The Punisher recap: 'Resupply' 

‘s first few episodes was its sense of humor. Sometimes it’s intentional (like a bystander peeing his pants out of fear), and other times it was probably unintentional (like how both Karen and David’s first instincts were that Frank was about to kill someone). Coming into this series, I wasn’t expecting to laugh as much as I have been, because the trailers were incredibly grim and made the show look like it would vacillate between two kinds of scenes: Frank brooding and Frank shooting. However, there’s been very little brooding. While I think “Resupply” is a dip in quality compared to episodes 2 and 3, it is the funniest one we’ve had yet.

The main source of humor in the episode comes from Frank’s quest to find guns. The dude needs his guns, and he’s pretty pissed a lead David gives him doesn’t pan out. David tells him that Marvel/Netflix-verse journeyman Turk (Rob Morgan) is expecting a huge weapons shipment from the Greeks, so Frank pays him a rather aggressive visit at the top of the hour. As was the case in every other Marvel/Netflix show, Turk is mainly a source of comic relief. “Do you believe in God, Turk?” asks Frank as he holds a gun to a kneeling Turk’s head. “Right now, I want to,” replies Turk in a line that made me laugh out loud. Unfortunately, Turk ended up not receiving a shipment from the Greeks, so the only gun he has to offer Frank is a pink rifle someone wanted to give to their daughter as a sweet 16 present, an amazing sight gag that stands out amid the show’s washed-out colors.

“You want to go up against Agent Orange with a pink Ruger and no ammo? Is that what you want to do, Lieberman?” asks a frustrated Frank when he returns to Micro’s layer. Frank’s anger over not having any guns is so funny because guns are such an important part of the character. In the ’90s, Marvel was publishing four Punisher books, one of which was called

and was basically gun porn. So the fact that he’s so unnerved about not having the weapons he needs to take on Agent Orange makes sense for him. That being said, this plot is also funny because it’s very clear that this is a stalling tactic. On a broadcast network show, a resupply would’ve taken it up the first act or two, not the entire episode. But, look, I appreciate the show for giving me something to laugh about because it provides a nice break from the episode’s heavier material (which we’ll get to on page 2).

As was to be expected after episode 3, Frank and David’s reluctant partnership brings a lot of humor to the episode, too, because when Frank isn’t yelling about not having any guns, he’s scolding David about not cleaning his gun and his guitar being out of tune. However, their Odd Couple relationship isn’t just there for laughs. The show is already digging into what makes these men different. Unlike Frank, David isn’t accustomed to violence. He doesn’t clean his gun, because it’s only there for show. Moreover, his moral code is a bit more flexible than Frank’s in that he’s willing to just buy guns from criminals, whereas Frank prefers to steal them from criminals because he refuses to fund their criminal endeavors.

Things get awkward between Frank and David when Sarah calls Frank and asks him to drop by to sign some form she needs to give her insurance in order to get her car fixed. David is clearly uncomfortable with it all, but he tells Frank he won’t find him guns until he helps Sarah out because he doesn’t want Frank making her life even more difficult. (This is probably his way of dealing with the guilt over turning her into a single mother of two). So, Frank goes to see Sarah and ends up having a sweet bonding moment with her daughter, who is the designated fixer of things in the house. It’s a testament to Bernthal’s skill that he can sell Frank as both a berserker killing machine and a father figure. (