The Punisher (TV Series 2017—) Season 1 Review

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

punisherposterTitle: The Punisher
Universe: Marvel’s Cinematic Univers
Genre: Action, Conspiracy thriller, Crime drama
Creator: Steve Lightfoot
Release Date: November 17th 2017
Stars: Jon Bernthal, Amber Rose Revah, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ben Barnes and plenty more!
Summary: After the murder of his family, Marine veteran Frank Castle became a vigilante known as “The Punisher” with only one goal in mind, to avenge them.

Following his phenomenal debut in season 2 of Daredevil, Frank Castle gets his own spin-off series in The Punisher. Mysterious yet brutal in his ways, the slightly troubled antihero elevates the violence within the Netflix superhero universe while demanding viewers to reflect on violence and its many forms.

thestory

The story takes place after the events that occur in season 2 of Daredevil and explores the origin story of Frank Castle. The murder of his family being the main trigger to his behaviour, season 1 of The Punisher offers us a look at Frank Castle’s pursuit of vengeance and tranquility. Although this lone wolf seeks isolation and routine, the past finds ways to catch up to him and  drag him into a conspiracy that is bound to unveil secrets that some people are not ready to find out.

All the way captivating, these 13 episodes develops progressively and brings to the table as many twists and turns that one could expect. The direction of all the sub-plots of however often quite predictable and can easily be underwhelming for viewers who are looking to be shocked. That’s where the action scenes come kicking in and serve as cathartic releases to your own deepest rage. Even with a certain level of predictability, the show succeeds in being highly entertaining and well-paced.

thecharacters

Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle is by far the best portrayal of the Punisher we’ve ever known. The movies we’ve got with this character have been so far greatly disappointing, even with known actors playing the role of this vicious vigilante. With season 1, fans are given an in-depth look at a character who’s fiery rage can easily swallow him whole if no one’s there to stop him. His desire to rid the world of those who swim in vice pushes him to do the one thing that no one else wants to do: kill.

Alongside Frank Castle is the introduction of Dinah Madani, played by Amber Rose Revah, a Homeland Security secret agent who seeks to find the truth no matter the cost. Her story is intertwined with the Punisher and offers a glimpse of the other side of the conspiracy that takes place throughout the whole season. 

thepunisherquote

A key character who is also introduced in this series is Micro. His background is crucial and extremely relevant to the story. Played by Ebon Moss Bachrach, the tragedy that strikes him and his core motivation help bring a lot of pieces together. His angle on the issue also propels us to examine his dilemma in perspective to what Frank Castle has been through. Nothing screams depth to a TV show when every character’s development aids in understanding a vigilante who approves the use of lethal methods against criminals.

theaction

There’s no point in hiding it, but one of my main reasons for being excited for this spin-off series is the violence. After Daredevil completely blew me away with its action sequences filled with astonishing martial arts and beautiful cinematography, I just couldn’t stop dreaming at all the possibilities that the show-runners had to showcase the pure brutality that the Punisher could unleash on his enemies.

With a Marine corps background, Frank Castle’s expert use of hand-to-hand combat, alongside his graceful and savage use of guns and blades only built an immense appetite in me for all the action scenes the show could offer. Let’s just say that I was greatly satisfied from start to finish. Even if there’s an underlying theme showing the irrelevancy of violence, you just can’t do The Punisher without honestly punishing people the old way. An eye for an eye.

thethemes

The show-runners did fear criticism and hate for its untimely arrival on Netflix with its unrestrained representation of gun violence. Within the story there are countless underlying themes that are tackled and well-done. From war veterans and their post-war treatment in the United States to the mere use of violence (physical or with weapons), the show does a great job in laying out the table with everything we should consider when discussing these subjects. The show doesn’t only make us ponder on the use of violence, but also looks into the act of going to war against others and against ourselves.

It is important to remember that The Punisher is a fictional character who was created in 1974 and who’s very life is filled with violence. He is not a vessel to promote violent behaviours. He is simply an antihero for fans to learn about and enjoy. Through him, everyone should be able to understand that violence in real life is the last refuge of the incompetent; who would’ve thought I’d quote Asimov. Let’s all make good use of our rationality and morality, and not venture in his lifestyle.

The show was a highly entertaining and in-depth look at the Punisher and delivers exactly what fans need from this war machine.

While the show doesn’t exactly follow a particular comic book, you could definitely check out Essential Punisher Vol. 1 by Gerry Conway or The Punisher MAX Vol. 1 by Garth Ennis !

MY OVERALL RATING: ★★★★☆

Have you read the comics? Have you started the show yet? What do you think about The Punisher (TV Series 2017—)?

Share your thoughts with me!

Till next time,

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Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

61 thoughts on “The Punisher (TV Series 2017—) Season 1 Review”

  3. I have really been looking forward to seeing this one ever since I saw the first trailer for it. Bernthal’s performance was already very impressive in Daredevil. I’m currently in the middle of Iron Fist, and after that one I’m going to check out the Defenders. Next up is the Punisher. I really enjoyed reading your review. It was well written and I also really liked the layout in this post. Glad you liked the series so much 😀

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    1. His performance in Daredevil went beyond my already high expectations too! So glad that the spin-off worked out pretty well. Hope you enjoy Iron Fist and Defenders more than most people did! 🤣 Thank you for the kind comments, sir. The layout was definitely new for me too; exploring different ways to present things and taking inspiration on my coblogger! Your feedback is greatly appreciated! 😁

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      1. You are very welcome, and you simply deserve it as your blog is really cool 😀Well, I have heard quite a bit of negative words about Iron Fist, but honestly I love that series. I think it is quite amazing to say the least. Also looking forward to the Defenders 😀

        Liked by 1 person

  5. You review has succeeded in reminding me how woefully behind I am on Marvel’s TV series. 🙂 I really need to catch up so I can finally get around to The Defenders, which I’ve heard great things about, and The Punisher as well.
    I’m glad to see you’re enjoying this series Lashaan, it sounds amazing based on your review, better than Iron Fist anyways which I’ve only ever seen mixed reviews for. 😀
    One day I’ll be up to date on these TV spin-offs, hopefully I’ll enjoy this one as much as you did. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Hahahah Beth! At this rate, you’re going to have a bunch of catching up to do!! These superhero shows are definitely not slowing down! 😂 And yes, Iron Fist was definitely the weakest show of them all. They could’ve done so much better. But I still had fun watching it so I hope you do too! 🤣 Thanks for reading!!

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  7. Lashaan!! First off Trang told me you have been doing your graphics and I have to say that is SOOO GREAT!! I’ve been loving your quotes and how refined they are in design… I enjoyed this review, actually I’m super impressed that the show runners have been considering ALL angles of violence in this show. Normally TV is rather pointedly skewed one way, lol. Fascinating that the violence is what you were drawn to! In a way I’m totally intrigued though I know there is no way I’d be able to watch this unless I go off on my own somewhere, lol. I have tried Stranger Things today! WOW was I impressed and totally hooked! Poor little 11… and I think its so stupid they shot that guy… they’d have her if they hadn’t done that… 😉

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    1. Waaahh! Thank you so much Dani! I was a complete noob when we started the blog and Trang was the one who’d do everything graphix wise. For around a year or so I started to do my own graphix for my posts and learn from what she had produced so far. It has been a fun learning curve so far!!! I rarely get any feedback on anything I create though, so… you have no clue how happy I am to hear that it isn’t so bad!!! 😉 Yep, they really nailed the themes with this show. It was well-integrated and a very wise decision by the showrunners! Well well well… I guess you better go all hermit mode soon if you don’t want to be behind on all the good TV stuff!!! 🤣 YAAAY glad to hear you’re hookeeed!!! I love that gang of kids. Genuine chemistry between them!!

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  8. I SO agree that Jon is the best Punisher yet. I fell in love with his portrayal of the character in Daredevil and wasn’t disappointed with what he did in The Punisher show either. This was such a great review, Lashaan and I agree with everything you said. I really enjoyed the characters they’ve brought into the fold, although I would be lying if I didn’t mention that I was most happy to see Karen in there. To think they didn’t originally plan for her to be in the show and to see the result of her impact now just makes me all giddy. I am sorry … I always need people to ship.
    I hope there will be more seasons of the Punisher, especially with the real prospect of Jigsaw now!

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    1. I knoooooow, right? I was mind-blown by his performance in Daredevil. He perfectly portrayed him! I’m super glad that he got his own spinoff and nailed it. Thank you so much for your kind word, Kat!!! ☺️☺️ Karen was such a must after the bonding they had in Daredevil! I wasn’t a huge fan of her in Defenders though. She seemed like a character was forced into the story.. 😂 YASS!! Punisher vs. Jigsaw is one rivalry that I can’t wait for!!! Thank you for reading, Kat!!! I appreciate it. 😁

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      1. I hear you on Karen in the Defenders. While I generally liked what they did with that show, I felt like they wanted TOO much. Visually they were so smart sometimes. The color-break-up was brilliant for each of the Defenders, but it took FOREVER until they met and worked together and then the season was only 8 episodes instead of 13 like the other shows. I just felt like they didn’t take as much as time with it as they usually did. Her whole back and forth with Matt just didn’t fit in either after the whole Frank thing. I suspect she will be in the next Daredevil season still, though.
        YAY!! So glad you are psyched for that rivalry. When he dragged his face across the mirror, I cringed SO hard, but at the same time I knew it would make him an even better villain in the future.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Too much in too little time, I say! Yes, totally, visually it was clever. Nonetheless it sure was fun, I especially though Colleen and Mr. Iron Fist were ruining the overall experience in The Defenders too…
        I knowww, nasty! But now.. the wait is going to be long… We’re going to have go through a couple of seasons which could either turn out real good or bad before getting Daredevil S3 and Punisher S2!!!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I knooooow. I like Jessica Jones, so I am looking forward to S2 of that but I am not majorly psyched about Luke Cage. I just want to fast forward to DD S3 and Punisher S2. There hasn’t been official news on its renewal though, right?

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Yep… I’m definitely not too psyched for either Luke Cage or Iron Fist too. Jessica Jones had always been a strong show to me (even if some people managed to find ways to hate on it). Nop, no news yet… And with the whole critics shenanigans bashing on The Punisher (I have no clue how that’s even posible… but ever since they’ve been hating on my amazing DC movies, I don’t trust their ratings for superhero movies), we might not hear from Punisher S2 for a while.. I hope we do though. Too good to drop that! There is however the other issue with Disney wanting their own streaming service and possibly taking all the Marvel Netflix shows to their service in the future…

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Dolph Lundgren eat your heart out.

    Frank Castle speaking to DareDevil in DD Season 2:
    “I’m a soldier, Red. Soldiers don’t wear masks.”

    Miss Plumtartt and I are normally quite squeamish, but we can totally take the violence in these Netflix series. The producers of these shows have redeemed themselves. ‘Iron Fist’ & ‘Defenders’ were terrible. ‘DareDevil’ seasons 1 & 2 set too high of a bar. Jessica Jones and Luke Cage barely made it to the level that DD set. ‘Iron Fist’ & ‘Defenders’ fell short, but ‘Punisher’ returned the quality of writing and production value to where it needed to be.

    The show does tackle many difficult, topical subjects, and does a great job of showing different sides of the political landscape.

    Happy Thanksgiving, Lashaan!
    Your pal,
    ~Icky. 🙂

    P.S. If you are interested, here is a link to an article on some of my recent activities…
    http://ichabodtemperance.com/wp/?p=320

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Lundgren 😂 Should go back to getting his arse handed to him by Rocky or retiring as an Expendable!! Oh yes, dude has some of the best lines and most memorable ones too from Daredevil season 2!!

      Okay, okay. If I was brutally honest too, I’m 200% with you on that. Iron Fist was the weakest of the bunch. Defenders’ short airtime worked against it and just couldn’t deliver anything as exceptional as Daredevil too. Jessica Jones would come 2nd, while Luke Cage would come 3rd. Even Luke Cage almost failed on me when they decided to kill that one villain who was WAY more interesting than… Diamondpoop. I’m definitely glad that the Punisher gets to swim among the greats now!! A wonderful show, it is!!!

      Yooooo, thanks for the link. I remember there was a time I just couldn’t find your blog and thought you were just a casual visitor who enjoyed to blog hop around, then I did find your blog but saw that there wasn’t any new content in a very long time!!! I’ll definitely pass by as soon as time permits me, sir! Happy Black Friday, Icky!!! 😁

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  10. Awesome review my friend, unfortunately due to a packed schedule I’ve only watched the first two episodes but I’m loving it so far. I expected a lot for this series after Bernthal’s strong debut in DD season 2 and so far so good.

    What I really like is that amongst the top action, there’s depth to the story and characterisation…this is a man on the edge who has lost all that he loves and has no other way to deal with his constant pain. You nail these points so perfectly Lashaan!

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    1. No worries man, life can be quite a b**ch when we just want to kick back and relax! 😁 Got to admit the show started off pretty strong too. That hammer scene, man!! Ouuuf, I’m glad I never crossed paths with an angry Frank Castle! Hope you like the direction the show takes and how it ends man!!

      P.s. What keeps you so busy nowadays? What do ya do for a living? 😱 If you don’t mind me asking, of course.

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      1. I work in the civil service, the hours aren’t crazy and I get weekends off but it still seems to leave little time when there’s so much great stuff to watch and read…I just never seem to be able to catch up haha!

        Yeah I’m looking forward to getting further into the Punisher!

        Liked by 1 person

  11. I loved watching this series!! I also love how they set it up for a follow-up season if things go well. Fingers crossed that we’ll get to see the battles between Frank and Jigsaw.
    -Ashley

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  12. I *loved* the debut of this character in season 2 of Daredevil- so I’m really keen to check this out (but I’m also ridiculously behind on all things tv related, so I wouldn’t hold your breath about me getting to this 😉 ) Still, this does sound cool- it’s just a shame there’s an element of predictability with the subplots :/ (which I feel is increasingly the curse of some superhero movies/shows) I’m so so glad that this was satisfying with fight scenes- especially since I agree that you kinda have to have this the old fashioned way and it can’t be too tame. And I’m glad it deals with tough themes, because that’s what made Jessica Jones and Daredevil so awesome in my opinion- they weren’t afraid to take risks and have some depth. I also think that in art, it’s not encouraging his behaviour, but exploring it- it’s an exaggerated example of behaviour (and anti-heroes are not to be idolised anyway) The Asimov quote is perfect. Sorry, got a bit caught up on that 😉 Anyway great review- really loved reading your thoughts on this!!

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    1. Same here! He had quite the impression on me with his debut in Season 2 of Daredevil!! Hahaah that’s all right! The good thing is that you can watch The Punisher after Season 2 of Daredevil! 😀 If you don’t feel like going through all the other show in the order they were released or something of course. 🤣And yes! It does get predictable, and these Netflix Marvel shows are starting to show a common formula (I think it might be an attempt to try and get the same awesomeness that Daredevil succeeded in doing; although what Daredevil did was unique and new, and that’s why it worked!). Would’ve been pretty sad if they had failed the action scenes too! I was quite satisfied by the violence (as wrong as that may be!). 😀 Brilliantly said! How else can we “try and understand” if we don’t see it in all its “glory”! 😛 No worries!!! I always enjoy people getting caught up. 😉 Thank you so much for reaaaaading!!!!

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      1. Absolutely agree!! hehe yeah I think I might do that 😉 Otherwise I might be a while (actually, like I said, I might still be a while 🤣 ) Yeah I find that a lot with these- I think that’s exactly what it is! Yes for sure!! Totally get that 😉 You’re so welcome!!! Really enjoyed it 😀

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  13. Where there’s Marvel, there’s Lashaan! hahahaha, that’s the first thought that popped into my head opening this review! XD

    But really, I have been wondering whether I should try this TV series out… You definitely tempt me with your review, that is for sure! I’ll try out Frontier first (after finishing The Shannara Chronicles last night) and then give this Punisher thing a go 😉

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    1. Hahahaha funny thing is, I’m a DC Comics guy 😂 Guess my love for these Marvel Netflix shows can lead to think that though hahahah I have thought of giving Frontier a shot too! You got to let me know if it’s worth checking out 😂 Ouuuh, have you read the books for thr Shannara Chronicles? 😱 And yes! You have to try The Punisher out. You have to AT LEAST watch Daredevil season 1 and 2, and then the Punisher!!!! 😂

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      1. Ooops! 😀

        I will try Frontier this evening some time and will let you know… I hope it’s going to be sooo good 🙂 I have been disappointed by a number of Netflix Originals though.. movies especially.. gosh, one labelled action movie avtually put me to sleep, that’s how boring it was!

        I have not read the Shannara books.. I checked them out on Goodreads and saw how many books there are and I just thought-= nope, I cannot do this kind of commitment atm 😀

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      2. Oh my God, did you watch Spectral? Hahahah it’s one of their Netflix Originals that I watched and thought it wasn’t that exceptional. It had pretty CGI effects and the movie played out like a video game too.

        Hahahahah I saw the number of books too and wish I had some kind of superpower that could increase my reading speed….

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      3. I think the one I watched was called Wheelman… and boy, all that ever happens is a lad driving a car and yelling down the handsfree kit… ugh… then again, I didn’t finish the film, myself and hubby both fell asleep watching it! who knows, maybe it got crazy good in the end but… I’ll never know 😀
        Spectral? Hmm… I’ll keep it in mind to avoid 😀

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    1. Oh no! These Netflix superhero shows are quite entertaining though. I do hope you’ll get the chance to try them out some day. You might want to go through seasons 1 and 2 of Daredevil before jumping into this spin-off series on the Punisher if you ever want to try it out! You’ll get more out of the experience that way. 😀 Thank you for reading, Stephanie!!

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  15. Great review – agree with all of the points you mentioned.
    “Even if there’s an underlying theme showing the irrelevancy of violence, you just can’t do The Punisher without honestly punishing people the old way.” YES!
    People are complaining a lot about the violence but they need to understand this is what the comic book was about! Honestly, watching The Punisher was such a relief after going through the disaster that was The Defenders.

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    1. Thank you so, so much! 😉 That’s exactly it. Anyone who finds it unnecessary or untimely simply don’t understand or respect the character! You’re right hahahah After The Defenders, The Punisher really brought back the amazing quality of these Netflix Marvel shows. Hopefully they can maintain this for the upcoming shows too..

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  16. Pingback: The Fall Activities Book Tag – Sophie's Corner

  17. Hi Lashaan!
    These are amazing graphics (I heard that you made them! Great job!)
    Glad to hear that you liked this series! Great review! I really don’t know much about Marvel comics or TV series at all (I am kind of a grandma in that I… don’t really watch TV haha :’) ) however, it is something that maybe I should start paying attention to.

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    1. Hey there, Sophie! Awww man, thank you so much for the kind words. It really is rare that I ever get any mention on that regards (I don’t put a lot of them within a post too though), but whenever I get these rare comments about them, I greatly, GREATLY, appreciate it!!! Thank you for reading! 😉 You’re not even a movie gal too? 😮 Well, at least now you know about one show you could check out (as well as Daredevil Seasons 1 and 2) if you ever end up having a craving for TV shows. 😀 Thank you for reading!!

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      1. Haha you are welcome! When I saw the graphics they struck me as awesome right away 🙂
        I watch movies as a social activity haha, so I have seen most of the superhero movies. I don’t have time to watch TV shows, but I will keep this one and Daredevil in mind (maybe next time when I have a staycation haha 🙂 )

        Liked by 1 person

  18. I am so far behind on the Marvel shows it’s rediculous. Only up to the first episode of Daredevil Season 2. That said, from what I’ve heard, Iron Fist is very skippable. Now that I’ve finally seen the entirety of The Clone Wars, I can hopefully start catching up on Marvel’s Netflix shows soon.

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  21. Okay, so the Punisher I am actually a fan of. I used to read the comics with a boyfriend when I was younger. But by no means am I starting this series with the nonhubs right now. He will just end up going back out of town and it will be the same story it always is … “On Hold” hahaha.. so stop telling me about the good shows 😛

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    1. Ah ha! Now that is definitely good to hear. I’m going to assume you’ve seen the… rather horrible… movies then! This spin-off series will put them all to shame and give you a great time! You’ll have to go through Daredevil seasons 1 and 2 though; if you haven’t already. 😉 Then again, Daredevil is the best of these Marvel TV shows on Netflix, so it won’t be a burden to binge through them!! 😀 Hope you do get the chance to watch it. And yes. Yes. Let the nonhubs suffer from his inability to be around for the great things in life!!!! 😛

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  22. Pingback: Monthly Wrap-Up | November 2017 – Bookidote | Book Reviews

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