User Reviews

First season of the Punisher was absolutely fascinating. The showrunner, Steve Lightfoot, deliberately traded fists and bullets for brains and a heart. It offered uniquely and deliberately slow paced experience that built up to explosive last four episodes, and delivered a satisfying and emotional payoff. Therefore I was worried about the second season, worried that it may lose that great consistency that first season had, but fortunately for the most part, this season succeeds.

The main issue with this season was focusing on two storylines that were not connected to each other in any way but the main character. I understood why Lightfood did this - to show Frank being bombarded by the two different fronts making him lose more and more control as it keeps going on, also further thematically showcasing his character's duality. The intention is clear, and I wouldn't say that execution is bad, but unfortunately such a risky choice creates pacing issues, no matter how well it's done. Daredevil Season 2 tried to do the same thing, and it really hurt the flow of the story. Constantly jumping back and forth between two stories can become tiresome and messy, and it shows in this season.

That's not to say that this season is bad, absolutely not. It still has a lot going for it. Frank Castle is an absolutely brilliantly written character, and Jon Bernthal gives another Emmy worthy performance in the role. The greatest thing about the both seasons is that it never leans towards turning Frank into a hero or a villain. There's a genuine ambiguity in Castle's motivation, and you can see episode by episode how it affects people close to him. Giorgia Whigham is a great addition to this season, her chemistry with Bernthal was heart of the story and there were genuinely moving moments between these two. Jason R. Moore returns in this season as Frank's closest friend, Curtis, who gets lot more to do this season. Amber Rose Revah also comes back, and her character gets a much more interesting arc than the first season.

Ben Barnes does a phenomenal job as Billy Russo, who's character is perhaps the most controversial part of this season. Instead of turning him into a true Jigsaw, instead Steve decides to give him a more empathetic look, which is honestly a very bold move, which will work for some, but not for everyone. Another villain of this season, John Pilgrim, is played amazingly by Josh Stewart, who perhaps gets a more satisfying arc than Billy. One of the main themes of this season is how these two characters are connected to Frank - all three do horrendous things, all three believe that what they are doing is right, and all three are broken people with violent pasts. I just wish that this connection lead to a three-way confrontation, which could have tied the story in a more satisfying way.

This season, just like first one, is all about broken people driven by loss and anger. It still focuses highly on exploring mental illnesses and how they affect people. Frank Castle is in the middle of all this, and his main arc focuses on him accepting that he cannot live without an action. Can people so fundamentally broken change? Is there a way for someone like Frank to gain a normal life? Perhaps not, as the ending of this season suggests.

This episode in particular is very melancholic and somber, showing how Frank's actions have affected everyone around him. Some choices here will surely piss some people off, I personally was disappointed at times, but it delivers a more or less satisfying finale for a season and probably entire show.

Overall, season 2 for me hits more than misses. It made me think, cry, scream, etc. It surely has some flaws that affect the overall quality of the show, and while I do not agree with some of the decisions made in particularly finale, it's boldness makes me respect the showrunner and writers of this show. It will be a damn shame to lose such a complex and unique series because of nonsensical bureaucracy, especially because of how much more they can explore. If it's the end, it will hit me hard to see such a potential for great third season wasted. As of now, season is good, and at times even great, but it's ambition gets in the way of consistent storytelling. Oh well, I will go on beat myself about it some more...

I can't believe I finished it. This season seemed unending. The main focus of the season should've been the conflict between Frank and Billy. On paper, I like what they did with them. But firstly, it shouldn't have been 13-episodes-long; it got very repetitive really fast. "I don't remember but I gots to kill Frank uuuuuh"; " *grunting* I'm gonna kill Billy Russo because he killed my family *grunting*. Hey, do you remember that my family's dead? Here, let me show another unnecessary flashback/memory". This is common for Netflix. They blue-ball the audience. And Jesus Christ, the relationship between Russo and the psychiatrist was so annoying and boring and cringy and UUUUUUGH! FURTHERMORE, did they really try to make us empathize with Russo? Just because you gave him a few scars which didn't justify his and everybody's reactions to them? Why didn't they go full Jigsaw on him? Because Netflix is lazy and cheap, that's why. This guy was part of the murder of Castle's family. Nuanced "bad" characters are more than welcome; this isn't. They made him look like the victim here. This was the result of his amnesia, which is the most boring and unimaginative plot device ever. Secondly, THE USELESS AND BORING SUBPLOT OF THE RELIGIOUS ZEALOT AND AMY THAT COMPLETELY DESTROYED THE PACING. What was the point of focusing so much on... what was his name? John Pilgrim (get it? 'cause he's a very religious guy)? It had nothing to do with what should've been the main conflict of the season, Billy damn Russo. Frank just basically stumbles upon this plotline and never lets it go. Amy didn't even appear in all the episodes because she had nothing to do with what was going on. I guessed she served a thematic purpose for Frank, but why add an ENTIRE SUBPLOT that ultimately has NOTHING to do with what is (supposedly) the main concern of the season? He could've easily stayed with the waitress and try to settle down with her and then BAM! Billy Russo comes back to haunt him, removing completely that boring "villain" that was Pilgrim and whatever he was on about. Repetitive, boring, lack of focus, expository dialogue blatantly saying the themes of the season that should've stayed in the subtext. What happened? Thank God it's gonna get cancelled. No more Marvel/Netflix shows. I'm honestly glad. I only cared about Daredevil and to a lesser extent Jessica Jones anyway, so, yeah, bye. One last thing, all that fake CGI was sooooo grating. The blood, the explosions, when Madani pushed the psychiatrist out the window. That was laughably bad. You have money, don't ya, Netflix?

This serie is one of the best I ever seen, and this ending was the best i ever seen!!! Anyway for me this ending tell us indirectaly that this is the end of the serie, and i think a new season doesnt have any future. Jhon berthal for me was born for this paper, the way he scream doing the comics tipically pose of the comics is simply terrifying!

All of Season 2 was disappointing compared to Season 1. The finale possibly most of all. Frank the Punisher His Own Self is effectively useless and helpless. Even the fights he wins throughout the season are more through luck than any inherent skill. There's no scene to compare to the basement firefight in S1, or the final fight with Russo in S1's finale.

Even though the Bad Guys in S2 had greater potential than those in S1, which basically only set Russo up as Jigsaw.

Instead, they erred on the side of being 'nice' or 'sensitive' or whatever...things the Punisher isn't known for. There overarching plot is based on rich religious corporate parents protecting their privileged son from the crime, apparently, of being gay. That's kind of offensive, as if in this day and age, that really matters compared to dozens of bodies piled up to hide that inconvenient truth. I mean, do people really think this way? Nobody I know does. Just seems a very bizarre and outdated pebble to start an avalanche of murder. Seriously, is Season 3 going to involve Frank protecting a Lil Woman on account of she's immodest and such-like?

Second, also offensive...all the women are so 'strong and independent' but do such stupid stuff because they're 'emotional'. In S1, Madani was a bit of an uptight B-word, but it made sense and she was a pretty great character. In S2, all that goes away...she's all traumatized and ineffective and can't apparently do anything useful. Seriously, the SAC of DHS taking random crap from a NYPD detective? Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen in the real world...or even a sensible fictional one. Madani spends the whole season waffling and wallowing; she was a good 3D character in S1, and in S2, she's...I don't even know the terms. Is she supposed to be a role model for strong independent women and girls? Is she supposed to be a hypocritical feminist caricature? Who knows? It doesn't seem like the writers knew, either.

Same with Amy/Rachel...she's the tough streetwise independent street kid? No, she's the whiney paranoid juvenile scam artist? No, she's the plucky take-charge Cool Kid Sidekick? No, she's the stacked blonde in the first scene of any slasher film, Too Dumb To Live? There's little to no consistency to her character, and that gets annoying as it continues through the entire season.

The doctor...I don't even want to get into her. Think Suicide Squad's Harley Quinn a la Margot Robbie but without the micro shorts or personality. I don't know if she was written 'straight' as a kind, overly caring doctor who has no common sense or she's another liberal caricature.

And Curtis...how he survived the entire season leaves reason begging for a scrap of sense Is he Frank's friend? Is he a selfish so-and-so only concerned with himself? Sadly, it's more like, "Crap, we have a black detective after Frank, we need to focus on Frank's black friend to even it out! But crap, we can't have a black guy be an effective hard-charger, that could be construed as us saying blacks are violent! So we have to make him sensitive...but not too much, since we don't want him to seem like we're virtue-signaling his metrosexuality...!"

Yeah, pretty much the entire season is like that. None of the characters are handled consistently or effectively...even Frank. In one episode he's a master marksman making five headshots with a handgun at 20 yards, in another he can't hit a single opponent from ten feet. Seriously, the hotel room shoot-out is a joke. The Punisher prefers to shoot blindly through walls instead of, I don't know...go into the hall? Oh, wait, he did that once, but then spent another five minutes trading an endless fusillade of shots through the wall.

Yes, watch the season, but be aware it falls far short of the first. Sure, the first started slow but it built up a consistent momentum and all the characters developed in a reasonable fashion.

The sole exceptions to this condemnation are for Ben Barnes' Billy Russo/Jigsaw...he is written well consistently throughout the season, and he makes Billy an almost sympathetic villain. Very well done.

The other exception is Josh Stewart's Pilgrim. He's kinda creepy to start and you think he's going to be your standard Christian-killer-hypocrite...but he's not. He's not a *good* guy, but he's kind of a good *bad* guy. It's understandable, and you can see parallels between him and Frank as the season continues on. Granted the final confrontation between him and Frank is lame in the extreme, but that's not the character's fault.

So, overall, I'd rate the season a strong 6, weak 7. Disappointing, but not due to any fault of the actors...they were given weak material. Choppy inconsistent writing, senseless character variations, and no clear sense of a conherent world/season plot.

As usual, your mileage may very