[indistinct chatter]
[Marilyn Manson's "The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles" playing]
♪ I don't know if I can open up ♪
♪ I've been opened enough ♪
♪ I don't know if I can open up I'm not a birthday present ♪
♪ I'm aggressive-regressive ♪
♪ The past is over ♪
♪ Now passive scenes so pathetic ♪
♪ Are we fated, faithful, or fatal? ♪
[Billy] Your family's gone, but you're still my brother.
-[Frank] I'm going. -[Billy] Then I'm coming with you!
[Billy] I mean, look at us.
Look at yourself.
♪ Are we fated, faithful, or fatal? ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ I'm feeling stoned and alone Like a heretic ♪
♪ I'm ready to meet my maker ♪
[Billy] I thought my friend was dead. Turns out he was. This man who's back...
he's a monster.
Frank Castle got lost somewhere along the way.
I don't know who this guy is.
[news anchor on TV] What role, if any,
will you play in the apprehension of the Punisher?
Tracking him down is priority one. I just want to help any way I can.
Luckily, I have a very close relationship with law enforcement.
[Dinah] Bastard!
You don't get to do this.
[news anchor] One last question, Mr. Russo.
If Castle were standing here right now, what would you say to him?
What happened to you, Frank?
[news anchor] Thank you, Mr. Russo.
In case you're just joining us, that was William Russo,
president of Anvil Security, and longtime friend of Frank Castle...
[theme music playing]
[grunts softly]
[grunting]
[groans]
You gonna talk to me?
I mean, I can fill in some of the holes from when I saw you last.
World knows you're alive.
City thinks you're a terrorist.
You had something to do with blowing up a hotel, I think.
Come on. [grunts]
Uh, this is just a guess,
but it seems like your buddy Billy Russo turned out to, uh, be dirty after all.
[grunting and panting]
[Micro] Jesus.
Damn.
[breathing heavily]
-[grunting] -Stop.
I got it.
You know, I'm here. You can talk to me.
You need to talk to me.
Give me the stuff.
Good luck suturing those with that bum arm.
[water running]
I'm assuming the plan is to go after Billy Russo
and kill him, am I right?
Charge back into the city where every cop in town wants to blow your head off?
One man Wild Bunch?
[Micro] Give me the needle.
[grunts]
Frank, please.
Whatever happens next, let me stitch these holes up. Come on.
-[sighs] -Hey...
Please.
Come on.
Thank you.
Thought I was gonna be a vet.
When I was a kid, I used to stitch up all the birds, and, uh, squirrels...
some cats, in my neighborhood.
Set up a little triage unit in my grandma's basement.
Then I discovered computers.
Look where that got me. [scoffs]
[Micro grunts softly]
Frank, I can't imagine how you must feel...
knowing that Billy betrayed you.
He's gotta pay for that. And he will.
But we gotta be smart here, all right? You gotta be smart.
[both grunt]
In reality, nothing's really changed.
Everything's changed.
Yeah, how's that?
You and me, we're still a team.
-What happens to you, happens to me. -Is that right?
[Micro] Mm-hmm.
So you betrayed me. Do I betray you?
Talking about Madani?
We agreed to go to her.
Yeah, we agreed to do it together.
That was before you ran off after Lewis Wilson--
Get your hands off me.
I did exactly what you and I said we were gonna do.
I told her about Rawlins. I told her you're the witness she needs.
I told her everything I needed to so we can end this.
-'Cause this has gotta end. -Yeah.
This did end. You, me, this place, it ended.
I'm done.
[news anchor on TV] This man is armed and dangerous.
If you see him, do not approach him.
Call law enforcement authorities at the number below,
or dial 911.
His name is Frank Castle...
Change the channel.
It's on every channel.
Mom, where do you think Pete is?
His name's not Pete.
Everything he told us was a lie. We're lucky he didn't kill us, too.
Hey, the two of you, let it go. I'm not telling you again.
You're the one who let him in.
Maybe you're not the expert on what we should do.
[sighs] Keeping our heads down, our mouths shut. That's what we do.
If there's one thing your father left us, it's that lesson.
Do you think Pete really did all those things that they said?
-Do you? -I don't know, sweetheart.
Come here.
[sighs] Come here.
[bedroom door slams]
[sighs]
[elevator bell dings]
[indistinct chatter]
Come in.
Thank you. You can leave us.
Thank you for coming.
Sure.
I've made a living out of being there when the government calls.
I thought you'd be accompanied by counsel.
Why?
Lawyers are for the guilty.
Have a seat.
-Should we begin? -[sighs] Let's do it.
[Dinah] State your name for the record. Last name first.
[sighs] Russo, William.
Mr. Russo, I'm going to share several crime scene photos with you.
Look at them carefully. Tell me if anything looks familiar.
Aren't you gonna Mirandize me, Agent Madani?
No need. Unless I decide to arrest you. We're just talking.
Why am I here, Dinah?
'Cause you're a murderer who's gonna pay for the lives you took.
The only reason I was there that day... was you.
I was there to take you home.
I remember driving you back to your place...
bathing you...
holding you all night
in the same bed that you and I had repeated sexual encounters.
Did you and Frank Castle conduct illegal covert operations in Kandahar?
Well, I'm sure you've perused my service record.
Does it indicate that I was in Kandahar?
Here's what I think's happened.
You're pissed Frank Castle got away, and you're looking to blame me,
so you sent your guys to come down to pick me up.
But now... now you're realizing that maybe that wasn't such a smart move.
Now, if this was official, you wouldn't be sitting there alone.
You wanna tell me that this room isn't bugged?
You can never be too careful.
I've got an offer for you. Best and final.
I'll guarantee leniency if you give me the executions, the tortures, everything.
And when I say everything, I need William Rawlins.
You didn't know I had Rawlins' name.
You killed Sam Stein.
And when I can prove that,
your life won't be worth the termination-of-parental-rights form
your mother scribbled her signature on.
I know...
that you must be haunted by the death--
Sorry, forgive me, deaths of your partners...
but that doesn't make me the guy that you're looking for.
You're right.
I'm looking for Frank Castle.
But who knows? Maybe I'll take my time finding him.
God, you remember how he looked at you in that stairwell?
He's gonna kill you, and he's gonna enjoy doing it.
Who knows? Maybe he was tipped off.
Maybe he's waiting right outside this building.
Nice suit.
Hope it's bulletproof.
[door opens, closes]
Look, you don't have twins, Bill, so you couldn't understand.
You just couldn't.
I mean, if you've only ever had singles,
you couldn't possibly understand. [chuckles]
I mean, hell, Ella and Grace are my twins and I still don't understand them.
And now it's college admission time,
and both of these girls want to be in Manhattan.
Columbia University.
Great school.
Yeah, it's a great school, sure. Not a cheap school.
That why you're in New York? A bit of influence peddling?
No, no.
They're either good enough to get in, or they're not.
No, I'm meeting with the police commissioner about his son.
Turns out the little shit's quite the hacker.
-Hmm. -Got himself into some serious trouble.
We're gonna clear the slate on condition he comes to work for us.
Ah.
So, that's what I'm doing here.
The question is, Bill, as nice as this is...
what the hell are you doing here?
And why are we talking in the cold where no one can hear us?
You've heard the news about Frank Castle?
Sure, it's hard to miss.
He's a problem for us.
"Us"?
He has information that could be injurious to the agency if it ever came out.
The medal you gave me, all the intel I brought in,
much of it was gained via... let's call them unorthodox methods.
Illegally gained?
I did what was required to protect the country.
Castle was a part of it.
I thought he was dead, now he's not.
He tried to kill me.
-Why? -Because I tried to kill him.
I will not let him undermine the agency or undo what I've achieved.
Do you know I used to suffer from panic attacks?
Out of the blue, couldn't breathe.
Heart pounding in my chest like I was having a coronary.
Two years of it.
It took two years for me to realize
that I only feel right when I'm honest with myself about my actions.
Straight, no self-justification.
You should try that.
I made a call.
We can either clean this up or let Castle take us down.
No, I do not understand the "us," the "we" rhetoric.
Are you suggesting I am culpable for the shitstorm you started over there?
I'm your guy now.
No way this shit hits me and doesn't splatter on your shoes.
You may not be political, but everyone else is.
God damn you, Bill. God damn you.
I asked you... I asked you if there was anything I needed to know.
I have a civilian asset ready and waiting to take Castle out.
All I need is access to our electronic surveillance apparatus in New York
to let my asset find him first.
It's been done before.
You're asking me to sanction a man's murder.
A psychopathic terrorist wanted for multiple crimes.
Think of it as decommissioning unwanted ordnance.
[Orange] That's all Castle is, a weapon we no longer have any use for.
The alternative does not bear thinking about.
[dramatic music playing]
[Billy] Here's what I think's happened.
You're pissed Frank Castle got away, and you're looking to blame me...
Turn it off.
...so you sent your guys to come down...
I agree with him. You got angry and made a dumb move, Dinah.
You helped him build a conflict-of-interest case against you.
-I needed to rattle his cage. -To what end?
-I'm sorry. I can't hear you. -All right!
I let Russo get close to me. I trusted him.
So, yeah. Yeah, maybe...
maybe I wanted to look him in the eye and tell him for myself
that Homeland won't rest until we take him in.
-You let it get personal. -Yeah, you're damn right I did.
You want me to apologize for that?
Will we let this stand? Will you, Rafi?
Billy Russo killed Sam.
He pretty much admitted it to me right after he tried to kill Castle.
Do you know where Castle is?
Or this Micro guy?
-No. -Find them.
Time to rattle some cages of my own.
[door shuts]
-How much more? I'm getting carpal tunnel. -[cell phone ringing]
-[Sarah] Really? [chuckles] -[Leo] Hold on.
Can I go up, too?
-Keep chopping. -[groans]
Come on. Almost done.
-[knock on door] -I'll get it.
Who is it, baby?
-[man] Hey, son, is your mom in? -[Zach] Uh... yeah, sure.
-Can I help you? -Good afternoon, ma'am.
Yeah, we received a call from this address to the Castle tip line.
Did you call?
Uh, no. No, I didn't call. Uh, it must be some sort of mistake.
[chuckles]
Got something you want to tell me, son?
-Um... -[Sarah] Hey.
No, he's only 11 years old. You don't have the right to question him.
Think I could speak to your husband?
Um, no. You know what? My, uh... my husband passed away a year ago.
My condolences.
How do you know Frank Castle?
I don't.
Where's your daughter?
Is she home or not?
No, uh, my daughter is spending the night at a friend's.
Well, look, thing is, I think it's best you come with me.
For your own protection.
[stammers] I really appreciate the offer, but I'm sure we'll be fine.
You're both coming with me.
Zach, run!
-[Sarah yelling] -[man grunting]
[screaming]
[man grunts]
-Hey! -Get out!
Get away from my family, or I swear to God I'll use this!
-[man 2] Drop it! -[Zach] Mom...
[gasping breaths] I'm sorry.
-Do it! -[gasps]
[Micro] Oh, yeah, that's very subtle.
-They'll never see you coming. -Yeah, well, I want 'em to see me.
Well, that makes sense. [scoffs]
But you know what that is, right? That's your death, that's not theirs.
You do this like this, you're... you're as good as dead already.
It's who I am.
Who I've always been.
[Micro] Seriously?
You would rather be dead than feeling?
Frank Castle the Punisher on a suicide mission
because, what, he doesn't like it when, uh, he gets his feelings hurt?
Damn... I am not gonna miss the sound of your voice.
What are you doing?
That skull?
That's a memento mori.
It's Latin for, "Remember, you will die."
In Rome, victorious generals would return from war,
and so they didn't get blinded by glory, they'd have a slave who would say,
"Remember, you're only human. You are gonna die."
Well, that sounds good to me.
Well, it's meant as an admonition to value your life, to live it well.
Move, David.
Yeah, all right.
-You do what you gotta do. -That's right.
Just one more thing. What about them?
What about Zach and Leo?
And Sarah?
When we first started this, it wasn't about the dead,
it was about the living.
Wait a second.
What happened here? Look at that.
Right there.
Go back.
There.
[Sarah screaming]
Oh, my God.
[Sarah] Get away from my family, or I swear to God I'll use this!
-[man 2] Drop it! -[Zach gasping] Mom... I'm sorry.
-[man] Do it! -When was that?
-Um... -How long ago?
Come on, pull yourself together and do your job. When was it?
Uh... a little less than an hour ago.
-I'm outta here. -David, stop.
Hey, hey, hey, hey! Stop!
-[Micro] What? -Just come on.
Think!
-They're coming. -Who?
Rawlins, Russo, they're coming here. They...
Sarah has my number.
They know who Pete Castiglione is.
She wouldn't do that.
Whole goddamn world's calling me a terrorist.
She doesn't owe me a goddamn thing.
You gotta assume they already have a lock on it.
Leo.
Leo?
Where's Leo?
-What do you mean? -They didn't take her!
[typing]
[Frank] Attagirl. Attagirl.
Okay, does she have a phone?
-Yeah. -Okay. Call her.
Go on.
Uh... How can I?
[Leo shivering]
[cell phone ringing]
[Frank] Leo?
-Leo? -Pete?
Sweetheart, I'm gonna help you.
But you can't talk to anybody. Not the police, no one.
You have to promise me that.
They took Mom and Zach. I don't know what to do.
Yeah, I know what they did. I know you have no reason to trust me,
but I'm the only hope you and your family have.
Okay.
Listen, when we get off the phone,
I want you to take the battery out. You just...
Throw it as far as you can. Do you know what a SIM card is?
-Yeah. -Good.
You throw that in the other direction. All right?
There's a park, uh, a playground by a pool that we used to...
-We'd call it the "pool playground." -Okay.
Took her when she was little.
Sweetheart, you know where the pool is in that park?
Okay, sweetheart...
-I want you to go there, yeah? -Okay.
Wait for me. I will come for you.
Do it now. Okay?
-Okay. Okay. [breathing heavily] -[siren wailing in distance]
-You gotta go to her. -What?
I thought you said you were going.
Yeah, I know what I said, but it's gotta be you.
How can I?
She thinks I'm dead.
-Hey, David... -[laughs nervously]
What am I supposed to do? I'm supposed to go over and say...
"Hey, baby, uh, I've been living in a basement for a year.
-I'm not dead. Let's get some cocoa"? -Hey, look at me...
Look at me.
You're her father, right?
You go to your little girl, okay?
You meet me at the Greenpoint Terminal.
If I don't show up by midnight, go to Madani.
You go only to Madani. Got it?
[sniffles] What are you gonna do?
I'm gonna wait here on these assholes.
When they come, I'll make 'em tell me where Sarah is.
After that, I'm gonna kill 'em all.
[breath trembling]
[Sarah] God damn you, let us go!
I told you, I don't know anything else about Castle!
[sobbing] I'm sorry, Mom.
No, baby. Baby, it's all right. It's not your fault.
Are they gonna kill us?
No.
No. I will never let that happen.
[crying]
[Billy] And why didn't you know this Lieberman guy was alive?
Carson Wolf told me he was dead.
Had no reason to assume otherwise till now.
Castle must have found him somehow, and they're working together.
This is getting way out of hand, Rawlins.
We killed a bunch of Homeland agents. Madani knows your name and now we're what?
We're kidnapping women and kids in broad daylight?
How do you think I got on the tip call line so fast?
I used CIA apparatus.
Got clearance for it from the deputy director herself.
We get caught, everyone looks bad. No one wants that.
-You give James my name? -'Course not. You're insulated.
I made sure of it.
Yeah, that's some bullshit, and you know it.
Frank Castle knows I'm involved now.
Yes, he does. None of us are safe until he's dead.
Her cell phone told us exactly where they are.
You go kill them, it all ends tonight.
Yeah, I'm not going anywhere.
I'm not exposing myself any more than I already have.
Any more than you are.
Unless you wanna come with me.
We can go do this together.
We both know that's not happening.
Yeah.
That's what I thought.
[elevator bell dings]
-Deputy Director James. -Rafi, how are ya?
-Good to see you. -[laughs] Nice to see you, too.
-This way. -Okay.
Special Agent in Charge Madani.
-Oh, good to meet you. -We're in here.
Thank you very much for coming, Marion.
Okay, well, given that you called me on my personal cell,
it must be important. Is this about the bombings?
No, something else.
Oh, well... here I am. Enlighten me.
We have evidence that one of your field agents
was running an illegal assassination program...
funded by heroin from Kandahar.
That's quite an accusation.
They threw in some torture for shits and giggles.
When an Afghan National Policeman I was working with found out,
they murdered him, too.
-Is there any evidence of this? -It was taped.
Marion, the agent in question is William Rawlins.
[scoffs] Bill...
Bill Rawlins is a highly-decorated agent.
But I... I'll look into it. Of course I will.
And if there's anything, you'll be the first to know.
Well, this is a Homeland Security investigation.
Well, I'm not sure what jurisdiction Homeland Security has
over CIA agents' conduct on foreign soil, Agent Madani.
And Rafi can tell you, we generally clean our own dirty laundry.
It's not that simple, Marion.
Several of our agents were killed in an operation not five miles from here.
On US soil.
May I view the tape?
-[Dinah] No. -I'm not talking to you.
[Rafi] Rawlins went rogue,
and I believe he's doing whatever he has to, to cover his tracks.
And people are dying. Our own people.
I asked you here so we can deal with it...
between us.
[softly] Yeah.
-Give us Rawlins. -Okay, even if this were true,
can you imagine the damage it would do if it were made public?
It would put our foreign policy back ten years.
I don't think the public would be surprised in the slightest
at the shit you people get up to.
Young lady, show some respect.
I have spent 30 years of my life
working for this country and everything it stands for.
Don't presume to question my integrity.
Look, I get it, this is personal for you. That's great. I admire that.
But when you've done this as long as Rafi and I have,
you learn that personal feelings
are the first casualty of serving your country well.
-[cell phone vibrating] -I'm due at the UN.
-Marion, thanks again. -I'm on my way down. [scoffs]
That went well.
She's a piece of work.
I've known her a long time.
Marion is one of the good ones.
You remind me of her.
I mean that as a compliment.
So now what?
We rattled. Let's see what shakes loose.
[sighs]
[Micro breathing heavily]
Hey, Leo?
I know you're expecting Frank, but, uh... Uh, Pete, but he... he, uh...
sent me.
Leo, listen to my voice!
It's Dad!
Leo?
[both crying]
[Micro chuckling] Hey.
[softly] Look at me.
[sniffling] I promise I'm gonna explain everything, okay?
But right now, we gotta go, okay? 'Cause it's not safe here.
-Okay? -[chuckles] Okay.
But... So, where's Pete?
We're gonna, um... We'll see him really soon.
-Okay. -Okay.
-[choking] -[Frank grunting]
[neck snapping]
[choking]
[sighs]
Yeah, we're in the power station. There's no one here.
I'm sure. It's a basement.
They were living here, but there's no sign now.
They've got a whole bunch of computers in here, too.
Heavy-duty setup, it looks like.
And there's some torture video and, uh...
some countdown running.
You want us to bring it all back?
No. No, don't touch it.
If they weren't there, how'd you find the place?
The phone we tracked...
it's right here on the desk.
Shit. It's a trap. He's there!
[dramatic music playing]
[man] Shit.
[man yells]
[grunting]
[rapid gunfire]
-[Frank grunts] -[screaming]
[grunts]
-[man yelling] -[Frank grunting]
-[yelling] -[groaning]
[yelling]
[groans]
-[groans] -[grunting]
[grunting]
[Frank grunts]
Russo!
You hear me?
I'm gonna watch you die!
[all screaming]
[groaning]
[Frank yelling]
[groaning]
[grunts]
[panting]
Bill? That you?
[grunts]
-[yells] -[groans]
[yells]
[both grunting]
-[bones cracking] -[both yelling]
[groaning]
-[grunting] -[groaning]
Russo!
[man groaning]
[groans]
[panting]
[man grunting]
[yells]
[groaning]
Where's Russo?
I... I don't know, man.
[yells] Oh, come on!
I really... [groans] I don't know.
The woman. The kid.
-Where'd they take 'em? -I don't know, man. That was... [groans]
That was need-to-know. You know how it is.
-I don't know anything. -Fair enough.
[sighs]
[cell phone vibrating]
[Billy] Frank?
You know, the Billy Russo I knew...
oh, he'd have the balls to come himself, you know?
Yeah, well, I got staff for that these days, Frank.
You know the saying about having a dog and barking yourself?
Someday, sometime, this is gonna come down to you and me.
Just know that, Bill.
No, it isn't.
You're a wanted man, Franky Boy.
They'll catch up to you eventually. Just like the last time.
I guess we're both running out of time then, huh, Bill?
What's in those computers, Frank?
-The woman and the kid, where are they? -Oh, they're with me. Right here.
Safe and sound.
[Zach crying]
Unless I say otherwise.
He's got everything, Bill.
Lieberman, he's got everything on you.
I'mma tell you right now, anything happens to that family...
whole world will see it. The whole world, Bill.
-After that, you'll be done. -And Zach and Sarah will be dead.
You want that family back...
I want Lieberman, and I want you.
That sounds about right.
I'll set up the exchange, then.
If that's all right with you.
Yeah, you got my number, Bill.
Homeland Security has your name.
They know about your operation. They've informed me
that five agents have been killed pursuing this.
Americans, right here in New York.
This is not what we stand for, Bill. Not what we do.
-Wasn't me. -[scoffs]
A former marine named Billy Russo
took it upon himself to try and kill Castle.
Your civilian asset?
Because he was part of your Kandahar operation?
The fact that the military was trafficking heroin
is a matter of record.
That can be laid at Russo's doorstep very easily.
Castle dies, Russo takes the fall, the agency comes out clean.
You've got it all worked out. My God, man, listen to yourself.
Marion, I have always admired you because you're a realist.
You've made hard choices for the greater good. So am I.
You've crossed a line. Can you not see that?
Why? Because it might become public?
-I expected better of you than that. - You expect--
What exactly do you expect?
A little loyalty to one of your own.
So, what are we talking about here?
Are you gonna hand me over to Homeland?
You're going to expose all this? It'll take you down with me.
Hell, it'll throw relations with whole nations into disarray.
And for what? For one dead Afghan and a criminal lunatic?
We can give Homeland their win and keep the agency clean.
Billy Russo punched his own ticket when he killed those Homeland agents.
Justice will be served,
and the rest of the country can remain blissfully unaware.
You've given 30 years to the agency, Marion.
That will mean nothing if we don't protect it.
All right.
Burn Russo.
Yes, ma'am.
-And then we're done. That's the deal. -Marion--
There is no place for you in my agency.
Marion, wait.
No. We protect the agency, and then you will resign your post.
It's for the greater good.
But that hardly motivates me to make this go away.
Oh, I think it would.
Because if you don't, I will hand you to Homeland myself,
and see you in prison for the rest of your life,
shit on my shoes or not. You disgust me.
[siren wailing in distance]
You said midnight, Dad.
You think Pete's okay?
Maybe we're in the wrong place.
No, no, no. We're in the right place.
I'm sure he's okay. Uh... we'll just wait.
He'd wait for me.
[indistinct chatter]
[Micro] You cold?
-[engine starting] -[pop song playing on radio]
[turns radio off]
Wait.
-What? -I like that song.
-[softly] Here you go. -[pop song continues on radio]
Me and my friends made up a dance to it.
It's stupid, but it's fun.
I bet it's not stupid. You are an amazing dancer.
How would you know that?
I never, ever stopped thinking about you.
-[knocking on window] -[turns off radio]
It's okay.
What are you doing here?
[Frank] It's okay. I called her.
[Micro] How long have you been here? We were worried.
Yeah. I had to make sure she came alone.
How about it, Madani? You gonna pull your weapon on me again?
Do I have to?
[chuckles]
-[Micro] You all right? -Yeah.
Can't believe you called her.
Honestly, neither can I.
Ah, if he trusts you, I guess I do, too.
Excuse me.
Hey. You did good, kid.
You knew he was alive all this time?
[softly] Yeah.
I'm sorry about that.
I don't know what to call you now. It seems stupid to call you Pete.
I'm Frank.
Frank Castle.
He's a lot scarier than Pete.
[Frank] Yeah.
Yeah, sweetheart, I...
I guess he is.
[sighs]
Shit.
[dramatic music playing]