| “The Punisher” (2018 – Season 2) — series review |
| Caution: “some” spoilers in this review. If you intend to view the series, stop now… You’ve been warned. Also, much of this review is the same as / similar to my review of season one. |
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| This is a Marvel Comics Universe “TV” series appearing on NetFlix. The “Punisher” character was introduced in the (recently cancelled) “DareDevil” series (in season two) – and pretty much took it over – and this review is for the second season of his (the Punisher’s) series. Basically, (in season 1) the family of a military expert is killed and he takes revenge against the killers. He leaves one guy, who he promises (“threatens”) to come back for. Blah, blah, blah. Segue to season two… So, now the guy who survived season one escapes from the mental hospital and the Punisher has to finish the job. |
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| Ok, that’s pretty much what I expected from the end of season one… And, it’s almost what you get in season 2. The thing about the “Punisher” series is it is NEVER about the dozens of people he kills. It is ALWAYS about “justice” for the guys behind the violent criminals. The ones who are actually pulling the strings. (And in this series, discovery means execution.) In DareDevil, it was finding out who had his family executed. In season one, it was about who actually did the executions. Because that season ended in a non-fatal way, the antagonist could be a returning villain, but they could not be the “main” baddie. Like season one, a new string-puller has to be introduced: in this case a husband and wife team who use religion to make themselves wealthy and powerful. And, then they have a puppet (on a string)… |
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| This season, the series still stars Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher, Ben Barnes returns to the second season as Billy Russo (Frank’s wartime friend who was the bad guy in season 1), Amber Rose Revah returns as Dinah Madani (Homeland Security Officer), Corbin Bernsen and Annette O’Toole as Anderson and Eliza Schultz (the “real” bad guys for this season), Josh Stewart plays John Pilgrim (the hyper-violent “religious” puppet of the Schultz’s), Giorgia Whigham plays Amy Bendix (the “innocent” who must be protected by Castle), Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle (the Vet “do-gooder” medic), and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page (a carry over from Daredevil). |
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| The season is dark but not as dark as the first season. Literally. There just seemed to be a lot more daylight / outdoor scenes. But the killing is mostly done at night or in darker / indoors lighting. (I think it’s meant to be a metaphor, but it’s easy to make this type of show more sophisticated than it really is: always remember, it’s “just” a comic book adaptation.) The series continues to try to deal with a host of issues, “BIG” philosophical issues, from right and wrong, to innocence, vigilantism, friendship, personal loss, and a rather bizarre attitude that “justice” almost always ends with violence – particularly gun violence. While the depiction of gun violence is pretty accurate, the depiction of physical recovery remains essentially: “and then a miracle happens.” There are scars, but recovery (from blows, gun shot wounds, knife cuts and broken bones) is almost instantaneous. Like I said: comic book… |
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| Does it work and is it any good? If you like this kind of thing (same as season one: explosions, excessive violence, explosions, hand-to-hand combat, lots and lots of guns and gun fire, and did I mention explosions), and I do, then you’ll continue to enjoy this series. And, I did. The question was: is it any good and was it better than season one? Everything I said about season one remains true: “As a comic book adaptation, it is very good. As an action / adventure / who-dun-it, it’s pretty good. As a realistic portrayal of armed and unarmed combat, uh, it’s a comic book…” |
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| Final recommendation: moderate to strong. This season is rated higher than season one because they let the actors act more and kill / maim less (slightly). In typical Marvel fashion, Billy Russo “almost” becomes a sympathetic character as we are introduced to his childhood and his earlier relationship with Castle. Again, the series is definitely for mature audiences ONLY. It feels strange to say (admit) it, but I (again) enjoyed the acting and the story more than I did the violence. I particularly enjoyed the four part twist at the end of the season. This was a better season and I hope Marvel and NetFlix give “The Punisher” another season to see where Castle’s wandering takes us. |
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