I just can’t find no words to describe Jon Bernthal’s world class Punisher performance. He alone deserves an Emmy award for his world wide acclaimed performance. Seriously!! If this do not bring Punisher Global Fanbase to huge status way up there with Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, what will?
…… I got a confession to make. I didn’t get to see Daredevil Season 2 because I couldn’t afford to buy Netflix right now due to a tight budget I’m living on. I know that’s no excuse for not seeing Daredevil Season 2 but it’s the truth. I can’t afford to pay $8 a month on Netflix right now. Sometime down the road perhaps. But right now, I just can’t afford it. Instead, I spent the whole weekend looking for articles, reviews, screenshots,… and yes, spoilers. I’m the kind of person who likes to read spoilers coming from those who actually did watched certain movies and shows, including Daredevil Season 2 containing Jon Bernthal’s beyond star-studded performance.
Saturday morning, I woke up, turned on my PC, and started looking for tweets containing people’s reaction of seeing Daredevil Season 2 the moment it came out. That’s how I discovered this IGN article written by Matt Fowler who was moved to tears by [Warning! Spoilers ahead!] a speech that Frank made when he took Daredevil to visit his family’s grave site in Episode 4 called “Penny and Dime” where Frank ends up getting tortured by an Irish Gang lead by Finn who wants to know where Frank keeps his money. Frank resist torture, even a drill through his foot (Ouch!), but he kind of gave in briefly when they brought him “Max” Frank’s dog and threatened to hurt the dog unless Frank tells him where the money is at. That’s when Frank took out a knife that he embedded in his arm and used it to destroy the gang, including Finn. Daredevil was there to help him out although he greatly disapproves Frank’s murderous ways of fighting crime. When the thugs were all killed, Frank took Matt to visit his family’s grave and gave him the real reason why he does what he does. Got a hanky ready? Here, my friends, is Frank’s touching speech heavily edited for general viewing.
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“One batch, two batch. Penny and dime, you know. It was her favorite book. You know, you…you gotta cross the ocean…and go fight. You see…whole time you’re thinking you’re gonna be scared, right? But then, you’re not. See, that part of it was always easy for me. Killing. Even watching my buddies die, it just…it didn’t mean nothing. The first time I got scared was on a plane on the way home. I kept thinking God was gonna pull the rug out from under us, you know? [Stuff], that’s his kind of funny, you know? But the plane landed safe and we were home.
Driving through traffic. Yeah, you pass fast food and donut shops and all that…that greasy [stuff]. It’s the [stuff] you fought to protect and then the car stops. We were outside her school. I get to her classroom, right? She’s in there, but she’s got no idea. She’s got no idea that Daddy’s home. I walk in, these kids, they’re not even studying, they’re doing some kind of yoga. Yeah. You know? She’s there. She’s doing her poses, you know. She’s bending, and, you know, she’s moving. She looks like a flower. Yeah. And you know you can’t even understand it, you know, how does something like that have…How does something that beautiful…How does that…does that come from me, you know? And she looks up and she sees me. I see her. By God, that’s real. That’s real, Red. Boom. In an instant she’s across that classroom floor, she’s in my arms. She’s squeezing me so tight, I swear I was gonna bust a rib, you know? We just stayed there like that, we’re holding each other. Teacher, she’s filming the whole thing on her phone, you know, she’s gonna put it on YouTube or some [website]. She can’t hold the thing steady because, you know, she’s…she’s bawling so hard, and the kids are all wailing, you know, they’re screaming. And me? [Shoot], I’m the worst of all. I’m a…I’m a rubber-face clown, you know. I cried so hard. But not my baby. Not my girl. You know, she’s my girl. She’s…She’s not crying, she’s holding me up. My girl, she’s keeping me on my feet. She says, ‘I knew it, Daddy. I knew it.’
And then we go home. Wife, the boy. Place is the exact same. It’s like it’s just holding its breath waiting for me to get back, you know? Then it hit me. All of it, you know. The first time I felt how tired I was, you know, I was just…tired, you know? You…you ever been tired, Red? So you know. It’s just, I couldn’t do nothing, you know? All the things…I couldn’t take my wife to bed. Ball with the boy, [Shoot]…I was too tired. I couldn’t even drink a [gosh darn] beer, you know. But not her. My girl was up. See, she wanted me to, uh…she wanted me to tuck her in. She…She outgrew it, she knew it but she didn’t care. She wanted it. She had that book. Her favorite book was out on her pillows. One Batch, Two Batch…Penny and Dime. Yeah. I read her that book every night before this [incident]. I read it every single night, but, see, that was over now because Daddy’s home now. She looked at me and she begged me, Red. She begged. She begged. I said, ‘No. Daddy’s too tired, see. But I’ll…I’ll read it to you tomorrow night. I’ll read to you tomorrow night, I promise.’ Yeah. Never think that…for her there was not gonna be any tomorrow, see. The last time I’d see her, I’d be holding her lifeless body in my arms. Meat was spilling out of her, Red. The place where her face used to be. Yeah. I think I’m done…Red. I think I’m done.”
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Print it out. Hang it on the wall of your home, in your office, in your car, or post it online. Embed it in pure stone or steel. Don’t ever, EVER forget those words Frank utter from his blood stained lips at his family’s grave site! And above all, demand Netflix to start making a solo Punisher series NOW!!
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Sherry Konkus lives in Owosso, MI. She is the proud owner of the Camac Athena EX Concert Grand Harp named “Grover” and Camac Mademoiselle named “Ernie.” She’s also the proud author of The Punisher Harp Zone. Sherry is the one who came up with the idea of portraying The Punisher from Marvel Comics as the punishing harpist who plays the harp in memory of his family who was killed by the mob years ago.