilgrim hasn't really done much yet, but what we have seen helps make him intimidating and creepy, and we can tell he's not one to be trifled with. He appears to be some kind of preacher, and while he's not incredibly impressive to look at, there has to be a reason he's in charge of this group coming after "Rachel." In the first episode, we saw him torturing and killing a man, and he did so as calm as he could, not even hesitating. This shows that his mind must be pretty twisted, especially as he talks the whole time about religion having to do with everything. While he might talk a lot, Pilgrim comes off to me as a man who needs few to get his point across, something we see in his scenes at the hotel and hospital. The hotel is a much smaller moment, but the way he mentions they can hope the world will fall to pieces without technology hints at his sinister intentions. His following request that Tech not curse again is rather off-putting as well, because based on what we've seen and heard, we know he's someone you shouldn't disobey. The hospital is a bigger point that shows how intimidating he can be, as he threatens Beth and those she loves without always outright saying it. There are two moments where he does: saying he knows the names of the people who sent cards, and warning that what he does once he leaves can't be taken back. In the first, he's of course saying he will go after her friends and family, and in the second he builds on this as a way to get "Pete's" last name out of her, by basically saying he'll hurt them if she doesn't tell him what he wants to know. The more subtle one comes from him mentioning God saved her to be a good mother for Rex; while she immediately make it more obvious by saying to leave him out of it, it's clear he's pointing out Rex could be used against her. Billy is a bit of a mystery now as well; though Madani is sure he's faking his amnesia and of course he's returning as the villain, he truly seems to have lost his memories. His repeated pain is interesting considering Dumont says there should be no pain at all, and makes me wonder what the writers are going to do with it. Madani seems to be going off the deep end now, as her obsession with convicting Russo has led to her carrying a flask and she's certain he is lying. So far I'm enjoying the chemistry between Frank and "Rachel;" her annoyance with everything he does clashes in an effectively comedic way with his stern nature. The funniest examples of this to me came when Frank taped her mouth both times, due the the look on his face. The first time, it's already funny enough that he just plops down to sleep, then her yelling seems like a mere annoyance to him and once he tapes her mouth,he lies back down looking incredibly pleased with himself. Later, she tries to assure him there's no need to do it again, and it's obvious when he asks "Oh, you're sure?" that he doesn't believe it and it going to use the tape anyway. So far we have some interesting mysteries on our hands and great characters coming along, and combining these with the action leads to great Punisher-style fun.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI love the entertainment side of things. Video games, tv shows, superheroes and movies are my passion and I'd love to get the news out for things I enjoy. My contact page has links to my social media, so if you enjoy what I have to say, likes, shares, comments, and follows are always greatly appreciated! Archives
April 2020
Categories
All
|