Random Thought: The Punisher, a Quick Review

Netflix released The Punisher and admittedly, it took me a little while to finally muster up the energy to start a binge watch. I haven't quite had the energy to invest in a TV show in quite a while. nit I was glad that I did take the time to view this. I came away completely entertained and wanting another season.

Jon Beranthal returned as the conflicted Frank Castle; a man prone to massive amounts of deadly violence, but who (at least at the beginning of this season) is trying to live out his life just as a pissed off civilian with every man problems. As fate would have it, Frank Castle gets pulled back into his past for another bloody wave of vengeance. The Piunisher's backstory was not quite finished off in Daredevil Season 2, which left enough of a window to spin off this series.

The Punisher could have failed for a million reasons. It could have provided a lackluster back story and it could have failed with a lesser or contrived storyline for the season...but it didn't. It was a violent as any TV show has been, but for anyone who knows the character...it was typical Frank.

There were many moments where I thought The Punisher would fall victim to familiar TV anti-hero tropes, but it somehow avoided those, tied together a good, compelling story, and kept the viewers wondering how one man could endure so much physical and mental anguish (even for a TV show).

Regardless, I'd recommend it for any Punisher fan and any comics fan in general. Anyone coming in from the outside may be a little put off by the violence (especially the guns), but could still be entertained. Not knowing the character or anything about his origin (from either Daredevil Season 2 or the comics) may leave some confused.

I'm eager for a second season and would be completely OK if Frank and company don't run into The Defenders (either together or on their own). If this season of The Punisher proved anything to me, it's that Frank Castle is compelling enough to exist on his own with minimal need for crossovers.

Grade: 4.5/5

Pre-requisite for watching: Daredevil Season 2 (The Punisher storyline really begins in Daredevil Season 2 and is continued through The Punisher Season 1).

#ThePunisher #TV