Jon Bernthal is clearly one of the better casting choices we’ve seen in any live-action Marvel Comics production. I was sold on him in Season 2 of Daredevil and The Punisher’s first season sealed the deal. With the Marvel Netflix shows being plucked off one by one, the long-term viability of The Punisher seems very much in doubt. As unlikely as it seems that we’ll get a third season, we did get a pretty great second season.
It helps that Bernthal is so believable as Frank Castle. He’s got that guttural nature and constantly on-edge presence that makes it seem like The Punisher has come to life in a way that won’t ever get topped again. This season also benefits from a strong supporting cast.
Amber Rose Revah is back as Agent Madani, who’s nursing a serious grudge against Frank’s former best friend Billy Russo (Ben Barnes). Frank has his own vendetta against Billy for being involved in the death of his family, but Madani is suffering through nightmares of her former lover nearly killing her.
Barnes features some scars to provide a more grounded take on Jigsaw, but it’s the change in his approach to Billy that makes for another strong performance. Billy has forgotten his past crimes and is also haunted by visions of a nightmarish skull coming after him. Floriana Lima (Supergirl) plays Billy’s therapist who gets in too deep.
Jason R. Moore reprises his role as Curtis, Frank’s former military buddy and the one person who can best relate to him.
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe completely ignoring the TV division, it’s nice to see The Punisher doesn’t bother trying to create some links with the MCU. Instead, there’s a greater sense of connectivity within the Marvel Netflix universe — fading though it might be. Royce Johnson has been a mainstay on Daredevil, but becomes a principal figure on The Punisher Season 2 as Brett Mahoney, the one honest police officer who simply sees Frank Castle as a menace for legit reasons.
The season starts off a little slowly as Frank gets caught up in a sticky situation after coming to the aid of a young girl (Giorgia Whigham) in a bar. The girl, Amy, is swimming in lies and mystery and isn’t forthcoming as to why a group, led by the scripture citing John Pilgrim (Josh Stewart), is trying to kill her for the contents in her backpack.
One of the best aspects of this season is how the writers juggled the threats of Pilgrim and Jigsaw. Villain pacing has always been a struggle for the Marvel Netflix shows with the exception of Daredevil Season 3 and Luke Cage Season 2. With The Punisher, neither villain wears out their welcome as alternating the threat keeps the other fresh. It also provides a nice outlet for supporting characters like Amy, Madani and Curtis while Frank is busy dealing with some other issues.
Even more so than last season, this is a violent and bloody take on The Punisher. Without the need to diminish superpowers to be more budget friendly, more of the production costs can go to some brutal and hard hitting action sequences. It’s here that Bernthal truly embodies The Punisher as he unleashes hailstorms of bullets, uses any weapon in hand and rages out like he’s in the middle of combat.
Best of all for the season, it avoids that feeling of being stretched out 2-3 episodes too long. There’s only real one instance where the characters acted in a manner that seemed set up more to extend a subplot instead of the more sensible choice. That’s literally in the last episode and it makes for a more satisfying conclusion so I’m OK with it.
The Punisher’s second season successfully builds on its first season to make for a more rewarding viewing experience. If it’s truly the last season, it goes out guns blazing with a fitting finale for Marvel Netflix’s trigger happy vigilante.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
For an episode by episode break down, you can check out my individual reviews here.
