TV Review - The Punisher - Season 2

After a successful debut season more than a year ago, Netflix released the second instalment of The Punisher on 18^thJanuary 2019.

Almost a week since its release, fans and critics alike have had divided opinions on the success of the season.

The series begins with Frank Castle trying to get away from the life he had in New York as a traveller moving from town to town.

Despite starting afresh as Pete Castiglione, troubling circumstances in Ohio leads him back to his previous occupation as The Punisher.

The show features two main storylines that come as a catalyst of conflict to the antihero.

Familiar faces return to the small screen as Dinah Madani, Billy Russo, Curtis Hoyle, Karen Page and Brett Mahoney all make a comeback.

Billy Russo makes the transformation into the fragmented Jigsawas he becomes one of the antagonists alongside a new face, John Pilgrim.

Both antagonists are the key figures in the two storylines this season. On one hand, Jigsaw is looking for vengeance due to the plight he’s in while Pilgrim is contracted with a task.

Ben Barne’s take on Jigsaw is strong but many, including myself, felt that he could’ve looked a bit more intimidating physically.

After the beating he took last season from Frank, there should’ve been more lacerations on his face to emphasise his suffering.

The main themes of this season centre around morality, psychology and religion. Though the plight of war veterans is still at the core of the series, we see the three themes mentioned above throughout the season.

Morality and psychological trauma are discussed for both Frank and Billy while religion seems to be the backbone to Pilgrim’s actions.

Season two seems to be slow paced in the beginning but picks up fast in the latter stages.

As always, the action scenes in The Punisher are well choreographed and extremely brutal. One slight annoyance I have is the excessive use of CGI for blood splatter; it stands out and looks pretty bad.

Overall the season was good but many have complained about the ending being underwhelming. I believe it suited the character of Frank Castle and was a just conclusion to both storylines.

With the cancellation of previous Netflix Marvel hits like Daredevil, many are worried that The Punisher will be next on the list.

The blame has been put on Marvel’s parent company, Disney. However, many speculate that the shows will make a comeback on their own streaming service Disney+.

Actor Jon Bernthal told the press that he’d be “at peace” if the show gets cancelled. Despite this, fans are already waiting for a third season to be announced.

Rating – 7/10

Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash