'The Punisher' Recap: 'Resupply'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

It was only a matter of time before every single plot thread that’s been introduced in The Punisher came together and wouldn’t you know it, the fourth episode of the series, started the process of making that happen. Because ‘Resupply’ finally allowed for Frank Castle and Dinah Madani’s worlds to collide, and oddly enough, this is the first time in the short history of the series that it managed to scale back much of the deeper meaning we’ve seen in previous episodes, but it didn’t abandon it entirely.
 
In fact, it would seem that the introduction and examination of PTSD was designed to go beyond Frank’s world, since a plot line that’s been slowly simmering came to a boil in this tale by way of the troubled veteran Lewis. Because after firing a round at his father at the end of the last episode, his troubling behavior only intensifies when he digs himself a comfortable foxhole in his backyard, something that garners Curtis’ attention and despite his best effort to talk Lewis out of that hole, he refuses, opting instead to be comfortable for the time being before signing up to return to the Middle East by way of Billy’s company, Anvil.
 
Of course, Lewis excels upon arriving at Anvil, and he even seems to find a sense of peace at last, but Curtis knows he’s hiding his anger and will in fact, endanger lives when he gets back out in the field, prompting him to have Billy remove him from the program, which goes as well as one might expect. Now while this sequence was fascinating to watch, and one has to wonder what the future holds for Lewis on this series, I find myself far more curious about Anvil and their purpose at the moment. Yes, they say they’re a private security company, but nothing is ever quite what it seems in this story, and Billy’s almost cultish speech when Lewis first arrived has me concerned as to what this company is really up to.

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However, the truth about Anvil, be it good or bad, will have to wait for another time, because the big plotline in this episode, revolved around Frank getting the guns he needs to Punish those responsible for ruining his, and Micro’s, lives and of course a lovely shipment of weapons coming in from some Greek dealers was the perfect fit for Frank’s needs. But in order to get his hands on it all, he had to contend with Homeland Security and come face to face with Agent Madani and in the process, admit to her that he put down Wolf, which means that Madani will no doubt dedicate her time from here on out to stopping whatever Frank has planned, unless of course he presents her with some compelling evidence on the case that haunts her. But really, while this was cool to watch and thrilling to say the least…what made Frank’s story so special, was the fact that it still showed that his humanity isn’t quite gone just yet.
 
Because in between the hunt for the guns, he once again spent some time helping Sarah Lieberman, and yes, he needed a little prodding from David to make that happen, but to see him show her kindness and go above and beyond to help her was simply wonderful. He still believes in doing good and charitable things and oddly enough, this was even further expanded upon by the fact that he took the time to save Agent Madani. He could have left her be, seen her as the enemy as well since she represents a government that took plenty away from him, but he risked his life to get to her safety and I’m hoping we see more of this gentler side to Frank as the series rolls on.
 
In the end however, this was a true transitional episode through and through. Sure, it started to tie elements together, but the action and adventure was really designed to just move us forward to the next plot thread and I’m oddly okay with that. Because this show’s transitional episodes are still as compelling as they come and I love that this saga is taking its time in telling its story so it can come together properly. Either way, the whole world knows The Punisher is alive and well now, and it should be interesting to see how Frank will execute his plan with the Department of Homeland Security hot on his tail. Until next time.

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