The Punisher on Netflix

OK, I went into this with low expectations since I've hated every Marvel show on Netflix since Daredevil season 1, but you know what? This is actually pretty good so I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike the previous Marvel shows on TV in which you see the bad guy doing his usual shtick right away, this one is better- you dont know who the bad guys are, so in a way its sort of like those old 70's paranoia films like The Conversation, 3 Days of the Condor or The Parallax View.

So far I'm only two episodes in but I'm enjoying it. I hope this keeps up.

PoS said:

OK, I went into this with low expectations since I've hated every Marvel show on Netflix since Daredevil season 1, but you know what? This is actually pretty good so I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike the previous Marvel shows on TV in which you see the bad guy doing his usual shtick right away, this one is better- you dont know who the bad guys are, so in a way its sort of like those old 70's paranoia films like The Conversation, 3 Days of the Condor or The Parallax View.

So far I'm only two episodes in but I'm enjoying it. I hope this keeps up.

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Same same, me. I binged the first three episodes. The series is well done and doesn't stray too far from believable as most of the other Marvel series do.

I like Luke Cage but, there are times when I have to let the fantasy stuff slide. The Punisher is different. Good writing, good directing, good acting.

I'm watching right now.

Wait til you see want Frank does to....

Psych!

PoS said:

OK, I went into this with low expectations since I've hated every Marvel show on Netflix since Daredevil season 1, but you know what? This is actually pretty good so I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike the previous Marvel shows on TV in which you see the bad guy doing his usual shtick right away, this one is better- you dont know who the bad guys are, so in a way its sort of like those old 70's paranoia films like The Conversation, 3 Days of the Condor or The Parallax View.

So far I'm only two episodes in but I'm enjoying it. I hope this keeps up.

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I just rewatched “Three Days of the Condor” last night.

I’ve recently seen the headline promo for the “Punisher”. I’ve been hesitant to check it, but after reading your review, I’ll have to give it a go.

PoS said:

OK, I went into this with low expectations since I've hated every Marvel show on Netflix since Daredevil season 1, but you know what? This is actually pretty good so I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike the previous Marvel shows on TV in which you see the bad guy doing his usual shtick right away, this one is better- you dont know who the bad guys are, so in a way its sort of like those old 70's paranoia films like The Conversation, 3 Days of the Condor or The Parallax View.

So far I'm only two episodes in but I'm enjoying it. I hope this keeps up.

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I'll have to check it out. I like all the Marvel TV shows but I agree season 1 of Daredevil is by far the best.

I'm about 8 episodes into it. I like the way they treat the effects of war issue...with reality, thoughtfulness and compassion.

I liked Bernthal's acting as Shane in TWD, but his acting in The Punisher is so much better. I'm very impressed. Another one is Deborah Ann Woll. She was great in True Blood and even better in these Marval series.

Watching it as well. While I don't like all the "military people are all mentally messed up" feel of it, it is still a pretty good series so far.

Risky Thicket said:

Same same, me. I binged the first three episodes. The series is well done and doesn't stray too far from believable as most of the other Marvel series do.

I like Luke Cage but, there are times when I have to let the fantasy stuff slide. The Punisher is different. Good writing, good directing, good acting.

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Luke Cage started off okay, but it just dragged after I saw just how weak the bad guy was. The whole series should have been just 3 episodes if Cage got his act together.

Removable Mind said:

I just rewatched “Three Days of the Condor” last night.

I’ve recently seen the headline promo for the “Punisher”. I’ve been hesitant to check it, but after reading your review, I’ll have to give it a go.

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I love watching old movies, they're better than the new ones coming out. I recently watched Atomic Blonde, and its just meh- doesn't come close to the old stuff. The previews for Punisher doesnt seem to give it enough justice.

PoS said:

Luke Cage started off okay, but it just dragged after I saw just how weak the bad guy was. The whole series should have been just 3 episodes if Cage got his act together.

I love watching old movies, they're better than the new ones coming out. I recently watched Atomic Blonde, and its just meh- doesn't come close to the old stuff. The previews for Punisher doesnt seem to give it enough justice.

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By the way, on Netflix I just finished the 7 episode Western, “Godless”. I thought it was a decent watch.

Too violent and way too bloody. Story and acting is great, but come on.. no need for that amount of blood and gore to tell a story.

Skeptic Bob said:

I'll have to check it out. I like all the Marvel TV shows but I agree season 1 of Daredevil is by far the best.

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Screw Daredevil. Punisher is a billion times better. Though I'm perfectly aware that the show is about ptsd, which is totally cool and topically relevant, in my opinion that theme causes the show to lose sight of its goals at times. That said, I happily forgive the minor narrative hiccups in favor of the larger accomplishments.

Kudos as well to creating a Punisher with an empathetic personality. The comics Punisher is just a gigantic asshole. In the show, the Punisher is still a complete badass, but he has a personality that the viewer can actually come to care about.

On the ptsd front, which it can't be overstated is what the show is actually about, I don't know anything about ptsd myself. I am moved, however, by the idea that the people who made the show very much know what it is and used this medium as a means of communicating the pain of ptsd.

For those who are still on the fence and hated all the Netflix Marvel shows (as well you should), this is a completely different team of writers and directors. So if you're worried that you're going to waste your time on the steaming pile of donkey crap that was Defenders, Iron Fist and Luke Cage, this will not be that experience.

Cardinal said:

Screw Daredevil. Punisher is a billion times better. Though I'm perfectly aware that the show is about ptsd, which is totally cool and topically relevant, in my opinion that theme causes the show to lose sight of its goals at times. That said, I happily forgive the minor narrative hiccups in favor of the larger accomplishments.

Kudos as well to creating a Punisher with an empathetic personality. The comics Punisher is just a gigantic asshole. In the show, the Punisher is still a complete badass, but he has a personality that the viewer can actually come to care about.

On the ptsd front, which it can't be overstated is what the show is actually about, I don't know anything about ptsd myself. I am moved, however, by the idea that the people who made the show very much know what it is and used this medium as a means of communicating the pain of ptsd.

For those who are still on the fence and hated all the Netflix Marvel shows (as well you should), this is a completely different team of writers and directors. So if you're worried that you're going to waste your time on the steaming pile of donkey crap that was Defenders, Iron Fist and Luke Cage, this will not be that experience.

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I watched the first four episodes yesterday and I am really enjoy it. I struggle with PTSD from an incident in my Army days so some of the scenes are a bit intense. The young veteran who digs the foxhole in his yard, his acting is a little too good for my comfort at times. I'm not triggered or anything but his emotion definitely resonates with me. Excellent show, but I can tell I need to be in the right frame of mind when I watch it.

Skeptic Bob said:

I watched the first four episodes yesterday and I am really enjoy it. I struggle with PTSD from an incident in my Army days so some of the scenes are a bit intense. The young veteran who digs the foxhole in his yard, his acting is a little too good for my comfort at times. I'm not triggered or anything but his emotion definitely resonates with me. Excellent show, but I can tell I need to be in the right frame of mind when I watch it.

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The entire subplot in the middle of the series is all ptsd, and while only knowing one person with ptsd myself, it was the foxhole scene specifically that convinced me the people making the show weren't pulling all of this out of their butt.

Don't worry, the show eventually leaves the ptsd theme.

Just for the record, I don't actually begrudge the show for focusing so much on ptsd. It added a layer of depth and humanity that was much needed.

Watched the final episode last night. Goddamn that was a good show.

Removable Mind said:

By the way, on Netflix I just finished the 7 episode Western, “Godless”. I thought it was a decent watch.

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I just finished Godless. Decent but filled with way too many cliches of the western genre.

PeteEU said:

Too violent and way too bloody. Story and acting is great, but come on.. no need for that amount of blood and gore to tell a story.

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It wouldnt be the Punisher without blood and gore.

Then again, the many times he was shot and beaten up is a little unrealistic. He should have been permanently disabled by all that by the end of the series lol.

PoS said:

I just finished Godless. Decent but filled with way too many cliches of the western genre.



It wouldnt be the Punisher without blood and gore.

Then again, the many times he was shot and beaten up is a little unrealistic. He should have been permanently disabled by all that by the end of the series lol.

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Sure blood and gore, but that was extreme and unrealistic even in a supposed superhero movie (he is after all a normal man).. reminded me of that bear movie with Leo Decrapio that is so false and unrealistic.

PoS said:

I just finished Godless. Decent but filled with way too many cliches of the western genre.



It wouldnt be the Punisher without blood and gore.

Then again, the many times he was shot and beaten up is a little unrealistic. He should have been permanently disabled by all that by the end of the series lol.

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I pretty much agree. As I said, it was “decent”. Jeff Daniels’ character was a little confusing at times. For a psychopath his moral compass seemed to flip from time to time. Michelle Dockery did shed her “Downton Abby” character, but was a little too refined for the lifestyle.

There’s been few movies (old west type) that I’ve found to to exceptional. I grew up at a time with westerns that were the only thing at theatres and TV. The plots were indistinguishable. The clothing was almost dude ranch resort like. Women looked like they had their hair, makeup, and nails done at a Macy’s makeover counter.

I’m a “Once Upon a Time in the West” fan. Well, I am basically a Spaghetti Western fan.

Truly good westerns are rare.

We’re about 2/3rd through “The Night Manager”. It’s pretty good. It’s about a plot to bring down an illegal arms merchant in Europe. It’s only 6 episodes.

We watched a fun, pretty clever Australian series, “The Rake”. It’s about an attorney who is seriously prone to find himself involved in every self-destructive situation possible.

We saw a couple of season of “Fortitude”. Fortitude is a town in the Arctic. It’s a who done it series. The characters change a little in each of the seasons. I think that there’ll be a third season out soon. It was pretty good.

On the top of our watch list is a 3 season series titled “Mozart in the Jungle”. Very well done. The characters really pull you in.

I resisted watching Game of Thrones for the longest. My wife wouldn’t watch it. Her friends told her it was too violent. I started watching it on HBO GO after she went to sleep - and I binged watch 7 seasons. I lost a few nights sleep. The final season won’t hit until 2019. Bummer. :lol:

We don’t watch too much network stuff, Roku is da boom. That’s about it for now.

Oh, I’m going to start “Punisher” after “Night Manager”. I have to watch it after my wife goes night night.

Let me know if you get into anything else.

Cardinal said:

The entire subplot in the middle of the series is all ptsd, and while only knowing one person with ptsd myself, it was the foxhole scene specifically that convinced me the people making the show weren't pulling all of this out of their butt.

Don't worry, the show eventually leaves the ptsd theme.

Just for the record, I don't actually begrudge the show for focusing so much on ptsd. It added a layer of depth and humanity that was much needed.

Watched the final episode last night. Goddamn that was a good show.

Spoiler

It was good to see the rise of Punisher's arch-nemesis, Jigsaw. I was sure it would be Rawlins, but it makes so much more sense that it would be Billy, who is Frank's complete equal in pure deadliness.

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I absolutely loved the series. It was brutal but brilliantly acted with compelling characters. Ultimately, it was a fascinating meditation on violence -- how if affects both victims and perpetrators, when it's necessary, when it's justifiable. Best Marvel show, imo. I don't know why the critics disliked it so much.

GhostlyJoe said:

I absolutely loved the series. It was brutal but brilliantly acted with compelling characters. Ultimately, it was a fascinating meditation on violence -- how if affects both victims and perpetrators, when it's necessary, when it's justifiable. Best Marvel show, imo. I don't know why the critics disliked it so much.

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It was good because they took their shoestring budget and threw it at unknown but excellent actors and a brilliant team of writers.

Having been a Pun fan in my yoot, I was excited to see what their take was going to be, considering the abysmal failures the studios put out in the past, almost completely ruining the Punisher brand. I too was pleasantly surprised.

They finally got as a close as I suppose Hollywood would let them.

Good show.

Removable Mind said:

I pretty much agree. As I said, it was “decent”. Jeff Daniels’ character was a little confusing at times. For a psychopath his moral compass seemed to flip from time to time. Michelle Dockery did shed her “Downton Abby” character, but was a little too refined for the lifestyle.

There’s been few movies (old west type) that I’ve found to to exceptional. I grew up at a time with westerns that were the only thing at theatres and TV. The plots were indistinguishable. The clothing was almost dude ranch resort like. Women looked like they had their hair, makeup, and nails done at a Macy’s makeover counter.

I’m a “Once Upon a Time in the West” fan. Well, I am basically a Spaghetti Western fan.

Truly good westerns are rare.

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I agree. I love Westerns and Samurai films, but I can hardly think of any good post modern Western- the last good one for me was The Proposition (2005) - IMDb, and thats over 10 years old. Seems to me nobody has any new idea on how to make a Western anymore. I have a good DVD collection and I still rewatch the old movies from time to time.

We saw a couple of season of “Fortitude”. Fortitude is a town in the Arctic. It’s a who done it series. The characters change a little in each of the seasons. I think that there’ll be a third season out soon. It was pretty good.

On the top of our watch list is a 3 season series titled “Mozart in the Jungle”. Very well done. The characters really pull you in.

Click to expand...

I watched the first season of Fortitude and I thought it petered out in the end (Prehistoric wasps? Seriously?). I cant stand hipsters so Mozart in the Jungle was dropped after a few episodes- I couldnt relate to any of the characters or sympathize with them.

So far the top TV shows for me this year is: the Vietnam War, Man in the High Castle, GOT, Westworld, Narcos, Punisher, Better Call Saul, Silicon Valley.

I'll binge the 3rd season of Gomorrah when it finishes, and Mr Robot too.

PoS said:

I agree. I love Westerns and Samurai films, but I can hardly think of any good post modern Western- the last good one for me was The Proposition (2005) - IMDb, and thats over 10 years old. Seems to me nobody has any new idea on how to make a Western anymore. I have a good DVD collection and I still rewatch the old movies from time to time.



I watched the first season of Fortitude and I thought it petered out in the end (Prehistoric wasps? Seriously?). I cant stand hipsters so Mozart in the Jungle was dropped after a few episodes- I couldnt relate to any of the characters or sympathize with them.

So far the top TV shows for me this year is: the Vietnam War, Man in the High Castle, GOT, Westworld, Narcos, Punisher, Better Call Saul, Silicon Valley.

I'll binge the 3rd season of Gomorrah when it finishes, and Mr Robot too.

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Westworld - like it.
Better Call Saul - like it.
Silicon Valley - like it.
Mr. Robot - mixed feelings
I watch a couple of shows. Just didn’t get into Gomorrah.

Well, just finished “The Night Manager”. It’s okay. It’s got a few believability issues.

Gonna see how first season of Frontier goes, then on to Punisher.

It’s amazing that there’s like 500 cable/satellite channels and most of the channels are worthless. The premium channels have all turned into Turner Classic Movie channels. And their movie picker is broken. If they are going to constantly air older movies, there are way better selections. I love the Big Lewbowski and Gangs of New York as much as anyone, but I’m getting a bit worn watching them because everything else sucks.

Most of the things I watch are from cruising through Roku and picking random things that I (we) experimentally choose to watch. It’s a hit and miss thing. We try to be open to watch a variety of genres.

PoS said:

OK, I went into this with low expectations since I've hated every Marvel show on Netflix since Daredevil season 1, but you know what? This is actually pretty good so I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike the previous Marvel shows on TV in which you see the bad guy doing his usual shtick right away, this one is better- you dont know who the bad guys are, so in a way its sort of like those old 70's paranoia films like The Conversation, 3 Days of the Condor or The Parallax View.

So far I'm only two episodes in but I'm enjoying it. I hope this keeps up.

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Just got through 4th episode of The Punisher. Muy Buenos! :thumbs:

PoS said:

I just finished Godless. Decent but filled with way too many cliches of the western genre.

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I really liked it, except for how one person died in the final shoot out. Only thing that ruined the show for me.