The Punisher season 2, episode 6 review: Nakazat

The tides are turning for Frank and Billy in the sixth episode of The Punisher season 2, “Nakazat!”

Frank and his allies have slowly been amassing their forces all season in order to deal with all the oncoming threats they’ve been facing. Meanwhile, the villains have been dealing with setbacks.  However in this latest episode of The Punisher, “Nakazat,” the tides begin to turn.

Frank’s Internal Struggle

Amy and Frank’s relationship has been causing substantial changes in Frank’s behavior. His character is struggling with the concept of mercy, and it’s very clear that he’s not a fan of resisting the urge to terminate those he believes no longer deserve to live.

This struggle is off set by the way Amy constantly tries to remind him of his family. This causes Frank to be more protective of her, but at the same time direct his pent-up aggression toward her when she pushes too far.

Seeing someone affect Frank like his is a good way to remind the audience that he isn’t the murder machine he comes off as all the time. Seeing him attempt to change his ways helps to establish a bit of suspense for his character, since it’s pretty clear he won’t be able to keep this attitude for long.

Russo on the Rise

Throughout the season, Billy Russo has been working on rediscovering himself. This journey has been interesting to watch because it’s already known that he’s a villain, but holding out the hope that he may be able to make a turn for the better even if it’s not much better.

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However, “Nakazat” proves that the darkness in Russo’s soul is only growing just beneath the surface, as he’s no longer content with trying to find where he fits and would rather challenge the world around him. What really puts things on edge is his ability to sway people to his cause. This proves that while Russo was known for being a pretty face, his charm was his more deadly asset.

Unlike in the previous episodes though, where Agent Madani constantly tries to demonize this aspect of his character, this episode starts to show that this is a more genuine aspect of who Russo is instead of being a ploy for any major goal. Seeing his charisma just sweep up those around him, especially since they all know who he is even if he doesn’t, is a chilling thought to consider when thinking about the rest of the season.

Pilgrim In New York, The Heroes Buckle Down

Pilgrim makes his way to the Big Apple and sets his sights on Agent Madani. For the most part, we’ve seen him work from the dark, in both a figurative and quite literal sense, so his appearance before Madani in broad daylight was very effective. The feeling that New York has once again become a powder keg waiting to be set off is very unnerving, and with Russo and Pilgrim both working toward their goals, it won’t be long before things pop off.

A feeling that Curtis points out to Frank and Madani, as the episode ends with him gathering the two together to state that Russo is causing major problems and has to be dealt with immediately. When Madani also points out to Frank that Pilgrim is now in New York, it causes Frank’s demeanor to shift. Ending on an epiphany, Frank comes to terms with his doubts and internal struggle, the time for mercy is over. New York needs the Punisher.

Pilgrim’s Motivation

In this episode, we are also given more insight into why the photographs Rachel has are so important to kill over, and the motivation feels a little weak. Everything for Pilgrim and the organization behind him pointed to a huge conspiracy, which they confirm in the episode. But instead of going the route that the photos prove the existence of or somehow impede the conspiracy’s net, the show seems to be rooting their actions in more personal beliefs.

This isn’t necessarily bad or good, yet, more that it currently brings down the mystery and outlook of Pilgrim, who at this point has been a calm and collected religious figure willing to do whatever he wanted to achieve his goals. There could have been parallels made to Frank with his character, in that yes he may have had a belief system that led him to kill but that there was more to his character than that.

Now he, and the organization he works for by extension, seem more fanatical, as their motivation seems more personal, which often makes the antagonists harder to understand and empathize with.

“Nakazat,” had a lot of developments and twists that can definitely improve the season for the better. It’s hard to see how everything will develop going forward, but the excitement and suspense continue to build for the coming episodes of The Punisher.