‘The Punisher’ Recap: ‘Flustercluck’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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

​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.  

---