While the fate of Netflix series, The Punisher, remains to be seen, the official January 18 premiere date is already set in stone as is the riveting performance now etched in Marvel history by title actor Jon Bernthal.
Following the events of the first season in 2017, our stoic ex-marine and outlaw continues to battle enemies on several fronts, now turning his attention to an alt-right Christian fundementalist, as well as an old friend-turned enemy battling the precipice of his own cracked psyche.
There were some folks who complained about the first season being too slow. I’m not one to nitpick here about the first season myself as much as I felt the brooding, often slow burn was much more palpable and sustenant than in most of the other now-called Marvel shows.
Thus, I totally got the feel of it, and the intended tonal vision and aesthetic by showrunner Steve Lightfoot who takes the reigns once more for the second season, which, in my view, looks equally promising.
One thing for certain is that I don’t want this character to be an exclusive fixture on Disney+ like with the upcoming The Mandalorian, the in-development The Vision and Scarlet Witch Witch series and the like. Granted as much as the House Of Mouse has a right to host its properties as it sees fit, the economic bereavement of trying to enjoy all these shows on all these subscription-based services is as ever present as the consequences many folks stateside are now suffering from as the result of a damning government shutdown. And, well…you can only ask for so many favors.
Anyhoo, I like Bernthal’s portrayal of the Frank Castle role, as well as the performances from the cast in Amber Rose Revah’s DHS Agent Dinah Madani, and especially Deborah Ann Wall’s New York Bulletin reporter Karen Page whose role, as I’ve been pretty pithy about toward friends, has been one of the most strongest supporting characters of the Marvel/Netflix purview enough to even maybe garner her own show.
For now, I’m simply thrilled that were getting more from this series, and I’m looking forward to taking that Friday to myself to commence bingeing.
