Memento Mori

I've never really cared much for The Punisher as he has appeared in films and shorts, although his use in season 2 of Daredevil made me look forward to this solo outing despite the very mixed reviews it received from critics and fans alike. The plot sees Frank Castle keeping his head down in a construction job until he is contacted by a mysterious hacker called Micro, who seeks his help in a shared matter. Meanwhile, at the FBI, agent Madani joins the NY office from Afghanistan, but still very much wanting to find out who killed her partner there (who had been investigating reports of marines running drugs). From these initial threads run a comparatively slow narrative across 13 hours.

That 13 hours is part of the problem, as it does seem like it has longer time that it needs, or rather than it can't deliver the type of show to fill that time out. In terms of pace it is not so much 'slow' as it is very deliberate; aside from the moments of action or violence, the show plays out in a way that suggests more weight than it actually carries. I think if it had done more with character and writing then it could have made it work, but as it is a lot of what is in here seems like it is happening to fill the time rather than being a tightly focused season. The bigger issue I had though was that it is not compelling - regardless what pace it goes at, I wanted to have it pulling me back in after each episode, and this didn't happen. Instead it plays out along the lines you expect it to, apart from the rather dour tone it has - not dark or intense, just murky and muddled.

The show is still decent enough with all this though, and it does have enough about it to keep me watching, and to enjoy the high moments - but mostly it is quite ho-hum in what it does. The cast work hard, in particular Bernthal makes a strong presence in the title role; a shame then that the material doesn't give him more. Moss-Bachrach is fine in his role, but again there isn't the material there to make more of the many scenes he and Bernthal have together. Revah is good but doesn't totally convince in her character's emotions and motivations later on, when it really counts. Barnes is effective and his character is part of the reason the show improves as it gets into the final third. Schulze is reliable as ever, and Woll shows up to keep the universe all connected, even if her thread (associated with Wilson) is one of the elements that feels unnecessary.

Overall, season 1 is 'okay' but not consistently better than that. It has its moments and strengths, but too much of it is overly deliberate in the pacing which produces a sluggish feel to so much of the narrative. The plotting is not particularly compelling or snappy either; it is very easy to be steps ahead of it - which is bad when it moves slow because one watches it impatiently waiting for it to catch up. I will still come back for a second season if it picks up on the conflict which this season ended, but I will be joining it hoping that it can tighten and raise its game from here.

Well done to Netflix et al.

After a bunch of botched job interpretations on screen in the film world, Netflix have taken The Punisher and given the whole story a welcome retelling. It worked.

Really worked! I read a bunch of The Punisher comics when I was much younger and always liked the dark take on the character, something different for a hero.

Our lead is perfect, and despite having a lower effects budget to work on, both our lead et al are given long story arcs in which to develop with great storyline.

It's violent and unapologetic for it, which is fine as that is what The Punisher is all about. In the comics he's a tortured soul and violence to execute justice is is way, whether you agree with his philosophy or not.

There was some obvious points, and some of the surprises were easily predicted before they happened, but really they could be passed over. Enjoyable and engrossing story, which really even the most stone hearted person could find something in.

Give it a try, and hopefully the second season will live up to the first. This has been my first series I've watched on Netflix, and with this good standard it won't be the last.

The long awaited Netflix/Marvel series The Punisher is finally here, and boy does it pack a punch. The last time we saw Frank Castle was at the end of Daredevil Season 2, when he was sniping ninjas from the top of the roof and coming to terms with his family's loss. The latter has stayed the same, but the former has been thrown out the window for a more gritty and realistic vibe.

The series follows Castle, played excellently yet again by Jon Bernthal, as his past grabs hold of him in the form of a tape of the murder of an innocent man that he was involved in. This affects many different characters, and more than fills the thirteen episodes that the show needs to fill.

Not all the story lines are completely relevant or interesting however, and this can sometimes drag the show down. In particular, the storyline following the Homeland Security agent got on my nerves, mostly because it wasn't very well acted by Amber Rose Revah. It's not that she's a terrible actress, it's just that the role seemed miscast, and there were multiple scenes where the character did not seem to live up to its full potential.

However, Revah's character was the only one that seemed annoying or out of place. The majority of the acting was great, especially that of Bernthal as The Punisher, Ben Barnes as Billy Russo, and Daniel Webber as Lewis, who stole every scene that he was a part of.

The reason Webber was so good was because he really embodied what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder puts someone through. The entire time I was cheering for his character, even through all of the terrible things he did. In fact, the same thing could be said about nearly every villainous character, with the obvious exception of Rawlins.

Another great aspect of this show is that it decides not to have a whole bunch of blatant tie-ins to all of the other Marvel shows and movies that are in the same universe. Yes, Karen Page makes a few appearances, but other than that the references are virtually non- existent.

The message that the show sends off is also a big positive. At times it does feel as if it's leaning towards a certain political stance, but for the most part it tells it like it is and without any bias.

I also feel like the show addresses the gun violence in the show and in the world pretty well. It neither justifies it nor completely condemns it, but presents both sides to the audience and leaves it open for the audience to figure out.

The fact that we've finally gotten a great Punisher TV show/movie after all of the mediocre to truly terrible remakes is truly refreshing. Bernthal embodies the character like nobody has before, and gives us the Frank Castle that fans have needed for years. The Punisher Season 1 is right up there with Daredevil Season 2 and Jessica Jones Season 1 for me, and, despite some out-of place story lines, is one of the better Marvel Cinematic Universe works we've seen this year.

I give The Punisher Season 1 a B+.

Very uneven writing. The previous episode earned a rare 9-stars rating from my wife and me. We both cried during the family reunion.

This episode begins with Russo just effortlessly shooting his way to freedom. Like, he doesn't even aim.

Good thing both of Dinah's parents are doctors..

I was hoping for a lot from this season climax and I got it! It's an electrifying episode, full of real power and drama, and it ends in a satisfying showdown between hero and villain. Good choreography as usual, fine acting and no skimping on the bloodshed. I'm really looking forward to season two at this point...