Season 1

I went into this show with low expectations; after the train wreck that was Iron Fist, I was prepared for the worst. By episode four or so, I could tell that this show was turning out to be far better than the others, and now that I wasted my entire weekend burning through the first season, I can say that this is arguably the best of all Marvel/Netflix shows so far, beating out the moody Season 1 of Jessica Jones. The characters are well written, the plot is focused and the conflict is realistic. Rather than burning through interesting characters to move the plot (I'm looking at you Daredevil Season 1!), it instead makes them incomplete and real. Frank Castle and "Micro" make a great team, having good chemistry and performing tasks better with the help of the other. When situations get resolved seven episodes in, it's rewarding and earned. The gimmick episode was nicely done and advanced the plot. Minor baddies introduced early in the season are quietly dispatched and they don't come back to cause trouble later in the season. Sidekicks and mentors don't turn out to be cheap moles.

An excellent effort from the Netflix team, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next up.

Jon Bernthal proves that his incredible turn as Frank Castle in Daredevil season 2 was no fluke. He brings an intensity and emotional depth to the role that is as relentless as Frank's thirst for revenge. His simmering hatred for all those responsible for the death of his family is always just below the surface and is made all the more believable by the moments when his pre-tragedy kindness flashes through- especially when we see the struggle that he goes through to keep that part of him hidden. It's a mesmerizing performance that sets him apart from almost every other performance in the MCU to date, TV or film.

With a nice balance of action, mystery, and conspiracy, the plot and pacing are great. There is very little whining and forced-conflict-for-drama's-sake nonsense, making for few stretches when you feel like the story is dragging or that a subplot is acting as filler. Even better, the supporting players all give really good performances. (Special shout out to the don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-her appearance by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as an ambitious, morally pragmatic CIA administrator, and to Ebon Moss-Bachrach for his turn as the desperate, tortured Micro.) The action is impeccably directed, and there's nary a bad shot to be found. It's as well-constructed a piece of television that you have any right to expect. The only reason why I don't rank this as my #1 season of all MCU TV is that while everything hits hard and lands true, it just doesn't have the emotional complexity of Jessica Jones' first season. For example, the subplot where they explore PTSD and the havoc that it can wreak on people and society is interesting and well-done, but it's obviously an add-on. As good as he is (and Daniel Webber is really effing good in the role), the former soldier who is the focus of that story is not the center of the series. At its core, The Punisher has always been about revenge (except for that crazy comics run where he was an angel). He's a heat-seeking missile whose only superpower is his stubborn refusal to die. It's inevitable that in order to tell a different kind of story the writers needed to insert a side character. This is not a knock, though. This show is what it is and never shies away from that, and that's a good thing.

Frank's last words in the final scene, "I'm scared," are a perfect coda to the season, giving us yet one more heart-aching surprise and cementing Netflix' status as the maker of the best MCU TV shows, redeeming itself after middling offerings Luke Cage and Iron Fist, and a not-quite-all-it-could-have-been The Defenders. In the end, the only bad thing about this season is that we can never hope for anything as bold and exciting from Disney+.

Like the rest of the Netflix MCU it mostly works.

Bernthal is quite a good fit for the role. There are some good military action scenes. The David and Frank duo works surprisingly well, and is far from the best buddy team up we're used to see.

It could have been a bit shorter though. It starts a little slow, first episodes are filled with Frank's family flashbacks, that thankfully become a little rarer down the line because you're always overdosing after the first episode.
The whole Lewis storyline also feels like a filler, it could totally have been done without it.

As for other characters, Curtis does the job, Stein is a nice comic relief and has good chemistry with Madani, Karen is not a really useful cameo. Too bad we don't get Claire, as he would be the one that needs patching the most often. Billy is good for the role he has. The Frank-Sarah flirting part is a little annoying.

Madani is an issue. Seems like an interesting character, in theory. But she's clearly used only to advance the plot, and almost every single time she actually takes action, it's very to insanely stupid. Too bad.

A real disappointment: the ending. The whole conclusion (last two episodes) are obviously an excuse for bloody fighting, but it makes zero sense from beginning to end if the bad guys had half a brain cell left. And the fact that is presented as the good guys cleverly tricking them is just insulting. I can understand the need for plot armor, but plot stupidity is always so irritating.

Beyond the story and action ? Not much.

A lot of pathos on what happens to vets, exploring the different paths. Curtis, that tries to help others with his support group. Frank, that still leads his own private wars. Billy, that makes a business out of it. And his employees, that can't do anything but keep fighting. Gunner, that goes hermit crazy. Lewis, that goes murderer crazy. And the guys that give orders like Rawlins, that just go up the chain of command.

A strong pro-gun message. Not only with the obvious gun toting main character, but you could have expected gun control to be a interesting issue to tackle here. But the pro gun control politician is a lying hypocritical coward. So not hard to see on what side of the fence the writers are on this issue.

Clearly, Netflix is targeting a more conservative audience than in its other shows. There is no doubt that military are heroes, and so is Frank. That is of course typically american. The more nuanced view would be that military are a sometimes necessary evil, and so is Frank. But yeah, none of that here.

In the same vein, the issue that was central in Daredevil is almost absent here. Is Frank taking justice in his own hands a good thing ? Is it not bad that he kills people ? Well, clearly here Frank is in the right. Even if the comparison with Lewis' terrorist acts is present in the journal and in Lewis speech, every talking character denies it immediately. Everybody eventually sides with him.

Even in the last episodes where Frank turns full psycho during the fights. This is not vigilante justice anymore. This is not even about killing or not. It's pure revenge. The fights are messy, bloody, close and personnal, borderline torture when he's finally got the upper hand. And he clearly enjoys it. This is very very far from what you could usually justify in the Punisher actions. And yet nobody even raises the question. Ever.

I guess it would have tarnished the enjoyment of the ending's gritty violence for the target audience.

I was not expecting much from this show, because of two reasons. Reason one - I was not a big fan of Jon Bernthal, seeing him on The Walking Dead. Reason two - I did not like the whole Punisher plot on Daredevil season two. I was expecting a show full of violence and ruthless brutality, with not much depth to it. To be honest - I was wrong. The Punisher on The Punisher has nothing to do with The Punisher on Daredevil, which might be because it is a show only about him. Yes, this show is brutal, bloody and sometimes it is too much, but in the end, all of it makes it plausible. You need to stick to it until the end of the season, to get all of its potential, but if you make it there, you definitely watched one of the best Netflix shows, maybe one of the best shows at all out there. I am not sure if they can manage to make the second season as good as this one, but I am willing to try it. Just because they did taught me otherwise with the first season. Can't wait for season two!