Couch Guy Reviews: The Punisher
The Punisher is the brand new Netflix series that came out this past weekend. It is the 6th series that belongs in Marvel’s Netflix universe. Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle from his appearance in Daredevil Season 2 and the series also stars Ben Barnes, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Amber Rose Revah, Deborah Ann Woll, Daniel Webber, and Paul Schulze. Let’s review this binge-tastic show.
So while I am the official movie guy here at Couch Guy Sports, I usually don’t review TV shows. But I love the Marvel Netflix shows and because we were all able to watch an entire season in one weekend, I’d figured that I might as well review it. I won’t give it a grade like I do with movies but I’ll tell you at the end whether I like it or not. As for the premise of this show, The Punisher takes place a year after the events of Daredevil season 2, which is the last time we saw Frank Castle.
While all of Marvel’s Netflix series have had their share of violence; The Punisher blows those shows out of the water. But what else would you expect from this series? I thought the action was fantastic and the violence worked well with a character like Frank Castle. However, if you are squeamish with blood or gruesome images, then this superhero show isn’t for you. I also loved all of the performances in this series. Jon Bernthal is absolutely perfect as Frank Castle and I just don’t think another actor could do what Jon did. Frank Castle is an extremely tough character to play because he kills people and we’re supposed to root for him. But the writing in the show is fantastic and you understand why Castle is the way he is.
This show also has very topical conversation pieces that flow throughout the show and it is fascinating to watch through all of these characters. It talks about PTS for veterans, gun control, and vigilantism. The great thing about this show is that it doesn’t pick a side on any of these issues. It presents a situation (usually involving Frank Castle) throughout the show and different characters see it from different angles and it makes you think. That made this show go from good to great for me. In conclusion, I highly recommend The Punisher for people who have Netflix and are looking for a brand new show to binge. With 13 episodes in the season, it does need to drag a bit in the middle. But that is a small complaint as it all pays off in the end.
Written By: Steven Santoro (SVS_1993)
