Marvel's The Punisher - Episodes 6-13 Review
I'm not entirely sure where to begin with the second half of this season. While at first it seemed to drag a bit - as mentioned in my previous review - as soon as it hit Episode 9, the action started and did not stop with a roller-coaster of a finale. The two-parter surrounding Frank going up against Lewis, his reveal to the world, his showdown with Billy's men in the bunker, the kidnapping of the Lieberman family, Frank's torture at the hands of Rawlins and escape, and the final showdown with Billy...it was all pretty damn spectacular. The series makes it very clear: there are no good guys. Not even Frank himself. He's a man guilty about his past, and determined to fight for what he believes in, whether anyone stops him or not. Calling the character a Marvel super hero seems completely inaccurate to me: he's a vigilante, straight-up. He saves people, yes, but does so in the least heroic way possible. Not because he doesn't want to save those people, but because of what he does to those threatening them.
There's a huge amount underneath the show in the way of themes, but Frank's firm moral code is one that seems to have caused some of the controversy. Frank is a gun-toting madman, but is made to be sympathetic to the audience - not because the show wants us to sympathise with a terrible person, but because the show wants to present a different kind of law: one that the police and authority figures may condone, but one that, gradually, we begin to understand, regardless of morality.
When Frank finally murders Rawlins, there's a huge sense of satisfaction. This is a character that we have no sympathy towards, the man who murdered Frank's family and countless others, who forced Frank and his fellow soldiers to do his own illegal activities, who's been torturing Frank for hours and hours on end without mercy. The writers ensure that we are on Frank's side, that we are almost - and I mean almost - cheering him on. There's a sense of karma to Rawlins' death, but an uneasy sense of karma. Frank shows no mercy towards the man, he doesn't hesitate even for a second. He's an almost inhuman monster himself, but we understand him, and we understand that while what he's doing is wrong, the reasons why are far too understandable.
Better yet, the episode has threaded-through a series of flashback/dream sequences between Frank and his wife, allowing us to see their relationship and what Frank is missing. When he finally gets up and goes to kill Rawlins, Frank has to say goodbye to his wife. He can't join her, as much as he wants to. If there is a Heaven. or some kind of afterlife, he's certainly not going to be with his family. He decides to stay on Earth (so-to-speak) and live out his own hell, to bring justice to those who wronged him and so many others. It's incredibly powerful, and the way showrunner Steve Lightfoot and all of the creatives involved have made Frank so sympathetic and understandable is commendable. Some may not like Frank, or his methods, but he's a fully-developed character in the series.
Not to mention, Brian Tyler's score in this sequence is phenomenal. It's fantastic work from Tyler (who previously scored Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 & 2), and the way it gradually builds is just fantastic. Most of the series' score isn't too incredible, but Tyler really hits it out of the park when he needs to.
To put everything on balance though, let me list my problems with The Punisher: Madani is a pretty flat character, not to the fault of any one individual. She's been created that way, and that makes her somewhat likable, but by no means anyone's favourite character. Her storyline often detracts from the focus of the series, and a lot of her scenes appear to be padding. The structure of this season drags definitely from Episode 3 to 8, in which there certainly is a strong plot, but little pace to the narrative. It didn't so much need more action as much as it needed more rapid development.
That being said, everything surrounding Micro and his family is brilliant; Lewis' story is admittedly clunky but incredibly well-realised in its endgame; Billy Russo and Rawlins make for great antagonists; and there is some spectacular violence. The cinematography may be a little hit-and-miss, but when it hits there are some wonderful shots. Marvel's The Punisher may not be a perfect season of television, but it hits so hard you almost forget the misses.
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