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Five Thoughts on The Punisher‘s “Flustercluck”

By | March 12th, 2019
Posted in Television | % Comments

Here’s your recap of “Flustercluck,” the aptly-named (albeit misspelled) ninth entry of the second season of The Punisher. Let’s dive in, but be warned: spoilers follow.

1. The Punisher Pity Party.

“Flustercluck” opens with Frank returning to the trailer where he left Amy. Curtis, Madani, and Amy are all waiting for him, after spending a night commiserating. They had, as Amy put it, a “Punisher Pity Party.” It’s the closest thing to a “Team Punisher” meeting we’ve seen in the show’s two seasons. Frank’s desire to work alone, combined with the literal trail of broken bodies in his wake, keep the show from feeling like a conventional superhero series. So, seeing the gang get together to talk strategy isn’t a regular feature.

“I’m not like you people. You know I can do things you can’t do. Whatever that makes me… It makes me this,” Frank tells the group as he rests his hand on his vest. While they may have intended this meeting to serve as an intervention, Franks cuts them off. He’s accepted the role of Punisher again. He has work to do.

It’s a powerful opening and sets us up for a very different look for Frank, even if it’s fleeting. Early in the action Curtis and Amy monitor the radio and tell him where to find some of Billy’s men. But they quickly leave the trailer to do their own thing. Because this is The Punisher and there’s no D.E.O. or S.T.A.R. Labs to back him up. Good.

2. Pilgrim is finally back.

Anderson Schultz is not pleased with Pilgrim’s lack of progress retrieving the embarrassing photos of his son. He orders Pilgrim to place a bounty on both Frank and Amy. New York City has been one of the main characters in all of the Marvel Netflix series, and the Punisher is no exception. Schultz lectures Pilgrim at the Chelsea Piers driving range, which faces the Hudson River and New Jersey from midtown Manhattan.

It’s abundantly clear that Schultz is in charge. While Pilgrim bristles at the idea of calling in help, he only resists the idea for a few seconds. Corbin Bernsen is just as delightfully creepy as before. He’s an excellent villain, and I wish we could see more of him and Annette O’Toole and less of Billy and Krista.

We learn quickly why Pilgrim doesn’t want to use his old contacts to help find Frank and Amy. He left a mess behind when he left his old life, and he was worried that some old friends might find him. They do, and “Flustercluck” leaves him in a cluster of his own. Pilgrim is an enigma, and while I wish I could see more of him, I wonder if the mystery is what makes him so fascinating?

3. Billy gets his answers.

Billy goes to Madani in an attempt to fill the holes in his memory. The scene opens with a remarkable piece of cinematography as Madani enters her apartment, goes through her evening ritual of putting things away (including her gun) and pouring herself a drink. The camera stays focused on her, following her closely as she moves through the apartment. It’s clear that someone is going to spring out and grab her…until he doesn’t.

Madani gives Billy the answer he wants, and he seems phased for a few moments. He doesn’t like hearing that he sold out his friends and killed Frank’s family. But he recovers and turns the conversation around the only way he can — by mocking Madani for being obsessed with him. Does this mean that Billy is back? Are we finally going to get a Jigsaw with a clear purpose?

No, of course not. If we did, Billy would have killed Madani as soon as he got what he wanted. When we see him next, he’s run back to Krista to whine about how Frank should have killed him. That’s his motivation now. “I deserved to be killed!”

4. Fingerprint ID works when you’re dead.

Frank is forced to kill one of Billy’s thugs instead of interrogating him. So, he frisks the body and finds a phone. It’s a recent model iPhone, so he uses the man’s thumb to unlock it. This was mildly amusing.

Later, he uses the phone by unlocking it with a severed thumb. This was laugh-out-loud funny. Only Frank would sever a dead man’s thumb instead of just turning off the phone’s automatic screen lock from settings.

Continued below

5. Frank’s fatherly moment.

I remarked on Frank and Amy’s unique relationship before. It’s been pushed to the background for a few episodes as most of their scenes have been apart from each other. In “Flustercluck,” it comes back to the fore as Amy strikes out on her own and gets herself into trouble. She’s forced to shoot someone to protect herself and, like many people in that situation, is both terrified and horrified.

Frank comes to her rescue and has to talk her down. “I killed him,” she says. “No, you didn’t,” Frank says as he turns and finishes the man off. “I killed him.”

This is Frank, making Amy feel better. He’s trying.  It’s the only way they could top having him carry a dead man’s thumb in his pocket.

That’s it for “Flustercluck!” What did you think? Are you going to replace your fingerprint id with a long passcode? Let us know in the comments.


//TAGS | punisher

Eric Goebelbecker

Eric is a software engineer who lives and works in the NYC metro area. When he's not writing, he's reading. When he's not writing or reading, he is displeased. You can find his personal blog over here.

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