'The Punisher' Recap: 'Memento Mori'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

Redemption is something that so many of us seek, simply because of the fact that there is something supremely powerful and inspiring about being able to come back from the dark places where our souls sometimes reside in order to enjoy a happy and healthy life. But there is a flip side to that coin, in that, some people out there believe that everything that they’ve done up to this point in their lives, makes them unworthy of redemption, so there’s no point in putting in the work to climb out of the darkness because it is simply where they belong and really, that darker view of life as a whole, is where Frank Castle’s mind resides.
 
For proof of that, look no further than the last episode of The Punisher, wherein Frank declared the darkness in his heart to be home these days and as I settled in to watch the season one finale, ‘Memento Mori’, I was left wondering exactly how dark this finale was going to go. After all, while Frank was badly injured, it wouldn’t be long before he would be on the mend and on the hunt for Billy Russo to fulfill the need for revenge burning within his heart and as it turned out…this finale was harboring an incredible surprise storytelling wise, because believe it or not, it actually turned out to be quite the uplifting affair.
 
Yes, you read that right, but you wouldn’t know that’s where the story was going to go judging from the first three quarters of it. Because for a better part of this tale, Frank and Billy spent a lot of time playing an unhealthy game of cat and mouse. One that put Curtis’ life in danger when he tried to help Frank in bringing Billy down, an act that finally allowed for the two enemies to speak and formulate a plan to settle this once and for all and wouldn’t you know it, the place where their final showdown would take place would be the precise location where Frank lost his family, making it difficult for Frank to focus since this decision immediately allowed for a flood of bad memories to come rushing back into his mind.
 
But somehow, someway, Frank managed to push through the pain and meet Billy at the Carousel at midnight, and despite a few road bumps, like the fact that Billy took hostages and badly wounded Madani when she showed up, Frank was finally able to face off with the last real symbol of his pain and oddly enough, the Punisher didn’t murder Billy Russo with impunity. Instead he lived up to his namesake and injured Billy so badly that he would never look the same, in order to be reminded of the evil he harbors within, and this errand of mercy, albeit a touch twisted, signaled quite the change in the tone and design of this particular tale. 

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Because come on, the Punisher kills those who have wronged him. There’s no mercy, no lesson to be taught, just a swift and brutal kill and this sudden change in his line of thinking didn’t end there. He let his heroic side come through once again since he saved the hostages and stayed with Madani so that she didn’t bleed out and in doing this, Frank put himself at grave risk since the authorities were on their way and really, why this is so significant is that this served as the moment of redemption for Frank Castle. He had the chance to truly commit to the darkness and take another life, but it would seem the sum of everything he’s been through finally sunk in and he tried a different approach and was handsomely rewarded for it.
 
For in the days that followed this final showdown, Frank was given the greatest gift of all, a second chance. By helping to bring down a bevy of dirty Federal officials, and solve an unsolved crime, he had in fact done his country a great service once again and his reward was to have his criminal records removed from any and all databases and have his alternate identity returned to him so that he could go off and live a normal life for a change and while that gesture was beautiful and powerful enough in its own right, the show had another wonderful moment to send our way.
 
Because in the closing moments of this story, we saw Frank Castle pull off his most incredible feat to date. He showed up at the group that Curtis runs, and he opened up at last when it comes to his pain and well, I won’t lie, this part of the story brought me to tears because of how relatable it turned out to be. In that, let’s be honest, we’ve all felt emotions similar to Frank’s when it comes to trauma and loss. We’ve experienced anger and fury, we’ve been crippled by the pain in our hearts to the point where we are no longer functional. But what truly made this sequence so incredible is that the story had a message to offer to all of us: if a man like Frank Castle can come back from the brink…so can the rest of us, and I truly hope that anyone who is currently going through a tough time in their life, that watches this story to escape, finds that message and grabs hold of it tight.
 
If anything, that powerful message and flawless ending in essence makes The Punisher my flat out favorite when it comes to the bevy of Marvel related shows available on Netflix, because this one…this one truly found a way to inject some powerful humanity into its storytelling, which gives it a gravity and depth that Marvel has quite frankly been lacking and it’s left me hungry for more. Bug sadly, despite the joy to be found in this finale, there is one dark cloud still hanging over this story…Billy Russo. Because it’s clear now that Billy will indeed follow in the footsteps of his comic counterpart and become Jigsaw in season two and it should be interesting to see how the Punisher will handle Billy’s eventual return. But in the meantime, Frank Castle has finally found the peace he deserves, and hopefully he enjoys it and relishes in it for as long as possible…until next year.  

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