Created by: Steve Lightfoot

Based on: Punisher by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr., and Ross Andru

Starring: Jon Bernthal, Ben Barnes, Amber Rose Revah, Jason R. Moore, Josh Stewart, Floriana Lima, and Giorgia Whigham

Studio(s): Netflix; Marvel Television; ABC Studios; Bohemian Risk Productions; 1.78:1

Former Marine-turned-vigilante Frank Castle has been living a quiet life on the road until he suddenly becomes embroiled in the attempted murder of a young girl. As he is drawn into the mystery surrounding her and those in pursuit of the information she holds, Castle attracts a new target on his back as new and old enemies force him to confront whether he should accept his destiny and embrace life as The Punisher.

Much like Daredevil when it first hit, The Punisher was a success with a solid story, incredible action, violence, and gore! Leading the way was Jon Bernthal, with a fantastic portrayal of the anti-hero! Critics were mixed on the first season but fans loved and praised it.

Cut to a year later and Netflix drops the ax on three of their original series from Marvel: Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Daredevil. The only survivors are The Punisher and Jessica Jones. The chances of both series staying alive are slim but they’re making the most of their time on the streaming service, with Jessica Jones‘ third season being filmed.

After success from the first season of The Punisher, it was renewed for a second season a month after it premiered.

While the first season started off sluggish, with the first four episodes a lot to get through to finally get into the story, season two starts off right in, with Frank Castle away from his past life, now going by the name of Pete Castiglione. While laying on the low, he comes across a new love interest and new trouble. Protecting a teenage girl from enemies who are looking for her, Frank goes full rage and finds himself going head to head with John Pilgrim — a dangerously skilled religious assassin.

Meanwhile, Billy Russo awakes from his sleep after his fight with Castle and looks to get revenge.

Sounds like a lot, right? Well, it sure does feel like a lot. This season is met with a little more storylines than the show could handle. It makes for a packed story and can feel heavy. There’s a lot to get through and eventually the storylines interweave. For example, with Pilgrim and Russo as the villains, there are episodes when Russo gets the most time and Pilgrim is set aside and absent for quite some time.

This drags down the series quite a bit but it’s never uninteresting or less entertaining. Met with the right amount of action and suspense, the writers do a good job at keeping the heavy storylines balanced.

The characters are what make the series. Frank dealing with his problems, Billy out doing evil things, Dinah saving Frank’s ass as always, Curtis being dragged into Frank’s mess, and Amy — the young girl — having Frank’s heart grow 3 times bigger. Great character interactions make for great viewings.

Performances all around are great but the stand out is Ben Barnes as Billy Russo. He’s filled with this rage knowing that Castle is his enemy. Along with the excessive amount of yelling, Barnes puts in a lot to capture a hurt Billy Russo. Jon Bernthal is without a doubt the perfect Frank Castle/Punisher. Every action scene is entertaining to watch when he’s yelling angrily and splattering blood everywhere. It’s not just the brutal action, Bernthal brings in heart this season. Being beside this young girl, he learns to be the loving type and protect her, even without showing it most of the time.

Josh Stewart as John Pilgrim is fine. His character is pretty weak for the villain, it’s almost like he could’ve been written off and just had Billy Russo be the main villain once again. Pilgrim can be absent for a few episodes then brought back but as a reminder that he is the season’s villain. Giorgia Whigham as Amy can come across as bothersome at first — as noted by her dialogue in the first few episodes — but she then becomes good after a while.

Amber Rose Revah is badass as Dinah Madani! She just plays by her own rules and digs up situations her way. Jason R. Moore as Curtis is great, being the only voice of reason Frank listens to. There’s a great moment where he and Frank are on a rooftop having a heartfelt conversation and it really fleshed out the two even more.

With a series where the action is the priority, editing is huge. Editing for the shootouts are done really well and sometimes flawless, making some amazing sequences. An example is a great shoot out sequence between Castle and Russo out in broad daylight. However, the same can’t be said with the combat fighting scenes. A lot of quick cuts are done for them, making it messy and difficult to make out. It hurts because there are some really great combat scenes where the editing isn’t the best. It’s not for all combat scenes but just some.

The series is met with the perfect sound mixing to deliver the right noise and the right volume. The cinematography is nice, with nice looking shots following the action. Much like Daredevil, there isn’t any shaky cam that follows the action. Nice and steady camera work.

The season could have used a little more for it to be more of a knock out than it is. A little more depth on John Pilgrim and Amy could’ve worked. More on Billy Russo and his life being rough after the incident would’ve made for a darker, more menacing Billy Russo. Also, after the first three episodes, the writers might have forgotten about Frank’s new love interest from the start of the season, because she is never seen again. A little mistake that went unnoticed from the writers.

In the end, Marvel’s The Punisher season 2 is packed with the action beloved by fans but also a few storylines too many. This season brings in more heart for Frank Castle while bringing more rage for Frank Castle. A weak villain hurt the story a bit but you either roll with it or you don’t. The ending serves as a good payoff if the series does get the ax by Netflix, but it would be interesting to see where Frank’s story goes from here.

77/100