Welcome back, Punisher fans! Here’s your recap of episode seven, “One Bad Day!” As you might expect, there are spoilers here.
1. A cloudy glimpse into what happened to Madani.
We’ve seen Madani struggle for the first half of the season. Last season she was shot in the head. This year she’s back on the job with a promotion, acting as if she needs regular care, not a sidearm and an FBI station to run. “One Bad Day” finally gives us an idea of how Madani not just stayed on the job but got a career boost. Marion James remained involved in Madani’s situation and used her to keep the events of the first season quiet.
This is revealed to us via an interview with Madani while she’s still in the hospital recovering from the shooting. It filled in a lot of blanks for me, as it’s easier to blame Madani’s incomplete (or non-existent) recovery on pressure from James than it is on leadership oversight. James needed to keep things quiet, and she’s taken a liking to Madani. So there you are: Madani doesn’t just get to keep her job, she has fans in the department.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio’s portrayal of Marion James continues from where it left off last season: perfect. She’s tough as nails, smart, and persuasive, at the same time. She has two critical scenes where she tells Madani precisely what she needs to hear, even if Madani refuses to hear it. Both times there’s a combination of parental concern and professional interest that many other actors couldn’t have pulled off. She also pulls off some deadpan one-liners that would be clunkers in other hands.
2. But Madani’s moral confusion is going to get her in trouble.
Billy was a mass-murderer before he shot Agent Madani in the head. He’s back, and he’s already killed at least one more person that Madani knows of. She’s already pulled Frank back into the situation, why won’t she let him do what he does? Or, to be more accurate, why does she let him do most of what he does while trying to talk him out of it? Even Marion James tells her “Stay out of it. Let Castle and Russo finish off their little psychodrama.” But that’s not good enough for Madani.
But I’m having problems finding Madani’s objections believable. For one thing, she’s all talk. If she did something to try to stop Frank or slow him down, I’d find the incessant recitations of her principles easier to believe. Instead, she lectures Frank and he continues to punish. In “One Bad Day” she calls him out of the room while they question one of Billy’s men. When she finishes cajoling him, Frank responds, literally, by interrogating harder.
3. Who the heck is John Pilgrim?
Pilgrim’s fingerprints aren’t on file. He’s a “ghost.” This is an interesting development. Frank was given a new identity, but it looks like Pilgrim’s was erased. What’s in his background? If he was a government operative that had no identity, wouldn’t he get one when he retires? Is he still on someone’s payroll?
I find the Pilgrim (and Schultz) storyline more interesting that Billy. I hope we get back to it soon. I missed Amy, too.
By the way, am I the only person who keeps calling him Billy Pilgrim? Why isn’t that his name? We need a Punisher season set in Dresden.
4. What’s Billy’s motivation?
After waking up with Dumont in her apartment, Billy tells her he slept well. No nightmares with skulls and no fear. He says it’s not because of therapy, but because of her and what he has with her now. But, it’s also because of his “guys.” He used to have power and money, and he wants it back. Even though he can’t remember having it.
We’re past the halfway point, and I still don’t understand what’s driving the big bad. Billy is all over the map. Is it supposed to feel this way? Even if it is, I don’t like it. Maybe I’m spoiled by villains like Bushmaster and Kingpin? A mysterious villain is interesting, but Billy’s not mysterious. Just a hot mess.
5. Speaking of hot messes; Dr. Krista Dumont.
This was an episode for minor revelations, and one was a bit of Dr. Dumont’s past. She “took a fall” when she was nine-years-old, and the physical scars indicate that it was very serious. While this made her a character a little easier to empathize with, I still don’t know who she is and what she wants. The scene in bed with Billy was just uncomfortable as his assault last episode. Her attempts to stop or question him are always lame. She talks to patients for a living, but Billy dominates every exchange with her. Now, he’s left her and it’s not clear he plans on seeing her again. What was the point?
That wraps things up for “One Bad Day.” Let us know what you think in the comments.
