'The Punisher' Recap: 'The Judas Goat'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

Often times when we hear about or know someone that has suffered serious loss or trauma in life, our heart goes out to them and we wonder and hope that they have people that care about them and support them because we fully understand the need to have a safety net in our lives when things are rough. Because without one, bad things can happen to us and oddly enough, the need for support and how it impacts us in our darkest hour was explored in fascinating fashion in the next episode of The Punisher, ‘The Judas Goat’.
 
Because for the first time ever, at least when it comes to this series, we were finally able to understand just what Frank means to others, and how much they care about him and this was quite frankly, a lovely little twist to inject into this story. After all, it’s been one dark and gritty story after another, so to see people genuinely concerned for Frank and his future now that he is in essence, in the midst of a second chance at life was a beautiful thing to say the least, and it started with Curtis taking the time in the middle of the night to heal Frank’s body and as he recuperated from his wounds, others took over the mantle of caring for him.
 
In fact, a fair chunk of concern for Frank came from the most unexpected of characters, Agent Madani, since she carefully worked to piece together what happen at Gunner’s cabin in this episode and in order to learn what Frank knows about the operation from Kandahar so that she can finally close the case that has haunted her for so long, and give Frank the freedom from this mess that he deserves, she reaches out to Billy Russo and reveals the fact that Frank is alive and well and that she desperately needs his help, and Billy’s for that matter. The revelation is one that leaves Billy stunned and of course, he quickly begins to dig and broadcast on the radio to confirm this possibility, leaving Frank to make a tough decision, stay hidden and stay the course, or reach out to a man he calls family.

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Surprisingly, Frank chooses the latter, and schedules a face to face meeting with Billy and man, this was truly something special. We finally saw Frank Castle, the man. We finally understood the pain he’s carrying and the conviction that comes with his quest and it also seemed that he might be willing to give it all up to enjoy a life of peace and quiet, since Billy offers him one hell of an out and the hope that stemmed from little plot twist sent my sprits soaring watching this episode, since it seemed that maybe, just maybe…Frank was going to be free of his pain at last. But alas, that little twist was not meant to inspire hope, it was meant to draw us into cruelty.
 
Because as it turns out, we know now how Billy got his ‘out’ from Cerberus and what has helped make Anvil such a grand success for him as well. He’s working with Rawlins, and he’s undoubtedly giving the Spook an endless supply of soldiers for his black ops missions and to top it all off…he was ready to hand Frank over to Rawlins as well, making all of the good will he sent Frank’s way null and void and the only thing that saved Castle’s life in this instance, is the fact that he’s still going through with his plan and he had given in otherwise, he’d be dead right now.
 
Which brings us back to the beginning of this article, wherein I made mention of the need to be cared for and supported in our time of need. Because in many ways this episode turned out to be quite the tragedy since Frank Castle is in essence…too far gone. Perhaps if that support network was there early on, he could have put the pieces of his life back together and moved on from his pain. But instead, revenge has indeed consumed him and while it may have saved his life in this episode, his soul still hangs in the balance and who knows what awaits him down the road once he learns that he has lost another member of his family in Billy Russo. Until next time. 

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