dex14

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13 episode first season.


Please be mindful and use spoiler tags for major plot points.

Osiris3657

Can't wait, will binge.

Goldberg74

Me too.. and then I'll think about going to see Justice League.

dex14

Bump.

csant

holy shit... forget about the release date on this. I know what Im watching this weekend. =)

mrhan

I'm glad I have nothing to do this weekend. Besides this; I have to fit in JL and Longmire.

fumanstan

Early reviews for the first half seem mixed. I'm watching it anyway obviously, but sounds like it's not exactly amazing.

andicus

I received a netflix email this morning about The Punisher. I would've sworn it was a phishing email, until I hovered over the links.

dom56

Watch the first episode and damn Frank is bad ass.

Orbi-Wan Techno

I plan to knock out the first three episodes when I get home from work this afternoon, and determine whether/when I will finish the first half of the season before writing my review.

dom56

I'm on episode 4 and loving it so far.

bluetoast

Jon Bernthal was on Howard Stern about a week ago - good interview, for those interested.

dex14

Hipster

slop101

Question - this series doesn't all take place before Daredevil season 2, does it?

Lifepawn

Nope. Definitely after DD S2.

Orbi-Wan Techno

On 5, when I finish 6 i'll stop to write my In Mid-Stream review. Man, the veteran stuff not specially dealing with Frank is hitting me in the heart. I wrote hundreds of Hometown Heroes stories during the first Gulf war, so I know what these a lot of these guys went through..

d2cheer

Do you need to see The Defenders before this?

DJariya

I don’t think so. Frank Castle is not even mentioned in The Defenders.

Only connection this has and it’s very minor is Karen Page being on here. But her connection to Frank was already set up on Daredevil.

Orbi-Wan Techno

Nope, only DD S2.

Okay, calling shenanigans on the casting. The “old” veteran in the support group is supposed to be the Vietnam vet, but the actor is 3 years younger than me, which puts him in pre-kindergarten at most in 1968. Stolen valor, man. Stolen valor!

EDIT: Never mind. Curtis just 'splained it to me LOL...

Orbi-Wan Techno

From my review page, Orbi-Wan Goes To The Movies:

Light spoilers.

IN MID-STREAM - Marvel's The Punisher (TV-MA) - Especially brutal continuation of Frank Castle’s vendetta is Netflix/Marvel’s most hard-core series yet. (First 6 episodes screened)

The Punisher, AKA Frank Castle, was first introduced to Spider-Man readers in 1974. Clearly inspired by the pulp novel character Mack Bolan AKA The Executioner, Castle, like Bolan, was a one-man wrecking crew targeting the mafia, which was responsible for the death of his family. Through the magic of comic books, we saw this self-styled killing machine battle or “team-up” with various Marvel superheroes including Spidey, Daredevil and others, and even appear in his own series of titles. Various actors, including Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane, and Ray Stevenson, have portrayed The Punisher in film with various levels of success.

Marvel and Netflix introduced Castle (Jon Bernthal) into their streaming series Daredevil (Season 2) a couple of years ago, and it seemed that Frank was able to continue his mission of vengeance and get to the bottom of who killed his family. With the new series, The Punisher, Frank discovers that the true reasons for his family’s murder actually run deeper than he originally suspected, and involve members of the military and various intelligence agencies, as well.

After laying low and letting the world think he’s dead following the events of Daredevil, Castle (who is still haunted by nightmare of his family’s assassination) has assumed the persona of Pete Castiglione, a laborer who seemly works out his violent tendencies by tearing down concrete block walls with a sledge hammer. When Castle becomes a rage monster to rescue a co-worker who has fallen in with a gang of thieves who’ve run afoul of the local mob, the bloody mess he leaves alerts former NSA agent David Lieberman, AKA “Micro” (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who’s also allowed the world to assume he’s dead in order to protect his family from dark forces within the government. (He still looks out for his family via a series of hidden cameras in their house.) He’s been on the lookout for Frank and, after spending some extremely “tortuous” time together, they slowly become fast allies as they begin to ferret out, track, and eliminate those who have upended their lives.

In the meantime, we are also introduced to several other characters, including the up-and-comer Homeland Security agent (Amber Rose Revah) who’s eventually interested in what Frank knows; the rising CIA official (Paul Schulze) who was behind atrocities in Afghanistan, and a few of Frank’s old service vet friends who either landed on their feet, or not, and have their own reasons for helping Castle in his mission.

As a 23-year veteran myself (though not combat), something I really appreciate in The Punisher is the focus on veterans and how they are fitting into the story. One of Castle’s staunchest allies is Curtis (Jason R. Moore), who served with Frank and left his leg in Afghanistan. He now runs a support group for veterans, but still helps out Frank when needed. Another of Frank’s pals is Billy Russo (Ben Barnes), a successful businessman running Anvil, an organization that hires veterans. And finally, we are also following the tragic story of Lewis (Daniel Webber), who is suffers from extreme PTSD and is trying to figure out where he fits now that he is home.

As you watch The Punisher, be prepared for the astounding movie-level of blood and gristle sprayed in this show. While not constant, when the hammers, bullets, and other various weapons and tools start flying, actors, walls and the camera are covered. There are times I feel like I’m sitting in the front row of a Gallagher concert, and should be covered in either a tarp or rain slicker.

Also, I felt that there are some parts, especially that deal with some characters at Homeland Security and the CIA, that could have been trimmed a bit. It seems there’s padding going on to stretch the story to 13 episodes rather than keeping it to 10.

Marvel’s The Punisher is pretty much the story that we expect from a character borne of violence. It is neither the best nor the worst of the Netflix/Marvel collaborations, but it definitely seems intent on leaving its own bloody bruise, er, mark. I am giving it a 3 out of 5 lightsabers.

NOTES TO PARENTS - NOT FOR KIDS OR YOUNG TEENS AT ALL: Marvel’s The Punisher is rated TV-MA, and is pretty much a hard R-rated series, even more so than previous Marvel streaming programming, including Jessica Jones. In addition to the expected bloody, graphic violence, there is brief nudity and fairly graphic sexual situations that come up starting in episodes 5 and 6. The language does not rise above PG-13 level, at least in the first 6 episodes. The episode where Frank and Lieberman “become acquainted” can be very stressful.

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The Infidel

The gal playing Detective Madani is freaking GORGEOUS!

dex14

Four episodes in and so far I find this surprisingly dull.

Eric F

I'm tired of gun violence in the news and popular culture so I can't see myself watching this.

For everyone who's watched it, does it glorify gun violence or the opposite (or both)?

stingermck

I'm 3 episodes in. So far Frank has used guns, bare hands, a van, a sledgehammer, a cement mixer and all types of stuff.

Yes there are guns. Especially in the military flashbacks. And yes Frank is a violent character in a violent world. I wouldn't say it glorifying anything but there are some heavy themes.

dex14

So when the hell does he get down to punishing? All this show has been is a vet drama with some weird family drama mixed in with other boring plot lines. The character was better on Daredevil.