Episode 4: “Penny and Dime”
Ah, it’s always nice to see character actor Peter McRobbie show back up as Father Lantom. Same goes for Tony Curran as a psychotic Irish gangster looking for revenge on the Punisher. And revenge does he get (briefly). My mouth fell on the floor when he took a power drill to Castle (was it his foot? hand? Damn this show’s miserable lighting!). That was straight f’ed up.
It’s not easy playing a man devoid of emotion except rage and bloodlust but just the visual of Bernthal’s blank face belies so much more: pain, self-hatred, doubt. It all culminates in his extended monologue at the end, detailing in the origin of his PTSD and the subsequent murder of his wife and children (although the extent of his whole revenge scheme remains unclear. Are we to believe that nearly every criminal in New York had something to do with his family’s death?). It’s the kind of actor-centric scene that gets Emmy nominations, if not outright victories. Four episodes in, Bernthal needs to be considered for Best Supporting Actor, there’s no question.
