‘The Punisher’ Recap: ‘One-Eyed Jacks’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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​We all have certain expectations when it comes to certain types of television shows. We expect our dramas to be powerful, our comedies should be hilarious, and the scary shows should rattle us to our core, and stories that are filled to the brim with action and violence should consistently wow us with both. Those elements matter, because when a show decides to try something outside of its norm, it tends to surprise us and make us uncomfortable because formula and design are safe places for an audience, and well, a quick change up can lead to either brilliance or disaster.
 
For if the show strays too far from its formula, it can lose and anger the audience, but if it is handled right, well…then the audience is privy to something supremely special, and this is on my mind today because Netflix’s The Punisher just so happened to break from the norms of its action and violent-oriented structure in the next episode of the series, ‘One-Eyed Jacks’. Which is interesting to say the least, because this episode had all the makings of an ultra-violent episode since Frank started assembling a scheme to confront the man who seemingly ordered the hit on Amy, but it ended up becoming a different kind of tale.
 
Granted, there was some serious violence at the end of this tale, but it wasn’t gratuitous in the slightest. It was about Frank making a point and using his fury to intimidate his foe into realizing that he was not to be trifled with in the slightest and that the information that Frank asked for should flow and really, seeing Frank take his time and calculate for a change was new for this series, and I truly enjoyed it. Because it means that Frank is starting to grow as a character and become something more and well, I simply eat up any kind of character development and it didn’t end with The Punisher, because we are also seeing Billy grow this season as well, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.
 
Because Billy, is starting to learn how to use his powers of persuasion once again, and man, when it’s being used in concert with anger, that’s really quite the terrifying sight. For in this tale he worked to win over others who are seemingly as shattered as he is, and that can’t equate to anything good and one has to wonder exactly what Billy is planning in that rattled mind of his and I think we can all agree that it’s all bad in the end. However, while I did enjoy watching more intimate moments with the characters, I think what we need to discuss here as well, is the sheer vibe that this episode produced. Because it really feels as though something big is starting to build when it comes to this story, and that’s courtesy of the fact that the Pilgrim has arrived in New York and is working to clean up the mysterious mess that Frank is trying to uncover.
 
If anything, this story felt like the grand setup to a story that is going to take its time in telling its tale and well, that’s what made this one so stunning, the fact that the slow burn approach has come to the Punisher’s world. It’s something you just don’t normally see in stories such as this and I’m excited to see how everything will build up to what I expect to be a powerful crescendo. So, without further ado, I think it’s high time I step away from the keyboard and hit play on my Netflix app to enjoy the next, cerebral chapter in the Punisher’s harrowing saga. Until next time. 

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