The first episode of The Punisher’s season two ended with Frank was on the road with “Rachel,” fleeing the gang that tried to kidnap her. But, is fleeing the right word?
Here are five thoughts on “Fight of Flight,” the second episode of season two. This review contains spoilers.
1. Fight or flight indeed.
Frank answered Rachel with a curt “I hope so,” when she asked if there would be more people coming after her. I took this to mean that he still had his game face on. He was pissed that the gang shot Beth and that some of them escaped the roadhouse. But, in “Fight or Flight” we see that there’s much more than that going on.
Frank drives them to Ohio and checks into a motel. He never ditches the van. The, he ties Rachel up and gags her when he goes to sleep, not taking the time to ask her why she keeps trying to run away from him. He doesn’t care how she feels. He only wants her to stay with him so her pursuers will come to him.
As soon as he can stand and walk, Frank prepares their hotel room for a siege. He wants the gang to attack, and he will make his stand there. He wants the fight. The Punisher wants his revenge.
2. Not a buddy flick.
When the second trailer was released a few weeks ago, I was concerned about where season two would take us. A scene had Frank and Rachel in the van, with him handing her a wad of bills covered in blood. “Not suspicious at all!” Rachel quips. I was worried that too much Marvel humor was going to creep into the Netflixverse and we would get a ten-hour Punisher buddy film. Fortunately, my fears were misplaced.
“That bullshit of yours. What kind of asshole does it work on? I’m just wondering.” Frank asks Rachel on the way to Ohio. He’s not grinning, and she doesn’t laugh. Frank doesn’t smile when he turns on the radio to end their conversation in the car. He’s just happy that she shut up.
We’re not hearing the jovial banter that sows the seeds of a deep and lasting friendship. Rachel doesn’t see Frank as a savior. Why should she? She’s only seen a brutal monster that happens to be angry at the same people she’s trying to get away from. When Frank tells her that it’s her fault he’s in this mess, she calls him on it. “You know, it’s almost like you were happy for the excuse,” she tells him. He’s not her savior, and he’s not her friend.
As a matter of fact, after he “saves” her, he forces her to pull a bullet out of his keester in a scene that was downright hard to watch. But, instead of that being a chance for them to bond, he ties her up and gags her a few minutes later. They’re not buddies. They may never be friends.
3. Madani is a mess.
Agent Madani spends enough time “visiting” Billy Russo in the hospital that it’s causing trouble for her. She thinks he’s faking amnesia and refuses to believe that keeping him in a hospital instead of prison isn’t safe. Billy’s therapist arrives during one of her visits, and Madani argues with the doctor over his condition. Billy’s doctor has complained and Madani’s boss, Rafael Hernandez, finally orders her to stop visiting him.
Billy betrayed and then tried to kill Madani The mystery here isn’t why she’s so damaged, but why she is allowed back on the job in the condition she’s in? Why did she get a promotion, instead of extended medical leave? I don’t expect anything even close to “realism” in these shows, but Madani remaining at her job in her condition borders on being a plot hole. I understand they she needs to be a part of season two, but this is hard to overlook.
4. The compassionate therapist trope.
“My patient’s alleged crimes are not my concern. I’m only interested in his health,” Dr. Dumont tells Madani. Florian Lima plays Dumont with an extraordinarily soothing and calming low-key effect. She says all the right things to Madani and lets Billy’s outbursts wash over her like cool summer rain. If I was a homicidal killer that was faking amnesia, I’d want her as my doctor, too.
Continued belowDo we really need yet another psychiatrist that underestimates how evil her patient is? The similarities between Jigsaw and Joker are plenty enough. Are we getting another Harley Quinn? Or just a useful idiot that will gum up the works when the time comes to stop Billy Russo?
5. Beth is still around.
The man who we will learn is John Pilgrim finds Beth at the hospital and interrogates her about Frank. Beth tries to hold out and tell him nothing, but when he threatens Rex, she reveals half of what she knows. I was happy to see Beth in “Fight or Flight,” and hope she’ll return at least a few more times in The Punisher.
I liked Alexa Davalos in The Man in the High Castle and was pleased to see her show up in The Punisher. There was some great chemistry between Frank and Beth, and I think she brought a lot to it. Could there be a happy ending for Frank at what is probably the end of this Punisher series? Here’s hoping.
There are my five thoughts about “Fight or Flight.” How did you feel about season two’s sophomore outing? Let us know in the comments.
