‘The Punisher’ Recap: ‘The Dark Hearts of Men’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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​If there’s one thing that I’ve been supremely impressed about when it comes to this final season of The Punisher, it’s the sheer fact that the story is exploring all kinds of new elements when it comes to heroism and what it is that separates the good guys from the bad guys. Which quite frankly is a wonderful thing since it’s something that traditional comic book stories simply cannot explore, since the hero and the villain are clearly defined as representations of pure good and pure evil. But, when the good guy/gal and bad guy/gal aren’t filled to the brim with special abilities that allow them to move mountains, when they are mere mortals, well…that’s where that deeper exploration comes into play.
 
Because Frank Castle and Billy Russo are men that are filled with pain and flaws and doubt, and they’ve been asked to do questionable things in the name of honor and well, that puts both of these men in a grey area and that brings us back to the million dollar question that ‘The Dark Hearts of Men’ took the time to explore, what exactly makes Frank a hero when he’s done such dark things and for a time…it seemed as though the episode could not find an answer. For the musings that Frank himself brought forth on a scouting run with Curtis, and the discussion that Madani and Krista had in her home, seemed to imply that there really was no difference between hero and villain in this instance since both men dedicated themselves to a unique brand of chaos and a loss of life when necessary.
 
However, as the episode rolled on, these various discussions seemed to find an answer after all. For it became apparent that what truly separates Billy from Frank, is the sheer fact that Frank has a genuine sense of honor. Sure, he’s a blunt and violent instrument, one that can bring down a symphony of terror and blood on a moment’s notice, but his code is what makes him different. For his belief that the weak and the helpless need a voice and a champion puts him a step above Billy, since Russo’s motivations are greed and chaos and I have to admit, I really enjoyed this fascinating analysis/justification for Frank’s existence since these are important questions to ask when it comes to this character and what truly made this examination of Frank and his heroism so poignant, is that it was put to the test. 
 
For his scouting mission with Curtis was designed to bring down Billy in one fell swoop, and sadly, Billy was ready for both men and once Frank stepped inside ‘Valhalla’, he found himself under siege from Billy and his thugs. But a simple ambush and utter beating are mere road blocks to a guy like Frank and he quickly pursued Russo through the warehouse, spraying bullets everywhere and eventually discovered that his fiery spray of metal, took three innocent lives, making Frank a cold-blooded killer like the men he hunts, leaving him stunned and in custody once the police arrived and wouldn’t you know it? Madani’s discussion with Krista is what led to this moment, since their little chat happened a day before the assault, and Billy’s darling love pointed out to her flawed honeypie, that she now knew how to break Frank Castle.
 
If anything, that’s quite the cruel twist, and it just goes to show how far Krista is willing to go to ‘heal’ Billy, and that’s terrifying to say the least because clearly, it involves selling her soul no problem. Either way, this was just another phenomenal chapter in this season’s story. It had depth, it let Frank do his thing and it challenged him like never before and well, one has to wonder now exactly how Frank is going to overcome supposedly crossing the line when it comes to his code, since no one is aware of this twisted double cross outside of his nemesis and the audience and well, I have to know if, or how he recovers from this, which means it’s high time I settle in to watch the next episode of this phenomenal series. Until next time. 

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