UKMikey
Premium
- 18,153
- Grea'er Laandan
- UKMikeyA
- UKMikeyA
Maybe there's a hidden context in the show that's also anti-war?
I'm not being silly, but is anti-war parallel to taking care of war veterans?...So, I finally saw the whole thing. My thoughts:
Overall, I enjoyed it. It's definitely more palatable than either The Iron Fist or the latter half of the Defenders, that's for sure. However, there were several glaring issues which ultimately makes it a mid-tier show after everything is all said and done. At least for me, personally.
First thing first - Jon Bernthal was born to play this role. He may not be the biggest dude in the room, but the way he snarls, spits, shifts his eyes or those constant ticks of his brows - man, this guy is so bloody perfect as Frank Castle. Totally wipes away the underwhelming portrayals of the past.
The action also felt a lot more leaner, faster and brutal. I didn't spot as many... shall I say, "action set piece plot holes" in the, uh, set pieces compared to the likes of sigh The Iron Fist or the latter half of The Defenders. Which is good. What's not so good was the fact that in the show titled The Punisher, there sure wasn't a lot of punishing going on. If it was named as something else, fine, but....
My biggest problem, as is the case with every other Marvel/Netflix shows, is the fillers. Although the progression of the story of the character "Lewis" was quite riveting to witness, I thought that ultimately, it added very little to the overall narrative other than to stretch the season to a 13-episode length. Cut his story out, and I think it would not have impacted the story much at all.
But the special mention must go to the tenth episode. That one really tugged the wrong one for me. That episode drained away all the momentum built up until then. I can understand the reason why that episode was structured like that, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. The 10th was just a squandered opportunity - brought on by the need to stretch the material as much as possible.
Also, I never got on board with the Madany character, either. If all Homeland agents were like her, then the USA would be in a pile of real dog poo by now.
Finally - the lack of budget was so apparent, it got painful at times. I kept on wondering what could have been with just a teeny wee bit more here and there. What a shame, I thought both Marvel and Netflix would have learnt their lessons by now.
Overall, I can't help but wonder, if the creative juices are beginning to run a bit thin now. The qualities of the Netflix Marvel shows have been dipping steadily and The Punisher, while solid, is not going to change the downward trajectory at all, I feel.
Oh, and...
Yep. I was sooo right.
Personally, I wasn't wondering. Disney would have to pay big to break the contracts they signed with Netflix, Hulu and the other channels. Their deal with Fox would more likely affect future projects IMO.For those who are wondering if Disney would pull Marvel's Netflix shows in favor of their streaming service, wonder no more. Jessica Jones Season 2 will debut on the platform: