The Punisher The Punisher FULL SEASON ONE Discussion Thread (NO SPOILER TAGS NECESSARY!)

[rogue trooper]

Someone compared this to First Blood. That's a very good comparison! Season 2 should be a lot like Rambo.

Yeah, it did come to mind. A little bit of that and a bit of Taxi Driver. For the second season I hope the bring the Gnucci famly much more into focus, with Ma Gnucci at the reins, and maybe also use the Max stories.

 

[Dasher10]

Yeah, it did come to mind. A little bit of that and a bit of Taxi Driver. For the second season I hope the bring the Gnucci famly much more into focus, with Ma Gnucci at the reins, and maybe also use the Max stories.

I really feel like the Max stories are the only way. The government has to recruit Frank. I also feel like it needs to be divided into two arcs. Arc 1 = Mother Russia (film outside Buffalo in the winter) and the other half should be Man of Stone (look for a part of upstate New York that looks like Afghanistan). Replace Rawlins with Richard Van Burien.

Katherine Waterston or Michelle Lukes is my choice for O'Brien.

Nikolai Zhakarov should be Pasha D. Lychnikoff

Liam McIntyre for Van Burien.

 

[UnknownCriminal]

Yeah, it did come to mind. A little bit of that and a bit of Taxi Driver.

Yup, definitely. Curtis even mentions Taxi Driver directly when talking about Lewis. He tells Frank the kid started driving a cab at night to keep busy and then says he probably talks to himself when looking in the mirror.

 

[righthooksrus86]

I loved the Taxi Driver reference Hoyle made about Wilson thought it was a nice touch..and the kid who played Wilson had one of the shows best performances right behind Jon Bernthal.

 

[Dasher10]

And Season 3 would be Welcome Back Frank + Barracuda (Barracuda would replace the Russian and Ms Gnucci's plan would be to cut off all power to New York to win a contract to a crooked energy company), then Long Cold Dark then In The Blood. Make it three arcs like Agents of SHIELD is with each arc building up to a gunfight every 4-5 episodes.

New character casting choices would be Monica Bellucci as Ma Gnucci. Terry Crews as Barracuda. Laverne Cox as Fifty. Sasha Grey or Dree Hemingway as Alice Ebbing and Wayne Knight as Mr. Bumpo. Not sure who should be Joan The Mouse, Spacker Dave, Martin Soap or Harry Ebbing. Alice would be the one who tips off Punisher but I'd also make her survive the story in the same way that I'd have O'Brien survive Season 2.

I feel like my perfect casting for Joan is [Female, any race, 32-37, quiet and soft-spoken but always finds herself in trouble through no fault of her own] and my ideal casting for Harry is [Male, any race 52-26, suave yet slimy, a deeply corrupt businessman out to undercut his rivals through the use of illegitimate business associates], Martin Soap should be [Male, 33-38, overweight, any race. A deeply disillusioned and cynical police officer. Identifies a pansexual.]

Season 4 would be based on the Greg Rucka run with episodes 4-8 as an interlude based on The Slavers. I'd like to see Eiza Gonzales or Genesis Rodriguez as Rachel Alves and I'm not sure who should be Stephanie Gerard, Dove, Chris Poulson or the Bulats.


If Season 1 was First Blood, then Season 2 is based more on Rambo 2 and 3, Lone Survivor and The Living Daylights. Season 3 is Death Wish, Taxi Driver and Straw Dogs. Season 4 is The Professional.

 

[Dasher10]

And my real hope for Barracuda is that he's somebody who views himself as the hero. He's taken on jobs to overthrow various dictators around the world and views himself as a soldier of fortune who has made the world a better place and that Frank is just a vigilante who does nothing to actually change the system. I'd leave it up to the audience to decide which of the two is the, "good guy."

 

[TheVileOne]

I feel like a LOT of those same people are going to be upset if we see Kathryn O'Brien, Rachel Alves or Lynn Michaels in Season 2. If you start tossing a female sidekick in, expect a strong backlash. (Keep in mind that I really want O'Brien to show up in Season 2 and Alves in Season 4.)

They did toss a female sidekick in this season, and she was an awful character. She was a contrived and forced character that was really shoved down our throats. Her presence in the final episode was also ridiculous.

 

[rogue trooper]

Yup, definitely. Curtis even mentions Taxi Driver directly when talking about Lewis. He tells Frank the kid started driving a cab at night to keep busy and then says he probably talks to himself when looking in the mirror.

Yeah, that was very nifty homage.

I really feel like the Max stories are the only way. The government has to recruit Frank. I also feel like it needs to be divided into two arcs. Arc 1 = Mother Russia (film outside Buffalo in the winter) and the other half should be Man of Stone (look for a part of upstate New York that looks like Afghanistan). Replace Rawlins with Richard Van Burien.

Katherine Waterston or Michelle Lukes is my choice for O'Brien.

Nikolai Zhakarov should be Pasha D. Lychnikoff

Liam McIntyre for Van Burien.

And Season 3 would be Welcome Back Frank + Barracuda (Barracuda would replace the Russian and Ms Gnucci's plan would be to cut off all power to New York to win a contract to a crooked energy company), then Long Cold Dark then In The Blood. Make it three arcs like Agents of SHIELD is with each arc building up to a gunfight every 4-5 episodes.

New character casting choices would be Monica Bellucci as Ma Gnucci. Terry Crews as Barracuda. Laverne Cox as Fifty. Sasha Grey or Dree Hemingway as Alice Ebbing and Wayne Knight as Mr. Bumpo. Not sure who should be Joan The Mouse, Spacker Dave, Martin Soap or Harry Ebbing. Alice would be the one who tips off Punisher but I'd also make her survive the story in the same way that I'd have O'Brien survive Season 2.

I feel like my perfect casting for Joan is [Female, any race, 32-37, quiet and soft-spoken but always finds herself in trouble through no fault of her own] and my ideal casting for Harry is [Male, any race 52-26, suave yet slimy, a deeply corrupt businessman out to undercut his rivals through the use of illegitimate business associates], Martin Soap should be [Male, 33-38, overweight, any race. A deeply disillusioned and cynical police officer. Identifies a pansexual.]

Season 4 would be based on the Greg Rucka run with episodes 4-8 as an interlude based on The Slavers. I'd like to see Eiza Gonzales or Genesis Rodriguez as Rachel Alves and I'm not sure who should be Stephanie Gerard, Dove, Chris Poulson or the Bulats.


If Season 1 was First Blood, then Season 2 is based more on Rambo 2 and 3, Lone Survivor and The Living Daylights. Season 3 is Death Wish, Taxi Driver and Straw Dogs. Season 4 is The Professional.

Not bad.

 

[Dasher10]

Yeah, that was very nifty homage.






Not bad.

Also, as somebody who's read a good chunk of the comics, Season 1 was based off of the Year One and Valley Forge, Valley Forge story arcs.

 

[Dasher10]

They did toss a female sidekick in this season, and she was an awful character. She was a contrived and forced character that was really shoved down our throats. Her presence in the final episode was also ridiculous.

I knew somebody was going to say exactly this.

 

[righthooksrus86]

And my real hope for Barracuda is that he's somebody who views himself as the hero. He's taken on jobs to overthrow various dictators around the world and views himself as a soldier of fortune who has made the world a better place and that Frank is just a vigilante who does nothing to actually change the system. I'd leave it up to the audience to decide which of the two is the, "good guy."

Not sure how I feel about adapting Welcome Back Frank in the next season, but inluding Barracuda as possibly the main villain or co-villain is definitely something I can get behind.

 

[TheVileOne]

I knew somebody was going to say exactly this.

I don't mind the idea of a female government agent who possibly becomes an ally of sorts to Frank Castle. The problem was that Madani's character was badly written, and her dialogue and scenes were very forced.

Her only purpose in the finale was getting shot in the head. She didn't have a meaningful presence there.

Earlier, Micro told Madani about how he no longer believes in justice and how she wants to do things. He said Madani will learn why it doesn't work. This should've been the turning point for her if she was going to be there at all. That her rules couldn't bring down Russo.

 

[Mars452]

Season 4 would be based on the Greg Rucka run with episodes 4-8 as an interlude based on The Slavers. I'd like to see Eiza Gonzales or Genesis Rodriguez as Rachel Alves and I'm not sure who should be Stephanie Gerard, Dove, Chris Poulson or the Bulats.

Rachel Alves is actually Rachel Cole. Her husband is named Alves. The character is Caucasian, although I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with the adaptation turning the character Latina.

 

[Dasher10]

Rachel Alves is actually Rachel Cole. Her husband is named Alves. The character is Caucasian, although I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with the adaptation turning the character Latina.

I know. That was the point. The vast majority of Marvel characters are white. I feel like Rachel is one character for whom a race change would make sense.

 

[Dasher10]

Not sure how I feel about adapting Welcome Back Frank in the next season, but inluding Barracuda as possibly the main villain or co-villain is definitely something I can get behind.

And Crews needs to be Barracuda. He has the larger than life stage presence and when it isn't business with Barracuda, he's actually a really friendly guy. But he will kill anyone he's paid to kill. Terry Crews is pretty much the only actor who I think can be Barracuda. He fits the role like a glove.

 

[righthooksrus86]

And Crews needs to be Barracuda. He has the larger than life stage presence and when it isn't business with Barracuda, he's actually a really friendly guy. But he will kill anyone he's paid to kill. Terry Crews is pretty much the only actor who I think can be Barracuda. He fits the role like a glove.

Haha In his prime I would've definitely went with Nate "Tiny" Lister aka Debo from Friday...I thought he would've been perfect.

 

[Mike Murdock]

I know. That was the point. The vast majority of Marvel characters are white. I feel like Rachel is one character for whom a race change would make sense.

I think the fact that she is white works more powerfully for the character just because it reinforces the way everyone wants to call her Ms. Cole and she responds by saying her last name is Alvarez.

 

[javonstokess]

I finished the series a couple of days and decided to sit on it before I posted anything.

Frankly (no pun intended), I think this might Marvel's best (if not tied with the best) Netflix show.

I know many people wanted to have the unrelenting, murder machine Punisher that did nothing but gun people down, but I like the approach that Marvel took. They humanized Frank, but didn't take away that he was CLEARLY always one comment away from snapping and killing everyone in the room.

I also enjoyed the fact that they took time to really address and dive into PTSD and how it affects not just those inflicted, but those around them as well. I mean, some moments made me uncomfortable (in a good way). Great story telling around.

While there is some hate for Madami (I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong), I sometimes wonder if it's because she's a woman. She was perfectly fine in the role.

I thought the character of Micro was incredible. Amazing how, by trying to keep his family safe, he ends up in his own personal hell by watching, but not being a part of, his family.

I could honestly go in further detail, but, to sum it up, Marvel made a masterpiece.

One thing: it really bothers me that society as a whole confuses "character development" with "slow and boring". Nuance seems to have become a bad word.

 

[Lilbaz]

I finished the series a couple of days and decided to sit on it before I posted anything.

Frankly (no pun intended), I think this might Marvel's best (if not tied with the best) Netflix show.

I know many people wanted to have the unrelenting, murder machine Punisher that did nothing but gun people down, but I like the approach that Marvel took. They humanized Frank, but didn't take away that he was CLEARLY always one comment away from snapping and killing everyone in the room.

I also enjoyed the fact that they took time to really address and dive into PTSD and how it affects not just those inflicted, but those around them as well. I mean, some moments made me uncomfortable (in a good way). Great story telling around.

While there is some hate for Madami (I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong), I sometimes wonder if it's because she's a woman. She was perfectly fine in the role.

I thought the character of Micro was incredible. Amazing how, by trying to keep his family safe, he ends up in his own personal hell by watching, but not being a part of, his family.

I could honestly go in further detail, but, to sum it up, Marvel made a masterpiece.

One thing: it really bothers me that society as a whole confuses "character development" with "slow and boring". Nuance seems to have become a bad word.

Agree thought it was great. You really got the feeling of helplessness the father of the kid had. Thought the kid did well too as an actor.

 

[Batman138]

I'm half way through and it's really disappointing so far.

Each episode is like 1/3 government drama, 1/3 veteran drama, and 1/3 Punisher.

The government and veteran stuff is all really well developed and everything, but it's like you're watching 3 different shows. It would be fine if this were a show only about that stuff, but this is The Punisher. Yeah, I get that it has to set up villains and everything but they are spending way too much time on it.

Outside of the first episode, the first half of the season has been really slow. Hopefully it picks up.

 

[UnknownCriminal]

Each episode is like 1/3 government drama, 1/3 veteran drama, and 1/3 Punisher.

The government and veteran stuff is all really well developed and everything, but it's like you're watching 3 different shows.

It all comes together perfectly in episode 9.

 

[javonstokess]

Agree thought it was great. You really got the feeling of helplessness the father of the kid had. Thought the kid did well too as an actor.

I mean, that might have been the most well developed "villain" in any Marvel series, movie or TV. Fantastic story telling.

 

[javonstokess]

What I liked about the series also was they found a way to maintain story momentum. They've clearly taken lessons learned from the other series and brought them forward.

The development of a "sub-villain" is a great idea as well as seemingly doing the show in "arcs" of 3-4 episodes that tie into each other in the end.

 

[Darepool]

What I liked about the series also was they found a way to maintain story momentum. They've clearly taken lessons learned from the other series and brought them forward.

The development of a "sub-villain" is a great idea as well as seemingly doing the show in "arcs" of 3-4 episodes that tie into each other in the end.

I agree, just great development all around. I don't mind if a plot lacks the sense of constant propulsion. I appreciate when it slows down and has these lateral developments, certainly in this case when it's done well. Ultimately it allowed the show to explore the themes it wanted to and enriched Frank's journey moving forward.

 

[rogue trooper]

Also, as somebody who's read a good chunk of the comics, Season 1 was based off of the Year One and Valley Forge, Valley Forge story arcs.

Yeah, I definitely caught alot of the Year One-vibe.

I've also been thinking of the possibility the appearance of other villains like:

Sijo Kanaka

Col. Kliegg

Saracen

Hitman/Burt Kenyon(I don't know if he might with Sony since he was introduced in a Spider-Man title)

Hate-Monger

...and this one I don't know if he would work in this grounded world of Frank Castle(maybe if Punisher were to guest-star in Agents of SHIELD and have Bushwacker as a villain there), but who knows...

Bushwacker