Memento Mori
- Episode aired Nov 17, 2017
- TV-MA
- 55m
As the authorities close in, an exhausted but unbroken Frank vows to put an end to the war that has consumed his life.As the authorities close in, an exhausted but unbroken Frank vows to put an end to the war that has consumed his life.As the authorities close in, an exhausted but unbroken Frank vows to put an end to the war that has consumed his life.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFarah Madani and Dr. Hamid Madani are played by real life wife and husband, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Houshang Touzie, respectively.
- GoofsDinah Madani works for The Department of Homeland Security (DHS). However the badge she wears is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) badge and is clearly visible.
- Quotes
[Frank scars Russo's face and breaks his arm]
Billy Russo: Kill me.
Frank Castle: I'm not gonna let you die today.
Billy Russo: Please...
Frank Castle: Dying's easy. You're gonna learn about pain.
[smashes him into the mirror several times]
Frank Castle: You're gonna learn about loss! Every morning, I look for 'em, Bill. I look for 'em... but then I remember. It's gonna be the same for you. When you look at your ugly, mangled face. You're gonna remember what you did. You're gonna remember, Bill! YOU'RE GONNA REMEMBER ME!
- ConnectionsReferences Strangers on a Train (1951)
That 13 hours is part of the problem, as it does seem like it has longer time that it needs, or rather than it can't deliver the type of show to fill that time out. In terms of pace it is not so much 'slow' as it is very deliberate; aside from the moments of action or violence, the show plays out in a way that suggests more weight than it actually carries. I think if it had done more with character and writing then it could have made it work, but as it is a lot of what is in here seems like it is happening to fill the time rather than being a tightly focused season. The bigger issue I had though was that it is not compelling - regardless what pace it goes at, I wanted to have it pulling me back in after each episode, and this didn't happen. Instead it plays out along the lines you expect it to, apart from the rather dour tone it has - not dark or intense, just murky and muddled.
The show is still decent enough with all this though, and it does have enough about it to keep me watching, and to enjoy the high moments - but mostly it is quite ho-hum in what it does. The cast work hard, in particular Bernthal makes a strong presence in the title role; a shame then that the material doesn't give him more. Moss-Bachrach is fine in his role, but again there isn't the material there to make more of the many scenes he and Bernthal have together. Revah is good but doesn't totally convince in her character's emotions and motivations later on, when it really counts. Barnes is effective and his character is part of the reason the show improves as it gets into the final third. Schulze is reliable as ever, and Woll shows up to keep the universe all connected, even if her thread (associated with Wilson) is one of the elements that feels unnecessary.
Overall, season 1 is 'okay' but not consistently better than that. It has its moments and strengths, but too much of it is overly deliberate in the pacing which produces a sluggish feel to so much of the narrative. The plotting is not particularly compelling or snappy either; it is very easy to be steps ahead of it - which is bad when it moves slow because one watches it impatiently waiting for it to catch up. I will still come back for a second season if it picks up on the conflict which this season ended, but I will be joining it hoping that it can tighten and raise its game from here.
- bob the moo
- Feb 11, 2018
Details
- Runtime55 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD