- "Castle's a terrorist. You believe that?"
"I think that if you beat a dog long enough, it goes crazy. Doesn't matter how good it was before. After that happens, the dog that you knew is never coming back." - ―Dinah Madani and Billy Russo
Virtue of the Vicious is the tenth episode of the first season of the television series The Punisher.
Synopsis[]
An attack on a high-profile politician is examined (and re-examined) through different perspectives. Madani faces a painful truth.
Plot[]
As the Anvil sets up the security detail at the Royal Hospitality, Lewis Wilson kills Isaac Lange and steals his uniform and ID to slip through. Frank Castle informs Billy Russo that Wilson is targeting Stan Ori and asks him to evacuate everyone and leave Wilson for him to deal with. Russo is concerned over Castle's presence and suggests that he can get him out of the city, but Castle is determined to settle the score with Wilson.
Karen Page arrives at the hotel for her interview with Ori who provides his perspective on the anti-gun laws. However, Wilson breaches the security and uses the explosives to break into the hotel room, killing Ori's bodyguards. Castle rescues them from Wilson's bullet, while Ori escapes, pushing Page onto him, which allows Wilson to take Page hostage. He threatens to trigger the explosives on his vest and gets out, while Castle escapes the Anvil agents shooting at him.
Dinah Madani returns to the Homeland Security Headquarters where Rafael Hernandez reinstates her in her position. Hernandez demands Madani to tell him the truth. Madani tells him that she was aware of Castle being alive for a while and that William Rawlins was behind the conspiracy involving the CIA, NSA, and Homeland Security that tied to Kandahar and Ahmad Zubair's death. Hernandez is skeptical about Madani's words but shows her the files of the dead mercenaries at the warehouse shooting. Madani realizes that they all were ex-Anvil agents.
Madani comes to the hotel and presents Russo with the files on the ex-Anvil agents who killed her team on the operation, but Russo denies any connection with them. Madani notices Russo's dishonesty and asks Russo about his opinion on Castle, who was a suspect for the bombings. Russo tells Madani that Castle is no longer the person that he knew, and he will be ready to put him down if necessary. Anvil agents then inform Russo about the attack on Ori. He goes to deal with it, and Madani does the same.
Castle continues to chase Wilson into the basement, evading Anvil agents on his way, but he ends up being confronted by Madani. She believes that Castle was not a terrorist but insists him to drop his weapon, to which he does not comply. Madani tells Castle that he needs to stand up in court and reveal everything about Rawlins and the Operation Cerberus, and Castle realizes that Micro was speaking to Madani behind his back. Castle refuses to comply regardless, and when Madani fails to shoot him, Russo arrives and shoots Castle, ignoring Madani's demands to stand down. Madani realizes that Russo was working with Rawlins all alone and was the one who killed Sam Stein. Before Russo points his gun at her, the NYPD apprehends both of them.
Wilson and Page enter the basement kitchen, where Wilson tries to collect himself and threatens Page with the deadman's switch. Castle manages to get away from the police and confronts Wilson who threatens to kill Page, and tries to reason with him. Castle distracts Wilson while hinting to Page to cut the white wire to disarm the bomb. Page manages to cut the right wire on his bomb and shoot Wilson's foot through her bag. Wilson locks himself in the storage room. Realizing that he is done for, Wilson rewires the bomb and blows himself up.
Brett Mahoney and the SWAT arrive at the hotel to arrest Castle, but Page devises a plan that allows Castle to pretend to hold her hostage in order to escape without being attacked. The two make it into the elevator unharmed. Castle returns Page's gun to her and makes his escape. The NYPD takes over the investigation. Mahoney questions Ori, Page, Russo, and Madani to find the truth. Ori and Russo lie, saying that Wilson and Castle were working together. Page and Madani tell otherwise, stating that Castle was not a terrorist.
Cast[]
Main Cast:
- Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher
- Ben Barnes as Billy Russo
- Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani
- Daniel Webber as Lewis Wilson
- Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
Guest Stars:
- Tony Plana as Director Rafael Hernandez
- Royce Johnson as Detective Sergeant Brett Mahoney
- Rick Holmes as Senator Stan Ori
- Jordan Mahome as Isaac Lange
- Amanda Bruton as Cop
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- New York City, New York
- Isaac Lange's Apartment
- Royal Hospitality
- Homeland Security Headquarters
- Abandoned Warehouse (mentioned)
- Anvil Headquarters (mentioned)
- Kandahar, Afghanistan (mentioned)
- Iran (mentioned)
- Wharton School (mentioned)
- Peshawar, Pakistan (mentioned)
- Iraq (mentioned)
Events[]
- Attack on Stan Ori
- Rawlins Conspiracy (mentioned)
- Ambush at the Abandoned Warehouse (mentioned)
- Operation Cerberus (mentioned)
- Assassination of Ahmad Zubair (mentioned)
Items[]
Vehicles[]
To be added
Creatures[]
Organizations[]
- United States Department of Homeland Security
- Anvil
- New York City Police Department
- New York Bulletin
- United States Congress
- Greek Mob (mentioned)
- CIA (mentioned)
- United States Marine Corps (file)
- NSA (mentioned)
- United States Department of Defense (mentioned)
Mentioned[]
- Sam Stein
- Ahmad Zubair
- William Rawlins
- Tom Weems (file)
- Jim Pruitt (file)
- Mike Bashille (file)
- Spencer Geiger (file)
- Jason Miller
- Micro
- Curtis Hoyle
- Clay Wilson
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Heads Will Roll | Tyler Bates | |
| Quiet Reflection | Tyler Bates |
Trivia[]
- The title of the episode is a reference to Oscar Wilde's quote: "Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.".
- During his last moments, Lewis Wilson quotes Rudyard Kipling's poem The Young British Soldier.
References[]
External Links[]
Virtue of the Vicious on IMDb- Virtue of the Vicious on Disney+
- Virtue of the Vicious on Marvel Database
| 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 |