The Punisher Season 2
I am going to begin this article with the elephant in the room. Something we all knew was coming, but didn’t make the news any easier.
February 18, 2019
Netflix cancelled The Punisher one month after the debut of its second season.
Reaction
Most of the reactions were the same, outrage and sadness.
U.S. soldiers spoke out about how the show went the extra mile to depict a returning soldiers journey home with accuracy and respect.
Many famous people, including Eminem shared their anger and frustration at the show being cancelled as well.
Continuing to fight
A lot of people have said it’s time to give up, but I won’t and neither will a lot of people.
With the numerous petitions and the fact Marvel seems interested in continuing the franchise, I won’t give up hope.
Now that we have gotten that out of the way, on to my overall thoughts on…
The Punisher: Season 2
I’m going to break it down into two distinct categories, characters and storyline.
Characters
Let’s look at the positive side of the characters:
Frank Castle
They stepped up the game this season. I enjoyed seeing Frank going out and trying to find a life of his own.
The fact he tried to take a step to finding love again with Beth In the first few episodes was great to see and sad to lose.
I myself wasn’t a huge fan of Beth but, seeing Frank happy was really nice.
Amy
I think the writers did everyone a huge favor with Amy and how and who she developed into. I was not a fan of hers at the beginning as all I saw was another whiny teenager with a bad past looking for a sugar daddy to help them out.
Then that all changed.
Amy grew into a adoptive daughter for Frank. We learn that Lisa would’ve been fifteen at the time the show was taking place and Amy was sixteen.
The bond between the two of them grew and by the end he was a father having to let his baby go, again. He left before Amy or us could really see the tears flow.
Curtis and Dinah come into their own
Both Curtis and Dinah found their voices this season.
Curtis
showed he could make his own decisions by taking the abducted senator back to the police. He also proved he would stay by Frank’s side if needed.
Dinah
also evolved this season. We saw her at her lowest last season when Sam was killed and this season we saw her take the reigns.
Her need to see Billy face justice and her willingness to do anything to get that was amazing and fantastic to watch.
Also her chemistry with Frank was out the door this season. The way they played off each other and the fact that she was so quick to offer him a job at the end showed she cared deeply for him.
I think he cared deeply for her as well. The way he said “take care” at the end of their phone call was authentic and truly caring. We need another season so we can see this explored.
Billy became Jigsaw
We saw Billy become Jigsaw like in the comics but with a twist. Instead of physically being broken, it was internal making it even more intriguing.
We learned Billy was sexually abused as a child and always felt alone. He became more human this season even as he became more of a monster.
The relationship between him and Krista was scary as well as beautiful. I was rooting for them until they both attacked Frank the way they did.
And then there was our bad-guy,
John Pilgrim
As bad guys go I enjoyed him and the fact that we learn it was Anderson and Eliza Shultz pulling all the strings.
He was a lot like Frank, in the way he thought he was doing what was right for his wife and kids.
I would’ve loved him forever if he had given Frank back Maria’s ring.
Negatives with the characters
I have two major issues with the characters this season.
One:
They didn’t let us know what happened with David Lieberman aka Micro and his family. They played such a huge part in season one I felt it was a disgrace they didn’t give him more thought.
Two:
The fact Frank didn’t seem to care that he lost Maria’s ring in the bar fight.
Maria and the kids were his whole reason for putting on the vest and the fact he didn’t even try to get it back was really upsetting.
The Story
It’s been one year since Frank put Billy’s head through the glass on the carousel where his wife and kids were killed.
Positive:
It was a very strong story. We got to see multiple sides of all the characters.
And so it rained blood
They also gave us a lot more bloody scenes. The first season was more violent in terms of action but this season got the blood flowing.
While there were many powerful scenes this season, from Billy trying to connect with other broken soldiers, to soldiers losing their homes and being on the streets to Frank showing his fatherly side, there was one that will forever stick with me.
Breaking The Punisher
The scene where Billy and his gang use lights and tricks to get the jump on Frank and then to add insult to injury, Billy makes it look like Frank killed three innocent women, which goes directly against his code and literally mentally destroys him.
Now I know Billy was doing to Frank what he believed Frank had done to him, but this is on a whole other level. Yes, Frank scarred Billy to make him remember all the evil he had done to him but Billy mentally broke Frank to the point he was willing to allow himself to be killed by injection by a rogue cop who wanted the bounty on his head. To see Frank Castle that far broken was beyond terrifying and heartbreaking.
Message Received
One thing I’ve always loved about this show is the way they can mix political and social messages in without it being the center of attention.
Between the look at faith, how soldiers are when they come home, and the way they showed most people don’t care if someone’s gay or not, this season had it all.
The Father Comes Out
We also saw the softer side of Frank with Amy. He connected with her just like he had with Leo in the first season. Both girls at the time were the same age as his daughter.
The most amazing scene in any show I’ve seen is the one where Amy shoots a man coming after her and is just freaking out because she killed him. But like the man he is, Frank comes in and says “No, You just shot him, okay? Hey, right?”, turns and shoots the guy, and then with a truly worried face says “see that, I killed him”. That scene gets me every time. He truly is a wonderful dad.
Is Love in the Air?
They also gave us a little bit of love for Frank. No matter if your team Beth, team Madani or team Karen, we all just want to see him to be able to move on.
Frank’s Mouth
We also got some of the most amazing quotes this season.
“They died of terminal stupidity” Frank Castle
“I’m not the one who dies, kid. I’m the one that does the killing” Frank Castle.
“If you run, you can’t see what’s coming up from behind you” Frank Castle.
Those just being a couple of them…
A Touching Tribute
The ending scene where he takes down the gangs and then immediately them have a tribute to Stan Lee was pure gold. He would’ve been proud.
Negative:
They just had too many plot holes. I don’t know if it was them thinking about future seasons or if they just didn’t take time to think. But here are some of the major ones I saw.
One:
What happened to David Lieberman and his family? I mean Frank didn’t mention them once and it’s really a sad thing.
Two:
Why did he stop with his “Penny and Dime” routine before a kill? It seemed like the writers wanted to make his family disappear.
Three:
As I mentioned above, the fact Frank never tried to get Maria’s ring back really unnerved me and many people I’ve talked with.
Four:
What happened to Beth? They never said. We saw Pilgrim visit her and threaten her but that’s about it. Did he kill her? Is she mad at Frank? Why didn’t she just give Frank up? So many unanswered questions.
Five:
Why did Dinah leave Homeland for the CIA?
Six:
How did Krista always survive falling from high windows? No one even seemed interested in this fact.
In conclusion
This was another breath taking and amazing season. The Punisher gives us a hero that took out the people we wish would disappear on a daily basis. He knows who he is and he isn’t ashamed. He does what the rest of us can’t and some of us won’t.
Until next time, because I have faith there will be a next time.
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