- "Look at this. Industry. Coal, iron, steel. Real things. Whole country used to be built on it. We were self-sufficient. Now? Markets rule everything. This country never needed anything from anyone else. Now, we're beholden."
- ―William Rawlins to Billy Russo[src]
Cold Steel is the eighth episode of the first season of the television series The Punisher.
Synopsis
Russo opens up to Madani about his past, Sarah shares her concerns about her son with Frank, and a decoy operation takes a turn.
Plot
Billy Russo visits his mother – a drug addict who abandoned him at birth – in a nursing home. Because of the abandonment, Russo terrorizes her and berates her while still caring for her medical needs.
Using the image from Frank Castle's rifle scope, Micro identifies Agent Orange as William Rawlins, CIA Director of Covert Operations. He then realizes that the camera feeds from his house are down. Worried, he demands Castle to make sure that his family is safe.
Russo and Dinah Madani continue their relationship, comparing old scars and wounds. Russo reveals some of his past about growing up in the care system.
Arriving at the Lieberman residence, he finds out that Sarah had unplugged the Internet to punish Zach for his behavior, causing the cameras to go offline. However, she then admits that she undermined herself by allowing him to go out. Sarah asks Frank to stay for a glass of wine.
As part of her plan to discover who bugged her office, Madani and Sam Stein stage a conversation in her office that they have information that Castle is going to buy ammunition. They plan to catch him in the act.
Castle reactivates the Internet router in the Lieberman house. Unfortunately, this allows Micro to see Sarah drunkenly kisses Castle. While Castle gently rebuffs her advances, he returns to the hideout to find Micro extremely drunk.
Russo and Rawlins talk about the Castle information. They plan to intervene, but Russo refuses to use his Anvil personnel after the outcome of the operation to kill Gunner Henderson.
Madani briefs her team on the operation. However, only she and Stein know the full plan. They file falsified operational plans since she also believes whoever is bugging the office has access to the computers.
Micro and Castle talk about how they each met their wives. Micro comes to the decision that the only way back to his family is to involve Madani. Castle would be the witness she needs to take down Rawlins. Castle punches Micro out to stop him.
Russo hires several ex-Anvil mercenaries who are wanted for the murder of Iraqi civilians. He wants full deniability and offers to pay them a large sum of money each.
Micro wakes up with a hangover but still thinks going to Madani is the best option. Sarah calls Castle for help with Zach. She is freaking out that she found a knife in his bag. Castle has a talk with Zach and manages to scare the kid enough for him to finally break down and admit that he is sad and scared.
Russo leads his mercenaries to the location, only to find Homeland Security forces waiting for them. A gunfight ensues, with only Russo making it out. Sam gets the drop on Russo and unmasks him, but the shock of finding out who it is gives Russo the time to stab Stein. Russo gets away, but Madani finds Stein. He dies in her arms but could not tell her about Russo.
Zach and Castle throw a football around, and Micro comes by. Castle tells him to leave before Zach sees him because it could lead to his family being killed. Castle promises to talk to Madani.
At her home, Madani sits in shock in the bath as Russo gently cleans Stein's blood from her.
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
- Paul Schulze as William Rawlins
- Michael Nathanson as Sam Stein
- Jaime Ray Newman as Sarah Lieberman
Guest Stars:
- Kobi Frumer as Zach Lieberman
- Graham Wolfe as Tom Weems
- Quincy Chad as Spencer Geiger
- Andrea Leigh as Carla Russo
- Porter Kelly as Nurse Katie
- Patrick Michael Walsh Jr. as Jim Pruitt (uncredited)
- Kage Yami as Mike Bashille (uncredited)
Appearances
Locations
- New York City, New York
- Arlington, Virginia (mentioned)
- Roanoke, Virginia (mentioned)
- Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (mentioned)
- New Haven, Connecticut (mentioned)
- Yale University (mentioned)
- Wallingford, Connecticut (mentioned)
- Choate Rosemary Hall (mentioned)
- Harvard University (mentioned)
- Afghanistan (mentioned)
- Uruguay (mentioned)
- Kentucky (mentioned)
- Fort Bryon (mentioned)
- Albany, New York (mentioned)
- Iraq (mentioned)
- Vietnam (mentioned)
Events
- Rawlins Conspiracy
- Ambush at the Abandoned Warehouse
- Attack on William Rawlins (mentioned)
- Attack on Gunner Henderson (mentioned)
- Infiltration into Fort Bryon (mentioned)
- Assassination of Morty Bennett (mentioned)
- Robbery of the Greek Mob's Arsenal (mentioned)
- Operation Cerberus (mentioned)
Items
Vehicles
To be added
Creatures
- Mooses (mentioned)
Organizations
- United States Department of Homeland Security
- Anvil
- CIA
- FBI (mentioned)
- Rawlins Logistics Corp (mentioned)
- New York Bulletin (mentioned)
- Ray of Hope (mentioned)
- Greek Mob (mentioned)
- United States Marine Corps (mentioned)
- Wu-Tang Clan (mentioned)
- Skull and Bones (mentioned)
- United States Department of State (mentioned)
Mentioned
- Morty Bennett
- Farah Madani (photo)
- Arthur Walsh
- Jack DeLeon
- Maria Castle
- Gunner Henderson (photo)
- Frank Castle, Jr.
- Lisa Castle
- Leo Lieberman
- Frank Castle's Parents
- Dinesh
- President of the United States
- Popsicle
- YouTube
- The Godfather
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 |