It’s kind of bittersweet for me to write this review, given that the show was recently cancelled by Netflix. I think it’s a shame, because The Punisher was one of the better Marvel Netflix shows, and so I’m sad to see it go. I won’t get into my feelings on Netflix’s relationship with Marvel ending in this review since it’s kind of off-topic, but as far as The Punisher is concerned as a single show, I really loved it and am sad to see it end. The first season was amazing, and while this second season didn’t quite reach the same heights, it was still really enjoyable and made me want more.

Season 2 of The Punisher sees Frank Castle living a quieter life for a very short amount of time. He’s traveling on the road and staying out of trouble. However, one night he’s at a bar in a small town in Michigan and meets a teenage girl there, who he soon senses is in trouble. Sure enough, a group of people start to come after the girl, and Frank intervenes, doing what he does best. He doesn’t realize what he’s gotten himself into though, and so soon the two are being hunted down by a large group of people that are trying to cover up a situation that they want to be kept quiet. It’s a pretty standard main plot, but it’s executed in a way that makes it very engaging most of the time.

The main thing I’d like to talk about in this review are where these characters are at now. I should mention that season 2 doesn’t have Micro or his family in it at all, and so we don’t get to see where their lives are at in this season. This is a shame because Micro was my favorite character in season 1, but luckily the show brings on three new characters that make it worth it. The first is Amy, the aforementioned teenage girl that Frank Castle is protecting. The second is the Pilgrim, the leader of the men that are hunting Frank and Amy. The final character is Krista, who is Billy’s therapist. I really didn’t care for Krista much at all and found her to be a weak point in the season (more on that in a second), but the other two are welcome new additions to the show.

The heart of season 2 revolves around the relationship between Frank and Amy. Frank has been out of the killing game for a while, but he’s all too eager to jump back into it to protect Amy. It seems as if Frank was just looking for an excuse to kill again, an idea that is definitely explored in the season. However, even if this was the initial reason, it soon becomes clear that he cares a lot for Amy, and is willing to do anything to help protect her. Given that Frank’s family was murdered, this relationship gives him a new shot at a father/daughter kind of relationship, and it really is amazing to watch. Like I said, I was sad to see Micro not return, but Amy is basically his replacement in this season, and she was easily my favorite character, so I’m happy that she was included here. This relationship was easily my favorite thing about the whole season, and it gave brutal show a lot of heart.

However, the big dud of the season in my opinion is Billy. I actually found Billy to be a pretty decent villain in the first season, but in this season I honestly just never cared about what he was up to. The season puts such a large emphasis on his character too, and this was upsetting to me because I felt like it really stole the spotlight from the Pilgrim, who was a villain I was much more interested in watching this season. Basically, Billy has no memory of what’s happened in the first season, and so his therapist Krista is helping him put back together his life. As he starts to put the pieces back together, his homicidal tendencies also start to come out a lot more again, and so before you know it we have Billy just doing what he does again. The season also puts a heavy emphasis onto the relationship between him and Krista, and these were easily the most boring scenes in this season. This was just the part of the show that fell flat to me.

Meanwhile, Madani is still struggling to cope with Billy’s betrayal of her. She wants him to remember what he did to her so that he can live with it, but it haunts her much more than it haunts him. She struggles with the thought of wanting him dead, an idea that’s explored throughout the season as she doesn’t know what to do with it. I found Madani to be a hit or miss in season 1, and honestly it’s about the same here. I feel that she has some interesting moments, but even then, when the show focuses on her for too long I just can’t help but feel like I want to go back to seeing what Frank is doing. She’s a good enough character, but I still could have done with less of her in this season.

That about covers where the characters are at in this season, but what about the action? One of the undeniable draws to the first season was just how brutal the action was, going places that no other Marvel property has gone before on screen. If I’m asked to pick which season had the better action scenes, I’d still give the edge to season 1, but even so season 2 does still deliver. I could be wrong, but it felt like there weren’t as many “big” action scenes in season 2. There were definitely smaller action scenes dispersed throughout the season, but these ones weren’t always that memorable. However, the big action scenes definitely delivered this time around, with some really memorable sequences. One such standout example is in the third episode, where Frank and Amy find themselves in police custody, but the Pilgrim brings his men to attack the police station. This basically covers the entire duration of the episode, and it’s really entertaining to watch. So, while season 2 might not have had quite as many powerful action scenes, when it does hit it definitely hits hard.

That about covers how I feel about season 2. It was a bit of a step down in quality from the first season, but it’s still a really good show. The main problem is that there are some really slow/boring scenes involving Billy, but the rest of the season definitely makes up for it. The three big reasons to watch season are for Frank and Amy’s touching relationship, some really great action sequences, and Jon Bernthal’s performance as Frank. If you liked season 1, I think there’s a good chance you’ll still like season 2. Just be aware that this is the final season going into it.

4/5