It’s been a long time coming, and not without some strong parallels to real life events, but the Frank Castle Netflix treatment has finally arrived. Don’t let the violent undertones turn you off; there’s a compelling story that delves into the issues of PTSD, questions of identity of self, and a good old Vast Government Conspiracy. In other words: The Punisher is a lot more than just guns, guns, and more guns . . . though don’t think you won’t be seeing those.
Now, let’s dive into the first episode, “3 AM.”
(Warning: contains spoilers.)
1. Didn’t watch Daredevil? No Problem!
Let’s get this out the way first: although Frank Castle started out on Daredevil, there’s no need to watch that in order to understand or appreciate this series, or at the very least this episode. But this is not completely outside of the MCU. There are a few moments that reference Daredevil and Agents of SHIELD, particularly before the opening credits. And fans of Garth Ennis’s tenure on the comic will certainly recognize the final three words spoken in “3 AM.”
2. The Complicated Beast That is Grief
That wall didn’t deserve the beating that it received, but when you can’t act on your violent impulses to choke a man to death in the JFK Airport bathroom, where else can you turn to work through your grief? A construction site. Images of Frank with a beard that’s borderline hipster butchering that wall with a sledgehammer juxtaposed with his children on a carousel or an early morning greeting from his wife elevate the idea that this is a man who isn’t over the murder of his family, by any stretch of the imagination. A brief bonding moment with co-worker Donny over loss underscores this idea that grief is unique and certainly not linear.
3. Divided States of America
One of the scenes from this episode that stuck with me in my initial viewing, and in my second viewing for this review, was the military support group. It’s only about 10 minutes, but that 10 minutes packs in the perfect microcosm of 2017 America: ex-military frustrated with the lack of support from the American people after returning from deployment, the culturally anxious white man complaining about all the “liberal do-gooding assholes running this country into the ground,” the moderator decrying the rise of social media and reality TV that leads people to want to be someone other than themselves. It’s a statement on the perception of our military (and their need for proper mental and emotional care post-deployoment) and on the present mental and emotional state of the country.
4. The Vast Government Conspiracy Mood Board
And now we have our parallel secondary story: the idealist, tenacious, and energetic FBI agent looking to use her position of power to do the right thing. Dinah Madani is all set to dig into the past of the late (well, according to the U.S. Government) Frank Castle, and she’s not going to let her junior partner or her superiors get in her way of that pursuit of The Truth. I’m left scratching my head of her purpose in this story and if she and her psychiatrist mother are necessary to the narrative — though I certainly do not mind the musical voice of Shorheh Aghdashloo back on my TV again. Netflix Marvel shows have had a good history of supporting female characters with a strong presence — think Colleen Wing from Iron Fist or Trish Walker from Jessica Jones. Right now, I’m not seeing that in Dinah, but this is only the first episode and thus, room for growth.
5. 3 AM Revelations
The titular title reveals itself in the closing acts. Frank relives his wife’s murder in a 3 AM nightmare. It’s that moment that gets him out of bed to the construction site where his concrete therapy leads him to witness a robbery his other co-workers planned (that Donny is now a part of, albeit not totally willingly). This awakens the Punisher beast that he thought he had long buried when he sees Donny, that the one person that gave him a moment of compassion, in danger. You don’t call Mr. Castle a gimp or a retard, and get away with it. To quote that final scene: welcome back, Frank.
