A nameless member of the Eye of Michael flees through the night, pursued by Wolfwood. The fleeing man frantically unloads bullets at the Punisher, who's hit in several places. But as the man sags in relief at what he assumes is the death of his pursuer, Wolfwood drinks one of his healing vials, regenerates his wounds, and coldly executes the former cultist before walking away.
Roberto decides the situation has grown too dangerous for a pair of reporters and has Meryl drop Wolfwood and Vash off so they can head home and write their article. The two men board a Sand Steamer, a huge Plant-powered vehicle that will take them to July safely. Vash, still sullen after Wolfwood killed someone against his wishes, begins to prod the "undertaker" about his reasons for accompanying him.
Unfortunately the two don't pass unnoticed: a masked, gun-wielding assassin from the Eye of Michael boards the steamer and takes his shot at Vash. Worse yet, Wolfwood realises the man is his foster brother from the orphanage, Livio, but Livio seems unable to recognise Wolfwood. The situation escalates as Wolfwood tries to defend Vash without harming his brother or the security forces that arrive to sort out the mess, and two more allies of Knives and his cult arrive to observe which way the Punisher jumps: Zazie the Beast and Legato, a powerful telekinetic who has a history with Wolfwood.
Meanwhile, Meryl tries to convince Roberto not to give up on Vash before the reporters have a run-in with the infamous Bad Lads Gang.
Tropes that appear in this episode:
- Art Shift: Wolfwood's flashbacks to the Hopeland Orphanage where he and Livio met are in a 2D, traditionally-animated style with simple shading and pastel colouring, almost like a child's storybook.
- Big Brother Instinct: With Livio being a new kid at Hopeland, Wolfwood took it upon himself to cheer Livio up and look after him. Livio started following Wolfwood around ever since. In the English dub, Wolfwood attributes his reason for following Vash to protecting him "like a cool big brother" and is arguably telling the truth, in a sense.
- Childhood Friends: Wolfwood and Livio knew each other as children at Hopeland, with Wolfwood looking out for Livio who was a newer kid. Livio has stuck to Wolfwood's side ever since.
- Cult Defector: One foot soldier from the Eye of Michael attempts to escape with Wolfwood being sent after him. After unloading a clip into Wolfwood and seemingly killing him, the defector triumphantly starts to walk away. Wolfwood then takes one of his vials, aims Punisher at the man and opens fire, just as the man looks up at Wolfwood and calls him a monster.
- A Day in the Limelight: This episode and the next (appropriately called "Wolfwood") are both mostly about the eponymous "undertaker", going into his backstory, his relationship with Livio, and the struggle he faces now as he follows Vash. He's been the Punisher long enough and gotten so much blood on his hands that being anything else seems impossible, but Vash gives him hope — hope Wolfwood believes he can't afford to have. Legato, in this appearance, intends to remind him why.
- Foreshadowing: As the Eye of Michael comes to collect Wolfwood, the other children bid Wolfwood farewell, but Livio is not among them. Much later, after the treatments have taken effect, Wolfwood finally sees Livio again: Legato reveals Livio volunteered to serve them if Wolfwood would not. This finally breaks Wolfwood of his will to resist, and he becomes the Punisher to keep Livio from enduring what he did himself.
- Guns Akimbo: Livio the Double Fang wields a gun in each hand. Each gun also has two barrels and two magazines pointing in opposite directions. When one side runs dry, Livio flips the gun over and continues firing from the other.
- Healing Factor: Wolfwood and Vash come to realize that Livio can heal himself every time he takes damage. However, Wolfwood notices Livio can heal without taking the drug.
- Hidden Supplies: Wolfwood stashed a number of his healing ampoules beneath a tile in his cell to use for an escape. He almost makes it, shrugging off gunfire and leaping to escape through the prison's window — and then he's caught mid-air by Legato.
- Made of Iron: Livio gets knocked across the ship by Vash, then shot multiple times by the ship's onboard police force, but due to a Healing Factor he manages to shake it off and continue targeting Vash.
- Mind over Matter: This version of Legato has telekinesis strong enough to seize control of objects as large as the steamer and — in the next episode — its massive cannon. He also uses it to restrain and torture Wolfwood, breaking his bones and crushing him into the floor of his cell until its tiles crack.
- Mundane Utility: Legato has powerful telekinetic abilities that allow him to sabotage the steamer's engine and crush human bones. He also uses them to steer his vehicle, which leaves his hands free to page through his holy book.
- Nightmare Sequence: As Wolfwood is experimented on, the entire sequence plays out like a bizarre drug-induced nightmare. Wolfwood hears the children of the orphanage calling to him and sees a larvae growing into a moth in strange, neon-bright colors.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Wolfwood's eyes glow red after healing from his wounds, aiming Punisher at the defector with the moon backlighting him.
- Sadistic Choice: Legato forces Wolfwood to make a choice: protect Livio or protect the Hopeland Orphanage. Whichever one he loses will leave him with (Legato assumes) greater loyalty to the Eye of Michael.
- Silent Movie: Wolfwood's flashbacks play out like this, with the dialogue showing up as title cards.
- Silent Treatment: Meryl looks to the backseat where Wolfwood and Vash have still not attempted to converse with one another since the Monev incident. She tries to break the ice with a joke, but Roberto advises her to drop it. Wolfwood and Vash get back on speaking terms once they board the Sand Steamer.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: The wistful and gentle music playing over Wolfwood's flashbacks continues as Vash desperately flees for his life, dodging Livio's bullets.
- Strapped to an Operating Table: Wolfwood, when he first goes through the treatment devised by Dr. Conrad, is strapped to the same table that Rollo was.
- Thwarted Escape: Wolfwood attempts to escape his imprisonment at the Eye of Michael, with Conrad ordering the grunts to not shoot at him. He looks like he's about to escape through a window, only for Legato to interfere, catching and crushing Wolfwood's body in mid-air like a toy.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Preteen Nicholas was already a pro smoker with improvised cigarettes made from worm legs. This illustrates his rebelliousness, as well as that the orphanage cannot/does not enforce the highest moral standards.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Both Livio and Wolfwood were once just innocent boys, with Wolfwood especially being adored by the other children at the Hopeland Orphanage and happy taking care of "crybaby" Livio. But both were abducted, mutated by the Eye of Michael, and turned into killers, with no other means to protect the things they love.
- Would Hurt a Child: Given Wolfwood is likely mentally still a teenager, Legato is merciless torturing him, twisting and crushing him telekinetically like a piece of play-dough and using Livio as blackmail for Wolfwood to stay with the Eye of Michael.
