- "So are we gonna warn Morty Bennett that Frank Castle might be coming for him?"
"Morty has the instincts of a rat and the courage of a rabbit. We tell him Castle is still living, one of two things happen. He runs or he talks."
"So why not just kill him, too?"
"Not if we don't have to. Too many questions. We want Morty alive and where we can find him. When Castle finally turns up, we're gonna save his life anyway, so what can he complain about?" - ―Billy Russo and William Rawlins[src]
Crosshairs is the seventh episode of the first season of the television series The Punisher.
Synopsis
Lewis struggles with the ramifications of his actions. Frank and Micro pursue another face from the past. Madani and Sam go bug hunting.
Plot
Lewis Wilson washes up after killing O'Connor and wraps the body in a shower curtain. Going back home, he met with his father and then struggles with the desire to kill himself but stops himself.
Frank Castle and Micro plan their infiltration of the Fort Bryon where Morty Bennett is stationed. They plan to use him to get Agent Orange's name. Castle is worried about coming across a soldier who is only doing their duty and what he will have to do to complete the mission.
Billy Russo visits Dinah Madani and tells her that he has no information on Castle. When Sam Stein finds out that she involved Billy, he is angry that she brought him in but refuses to involve Rafael Hernandez. Madani comes to the realization that Gunner Henderson being killed soon after she started looking into him means that her office might be bugged. She enlists Stein's help in finding the bug.
Russo meets Rawlins at a CIA Safe House. They discuss their actions in Kandahar and threat of living Castle. They know that Castle is going after Bennett but decides to not warn him and set up an ambush on Castle. At Bennett's quarters, he has a dinner date with his Mistress. Castle infiltrates the compound with Micro using his drone in support. As Castle enters Bennett's room, the mistress raises an alert, signalling a team of Anvil agents led by Russo to confront Castle. Castle uses a smoke bomb to blind the room, then silently incapacitates the soldiers while Micro remotely hacking Bennett's phone. With the download of tracker complete, Castle leaps out the window as Russo attempts to shoot him. Extracting from the base, Castle comes upon a soldier guarding a tunnel. He is forced to shoot the soldier to escape, although he does so non-fatally.
Wilson and his father talk, and the pep talk convinces Wilson that he has to take matters into his own hands and do something. He collects supplies from a hardware store, then goes to O'Connor's apartment and builds a pressure cooker bomb.
With Bennett's phone information, Castle and Micro track Bennett to Orange's location. Bennett knows that Rawlins and Russo used him as bait to draw out Castle. Rawlins tells Bennett he has to retire, and that Russo will give him a new identity.
Micro and Castle talk because Micro sees an end to his self-exile. He hopes that his family can forgive him for pretending to be dead for a year. Castle tells him not to mention that he's been using cameras to watch them all that time.
Madani and Stein finish searching her office, having found the bug disguised as a shelving mount.
Russo and Bennett arrive at another safehouse, but it soon becomes clear that it is a set-up. The mistress that Bennett was with is in the bed with her throat slit. Russo kills Bennett as well.
Castle views Agent Orange's compound, and uses a sniper rifle to zero on him while he is standing at the window. Castle takes the shot, but the glass is bullet-proof. As Rawlins looks at the crack in the window, the compound goes to full alert and Castle manages to escape.
Cast
Main Cast:
- Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as David Lieberman/Micro
- Ben Barnes as Billy Russo
- Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani
- Daniel Webber as Lewis Wilson
- Paul Schulze as William Rawlins
- Michael Nathanson as Sam Stein
Guest Stars:
- Andrew Polk as Colonel Morty Bennett
- Tim Guinee as Clay Wilson
- Ilfenesh Hadera as Mistress
- Ramon O. Torres as Soldier
Appearances
Locations
- New York City, New York
- Fort Bryon
- CIA Safe House
- Kentucky (photo)
- Afghanistan (mentioned)
Events
- Infiltration into Fort Bryon
- Assassination of Morty Bennett
- Attack on William Rawlins
- Attack on Gunner Henderson (mentioned)
- Operation Cerberus (mentioned)
- The Rumble in the Jungle (footage)
Items
Vehicles
Organizations
- United States Department of Homeland Security
- Anvil
- CIA
- United States Army
- United States Department of the Army (logo)
Creatures
Mentioned
- Doc Rhodes
- Lewis Wilson's Mother
- Gunner Henderson (photo)
- Rafael Hernandez
- Morty Bennett's Mother
- Sarah Lieberman
- Zach Lieberman
- Leo Lieberman
- Maria Castle
- Frank Castle, Jr.
- Muhammad Alì (footage)
- George Foreman (footage)
Music
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Serenade, Op. 15: No. 7 | Budapest Strings Chamber Orchestra & Béla Bánfalvi | Morty Bennett sits down to dinner with his mistress. Morty is spanked by his mistress when Frank Castle arrives. |
| Just in Time | Tyler Bates | Frank Castle heads into the military base with Micro. David aids Frank with drone surveillance. |
| Chique Image | Paul Williams & Norman Percival | Lewis Wilson shops for hardware supplies. Lewis builds a shrapnel bomb with a pressure cooker. |
Trivia
- Billy Russo tells Morty Bennett "You know, without us, Frank Castle would have your balls wired to a car battery by now.". This is a reference to the "Long Cold Dark" Punisher MAX comic where Castle tortured Barracuda by doing the same thing to him.
References
External Links
| Season One | 3 AM • Two Dead Men • Kandahar • Resupply • Gunner • The Judas Goat • Crosshairs • Cold Steel • Front Toward Enemy • Virtue of the Vicious • Danger Close • Home • Memento Mori |
| Season Two | Roadhouse Blues • Fight or Flight • Trouble the Water • Scar Tissue • One-Eyed Jacks • Nakazat • One Bad Day • My Brother's Keeper • Flustercluck • The Dark Hearts of Men • The Abyss • Collision Course • The Whirlwind |