Post by Lord Death Man on Nov 20, 2017 13:27:46 GMT
Now that I've completed the series, I feel like I can give it a complete assessment - some minor spoilers follow.
When I first heard the news about a Punisher series I was almost sure that they'd create a show about a mindless killing machine who says little, feels even less and fires his gun into bad guys on demand. I thought we'd get a stylish action piece set to heavy metal music in the vein of John Wick with a less attractive and more fashion-challenged lead. It turns out that we don't even get the dog Frank took under his protection from the previous season of Daredevil and that may be a good thing.
The series refuses to give you what you want or what you expect. Instead what we get is a quieter study of a man in constant pain and turmoil. Frank is a soldier who is desperately trying to make up for the sins of his past, and he has never been rendered more humanely than in this television series.
It would have been easy for this show to go down the road of cartoon violence and an endless kill-of-the-week montage structure but, it's clear that the series creators and Marvel wanted more. The show explores veterans affairs, gun control, PTSD, terrorism and the moral morass that the US clandestine and domestic intelligence services must frequently find themselves in. It also examines the psychic toll that violence inflicts on a human being to devastating effect.
There are a few sadists in the Punisher but, it's hard to point to an out and out bad guy. Everyone in this series has a credible motivation, and no one thinks that what they're doing is wrong even if it requires questionable behavior or the sacrifice of many human lives. One of the more memorable scenes is of an ex-soldier turned terrorist locked in a refrigerator with a bomb. Even Rawlins' steel-eyed spook is more pragmatic and overly ambitions than willfully evil.
When you do get to the violence in the Punisher, it is intense and at times it is very hard to watch but, it isn't gratuitous. Bernthal is fantastic here; he builds on his portrayal of Frank from Daredevil Season 2 by minimizing his head-bobbing swagger and fist-clenched lunging - he's a lot quieter and reflective here.
Once I settled into the world of the series, it held my attention, and there were few false notes. A disposable "partner" who was designed to die and few other extraneous minor characters struck me as being the weakest links. Micro, Curtis and Billy are all great here. Lewis, for his brief time in the series, is a standout.
The show does drag, and I'm finally going to agree with the mob on the idea that fewer episodes and not more might be helpful to Marvel's TV formula. The Punisher should have been far more lean and efficient. Also, while the action the series gives you is first-rate, there is very little of it. The back half of the season does pick up the pace while delivering on a somewhat predictable heel turn.
All that said, I think the Punisher is worth watching and I think it represents Marvel/Netflix trying to stretch into new territory (and needing to address their growing pains). I give it a B- and place it at number four in my Marvel/Netflix series rankings. Jessica Jones turns out to be a more compelling look at trauma and PTSD but, the Punisher doesn't lag too far behind.
Stick around for the ending frame. It's much more satisfying and noteworthy than the obligatory cliff-hanger or clunky setup for the next season these series often close with. I'm looking forward to a second season.
tl;dr
Grade: B-,
Netflix/Marvel TV show ranking: 4/5
When I first heard the news about a Punisher series I was almost sure that they'd create a show about a mindless killing machine who says little, feels even less and fires his gun into bad guys on demand. I thought we'd get a stylish action piece set to heavy metal music in the vein of John Wick with a less attractive and more fashion-challenged lead. It turns out that we don't even get the dog Frank took under his protection from the previous season of Daredevil and that may be a good thing.
The series refuses to give you what you want or what you expect. Instead what we get is a quieter study of a man in constant pain and turmoil. Frank is a soldier who is desperately trying to make up for the sins of his past, and he has never been rendered more humanely than in this television series.
It would have been easy for this show to go down the road of cartoon violence and an endless kill-of-the-week montage structure but, it's clear that the series creators and Marvel wanted more. The show explores veterans affairs, gun control, PTSD, terrorism and the moral morass that the US clandestine and domestic intelligence services must frequently find themselves in. It also examines the psychic toll that violence inflicts on a human being to devastating effect.
There are a few sadists in the Punisher but, it's hard to point to an out and out bad guy. Everyone in this series has a credible motivation, and no one thinks that what they're doing is wrong even if it requires questionable behavior or the sacrifice of many human lives. One of the more memorable scenes is of an ex-soldier turned terrorist locked in a refrigerator with a bomb. Even Rawlins' steel-eyed spook is more pragmatic and overly ambitions than willfully evil.
When you do get to the violence in the Punisher, it is intense and at times it is very hard to watch but, it isn't gratuitous. Bernthal is fantastic here; he builds on his portrayal of Frank from Daredevil Season 2 by minimizing his head-bobbing swagger and fist-clenched lunging - he's a lot quieter and reflective here.
Once I settled into the world of the series, it held my attention, and there were few false notes. A disposable "partner" who was designed to die and few other extraneous minor characters struck me as being the weakest links. Micro, Curtis and Billy are all great here. Lewis, for his brief time in the series, is a standout.
The show does drag, and I'm finally going to agree with the mob on the idea that fewer episodes and not more might be helpful to Marvel's TV formula. The Punisher should have been far more lean and efficient. Also, while the action the series gives you is first-rate, there is very little of it. The back half of the season does pick up the pace while delivering on a somewhat predictable heel turn.
All that said, I think the Punisher is worth watching and I think it represents Marvel/Netflix trying to stretch into new territory (and needing to address their growing pains). I give it a B- and place it at number four in my Marvel/Netflix series rankings. Jessica Jones turns out to be a more compelling look at trauma and PTSD but, the Punisher doesn't lag too far behind.
Stick around for the ending frame. It's much more satisfying and noteworthy than the obligatory cliff-hanger or clunky setup for the next season these series often close with. I'm looking forward to a second season.
tl;dr
Grade: B-,
Netflix/Marvel TV show ranking: 4/5
