‘The Punisher’ Recap: ‘The Abyss’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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

​Whether we like it or not, there comes a point in our lives where we are forced to face the darkest parts of our past. That doesn’t necessarily mean we will make peace with it per se, but none the less, when we least expect it, those dark moments that have haunted us in life take the center stage, and the emotion and the pain that comes with them is as fresh as ever and while that sounds about as unpleasant an experience as possible, it’s also necessary. For letting that dark passenger return to the forefront of our mind allows for us to take inventory and see what this memory has either helped us become or how it has hindered us, and it just so happens that this particular moment arrived at last for Frank Castle in the next episode of The Punisher.
 
For ‘The Abyss’ saw Frank arrive at the hospital, wherein his ugly physical wounds were healed, and he was allowed to rest for a change and well, that quiet time, and the arrival of Karen Page under the guise of being his counsel, helped bring the past bubbling to the surface. And at long last Frank was forced to face the pain that he carries in his heart, and he fully admitted that he has never gotten over that fateful day when his family was murdered in cold blood, and every single moment of that day, and every potential thought going through his family’s mind before their lives ended, outright haunted him. And that pain, combined with the guilt growing in his heart over the belief that three innocent women died at his hands, had Frank ready to face whatever consequences came his way, because it would seem, he’d finally had enough of this kind of life and his long and never-ending fight.
 
If anything, it was just stunning to see the always vigilant Frank this isolated and vulnerable, and while it seemed as though this episode was only going to focus upon The Punisher slipping into a nasty downward spiral, Karen’s arrival signaled the start of something quite special. For she was later joined by Amy, who had plans on breaking him out, and Madani, and it became quite clear that despite how Frank viewed himself, he had plenty of other people who believed in him and flat out cared for him, and well, they went the extra mile for him in this tale. Because shortly after Billy called to taunt Frank on the phone, something clicked inside Madani’s mind and she came to realize that something was amiss at the crime scene and that there was a solid chance that Frank never hurt those women in the slightest.
 
That revelation prompted her to work with Karen to try to get into the morgue and see the bodies and after pulling some strings with the Medical Examiner’s ultra-strange assistant, they came to discover that Frank was innocent after all. For someone, Billy to be exact, murdered those women hours before the fight at Valhalla, clearing Frank at last and that discovery could not have come at a better time. For a rogue cop decided to take advantage of the bounty, and Frank was willing to have the man kill him for his crimes. But thanks to an assist from Amy and Madani, Frank was saved, and the truth came out, and Frank was suddenly re-energized in his fight against evil doers and decided it was time to get the hell out of the hospital. But unfortunately for Frank, his epic escape plan was thwarted by Detective Mahoney, who cuffed Frank in the back of an ambulance before driving him off to an uncertain fate…
 
So, I have to outright admit, that I was downright blown away by this particular episode. That’s thanks in large part to Frank’s openness in this tale, since he revealed to all of us, just how much he’s hurting, how much the fury fills the void for him and how badly he wants to find purpose in life again, and I’m hoping the extra mile that Karen, Madani and Amy went to in this tale, helps him realize he matters and has purpose and is someone they care about and respect. And also, I need to tip my cap to Jon Bernthal as well because he is just killing it this season with his stunning performances, and this is one of his best to date as The Punisher. However, all depth aside, Frank is in a lot of trouble right now. For a revitalized and devastated Pilgrim is back on his trail and who knows what Mahoney has planned for him, which means it is time for me to step away from the keyboard and hit ‘play’ to see where this wild story is headed. Until next time.  

---