History Recap / ThePunisher2017S01E08ColdSteel

* BadBoss: Billy shoots one of the squad members in the head after he is injured, possibly so [[LeaveNoWitnesses he can't expose him]]. He also pushes one of them out of cover to draw fire from the DHS agents so he can move.

* NeverBringAGunToAKnifeFight: Discussed early on by Frank to Zach. Frank comments that at close range he'd prefer a knife. Even if Zach had a gun loaded and ready to go, Frank would be confident he could kill Zach before he could fire a shot. This is then played out when Russo kills Sam by quickly disarming Sam of his pistol before stabbing him repeatedly with the knife blade he previously used to kill Colonel Bennett.

* DramaticUnmask: Stein gets the drop on Russo, and has him dead to rights. He gets up close to Russo, and rips off his mask. The shock at seeing Russo's face causes Stein to freeze up, and gives Russo an opening to stab him to death with his shoulder-mounted knife.

** Earlier Lieberman starts to freak out on discovering that Agent Orange is the Head of Covert Operations and so can marshal all the resources of the CIA against them. Frank however points out that the conspirators haven't released anything about Gunner's death or Frank's attack on Bennett's army base, implying they are having to keep it secret and therefore there's a limit to what official resources they can use.

** Stein's expression after finding Russo beneath the ski mask, right before Russo stabs him to death.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: A group of highly trained spec-ops soldiers trained in urban combat walk into a trap set by specialized law enforcement trained at taking down dangerous targets. Most of the cops survive. Only one of the soldiers lives.

* BerserkButton: David, drunk, pushes Frank's, calling him a psychopath.

* IronicEcho: While [[BluffTheEavesdropper delivering dialogue for the bug]], Stein goes off script and makes a snarky comment about Dinah's "pretty" new boyfriend. Later Russo snarls, "Who's pretty now?" while repeatedly stabbing Stein to death.

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: David points out the obvious solution is just to approach Madani with everything they have--he has the video, while Frank is a living witness to back it up. Frank refuses to compromise his KillEmAll approach until he sees firsthand how David's absence has screwed up his family.

* ScarSurvey: The post-coitus version with Russo. One is a bruise from one of the times Frank shot him (with a vest on) at Barrett's, the other is a genuine war wound. Dinah expects a suitably badass and somewhat exaggerated war story about an injury to his shoulder, but Russo reveals that's from when [[DarkAndTroubledPast his arm was broken by a pedophile while he was in a group home]].

* KnifeNut: Frank's attitude when he tries to scare Zach, praising the kid's selection of a Ka-Bar combat knife (telling him that in close-quarters combat a knife is a better weapon than a gun) and then showing the best way to cut someone's throat... at least until Zach tearfully tells him to GetItOverWith.

* AdultFear: Micro goes through this twice. The first when the cameras at his house go off line. The second time is when Frank gives his ToughLove approach mentioned below. Micro is so freaked that he almost reveals himself to Zach.

* BerserkButton David, drunk, pushes Frank's, calling him a psychopath.

* OffscreenVillainDarkMatter: Averted, when Russo tells Rawlins the logistical difficulties of using his own men to attack Frank again.
-->'''Billy Russo:''' If we go after him again, I can't use anybody on my payroll. I lost nine of my guys going after Henderson in those woods. I'm gonna need outsider operators and they will ''not'' be cheap.
-->'''William Rawlins:''' So everything comes down to money, doesn't it?
-->'''Billy Russo:''' Easy enough to say for a guy who never had to worry about money a day in his life.

* OhCrap: Stein's expression after finding Russo beneath the ski mask, right before Russo stabs him to death.

* BluffTheEavesdropper: Dinah and Stein finally make use of the bug in her office by saying a lie about them knowing a future location where Frank Castle will be, expecting whoever set it up will go there and thus they will trap them.

* ScarSurvey: The post-coitus version with Russo. One is actually a paintball injury, the other is a genuine war wound. Dinah expects a suitably badass and somewhat exaggerated war story about an injury to his shoulder, but Russo reveals that's from when [[DarkAndTroubledPast his arm was broken by a pedophile while he was in a group home]].

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: For the ambush on the DHS operation, Russo hires some outside operators because he doesn't want to use any more of his own men after what happened with Gunner. These four, who were contractors contracted by the State Department to protect high-risk diplomats, apparently shot the wrong people in front of the wrong people. Russo tells them, "Listen, there's not much of anything I can do about a Website/YouTube video of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisour_Square_massacre you guys opening up on a bunch of Iraqi civilians]]."

* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Frank brings flowers as an ApologyGift to have a pretext for visiting Sarah. He finds her drinking in the middle of the day with the kids out of the house, and it's not surprise the lonely widow makes a pass at this man who has been [[NotWhatItLooksLike repeatedly turning up under various excuses to offer help and sympathy]].

* BaitTheDog: The episode opens with Russo visiting his mom on a hospital bed, setting the scene as if to show EvenEvilHasLovedOnes. As it turns out however, his mother isn't sick; he's keeping her imprisoned and under drugs in an AndIMustScream situation as payback for abandoning him as a child.

* AndIMustScream: Russo keeps his mother, who abandoned him when he was a child, under medical care but strapped to her bed and constantly drugged.

** From what Russo said about his past his mother is a meth addict, so she's apparently getting treatment there. But from the expression on her face she's clearly terrified of him.

* AndIMustScream: Russo keeps his mother, who abandoned him when he was a child, under medical care but constantly drugged.

* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Frank brings flowers as an ApologyGift to have a pretext for visiting Sarah. She finds her drinking in the middle of the day with the kids out of the house; it's not surprise the lonely widow makes a pass at this man who has been [[NotWhatItLooksLike repeatedly turning up under various flimsy pretexts to offer help and sympathy]].

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: David points out the obvious solution is just to approach Madani with everything they have--he has the tape, while Frank is a living witness. Frank refuses to compromise his KillEmAll approach until he sees firsthand how David's absence has screwed up his family.

* IronicEcho: While [[BluffTheEavesdropper delivering dialogue for the bug]], Stein goes off script and marks a snarky comment about Dinah's "pretty" new boyfriend. Later Russo snarls, "Who's pretty now?" while repeatedly stabbing Stein to death.

* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Frank brings flowers as an ApologyGift to have a pretext for visiting Sarah. She finds her drinking in the middle of the day with the kids out of the house; it's not surprise the lonely widow makes a pass at this man who has been repeatedly turning up at her house to offer help and sympathy.

** Earlier Lieberman starts to freak out on discovering that Agent Orange is the Head of Covert Operations and so can marshal all the resources of the CIA against them. Frank however points out that the conspirators haven't released anything about his attempted assassin on Rawlins, implying they are having to keep it secret and therefore there's a limit to what official resources they can use.