The Punisher (Netflix)

[Keth]

Fuck yeah.

[alive she cried]

Oh my sweet mother of holy Jesus.

 

Netflix + Punisher + Metallica =

 

[Mr. Hakujin]

* "one" punisher trailer *

[Da Cap'n 2099]

2 eps down. Picks up where DD season 2 leaves off. And I mean acting. Grittiness. Brutality. Badassness. All good stuff so far.

[The NZA]

we're on ep 10, and i gotta say...i was a bit nervous going into this one, the trailers didn't have me convinced it was a storyline that could be carried over the usual amount of eps without a lot of lag.  but even the side-story stuff so far has been enjoyable.  

 

over the years, much as id loved ennis MAX line, ive come around to baytor's take on frank being more interesting as a guy who shoots bad guys in the face in a world with the avengers & co.  here though, we get a much more fleshed out castle than we usually see, and it's really enjoayble...kinda finding the mixed reviews puzzling so far. 

[Da Cap'n 2099]

Mixed reviews? Everyone I've spoken to and every review I've seen has been crazy positive. I'm only on ep 7 and I'm already confident that it's gonna turn out to be the best of the Marvel/Netflix bunch.

[The NZA]

yeah, word of mouth has been great - it's just weird seeing a 62% on RT

[Donatella]

10 hours ago, The NZA said:

yeah, word of mouth has been great - it's just weird seeing a 62% on RT

 

I don't get it either. I'm absolutely loving this season! If the last three eps stay as good, it'll be my #2 behind Jess. RT only had fifty something critics for this season. I wonder if it'd be higher with more! 

[Mr. Hakujin]

I'm up to episode nine so far and am enjoying it quite a lot. The old school comic book guy in me (ya know, the guy who at one point bought Punisher, Punisher: War Journal, and Punisher: War Zone monthly) still gets irked when Frank does something badass and he's not in his skull logo vest. I mean, I'm not asking for white gloves and boots here or anything, just the symbol that's literally associated with the character, geez. It's kinda like seeing Batman fight without his cape.

 

I really like how they're tying everything together, even though it's kinda obvious where the plot is headed, the performances and pacing are so good that I don't mind when the predictable plot beats occurs. Not to mention the writing when it comes to character development. This show has some very well written characters.

 

Even though we should all know the deal with threads about Netflix shows and spoilers by now, there's no SPOILER tag in the thread title, so I'll go ahead and hide these comments about S1E1-9...

I really like how they're developing Jigsaw/Russo. That scene with his mom and then how he revealed just enough truth later with Medani to give his motive for treating his mom that way--brilliant writing! You may not have even see that betrayal coming if you didn't know Russo was Jigsaw's name in the comics. This is such a great villain and I love how they tied him to the new character of Agent Medani. Him bathing her at the end of that episode was just the cringiest thing ever. I cannot wait for his face to get fuuuuucked up.

And Microchip/Daniel is another character I really like how they're handling. How he handled that kiss by his wife and Frank seemed totally in line with his character. He's definitely more than just "the guy in the chair" in this series more so than what I remember of his character in the comics. 

Hopefully if Punisher gets a S2 we get Frank sporting the skull logo in every episode and Daniel being called Micro. 

Edited November 21, 2017 by Mr. Hakujin

[Keth]

I can hear Baytor grinding his teeth with how seriously y'all are taking these RT scores

[The NZA]

^theyre overestimated, sure, but aggragates get treated as a barometer in this timeline

 

good post haku, I'm telling myself the lack of skull is a) till the missions complete and b) a quiet nod to dolph lundgrens 80s flick, haha 

[Iambaytor]

With rotten tomatoes you have to take 3 things into account:

1. People unfairly hated Iron Fist

2. The Defenders sucked

3. The Punisher is a white dude killing criminals with guns, something that's got a much more sinister connotation than it did back in the heydey of Punisher MAX (there's a book that aged like milk) not least of all because the lion's share of his fan base are racist cops and the sort of neo-nazi MRA fuckhead that the people already associate with homebrew terrorism. 

 

This is all going to effect the mood people go into when watching The Punisher and it's going to effect how they review it.  Which is why you don't let a committee pick what things you might like.

[Drifter]

The Punisher needs to kill more white supremacists in general.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

^This. I'd love nothing more than to know Neo-Nazi, Alt-Right fucks are squirming when they realize Punisher is not for them.

 

Maybe season 2?

[Mr. Hakujin]

So, I just finished S1, and  while I enjoyed it, I feel like there just wasn't quite enough oomph to that finale. Also, to use a cliched but apt phrase, it was all tied up a bit too neatly. 

 

S1E10-13

 

Was it just me or weren't the rest of you expecting the final beat down of Russo to be a bit more brutal? I was expecting the nose to come off or an ear or eye at least. Billy got off too easily compared to Jigsaw in the comics.

 

Medani coming in at the end just to get her ass shot down immediately was also kind of a weak story point. Him holding her and waiting to get taken in was a nice moment though, but it didn't feel necessary. You could tell the writers were going through the motions at this point and just trying to connect the dots as to how to get Frank "pardoned." A bit mediocre, a smidge disappointing.

 

Speaking of getting shot and disappointing--Frank getting tagged so often is both one of the best and most frustrating parts of S1 overall. He gets wounded in his war but never really suffers any setbacks for it. Sure, he's an alpha, heals faster, can work through the pain and blood, but other than his scars (By the way, I like how they kept the giant scar on the side of Frank's head from Russo shooting him in the stairwell.) they don't really cause any setbacks. Sure, you can say that's part of what makes him the Punisher, but he's not Cap or Logan, he's still a man. This has got to take a more permanent toll on him. You could make the argument it's similar with Batman, but I'd counter with a.) Frank was shot and stabbed more in S1 of Punisher than Batman has been in the entirety of Batman on TV and film, and b.) Bats has full body armor. We need to get Frank a kevlar bodysuit like, right now. Start S2 off with that kevlar suit on day one.

 

But those gripes are minor ones, and overall I enjoyed the series. I wasn't as blown away by him as I was in DDS2, but it was still good TV. I also think the final scene was great. I'm glad Curtis came out alive and even if there never is a S2, that last speech by Frank/Pete could just as easily be a series finale bit of dialogue as a season finale.

 

B+ overall grade.

 

On 11/21/2017 at 3:59 PM, The NZA said:

^theyre overestimated, sure, but aggragates get treated as a barometer in this timeline

 

good post haku, I'm telling myself the lack of skull is a) till the missions complete and b) a quiet nod to dolph lundgrens 80s flick, haha 

Cheers. I still think that Dolph film is the best of the films, even if it has a maddening complete absence of the skull. Full disclosure, I have a very nostalgic view of that first film and haven't seen it in a loooong time. I re-watched the Jane/Travolta film not long after DDS2, but I couldn't get through it. So awful. (Jane redeemed himself with the "Dirty Laundry" short though.) And I've only seen the War Zone film the once in the theater.

 

Edited November 23, 2017 by Mr. Hakujin
formatting nightmare

[Newtype]

I just can't believe that the token black guy wasn't kill

[Donatella]

13 hours ago, Newtype said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I just can't believe that the token black guy wasn't kill

 

 

I said the same to NZA! As soon as he showed up we were like "Ok, super likeable mentor black man. He's definitely gonna die." Thought he was dead after Wilson stomped his face. Then we had a ray of hope, but when he showed up in the last episode I thought for sure that was it! Was so pleasantly surprised to see him alive in the end!!

 

I absolutely loved this. I was on board for all of it. Felt like an ultraviolent Dexter. Frank was the best part of DD season 2, and I was very hyped for this. Jon Bernthal killed it. He has a way of looking simultaneously terrifying but also like a wounded puppy.

 

 I didn't find any side story boring or uninteresting. The fights were awesome, music was cool, acting was great. So to update my Marvel Netflix ranking that I posted somewhere it's now...

 

Jessica > Punisher > DD season 1 > First half of DD season 2 > Defenders > Iron Fist > Second half of DD season 2 > Luke Cage

[Keth]

6 eps in. I cant stand the Department of Homeland Security storyline. There's something about the girl that is really annoying and I hate her partner. Is he supposed to be comic relief? His acting is grating on me.

 

 

Everything else is great though. I love Micro and it's always good to see Karen.

 

I always love seeing Turk too. He is a great connection between all of the shows

Edited November 27, 2017 by Axels

[Mr. Hakujin]

Medani grew on me. She does have a bit of a resting bitch face look to her and she has kind of a hushed, monotone voice. But I ended up liking how her character played out through the season.

[Donatella]

On ‎11‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 10:05 AM, Axels said:

 

  Hide contents

I always love seeing Turk too. He is a great connection between all of the shows

 

Loved seeing Turk too, but if you wanna talk about great connections...

 



 

Was half expecting to see her here!!

[Donatella]

Also, I dug Madani from the start and also appreciated the way seemingly tangential storylines came together. Nothing felt unnecessary in the season, but you can tell what stories were added to pad out 13 episodes. 

[Keth]

Just finished it. So damn good. Bernthal deserves an award. It also had the most satisfying ending of all the shows I'd say. Maybe behind Jessica Jones. Her finale was really fucking good. I can't wait for season 2 of this!

Edited November 28, 2017 by Axels

[The NZA]

[Donatella]

[The NZA]

Punisher Season 2 begins shooting, first set pics, adapting "Suicide Run" arc

The Suicide Run arc follows Frank as he barely escapes a near-death experience in a New York skyscraper and eventually finds himself in a small town in Pennsylvania (changed to Ohio in the show) called Laastekis. During his recovery from injuries sustained during the mission, he befriends Amy Bendix until he is eventually found by her father (the sheriff of the small town). What follows is a First Blood-esque showdown between the authorities and Frank.

"Suicide Run" ran through the different Punisher titles in the '90s, about Frank Castle who gets injured and recovers in a small town in Ohio, while copycat vigilantes start to pop up and take the place of the Punisher, who is presumed dead.

Finally, we have Shooter star (and Criminal Minds recurrer) Josh Stewart, who joins The Punisher Season 2 in possibly the biggest of these new roles. He'll play John Pilgrim, whose name couldn't sound more American if it tried. John's past saw him turn to a life of violence, which he'd left behind years ago. But his calm exterior is but a shell for the ruthless persona within, and he eventually finds his old life returning once he crosses paths with Frank Castle. Sounds slightly villainous, but in the same way that just about everyone in The Punisher pulls double duty working for both the "good guys" and the "bad guys."

 

Floriana Lima, who has been on recent shows such as The Family and Lethal Weapon, is best known to superhero TV fans as Supergirl's science-leaning detective Maggie Sawyer, and she'll be joining The Punisher as another hero-adjacent character. Lima will star as Krista Dumont, who is full of intelligence, compassion and determination in her career as a psychotherapist for military veterans. It's pretty awesome that The Punisher will continue to spotlight and develop its PTSD-centered themes, though we'll have to assume that Krista's job will take a few left turns and downward spirals as she works with the show's soldiers. (Too bad Season 1's Lewis didn't get some time with her.)

Giorgia Whigham, who had notable roles recently in 13 Reasons Why and The Orville, will be playing a character named Amy Bendix, who's described as "a street-smart grifter with a mysterious past." It's hard to infer too much from that, but you can bet there are already assumptions about how the comics tie into it all.

 

Quote

 

The latest theory comes from the casting descriptions of four new characters, as well as the report of Georgia Wigham playing Amy Bendix, who appeared in the "Suicide Run" comic storyline.

• 
  Sheriff Bonnen - an authoritative male in his early 40s.
• Deputy Willis - a female, 33-37, who is a good cop but looks out for #1 above all else.
• Deputy Creamer - a 25-28 year old male who is described as optimistic and professional.
• Bob - a male in his early 50s who works at the desk at the sheriff office.

"Bonnen" could be a replacement for "Bendix" because in the comic storyline, Amy was the daughter of a sheriff who took Frank Castle in after he was injured and presumed dead in a collapsed building. While she helped nurse him back to health, her father grew suspicious and ends up alerting the FBI.