You know, this season of Netflix’s The Punisher has been a strange one to say the least. After all, when I first started watching it, it was nothing more than season two of Frank Castle’s journey through a world of violence and pain and well, imagine my surprise when Netflix dropped the announcement a month after said season was released that year two would signal the end of this series. Because now, the finale that I was powering toward would be the last leg of Frank’s journey on television, at least for now, and that’s a realization that hung heavy over the events of ‘The Whirlwind’.
 
Because now, my mind would judge this particular tale differently, for every fan of television out there has certain standards and expectations for a series finale and mine were simple for this particular one; I needed Frank to complete his emotional journey, and I needed every storyline introduced this season to be dealt with in satisfying fashion and that was my worry to be honest. I wondered if cliffhangers and setups for season three were going to be present here in the hopes of forcing Netflix’s hand toward a renewal. But as this story rolled on, it became apparent that this finale was going to meet my criteria after all, since it wasted no time in bringing together every loose plot thread from this season.
 
Case in point, the whole mess with the Pilgrim, because minute by minute, he and The Punisher came closer to squaring off in the grand showdown we’ve all been waiting for and that my friends, did not disappoint in the slightest since it was one hell of a beatdown for both men. But that all important slug fest, allowed for Frank to once again show us his better side since the Pilgrim asked for mercy when it came to his sons, and rather than let more children go without a parent in their lives, Frank gave John his freedom before handling the Schultz family in his own special and violent and oddly satisfying way since they finally paid for their crimes and the hell they brought down upon Frank and Amy and with those monsters out of the way, the story had one more loose end to tie up…Billy Russo.

​Who oddly enough, saw his journey begin to come to an end early on in this tale since his little showdown with Madani ended poorly since she was able to put three slugs into him, and despite his best efforts to get healthy without going to a hospital, he quickly found himself alone and destitute and dying. Which eventually prompted him to call Curtis so that he wouldn’t die alone, and after dealing with this mess for so long, Curtis realized that there was only one man that Billy should spend his final moments with and just like that, Billy Russo came face to face with Frank Castle once again and before he could say what was on his mind, Frank put two in his chest, effectively closing the book on a story that seemingly had no end for The Punisher.
 
Which brings us to the growth aspect for Frank in this tale. Because with this madness behind him, we finally saw Frank open up to Amy a little bit as they said their goodbyes since Frank knew she would never be safe rolling with him and well, this was just a beautiful and tender sequence to watch. Because Frank was a father once again, and he was able to show her how much she means to him with a simple embrace and even he went so far as to offer her some sage advice and it was just nice to see that Frank Castle, the man, is still buried in there somewhere behind that chilling Memento Mori. But despite the wonder of seeing Frank’s human side, one can never forget that Castle’s story has always been a grand tragedy since Frank thrives in that grey area where he finds good in committing violent acts and that made the final moments of this saga fitting and satisfying as he embraced his role as The Punisher…
 
So, there we are ladies and gents, Frank Castle’s story has come to an end on television and while I’m not exactly happy about it, because this was the finest exploration of the character, I’ve ever seen on either the small or big screen, it is what it is. But the good news, is that he definitely went out with a bang, and we were able to see a complete arc for Frank Castle over the three seasons he was present in the Marvel/Netflix alliance and really, you can’t ask for much more than that. And my hope is that someday, this show is revived with Jon Bernthal back in the role (because he’s the best Punisher I’ve ever seen on screen) to explore this dark and complex character further. But in the meantime, at least I know that if I ever need my fix, I can always return to Netflix to watch these powerful adventures once again, so if anything I suppose it’s simply goodbye for now when it comes to this series, and I am thankful that I was finally able to bear witness to a quality version of The Punisher, after slogging through decades of mediocre iterations…

​While season two of The Punisher has featured some powerful character development and outright poignant moments when it comes to Frank Castle and his friends and enemies, one can never forget that his stories always end in epic and violent fashion. Because that’s just how life goes for this titular character, he has to resolve his problems with his fists or a few nine-millimeter slugs and that’s why I really wasn’t too surprised to see action and adventure and violence take the center stage of the next episode of this series, ‘Collision Course’, since we have basically reached the end of Frank’s television-based journey and well…it’s definitely time for the bullets and the blood to fly.
 
Which is something this episode wasted no time in presenting to us since this story picked up immediately after the last one, with Frank in the back of an ambulance with Mahoney at the wheel and unfortunately for Mahoney, the Pilgrim came calling. And his arrival led to a thrilling sequence of events that saw a breathtaking ambulance crash, a daring escape and rescue from said ambulance and a powerhouse shootout between Madani and the Pilgrim that ended with John swiping Madani’s car and the action…didn’t end there. For shortly after swiping the car, John was able to figure out the location of Frank’s base of operations and he paid Curtis a surprise visit.
 
Thankfully, Curtis didn’t say a word about what he knew, but Amy’s overzealous entrance, led to a harrowing shootout in the trailer, one that badly wounded the Pilgrim and thankfully saw Amy’s escape. However, while all of this was thrilling and nerve-wracking to watch, this story did have more to offer than gunshots and explosions, because there are some loose ends that still need to be tied up in this tale and this chapter started that process. Take for example Frank’s journey after the ambulance crash, for he finally decided to make use of every ounce of information he has at this point, prompting him to pay a visit to Senator Schultz’s home and offer him an uncomfortable ride back to the trailer in order to do a little digging on the Pilgrim and how to put an end to his pursuit of Frank and Amy.
 
But truly, the centerpiece of this episode, storytelling wise, involved Agent Madani, who, after receiving an odd call from Krista, finally started to put the pieces together when it comes to the good doctor’s involvement with Billy and that led to quite the confrontation in Krista’s apartment. For Madani put her cards onto the table in epic fashion, backing Krista into a corner and unfortunately that led to the conflict in question. For the doc knew where this was headed, and rather than give Billy up or be taken in, she went right after Madani and while she enjoyed the upper hand a for a brief moment, the talented Homeland Agent let her training do the talking and in a stunning moment, Krista’s greatest fear came back to life as Madani tossed her out of the window, right as Billy came home…
 
So, yeah. This one was just brutal to say the least, since everyone took their lumps in literal fashion and the intensity of this tale quite frankly took my breath away because this was one hell of a setup for the series finale. For now, Frank has the most important Schultz of all in his trailer, giving him all kinds of leverage at last. But more importantly, Madani is in serious trouble at the moment since Billy saw her standing in the window of Krista’s place and well, the title of this episode could not have been more perfect, because every single story is on a collision course right now and well, it would be silly of me to not see how it ends right away, so if you’ll excuse me, it is off to Netflix land to see how Frank Castle’s journey comes to an end…

​Whether we like it or not, there comes a point in our lives where we are forced to face the darkest parts of our past. That doesn’t necessarily mean we will make peace with it per se, but none the less, when we least expect it, those dark moments that have haunted us in life take the center stage, and the emotion and the pain that comes with them is as fresh as ever and while that sounds about as unpleasant an experience as possible, it’s also necessary. For letting that dark passenger return to the forefront of our mind allows for us to take inventory and see what this memory has either helped us become or how it has hindered us, and it just so happens that this particular moment arrived at last for Frank Castle in the next episode of The Punisher.
 
For ‘The Abyss’ saw Frank arrive at the hospital, wherein his ugly physical wounds were healed, and he was allowed to rest for a change and well, that quiet time, and the arrival of Karen Page under the guise of being his counsel, helped bring the past bubbling to the surface. And at long last Frank was forced to face the pain that he carries in his heart, and he fully admitted that he has never gotten over that fateful day when his family was murdered in cold blood, and every single moment of that day, and every potential thought going through his family’s mind before their lives ended, outright haunted him. And that pain, combined with the guilt growing in his heart over the belief that three innocent women died at his hands, had Frank ready to face whatever consequences came his way, because it would seem, he’d finally had enough of this kind of life and his long and never-ending fight.
 
If anything, it was just stunning to see the always vigilant Frank this isolated and vulnerable, and while it seemed as though this episode was only going to focus upon The Punisher slipping into a nasty downward spiral, Karen’s arrival signaled the start of something quite special. For she was later joined by Amy, who had plans on breaking him out, and Madani, and it became quite clear that despite how Frank viewed himself, he had plenty of other people who believed in him and flat out cared for him, and well, they went the extra mile for him in this tale. Because shortly after Billy called to taunt Frank on the phone, something clicked inside Madani’s mind and she came to realize that something was amiss at the crime scene and that there was a solid chance that Frank never hurt those women in the slightest.
 
That revelation prompted her to work with Karen to try to get into the morgue and see the bodies and after pulling some strings with the Medical Examiner’s ultra-strange assistant, they came to discover that Frank was innocent after all. For someone, Billy to be exact, murdered those women hours before the fight at Valhalla, clearing Frank at last and that discovery could not have come at a better time. For a rogue cop decided to take advantage of the bounty, and Frank was willing to have the man kill him for his crimes. But thanks to an assist from Amy and Madani, Frank was saved, and the truth came out, and Frank was suddenly re-energized in his fight against evil doers and decided it was time to get the hell out of the hospital. But unfortunately for Frank, his epic escape plan was thwarted by Detective Mahoney, who cuffed Frank in the back of an ambulance before driving him off to an uncertain fate…
 
So, I have to outright admit, that I was downright blown away by this particular episode. That’s thanks in large part to Frank’s openness in this tale, since he revealed to all of us, just how much he’s hurting, how much the fury fills the void for him and how badly he wants to find purpose in life again, and I’m hoping the extra mile that Karen, Madani and Amy went to in this tale, helps him realize he matters and has purpose and is someone they care about and respect. And also, I need to tip my cap to Jon Bernthal as well because he is just killing it this season with his stunning performances, and this is one of his best to date as The Punisher. However, all depth aside, Frank is in a lot of trouble right now. For a revitalized and devastated Pilgrim is back on his trail and who knows what Mahoney has planned for him, which means it is time for me to step away from the keyboard and hit ‘play’ to see where this wild story is headed. Until next time.  

​We are all taught from an early age that searching for the truth is paramount to our happiness in life, for finding out everything we need to know about a particularly important matter, is the only way to know true peace in our mind and in our hearts. However, while knowing the facts is indeed important and can provide us with closure, what we rarely teach one another about this particular quest, is that it can in fact…end in heartbreak. For sometimes the truth is an ugly, ugly thing, and what it has to offer us is unpleasant and uncomfortable and it just so happens that this is a lesson that both Fauna and Jay were forced to learn on last night’s episode of I Am the Night.
 
Which quite frankly, was an unexpected lesson to find in this particular tale, since ‘Aloha’, started off as such a hopeful episode. After all, this was it, Jay and Fauna were headed to Hawaii to find Tamar Hodel and get the answers and the truth they’ve been so desperately seeking to this point, and their voyage to this island paradise seemed to be healthy for both of their minds since Jay was finally able to open up about the demons that he carries and Fauna continued to grow when it comes to her newfound confidence. If anything, it seemed as though this search for Tamar and the likely encounter with her was going to help them heal completely and help them find closure, but sadly…finding Tamar ended up being utterly disastrous for both of them.
 
Take Fauna for example, who had so many questions to ask and years that she needed to catch up upon with her mother and while their reunion was initially quite the beautiful thing since Tamar instantly recognized her daughter, everything Tamar had to say, ended up being devastating for Fauna. For she quickly learned that her grandfather had quite the shady past, and had been on trial for moral concerns when it came to her mother and well, the bombshells didn’t stop there, since she also came to learn that her grandfather, is actually her father since Tamar was open about her and George’s unwholesome relationship and all of this truth, shattered Fauna’s world.
 
As for Jay, well…his long-awaited discussion with Tamar yielded different results since he was able to uncover some solid evidence that tied George to all kinds of murder cases in disturbing fashion since he sent art of various victim’s faces to Tamar from time to time. And while this was the evidence and the story that Jay had waited a life time for, he should have heeded Tamar’s warning about how George is a powerful entity in Los Angeles, since George found a way to influence Jay’s boss, Peter, to hand Jay over to the ever crooked Billis and well, that’s where our story ends, with Jay in custody and Fauna on her own since George may or may not have killed Jimmy Lee after paying her a visit…
 
When all is said and done however, this particular episode deserves some serious credit for handling some delicate and disturbing issues with class and grace because that entire reveal about Fauna and George could have gone sideways quickly, and this story also deserves props for being outright bold. Because this was a dark tale through and through, one that in essence saw everything that Jay and Fauna were working towards fall to pieces in the final act and well, it’s rare to see a mystery or a story in this vein leave us hopeless and destitute this close to the end of the story, but here we are. For Jay and Fauna now face uncertain futures with George pulling the strings and I am quite curious to see how this story is going to come to a close, and what will become of our intrepid heroes when the series finale rolls around next Monday. Until then. 

​If there’s one thing that I’ve been supremely impressed about when it comes to this final season of The Punisher, it’s the sheer fact that the story is exploring all kinds of new elements when it comes to heroism and what it is that separates the good guys from the bad guys. Which quite frankly is a wonderful thing since it’s something that traditional comic book stories simply cannot explore, since the hero and the villain are clearly defined as representations of pure good and pure evil. But, when the good guy/gal and bad guy/gal aren’t filled to the brim with special abilities that allow them to move mountains, when they are mere mortals, well…that’s where that deeper exploration comes into play.
 
Because Frank Castle and Billy Russo are men that are filled with pain and flaws and doubt, and they’ve been asked to do questionable things in the name of honor and well, that puts both of these men in a grey area and that brings us back to the million dollar question that ‘The Dark Hearts of Men’ took the time to explore, what exactly makes Frank a hero when he’s done such dark things and for a time…it seemed as though the episode could not find an answer. For the musings that Frank himself brought forth on a scouting run with Curtis, and the discussion that Madani and Krista had in her home, seemed to imply that there really was no difference between hero and villain in this instance since both men dedicated themselves to a unique brand of chaos and a loss of life when necessary.
 
However, as the episode rolled on, these various discussions seemed to find an answer after all. For it became apparent that what truly separates Billy from Frank, is the sheer fact that Frank has a genuine sense of honor. Sure, he’s a blunt and violent instrument, one that can bring down a symphony of terror and blood on a moment’s notice, but his code is what makes him different. For his belief that the weak and the helpless need a voice and a champion puts him a step above Billy, since Russo’s motivations are greed and chaos and I have to admit, I really enjoyed this fascinating analysis/justification for Frank’s existence since these are important questions to ask when it comes to this character and what truly made this examination of Frank and his heroism so poignant, is that it was put to the test. 
 
For his scouting mission with Curtis was designed to bring down Billy in one fell swoop, and sadly, Billy was ready for both men and once Frank stepped inside ‘Valhalla’, he found himself under siege from Billy and his thugs. But a simple ambush and utter beating are mere road blocks to a guy like Frank and he quickly pursued Russo through the warehouse, spraying bullets everywhere and eventually discovered that his fiery spray of metal, took three innocent lives, making Frank a cold-blooded killer like the men he hunts, leaving him stunned and in custody once the police arrived and wouldn’t you know it? Madani’s discussion with Krista is what led to this moment, since their little chat happened a day before the assault, and Billy’s darling love pointed out to her flawed honeypie, that she now knew how to break Frank Castle.
 
If anything, that’s quite the cruel twist, and it just goes to show how far Krista is willing to go to ‘heal’ Billy, and that’s terrifying to say the least because clearly, it involves selling her soul no problem. Either way, this was just another phenomenal chapter in this season’s story. It had depth, it let Frank do his thing and it challenged him like never before and well, one has to wonder now exactly how Frank is going to overcome supposedly crossing the line when it comes to his code, since no one is aware of this twisted double cross outside of his nemesis and the audience and well, I have to know if, or how he recovers from this, which means it’s high time I settle in to watch the next episode of this phenomenal series. Until next time. 

Mystery and crime stories have evolved to the point where their endings now encompass a pretty solid format, in that; all will be revealed in disturbing and twisted fashion, and the people responsible for the crime in question are dealt with in epic fashion by way of a grand showdown, and for proof, look no further than HBO’s True Detective. For the season one finale of this show saw Rust and Marty square off with the Yellow King once and for all within the confines of his twisted labyrinth after learning everything they needed to know about his crimes and the season two finale of this series saw Ray and Frank unravel the conspiracy surrounding them before facing off against dark forces in bloody and brutal fashion. 
 
Which meant that the season three finale should also blow us away with epic moments that fit that mold, so imagine my surprise when I came to realize that ‘Now Am Found’, was going to buck all of those particular trends. For while this episode definitely answered all of our questions when it comes to what happened to Julie and Will Purcell, it handled the grand reveal in low key fashion, and the big-time showdown between good versus evil, was handled at a dinner table instead of an exotic locale. And really, it’s best we talk about those answers and that showdown first, since those were the moments, we were all waiting for, and as it turns out, the one-eyed man was the key to the truth and Junius Watts was more than happy to spill the beans about everything and anything.
 
As it turns out, our killer was in fact Isabel Hoyt, who saw Julie as a spitting image of her late daughter and she was the one playing with the kids in the woods, with the approval of Lucy Purcell. But an accidental push during a moment of levity led to Will’s death and the placement of his body and shortly after that, Isabel ‘adopted’ Julie, paying off Lucy and renaming Julie as Mary and drugging her for years to ensure compliance. And eventually, the day came where an adult Julie felt the need to get answers to long buried memories and to live a life of her own, free from the pink room she knew so well, and with Watts’ help, she was given her freedom. But alas, we know how that part of the story ends since she went on the run, and while eventually Junius was able to find her, his re-discovery of Julie came too late, since he discovered that she died in a convent in 1995.
 
But what was truly fascinating about this confession, is the sheer fact that Junius wanted to be brought in for his crimes, but rather than call their cohorts at the State Police, Wayne and Roland simply let him stew in his own madness as an ultimate punishment and that seemed as though it was the end of the story. However, while Wayne was reading his late wife’s book, a lucid revelation came over him, in that, the landscaper he and Roland ran into while visiting Julie’s grave, was the young man who took her loss the hardest, and the best way to fade away from trouble in this world is to outright disappear, and if people believe someone is dead, well…then they stop looking for you. And eventually, Wayne came face to face with a living and breathing Julie Purcell, who had help in faking her death in order to allow for her to finally live a normal life. But alas, Wayne may never know he came to the end of the case in that moment, for his dementia robbed him of it.
 
However, it’s not necessarily a bad thing that the case never fully comes to completion for Wayne. For the remainder of his memory, still has the answers he spent a lifetime seeking, and he has a family that loves him and is willing to put the past behind them to be together as one, and his best friend is back in his life as well and Julie can live her life free of terror and well…endings don’t get much happier than that. If anything, I applaud this season for taking a low key and upbeat approach to this finale, all while giving us a sense of closure at last, in every way imaginable, since it also tied up loose ends in the past and when all is said and done, this ended up being a phenomenal return for this series and I do hope that we don’t have to wait another four years for another incredible mystery from this magnificent series. Until next year.

If there is one constant in the universe that is applicable to all human beings, it’s that fear is something we all have to live with and work to overcome and let’s be honest, literature and film and television have all pondered upon what mankind might look like if we were free of our fear because deep down we know that this powerful emotion often hinders us, and we could likely achieve wonders if we were free of it. But while a vast majority of those stories feature people working to shed their fears, only a few have ever shown us precisely what the end result looks like, and it just so happens, that Star Trek: Discovery felt the need to explore the latter of these two options during last night’s episode, ‘The Sound of Thunder’.
 
Because if you recall, last week Commander Saru came to discover that the Vahari, a process that was believed to lead to death on his world, was instead nothing more than an evolutionary moment wherein a Kelpien sheds their threat ganglia, effectively removing fear from their mind and their body and that discovery was quite relevant to this tale because of the unique situation that Saru and the crew found themselves dealing with. For another signal from the Red Angel arrived on the ship’s sensors, sending the Discovery to Kaminar (Saru’s home world), to investigate and well, all of these elements helped to bring together a fascinating and heartfelt story that was filled with quite the surprise.
 
But before we dig into that surprise, let’s talk about the more emotional aspects of this story, since part of returning home, meant that Saru would need to speak to his people to see if by chance the Red Angel appeared to any of his kind and that in turn brought forth a beautiful reunion with his sister Siranna and this was just touching to see since his return revealed to her the wonder and majesty of the fact that there was more to life in the universe than just waiting for The Great Balance. But despite the fact that Siranna learned all kinds of incredible facts about the galaxy and what Saru had been up to for the past eighteen years, fear of reprisal from the Ba’ul cut the reunion short and brought about a fascinating confrontation between Starfleet and this mysterious species, one that revealed more facts about Saru’s people. 

Because rather than see his friends and family hurt, Saru surrendered to the Ba’ul and his captivity forced Burnham to investigate exactly why this mysterious species seemed so concerned about Saru surviving Vahari and with Tilly and Airiam’s help she was able to learn, via the dying Sphere’s data, that a long time ago, the Ba’ul were nearly hunted to extinction by the Kelpiens, and by ‘culling the herd’ they were able to preserve their own lives and maintain balance on the planet. That information gave her quite the idea when it comes to this conundrum in that, it might be helpful to level the playing field in order to keep Saru safe and the Discovery worked to induce Vahari in every Kelpien on the planet in the hopes that it would bring the Ba’ul to the negotiating table.
 
But alas, all this move did was motivate this mysterious species to put an end to Saru’s people in one fell swoop, and that’s when the surprise came into play. For just when it seemed as though the situation was hopeless, the Red Angel quite literally swooped in to save the day, and its ability to shut down the Ba’ul weapons network saved countless lives. But the more important part when it comes to this mysterious creature, is the sheer fact that Saru got a good look at this being, and came to realize that it is indeed a humanoid of some kind in a space suit, leaving all of us to wonder exactly who or what this being truly is and why it’s continually dragging Discovery into situations where the crew needs to save lives and well, time will tell us its true intentions, but this was quite the revelation when all is said and done.
 
But for now, at least we know this creature has a sense of benevolence since it does keep focusing upon saving lives and speaking of those lives, it’s quite wonderful to know that everyone on Kaminar is now getting a fair shake, and that after thousands of years of oppression, the Kelpiens can forge a new path, one free of free of fear and it would seem that by removing it from their lives (and perhaps our own)…peace and prosperity is what awaits the liberated. Also, it was just a joy to watch Saru take control in this tale and exhibit his newfound strength and abilities and in the end, this was just a delightful episode to watch through and through. It really had something for everyone since there was plenty of drama and action, and even a touch of horror with that creepy reveal of the Ba’ul and now that this mess has come to its close, there’s no doubt in my mind that Commander Burnham is going to focus on finding her brother, which means it might be Spock time at last and I cannot wait to see this icon arrive on the series. Until next time.

There are a lot of important elements that go into creating a wonderful science fiction universe and one show that has in essence, nailed it on the head from the get-go is Fox’s The Orville. Because this particular series has not only provided us with colorful and meaningful characters and a magnificent setting for its story, but week in and week out, it’s had a wonderful message or analysis regarding the human condition to provide its audience with and really, if there’s any particular element that the series hasn’t tackled yet, it’s challenging its characters in ways they never knew they could be challenged.
 
Granted, they’ve faced their share of hardships and have been put in some tough situations over the past couple of years. But a powerful challenge, the kind that puts the crew of this intrepid ship to the test and really shows us what they are made of has in fact eluded everyone on this series, until last night that is. Because ‘Identity, Part 1’, more or less stunned us all with some incredible twists and turns that we didn’t see coming in the slightest and what made the challenges that now await Captain Mercer and his crew so stunning, was the sheer fact that at first glance, it seemed as though this episode was going to be about something incredibly different.
 
If anything, it seemed as though this particular tale was going to be about Isaac making one tough decision about where he belongs in the universe since he was a being in crisis early on in this episode. For the opening segment of the show saw Isaac simply ‘pass out’ and remain dormant out of the blue, prompting Ed to contact Admiralty to request permission to take the U.S.S. Orville to Kaylon 1 to see if Isaac’s people could in fact heal their shipmate and friend and well, the arrival on this planet is what set all kinds of surprises in motion. Because we quickly came to learn that the artificial beings of Kaylon shut Isaac down due to the fact that his mission was in essence complete and that they expected him to remain on Kaylon 1, which brought about the first surprise of the night since Isaac didn’t even take the time to ponder upon where he belonged, he knew he was home and made the call to stay with his people.

Which meant, that it was time for the crew to say goodbye to another one of their own, and the crew said their farewells in classy and fun fashion. In fact, who knew that Scott Grimes had such a magnificent singing voice? Because I sure didn’t. However, I digress, since something about this entire departure felt quite amiss. In fact, Isaac himself was seemingly colder than usual as he made his way off of the ship, since he hurt and disrespected Dr. Finn and her family and well, things only got weirder from there. Because Mercer had the ship stick around in order to see if by chance Isaac’s return would help the Kaylon people make a decision on joining the Union and their hemming and hawing over such a decision was off in its own right since it should have been a simple yes or no.
 
But that’s where the big stunner of the night came into play. Because there was a reason that the Kaylon people were stalling for time, for they had dire plans for the Union and the universe. For Isaac’s real mission, was to see if every species in the galaxy were worth preserving and the Kaylon determined that co-existence with any sentient species was a bad idea and with this robotic species needing to expand its horizons, the time had come to deal with mankind and the other members of the Union in the same way the Kaylon handled their biological creators ages ago, with violence and genocide. And in a stunning turn of events, the Kaylon boarded the Orville and seized control of her and plotted a course for Earth, with their invasion fleet in tow…
 
So, yeah. Just like that, the narrative for this season changed, and the Kaylon have suddenly become this show’s equivalent of The Borg and well, this was just an incredible episode through and through. For there was no deeper meaning to be found here, just the heartbreak of seeing Isaac resolve himself to his robotic identity, and of course it introduced the grand threat of the end of all life in the galaxy and well…it’s up to Mercer and his crew to figure out how to overcome insurmountable odds to save billions of lives and I honestly cannot wait to see how this one ends. Because this is one hell of a setup and well, credit is due to writers Brannon Braga and André Bormanis for giving us a magnificent script, one that shocked us all and has us also wondering as to whether or not any of the best parts of Isaac were real, or if it was all part of his programming and I suppose the only way to know, is to wait for next week’s episode to see how this sheer madness wraps up. Until next time.  

​A few recaps back, I posed a couple of questions when it comes to Netflix’s The Punisher, in that, I was quite curious as to whether or not the story in season two was going to help Frank Castle find the balance he so desperately sought in life, or if he would forever remain enclosed within the endless cycle of murder and mayhem that he seems to enjoy and really, those questions came about in my mind because it’s inherently clear this year that Frank is at a crossroads in his life. He has to make a decision, he has to figure out what his purpose is in life and it just so happens that the next episode in this tale, ‘Flustercluck’, took the time to finally answer those burning questions.
 
In fact, this particular story wasted no time in getting down to that, by having Frank return to the trailer to meet with his circle of friends and announce to all of them that his visit to his family’s gravesite gave him the insight and direction he’s so desperately needed. And he’s finally come to the conclusion that there is no need to step away from his alter ego as the Punisher, because that’s who he has been all along, and that it was high time for everyone to quit trying to change him, and let him do his thing because this is his path and well, this was a bittersweet revelation to say the least. Because you’re always pulling for a guy like Frank in a story like this to find the light, but The Punisher’s story has always been a tragic one since he’s never been able to escape this darker lifestyle and now that tragedy has come to fruition for this iteration of the character.
 
But, while it was nice to see Frank admit his nature and resolve himself to his angry and violent future, there were plenty of other complications to be dealt with in this tale. Like the fact that Billy continued his search for answers about his past by breaking into Dinah’s apartment to get a sense of familiarity and to have a little chat with the Agent and this, was a devastating decision on Billy’s part. Because Madani was more than happy to fill in all the blanks for Russo, and how his egotistical actions led to the death of Frank’s family, and the bloody battle between the two men that cost Billy his memory and so much more and well, this revelation only confused and agitated Billy more because with his mind scrambled, he struggled to properly comprehend his actions and role in all of this madness and this, this was just a tense and unsettling sequence of events to watch. Because you really didn’t have a clue if either one of them were going to unleash their respective fury on one another, but thankfully, Billy left peacefully after he received his all-important answers.
 
To complicate matters further, Frank’s search for Billy ran into quite the unexpected road block, thanks to the Pilgrim. Because this mysterious zealot put a five-million-dollar bounty on Frank and Amy’s heads, prompting every thug and low life in town to come after dear Frank and while he worked to fight off the first wave of money hungry punks, Amy found herself in quite the pickle. Because she finally felt an overwhelming desire to get the hell out of town and away from everything and everyone since she was isolated and unappreciated at the trailer, but sadly the friend she asked for help saw an opportunity to strike it rich via the bounty, putting Amy’s life in danger. But thanks to a bold choice on her part, and an assist from Frank, she was once again safe and sound with Frank, but at this point, who knows how long that safety will last.
 
If anything, this was quite the jam-packed episode since it featured so many storylines and I’m honestly okay with it. For starters, it lives up to the episode’s name through and through, and because every little tidbit here was necessary. We needed to see Billy and Madani square off, we needed Frank to reach this important milestone and we even needed to see that little piece at the end with the Pilgrim, to add depth to this mysterious villain and when all is said and done, this episode just continues to build upon the tension that’s been lurking behind the scenes because truly, this series is sitting on a proverbial powder keg at the moment and it won’t be long now before everything explodes in violent fashion. Until next time.  

​If there’s one complaint that I have when it comes to comic book stories and shows as a whole, it’s that they tend to avoid looking at the consequences of their character’s actions, and understandably so. Because seeing a hero make great sacrifices and risk everything to save the day is noble and inspiring in its own right. But what we often forget is that people that are willing to risk it all, regardless of the cost, hurt people along the way, and it’s difficult for any story to shift gears and go from sheer heroics to a narrative where the greater good is doing just fine, but friends and family suffer thanks to the bigger picture that the hero chose over them.
 
I think that’s why I am so supremely fascinated with season two of The Punisher. Because this year’s stories are diving into that kind of conflict on the regular by often showing us the consequences of actions that can be deemed heroic and the next episode in this powerful series, ‘My Brother’s Keeper’, dove deep into such matters since everyone dealt with the fallout of Billy’s brief showdown with Frank…including Billy himself. For in this tale he learned point blank that Frank is the sole reason why he is physically scarred and emotionally broken and after his confrontation with Frank, he did his best to try and understand the confusion and pain that came with seeing someone that felt like family in his heart, hate and despise him and I have to admit, that for a moment I felt a little sorrow for Billy in this tale because this was heartbreaking to watch, but…that moment was brief and fleeting.
 
Because eventually, Billy went back to his malicious ways and is slowly recruiting an army of broken soldiers to take whatever they want and he was able to find time to start that process, because Frank was left stunned in this tale over the fact that he was right back where he started and really, that was the centerpiece of this story. Because the narrative from episode one of this season and on, is that Frank is finally moving forward in life and slowly making peace with his painful past. But we came to learn in this episode, that is simply not the case. For seeing Billy once again, brought every last ugly memory bubbling to the surface, and with that flood of days gone by, came guilt and anger and fury over just about every single step that Frank had taken to arrive at this juncture and sadly, that boiled over as the tale rolled on.
 
For Frank unleashed his fury on everyone and anyone near him, which unfortunately turned out to be Curtis and Amy in this tale and being called out for his sour behavior and the fact that he did indeed act like Russo when it came to his unrestrained anger gave Frank pause, to the point where he disappeared into the night to do a little soul searching and what I appreciate the most about this sequence of events, is that it forced Frank to ponder on the consequences of his actions and what he has become. Because while he may think he is a champion of justice, in the here and the now, he is a volcano of anger, ready to blow, and one has to wonder if deep down, his decision to keep Billy alive is related more to hanging onto his anger and fury over finding peace and well, hopefully his visit to the cemetery, where he took the time to visit his family, will help him find some kind of direction.
 
If anything, this ended up being one powerful episode to say the least and kudos need to be doled out to both Jon Bernthal and Ben Barnes because they were utterly magnificent in this tale. For Billy was at his absolute worst in this story, with his madness on full display and Frank, was equally as terrifying with his temper running rampant and they added incredible gravity and depth to a supremely cerebral story. Either way, I really love the fact that this season is diving into some fascinating material, and I am hoping that the season continues this perfect balance of action and story as we go deeper into this complex mess and this brilliant style of storytelling is making the final showdown between Frank and Billy, a tad unnerving. For when it finally goes down, it’s obviously going to be a costly venture for one or both men, and I’m not sure I’m fully prepared for the kind of heartbreak that will follow it. Until next time.