The Punisher S01E03 "Kandahar" Recap

Frank has Lieberman naked and tied to a chair to be interrogated. A strange noise sounds and Lieberman reveals that the place is rigged and there's only three minutes until the place explodes unless Lieberman enters a code and retinal scan to disarm the security measure. Frank warns him not to try anything or else he will kill him. Frank undoes one of his wrist ties and permits him to enter the code and retinal scan before re-binding his wrist. Frank didn't find any bombs when he secured the perimeter of the place but Lieberman is insistent that the threat is real. Lieberman shares how he was an NSA analyst that was sent some footage of the interrogation and murder that Madani has been investigating. He was the one that originally sent her the footage that ignited her desire to uncover the truth. Then not long afterwards, Lieberman was out with his family and spotted some armed men coming after him so he got out of the car and fled on foot until he was cornered on the ledge over the river, shot, and fell in all while his wife saw the entire encounter after following him. The cell phone he had in his pocket was what saved his life since it was over his heart and kept the bullet from killing him.

Madani is stressed by a jurisdictional dispute with the NYPD and FBI while also wracked with guilt over Wolf's death.

Frank has flashbacks to his time as a soldier in Afghanistan serving alongside Billy. They were members of a covert assassination squad led by an "Agent Orange" who are all tasked with executing Zubair before he can reveal their existence to outsiders. Frank was the one to pull the trigger but it was at the order of the man in charge that lied when translating what Zubair was saying.

In the present, Billy and Curtis drink at Frank's grave, remembering the days of them serving together. Billy asks Curtis why Frank didn't come to them for help and Curtis responds that Frank didn't want to bring them into things but merely wanted to enact his revenge himself. Frank is still interrogating Lieberman, who eventually knocks Frank out during one of the instances of him typing the code in since his pen was revealed to have a secret tranquilizer hidden within it. Frank is knocked out while Lieberman is able to free himself.

Lewis Wilson, one of the veterans in Curtis' support group, has nightmares from his time serving and nearly shoots his dad when he jolts awake. Wilson's father embraces him and assures him everything is going to be okay.

Madani's new partner Sam Stein tells her about some intel that shows that Wolf had $30 million hidden in offshore accounts. This is the breakthrough Madani needs to be able to trust him.

In another flashback to Afghanistan, the squad is ordered to raid a compound based off some of Organe's intel but the mission goes horribly wrong and many of their members are lost. Frank is enraged by Orange's flippant attitude towards the men and their lives so Frank loses his temper and attacks him, resulting in him being blinded in his left eye. Billy pulls Frank aside and says that he is requesting a transfer back and Frank needs to decide what he wants to do.

Lieberman was framed as a traitor to the public by Wolf and the others involved in covering up this operation. He and Frank discuss the matter when he wakes up and determine they must work together to take down the people that destroyed their lives.

The Punisher is available for streaming on Netflix.