The Punisher season 2, episode 8 review: My Brother’s Keeper

Billy Russo finally becomes the villain we’ve been waiting for in the latest episode of The Punisher.

Previously, in episode seven, “One Bad Day,” we got to see the recovery of Dinah Madani. More than that, this episode showed how she still hasn’t gotten over getting shot in the head or sleeping with Billy Russo. Also, Frank Castle and Curtis Hoyle were trying to find out where Billy is before he killed anyone else.  When Frank and Curtis get to where Billy and his goons were staying, Billy and his crew were pulling out to get to the check cashing place. The episode ends with Frank Castle dawning the Punisher skull vest, and Billy freezing up at the sight of the skull, the image that had been haunting his dreams.

Punisher and Billy’s first encounter

It took eight episodes, but we finally got to see how Billy reacts to finding out that his best friend, Frank, was he one who messed his face up and put him in the hospital. If you guessed shock and rage would be his reaction, you were right. Billy was frozen with shock at first, but once he got his bearings, he went at Punisher with the rage of an angry god, screaming and asking Frank if he was the person who did this to him. Billy was ready to kill Frank, and now, things are going to get heavy.

This was the beginning and the moment we’ve been waiting for. Billy then got back to the meeting point and killed two of the people involved with the robbery for being greedy and defiant. This also made sure the other henchmen wouldn’t question him again. It took too long to get to this point. For half of the season, Billy’s storyline was pointless, but now, he’s finally coming into his own.

Frank loses it

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Frank gets back “home,” and Amy throws a tennis ball at him in an attempt to disarm him. Frank almost shoots her, and as she charges, he slams her to the ground. Frank yells at her, asking if she thinks this is a game. He shoots the ground next to her and says she could have been killed that quick. Frank leaves in a huff, with Amy crying. A couple of scenes later, Frank is torturing one of Billy’s guys (Jake). Curtis then stops him and say Frank’s acting just like Billy.

It was only a matter of time before Frank completely lost it. He’s already pushed Amy away, and he’s about to push Curtis away, as well. Frank has been a self-destructive person since he lost his family. The Punisher is a loner, and that is never going to change. Developing the relationship between Amy and Frank made that scene harder to watch. She finally got comfortable around him, and this probably pushed their relationship back to square one.

Billy becomes a full-fledged villain

After Billy left with the money, he went to see his therapist (and lover) Krista Dumont. After having a breakdown during which he asserts that she knew about Frank messing his face up, she reassures him that she cares for him. It was the first time that someone has done this. It seemed to calm him down and give him a clear head. For the first time all season, Billy was focused. He then gets all of his people together and tells them he wants to build an army of people like them to make some real money. They were going to use the money they just stole to get things started.

Billy just went back to what he was doing before. He’s leading a team of criminals, instead of mercenaries. This proves that no matter what happened, Russo was going to be a dirtbag. Some people are who they are. It was a smart move by the creators of the show to do this. You can’t feel sympathetic for a guy who was destined to be a terrible person. Episode 8 is the official beginning of the villain we can’t call Jigsaw.

Bullet points

• What’s going to happen to Curtis? He’s ruined his life protecting Frank. He may not be the only black guy in New York, but he may be Frank’s only friend period. It won’t be hard for the police to find him.
• How long until Billy remembers what he did to Frank and his family? No way that doesn’t tear him up inside.
• Where the heck is John Pilgrim?! It’s been two episodes, and we haven’t heard from him. When we see him next, there’s no way things don’t get intense.
• When are we going to find out about Jon Pilgrim’s past? They dropped a hint about who he was, but it would be nice to know more.
• Can Frank regain Amy’s trust? She’s just a kid, and Frank really scared her. She was vulnerable for the first time since she saw her friends murdered, and he hurt her physically and emotionally.