Liam Hoofe reviews the ninth episode of Marvel’s The Punisher…
‘Front Towards Enemy’ the ninth episode of Marvel’s The Punisher, took the focus away from the Punisher’s battles, instead focusing on one of the other storylines that have been brewing throughout the season.
The episode opened with a terrorist attack hitting New York City, and instantly, it was clear who had done it. Lewis, the 26-year-old former Marine, struggling to deal with life in the outside world, was clearly responsible for the attacks and the show wasted no time in establishing that. What was slightly bizarre, though, was his decision to send Karen a letter personally, to inform her of his motives for the attack.
While it did make some sense, in that Karen does have a history of dealing with these kinds of social issues, it felt more like a contrivance, operating as a way to get her involved in the storyline when, really, I’m not too sure she was needed. What I did like, though, was Frank’s reaction when he found out Karen was under-threat. It was nice to see a more passionate side of his character coming out once again, and I look forward to seeing their relationship develop.
What I’m less certain about, though, was the episode trying to tackle gun-control laws. While I did enjoy the debate as to whether or not The Punisher was the terrorist, the gun control stuff never really landed for me. Inviting a pro-gun control senator onto a radio show, and then making him look like an idiot, didn’t sit too pretty for me, and I feel like the show could have handled the topic a lot more delicately.
The second half of the episode, though, where Frank went to save Curtis, and bring Lewis to justice, was great. Frank recognising the similarities between himself and Lewis was a well-executed moment, while Lewis eventually doing the right thing, and inadvertently leading to Frank being exposed played out well, and it leaves a lot of questions as the series approaches its final few episodes.
Frank’s existence being out in the open is no doubt going to be the driving force behind the show as it approaches its climax, adding one more problem to fever-growing catalogue, and it looks as though Lewis will definitely be involved in the final episodes. What this means for the much-anticipated Russo/Castle showdown, though, remains to be seen. It wouldn’t be unheard of for them to save it until the as yet, unconfirmed second season, though, I suspect we will get it at the end of this one.
Another piece of the jigsaw finally fell into place this episode, as well, with Micro and Madini finally meeting up. Micro looks to have convinced Madini that they are on the same side, and this will have huge ramifications heading forward, especially now that Frank is being hunted for the terrorist attacks that just hit New York City.
While the gun-control stuff was a little heavy-handed, and arguably, unnecessary, The Punisher, nine episodes in, is still firing on all cylinders. With four episodes left to go, this looks like it could go down as one of Marvel’s greatest TV shows, don’t let me down now, Frank.
Are you enjoying The Punisher? Let us know in the comments below, and let Liam know what you think on Twitter, here- @liamhoofe
Originally published November 25, 2017. Updated April 17, 2018.
