The Punisher season 2, episode 5 review: One-Eyed Jacks

In the latest episode of The Punisher, Frank plays a dangerous game with a group of Russians.

We are now five episodes into the second season of Marvel’s The Punisher and so far the emotional well-being of a lot of the cast is really at a boiling point. It would seem that way, as there was a lot of bonding during episode four.

Rachel, after doing some digging on a laptop in an electronic store finds out about Frank’s not so secret past, and in doing so reveals to him her REAL name, Amy. But that’s not the only bonding that goes on. Billy Russo and Dr. Dumont also seem to be doing a lot of bonding as well, considering she’s letting a wanted criminal live in her home. Now, let’s get to episode 5, “One Eyed Jacks!”

What Role Does The Church Really Play?

Throughout the early part of the season, we have been exposed to the character of John Pilgrim, his sick wife, and two sons, but to what end? We haven’t really seen anything that explains what’s going on with the church. The most we know about any of the characters, from the religious side of this season, is that Pilgrim is a fan of punishing himself for his failures, which is quite evident in a particular scene in this episode. We also don’t know what kind of role the Schultzes play in this scenario. Let’s hope that starts to come more into play soon.

The Frank and Amy Dynamic

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The dynamic between the two characters begins with Amy and Frank sitting at the counter in Madani’s apartment, talking about the game 3 Card Monty. Frank seems to think he can win the game, while Amy assures him there is no way and that there is also a reason to keep coming back. And for Frank, that reason is he thinks he can win, no matter how stacked the deck is against him.

This is the moment when you truly see the two of them REALLY start to form the bond that began in the last episode. Amy even goes as far as the mention that her contact about the photos (the origin of which we still are clueless to) was Russian, even more proof that the two of them are connecting.

Turk Barrett: The Unluckiest Man in the Marvel Netflix Universe

I wish there was a better way to tie all of these Marvel shows together, but alas, they use the character of Turk. It wasn’t until season two of Luke Cage that a hero showed his face in another hero’s show. Yet, Turk seems to be the one constant. Whether he is the criminal or the straight and narrow version of himself, he is the catalyst for some rather important moments throughout the various seasons of the Marvel Netflix Universe.

His part in this episode of The Punisher is no different. In fact, Frank using him to get a hold of the Russian behind the photos and subsequently getting him taken as bait for them to lure in the Punisher may have led to one of the bloodiest fight scenes in the entire run of Marvel on Netflix.

Frank enters the Russian gym where they are holding Turk, instead of going to Turk’s place like he was told to. As a result, he avoids quite a few Russians with quite a few guns, as well as walking into a fist fight with some rather jacked-up individuals. It starts off rather mundane, like a normal fist fight would. But it then ventures into a world where weight lifting implements become sources of violence and carnage, in what may be the most grotesque showing of what Frank Castle is truly made of.

Stay tuned for more coverage of season 2 of The Punisher here at Bam Smack Pow!