Russo came face to face with the image that haunts his mind, finally learning that his best friend Frank was the man behind the skull. That memory is starting to come back, but not enough to recall why The Punisher turned Russo into such a scarred mess of a person. Regardless, the fight that died at the carousel was renewed, with both men struggling to hang onto their crumbling psyches. Neither man had much of a history of self-control before they began tearing at each other’s throats. Now, those predilections threaten not just themselves but their external relationships as well.
Frozen In Time
A stoic Russo succumbs to a waking nightmare, images of The Punisher’s skull rushing through his brain, as his crew tries to lose a pursuing Frank. He commands that they stop the car as he draws an automatic. He steps out and recklessly opens fire on Frank as Curtis takes out Russo’s sniper. Russo asks Frank if he caused his injuries over the gunfire. Frank confirms the fact in his usual fashion as Mahoney shows up with plenty of NYPD squad cars in tow. The three camps exchange gunfire until Frank makes a run for it and Russo escapes with his guys. Mahoney chases down Frank, cornering him in an alley. His attempt to arrest him is easily thwarted after a distraction from Curtis.
Russo and what’s left of his team reconvene to split up the bounty, revealing that the employee they took hostage was in on the crime. An argument over how to split it up leads a troubled Russo to kill the fake hostage and another member of his team. He takes the money and leaves.
Elsewhere, Curtis freaks out now that he is on the NYPD’s radar. Frank tries to calm him by taking everything on himself, but his encounter with Russo left him perplexed. Russo’s reaction took Frank by surprise. He looked at Frank like they were still friends, confirming to Frank that he has no memory of his role in killing Frank’s family. The look in Russo’s eyes kept Frank from taking the shot. Frank’s concern about freezing up will have to wait as a report of two bodies comes over the police scanner. Frank has somewhere to be.
Fix Your Confusion
A frantice Russo runs back to Krista following the robbery. He begs her to let him in until she does so. He tells her about Frank’s culpability in his mental and physical state, pointing to the skull on his vest. Russo is unable to wrap his head around the new knowledge. He asks her why Frank would do it over and over until he apologizes to Krista for leaving.
Mahoney just can’t stay away from Dinah’s apartment, but this time he has a reason. He confronts her about Russo and Frank’s gunfire, pegging her as the person behind Frank’s return. Dinah confirms as much, though she doesn’t confirm Curtis’s identity. Mahoney implores that Dinah turn over both Russo and Frank to the NYPD. Dinah maintains a stone face, prompting Mahoney to tell her to choose a side before storming out.
Rebuild, Reclaim
Krista tries to help Russo talk through his feelings regarding Frank. Is inability to recall why Frank would hurt him leads him to believe that he might not be the person he thinks he is. Maybe it was better when he didn’t know the truth about the skull. Krista sees it a different way. Now that Russo has all the pieces, he can truly begin to rebuild himself and reclaim the power he once held. In her mind, this is the best day of his life.
Russo soon sees things differently, threatening Krista yet again. His fractured mind now believes that Krista was in cahoots with Frank. Krista denies such acts, but Russo continues to rampage through her apartment. He presses her against the window she fears so much. A terrified Krista asks if he is scared of her love. The words cause Russo to relent. He pulls his crew together later, allowing them to take their cut. He has larger plans though, and offers them the chance to be a part of something bigger. None of them take their cut, choosing to invest the money in weapons and people to build an army of people just like them. It’s time to rebuild.
No Normal Around You
Frank returns to Curtis after watching Mahoney process the scene of Russo’s dead crew members. Curtis wants out and tries to push Frank to want the same. Running down Russo is taking a toll on their lives, but Frank isn’t swayed. He tells Curtis to get off the road before returning to the trailer. A waiting Amy surprises Frank in an attempt to practice the disarming move he showed her. Frank doesn’t take it that way, pinning Amy down and berating her before firing two shots into the floor next to her head to express the seriousness of the matter. Curtis pulls him off, dressing him down for lashing out at the people that support him. Amy is left crying as Frank and Curtis leave.
Curtis finds Frank beating the snot out of Jake in search of answers. Answers that Jake doesn’t have. Curtis stops him, pointing out that Frank is acting just like Russo. Frank leaves as he recalls Russo saying the same thing during their fight at the carousel.
Curtis returns to the trailer, spooking Amy and causing her to shoot at him. She misses, thankfully, and invites Curtis in for some dinner. Curtis reassures her that Frank cares about her. Amy points out that he must care about Curtis as well to keep him so close. Dinah arrives at the trailer, tracking Curtis’s phone to find them, to inform Amy that she met Pilgrim. She floats the idea of working with the NYPD and possibly selling out Frank to Mahoney. No decision is going to made right now, though, so the trio pour some drinks and toast Frank as he visits his wife’s grave in the dead of night.
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