'The Punisher' Recap: '3 AM'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

If there is one character in the Marvel Comic Book Universe that has always managed to fascinate me above anyone else, it has to be Frank Castle, a.k.a. ‘The Punisher’. I find him so intriguing simply because he is unlike any other character in print. He’s the ultra-rare, every man. A being without enhanced powers or super human abilities; he is just a broken man, forever trapped in a world of sorrow and fury and his strange psyche is oddly enough refreshing in a way since the anti-hero is such a rarity in comic these days.
 
Yet, despite his quirks and complexities, something that one would imagine Hollywood would feast upon since rich characters permeate the silver screen, Frank has never translated well to motion pictures. The first attempt to create his world on screen was a droll and boring action flick, followed by a more faithful tale that failed to resonate with audiences which in turn brought about an over the top, stylized sequel and considering how poorly that film performed at the box office, it seemed as though The Punisher would never enjoy a proper live action adaptation.   
 
Enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Netflix. Because after a wonderfully written guest stint on Daredevil, one where the character was done justice, Frank Castle was given his own series at last and this past Friday, The Punisher finally arrived on the ‘Flix and as it turns out, the series premiere, ‘3 AM’, was nothing short of spectacular. For starters, it finally gave us some resolution when it comes to Frank’s harrowing tale since the opening moments of the story feature him finally bringing those who harmed his family to justice and his subsequent retirement of The Punisher persona as a whole and well, that gory and fierce opening sequence served as the tip of the iceberg to a fascinating character study.

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Because, we’ve all wondered what would happen to some of our favorite characters if and when they finally achieved a goal that haunted them for years on end and well, Frank’s journey answered that question quickly in that, the pain simply doesn’t go away. Frank of course, expected nothing short of catharsis for bringing those men to justice, but in the days and months that follow, the death of his family still haunts him day and night and the only way that Frank can find any peace is through a subdued version of violence by way of working a construction job and taking the demolition part of that gig to the next level day and night and while the subtlety of that alone could have carried this episode, the series decided to take all of that a step further in impressive fashion.
 
It accomplished that by taking us deep into Frank’s psyche, a place where Frank firmly believes he’s not worthy of anything in this life because of the things he’s done. He sees himself as lost, adrift in a world that has abandoned him, a theme reinforced often in this episode thanks to the smart twist of adding other veterans into the story and really, what made this part of the story beautiful in its own right is the fact that it presented PTSD in the raw and I love the fact that Frank Castle is trying desperately to fight it and find some purpose in life. It adds a sense of realism to something we don’t talk about enough in our world and I’m also appreciative of how the story put this exploration on hold, by getting Frank back to doing what he does best, punishing the wicked.
 
Because by adding an opportunity for Frank to deal with those who do wrong in this world was a wonderful way to contrast his internal battle because once it becomes time for Frank to throw down he’s a totally different individual. He’s focused, and surging with energy and purpose and I like that his takedown of the wicked in this episode seems to hint that we are seeing the genesis of something he’s focused upon in the comics, using his skill set and his pain as a tool for those that are redeemable and worth saving in his eyes. Either way, what a wonderful and powerful way to kick off this brand-new series and while this inaugural episode didn’t quite set up a larger plot, who cares? Jon Bernthal’s performance alone carries this episode and I’m hooked because of it. Until next time. 

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