The Punisher Season 1

[Jarvisimo]

Hi all, since NYCC - understandably - saw the cancellation of the Marvel-Netflix The Punisher panel, a few articles were published on it. It seems that critics have already seen some of the series. Sonia Saraiya, formerly Todd van der Werff's protegee at AV Club and now tv critic at Variety, writes:

I ask this as someone who enjoyed “The Punisher” much more than I expected to. The show (which will be reviewed in full at a later date) is a remarkable expression of frustration with America’s doublespeak around the military — a doublespeak that upholds patriotism at all costs, while demeaning the people who serve in the name of national defense. And though I have found “The Punisher” engages with its subject matter in a smart and compassionate way, there is no denying the fact that the lead character Frank Castle, played by Bernthal, is the quintessential (and heavily armed) lone wolf, a gun-toting vigilante who has no qualms about taking lives. It is a brutal show, and guns feature heavily in not just the scenes of violence but in the iconography of the Punisher himself.

On one hand, “The Punisher” is emblematic of a culture of near-meaningless violence. On the other hand, though, Frank Castle’s story seems to have arisen out of a deep need to address our frustration with who we are now — a need that for this character dates back to the awful confusion of the Vietnam War. After all, “social breakdown” is a depressingly fitting term for where we are now, living with the grim reality that a gunman could walk into another elementary school and any moment and re-enact Sandy Hook.

This sounds good, and promising for the show. Saraiya's essay is also quite a thoughtful if short reflection on the panel being pulled, and on gun violence's role in hollywood. I imagine her review of the show will address these concerns more.

What does “The Punisher” have to say to us about this American violence that is more insightful than what we’ve seen before? After Las Vegas, our expectations — and our need for answers — are higher than ever.

Further, that key tv critics have seen the show suggests it is close to airdate. Although this could be pushed back - again, understandably.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

There's already a Punisher thread over here.

 

[Jarvisimo]

There's already a Punisher thread over here.

Strange, it didn't show when I searched for it I'll copy my post in there