Marvel Watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the beginning...

[Mel O'Drama]

Iron Fist

Eight Diagram Dragon Palm / Under Leaf Pluck Lotus / Immortal Emerges From Cave
​

Claire is about to stumble into Colleen and Danny’s paths. At this moment, ahead of time, that just feels like too much. Claire is evolving from a person in the wrong place at the wrong time (or the right place at the right time, depending how you view it) to a superhero stalker. It’s interesting to have her at the centre of this universe, but I feel I’m about to be asked to willingly suspend my disbelief.

And now it’s happened. She’s arrived and is now firmly part of the series. I don’t know that it’s stretched credulity - I kind of believe it. But Claire’s arc is beginning to feel a little repetitive.

She serves the same function as in the other series. Once again she happens into a situation where she gets involved in a medical emergency of E.R. proportions. Once again, the dying person can’t go to the hospital because… reasons. Once again, Claire saves their life by Blue Petering wildly (this time she sorts out a punctured lung with a credit card and some sellotape). Once again she learns someone else involved in the situation has special abilities and starts making obliquely knowing references to the ones she's met already (without directly saying so, because she seems to get off on knowing stuff others don't).

I recognise that the familiarity and continuity are welcome. It’s good to see her, don’t get me wrong. But at this point her entry into things feels especially contrived. Yes, we saw her taking Colleen’s phone number at the end of Luke Cage, but it just all feels a bit too predictable. Even though it’s ostensibly accidental, her constant meet-ups with super-beings are verging on the groupie-ish. She seems to sniff out newly powered supers like some women do rock stars or death row prisoners. And, of course, her assertive, take charge personality has to be established all over again, which at this point is making her seem a little like a bossy control freak.

Claire’s too likeable for this to affect my relationship with her long-term and now that the intro is over I’m sure it will settle into a new and hopefully slightly different dynamic. But there’s been more than a touch of karaoke to the proceedings.

Speaking of karaoke, the tableau of the man performing a-Ha’s Take On Me (badly) at a karaoke bar only to zoom out and reveal that most of the audience has died a bloody death with the sole remaining person garrotted with a microphone lead went some way to redeem the lack of originality in other areas. It was rather Tarantinoesque, but certainly a Marvel first.

The aftermath of another grisly death - the head on a stick - made me gasp with horror as it was so unexpected and grim.

Most of the action scenes are proving enjoyable for the choreography. A lot of the time they’re like watching an intricate, fast moving dance, and they’re certainly speaking to me (apart from the silly, slutty spider lady).

Madame Gao is well and truly back on the scene now, which is A Very Good Thing. What a great character.

 

[Crimson]

But Claire’s arc is beginning to feel a little repetitive.

Reading through your reviews, I realize how fuzzy my memories are of these Netflix Marvel shows. It's not because of the age; there are older shows I have vivid memories of, even after only one viewing. While I enjoyed them overall, some more than others, I found the Netflix shows to be too same-y. I know the creators tried to differentiate them -- the Blaxploitation vibe of LUKE CAGE, the seedy noir-ish tone of JESSICA JONES -- but ultimately each series is basically just a bruiser fighting their way through a hallway of henchmen. The inclusion of Claire in each show, aside from cumulatively feeling contrived, just added to the overall repetition of the franchise.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

While I enjoyed them overall, some more than others, I found the Netflix shows to be too same-y.

ultimately each series is basically just a bruiser fighting their way through a hallway of henchmen.

Yes, I know what you mean and I suspect I'll struggle to distinguish between them as time goes by (which is already happening to some degree with earlier series).

The inclusion of Claire in each show, aside from cumulatively feeling contrived, just added to the overall repetition of the franchise.

Claire's repeated arc aside, I do enjoy the way the shared universe is being set up. It's the smaller crossovers I've enjoyed more, like Jeri Hogarth meeting Foggy. Even the non-crossovers have been great. While she hasn't been seen outside of Daredevil, Karen Page has been mentioned a couple of times during Iron Fist in connection with The New York Bulletin and I enjoy that familiarity.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Iron Fist

Felling Tree With Roots / The Blessing Of Many Fractures / The Mistress Of All Agonies / Black Tiger Steals Heart​

As with Daredevil, the casting and writing is such that the lead character, while perfectly serviceable, is among the least interesting. For all the attempts at barefooted eccentricities in the first couple of episodes, he is surrounded by far more flawed and fascinating people than he has proven to be.

Take the Meachums. Harold killed a couple of would be attackers then summoned Ward to help smash their faces and bash out their teeth with a hammer. Ward baulked at the very idea (actually, he barfed at the very idea. But only in his mouth, since the bin he almost used contained the finger Harold had sawn off himself). Ward does manage to dump the bodies, in a body of water at night à la Norman Bates. Further channelling Norman, Ward then stabbed his father to death and dumped his body in the same lake.

The mid-season twist of the secondary antagonist stepping up to murder the primary antagonist comes right from Luke Cage. It’s a little less surprising here - in fact with the benefit of hindsight it was almost inevitable - but it’s solidified Ward as a character of note. In early episodes I found him a bit irritating, and I suppose as the insecure, jealous bully he was supposed to be. Besides popping pills, he was always seen with a drink in hand, continually taking large sips with loud, dry slurps.

But in the middle part of the series, as his addictions escalated and it was clear he was falling apart under the pressure of keeping Harold’s secrets (not least the fact that Harold had been resurrected by The Hand) while simultaneously unable to escape (he tries and fails) and bearing the brunt of his father’s anger. He’s also dealing with being the less functional sibling as well as Danny’s return.

Ward has emerged as a fragile, pitiful and consequently sympathetic person. Even before he killed his father, I was finding him one of the more interesting characters in the series. His guilt over having done so - seeing drops of fresh blood on his clothing (where there actually isn’t any) like Lady Macbeth, or gallons of blood emerging from a lift like Danny Torrance in The Shining has made him fall apart even more and the psychology has been very watchable.

But in this series, even the twist of Ward killing Harold has its own twist: Harold has emerged drooling from the lake like a cross between Lazarus and Melrose’s Richard Hart, to reveal he cannot die as a result of The Hand’s treatment. He simply gets resurrected each time with a darker personality than the time before.

This, too has proved very watchable. Harold’s tearful embrace of his murderer to apologise for the pressure he’s put him under was followed up by an even more uncharacteristic display of kindness to his adorably Milquetoast young assistant Kyle by serving him a choice of a zillion different ice cream flavours. Unfortunately for them both, Kyle requests vanilla which Harold hasn’t got in. And Harold is so incensed at Kyle’s ingratitude he beats him to death with the ice cream scoop. I was reminded of the senseless and violent death of Jessica Jones’s adorably Milquetoast neighbour.

There’s been a lot going on for Danny, Colleen and Claire. A trip to China, the capture of Madame Gao, Danny learning of new healing abilities through Colleen’s sensei who takes them to his facility, which turns out to be possibly run by The Hand. And Danny’s escaped with the help of the strange Mancunian, but only after being stabbed.

Most watchable among all this, of course, has been Madame Gao herself. Even under capture, she remained her usual combination of serene, wise and threatening, getting into the heads of Danny, Colleen and Claire with her sage observations about their failings and insecurities. She’s proving one of my favourite things about the entire Netflix saga.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Iron Fist

Lead Horse Back To Stable / Bar The Big Boss / Dragon Plays With Fire
​

Well, not much to say about these episodes. The season overall has been consistent, and the quality has been pretty decent, though it’s very much a flawed gem.

I like the mystery around Danny’s origin. Even now, there’s a lot that’s unclear. However, that mystery also makes the character feel inaccessible at times, and that’s arguably not helped by the portrayal which doesn’t exactly light up the screen. I did say this series has been consistent, and Finn Jones’s performance has been consistently serviceable, albeit in a supporting role kind of way. Far from the stuff of leading men.

It’s better news with the Meachums - Marvel’s answer to the Carringtons - have been the most consistently watchable aspect of this series, with Ward emerging as the most interesting of all in the latter part of the season. He’s been given something of a redemption arc these last few episodes, and I’ve bought it. Impressively, he’s taken me along with the ride for him each time he changes direction, with his intense Patrick Bateman era being perhaps his most memorable. In addition to Christian Bale, he reminds me at times of a cross between Ryan Reynolds and Stephen Macht physically, the latter in particular making him feel familiar and empathetic. Yes, the Meachum’s have been horribly unlikeable at times, but at least it’s intentional here.

It’s clear the writers realise they’re more interesting than the central character, and I’ve been fine with their significant screen time. The office politics and family dynamics have been enjoyably soapy, which is fine with this viewer.

I’m afraid I never did quite get as comfortable with Claire’s presence as I ought to have. Pleasingly, her whole raison d’être was nailed by Madame Gao during the episode in which she was captive: the idea that seeking out these people will somehow make her more special. I suppose there’s a semi-interesting psychology to it, but really at this point I’d have preferred a less-forced connection between the series. Both Gao and Jeri Hogarth have been far better fits. Frankly, I’d have preferred Claire was rested from this one and Hogarth’s role beefed up. She’s been great here.

Madame Gao has been a treat. I think I’ve enjoyed her even more in this series than in Daredevil.

Of course, the most exciting thing about Iron Fist ending is that it means the beginning of The Defenders. It was a little disappointing that there was no hint of the impending team-up in the last Iron Fist episode. Luke Cage finale did a far better job of building anticipation about the crossovers, and that was six months earlier than this episode. The Iron Fist ending felt more like it heralded a second solo season rather than The Defenders. Not great for the lead-in to Marvel Television's main event.

 

[Crimson]

@Mel O'Drama One of us is confused

 

[Mel O'Drama]

@Mel O'Drama One of us is confused

Oh cripes! This is what happens when I have one too many "Watching [random fantasy] cinematic universe in order" threads on the go.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll move Chewbacca and co. to a more appropriate setting.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Defenders

Season One (2017)

The H Word / Mean Right Hook
​

For whatever reason, I’d expected The Defenders to be fully formed by the end of the of the first episode. Silly, really, when all four solo series have spent much time to set up the characters and situations.

I’m enjoying the episodes so far, don’t get me wrong, but they’ve also felt rather choppy. As though new episodes of the solo series have been cut up and stitched together without actually blending. This is no doubt by necessity. The settings, personas and players all need to be (re)established as we’ve known them before bringing them together.

The series has done a good job of capturing the tone of each series, helped by familiar settings such as Matt’s apartment and the Alias Investigations office and its surrounds. Luke leaves Seagate and arrives back in Harlem which fits him like a glove. The only character who lacks this sense of place is Danny who feels even more aimless here than he did in his own series. He just wanders around, jaw clenched being grim and serious over nothing in particular.

There is also a bit of an irritant with the soundtrack, in that many of the Luke scenes are introduced or accompanied by a booming hip hop soundtrack. This, of course, was that series’ thing, but it stands out here and feels a little forced - arguably even stereotypical.

It was particularly good to see Jessica Jones. Since we last caught up with her there have been three entire seasons (a solo season for each of the guys). I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed her attitude.

With the characters not interacting greatly immediately, there’s still come crossover fun to be had. The series opened with Danny and Colleen battling Elektra and there’s been a Jessica/Elektra face-off and - most exciting of all for those who know their comics - a Power Man/Iron Fist face-off. Episode Two closed with Matt meeting Jessica. But equally, if not more, exciting have been the crossovers involving supporting (that is, non-title) characters. Foggy and Hogarth have interacted again as they did briefly in Season Two of Daredevil. Hogarth is emerging as a favourite of mine, so I’m very happy about this. Misty and Jessica’s Clash Of The Attitudes was great fun.

Madame Gao is back - again - which is great. Stick’s present and correct. Claire, of course is here. Malcolm is right at Jessica’s side. I’m rather less enthused about Trish, but she’s been reasonable enough here.

It was a really nice surprise to see Sigourney Weaver’s name at the beginning. I had no idea she was in this. I don’t know the character, so I’m intrigued to see where her story goes. I’m getting the feeling she’s offering herself to The Hand to be given the treatment, which would be interesting. Whichever direction it goes, I’m confident she’ll give a standout performance.

At the moment there’s a fair bit of “who the hell are you?” going on in these first time Defenders encounters. Novel as it is, I’m very curious to see how the chemistry will work when the dust settles.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Defenders

Worst Behaviour / Royal Dragon / Take Shelter​

And the chemistry is working for me. Not only does it have the requisite frisson of excitement that comes from a Marvel team-up, but it has it left, right and centre. As if the four leads are working each other out in the Chinese restaurant, there’s the sight of Foggy, Karen, Malcolm, Trish, Misty, Claire and Colleen in the same room. Knowing some characters’ relationships from the comics, little moments like Misty and Colleen’s first interaction feel very significant.

These episodes have highlighted many differences between the characters’ styles, such as Matt being the only character who has any kind of secret identity to keep. There’s also Luke and Jessica's far more grounded tones, with them scoffing or just plain laughing at the mention of dragons or resurrection. Their cynicism is effective. Highlighting the ridiculousness of some of these devices means they react as any sane, real-world person would. In turn, this makes the situation feel more real and relatable, selling it to us.

Jessica’s cynical attitude and lack of patience feel particularly refreshing after a great deal of time without seeing her on screen, and I’m having my share of laughs watching her getting bored and just throwing punches, or wisecracking away while others are being serious.

I find it interesting that Iron Fist seems to be the key to everything, but it makes sense as it feels he could easily end up in the background were his name not mentioned in every scene. As I said, though, the chemistry works between all four. Seeing them work together, I’ve decided I’d far prefer to watch a Power Man/Iron Fist series than a second solo series for either as they’re quite fun together. Another thirteen episodes of smirking Theo Rossi taking his glasses off and putting them back on, or another ten episodes of Danny Rand trying to find himself don’t feel at all inviting to me at this time.

It’s difficult not to compare this with The Avengers, and this comes out quiet favourably because it feels mostly organic and intimate. The threat is still the same - the destruction of New York city - but this has an added underground element that feels grittier. The series, of course, also benefits from heaps of time to focus on the characters as individuals. And while the fights are very typical Marvel Television fare - lots of fast-moving martial arts in gloomy, confined spaces - I find this far preferable to enormous CGI monsters coming from the clouds. Not that I’m running down The Avengers (after all, the entire franchise is following the template set by the MCU films, and it’s hard to envisage this particular series happening without that first Avengers film). It’s just pleasing that the format mitigates some of the things I found bothersome with early MCU team films.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Defenders

Ashes, Ashes / Fish In The Jailhouse
​

Well, a couple of shocking and significant deaths in recent episodes.

Stick’s decapitation of Sowande happened so suddenly that even as I watched I questioned if I was seeing what I was seeing, which put me on the same keel as the characters. The best part about it was the reactions of the others, all standing in frozen shock.

Elektra’s killing of Stick was surprising because I really didn’t think Stick was going to be killed off having been a reliable recurring character going back to Season One of Daredevil.

Likewise, while I didn’t see her assassination of Alexandra coming. Or at least, not quite so soon. Sigourney was the big-name guest star in the series and I didn’t think she’d be around forever. But I did think she’d at least survive until the final episode of The Defenders for a climactic confrontation. Her death coming mid-monologue - and mid-sentence - reminded me a little of Samuel L. Jackson’s death in Deep Blue Sea. I’m sorry to see her go as she always gives such a great performance and brought much substance to a character that could have been a lot less interesting and watchable with anyone else in the role. That final image of Elektra with blood-spattered face just stood out to me as looking like a Frank Miller comic panel. It’s very easy to envisage this scene on the last couple of pages of a comic.

After the loss of Sigourney, the worst thing about Alexandra’s death is that Elektra’s suddenly got a lot more to say and I’m distracted by the weird accent Élodie Yung uses in this role. The mixed vowel sounds put it somewhere between contemporary RP and Australian.

Jessica is making this series for me. Of course, it works because of the ensemble, but her little wisecracks and unimpressed facial expressions are so much fun. Her reactions to the Daredevil costume have been hilarious. “Nice ears”, she quipped the first time she saw it (“They’re horns”, Matt replied wearily). The second time was even funnier. With Matt on her left, she turned slowly to Luke on her right and said “There it is again” in a completely flat voice that said nothing and everything at the same time.

With just one episode remaining, part of me wishes the series were longer, but perhaps it’s best this way. To be left wanting more can be a good thing, and it seems that’s going to be the case for me.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Defenders

The Defenders

​

Ah - so nobody actually coined or used the name “The Defenders” within the episode. It makes sense, since Luke and especially Jessica are a bit too cool for that kind of thing. Though I could easily see Matt or Danny dropping it.

The pacing felt off in this episode. I suppose I’d expected a climactic battle of sorts, and there was one, but it went on a bit and I zoned out when we spent far too long on Matt and annoying, intern-voiced Elektra when Matt could simply have followed the plan and gone back to the surface with the others.

Then there was Colleen and Bakuto having yet another prolonged sword fight. And Claire, yet again, defeating members of The Hand armed only with a heavy object is beyond ridiculous. At least Misty’s humanity led to consequences for her.

Compounding this, we then went back to character with everyone mourning Matt, and while the various scenes were enjoyable - and important since they returned the various characters mostly to their familiar solo territories - it felt a little slow, plodding and indulgent. It didn’t help that I knew Matt couldn’t be dead since there’s a Season Three and an MCU appearance after this, so it becoming all about Matt felt irritating.

I have many reservations about the “blow up and drop a building on them” solution to the issue. For a start, if The Hand are immortal, how is burying them any kind of guarantee? And how were they to know the building would go straight down rather than toppling sideways into a heavily occupied building? Lots of questions linger on, unanswered.

However, it was a very enjoyable series and, despite my previous comments, I feel eight episodes was a good number* which allowed the series to feel relatively slick and lean.







* Part of me wishes this number had become a benchmark, since I’m starting to feel a little burnout. With seventy three Netflix Marvel episodes behind me and a whopping eighty eight still to watch, I feel a little daunted.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Punisher

Season One (2017)

3 AM / Two Dead Men
​

Once again, the first episodes have had that adjustment thing where the series’ voice takes a while to land with me.

The main thing I took away from 3 AM was that Frank was pretty much the most likeable character in it. The horrible posturing alphas at the construction site - like the shark in Jaws or Michael Myers - were there for the express purpose of behaving so horribly the audience would gladly cheer when they were brutally killed. And it must be said that I found Frank’s Hollywood Old Testament retribution quite cathartic.

The first episode had perhaps the largest on-screen body count of any Marvel project to date (and it’s even more of a contender if one excludes deaths that didn’t “take”, such as the Blip). Certainly it’s among the bloodiest. But somehow it doesn’t feel that way here. It’s not off-puttingly so in the way that it sometimes started to feel in Daredevil. Perhaps because of the character’s anti-hero status there’s a different mindset involved where one feels almost desensitised since we know it’s simply what the character does. In the same way I’m less shocked by violent deaths in a slasher film than I would be a superhero flick.

The rest of the supporting players are taking a while to gel with me, and I’m still not there. Mostly, they’re feeling like production line attempts at various stereotypical characters played by non-character actors. This is particularly noticeable when we do The Silence Of The Lambs type scenes at Homeland Security. There’s the spunky female cop being MeToo’d by her toxic male boss and belittled by her jaded partner. The boss has a beard and a few forehead lines to establish his gravitas. And to show gritty naturalism, the partner speaks with his mouth full (he does have eyes that resemble a Scream killer, so my money’s on him being a bad ‘un). Yet neither has any real presence or interest about their deportment (the most interesting thing the boss did was get killed in Episode Two). Rather than world weary cops, they feel like Hollywood actors pretending to be world weary cops, and so I don’t feel invested in their stories. Yet.

The frosty psychiatrist mother of the series’ Clarice Starling could be interesting.

Then there’s the cast for the flashbacks. I realise that they’re meant to be fantasy versions in Frank’s memories, but Maria - with her floral dresses, nose wrinkling smile and sweetly whispering voice - is such an image of idealised femininity she’s quite nauseating. While Frank’s daughter has that bright-eyed, sunshiny, sing-songy stage school brat thing going on.

Greatly helping out in the supporting roles department was the arrival of Karen Page in Two Dead Men. Thank God it wasn’t Claire Bloody Temple again. Her presence has helped this series connect with the wider Marvel Television universe, as it could easily have ended up in a vacuum. When Karen hugged Frank and cried with happiness at seeing him, we knew it was also about Matt’s “death” at the end of The Defenders. The best thing was, it wasn’t even voiced. It was all about us knowing the characters and stories enough to know what they’re thinking and feeling. More of this will be very welcome.


It possibly goes without saying that it’s great to be delving back into Frank’s world and psyche. But since it's his show, I'll say it anyway.

As a loner character, we spend much time with him and I’m loving seeing how he operates. His interactions with Sarah Lieberman, relating to her over the loss of his family were terrific. Particularly so since it had the undercurrent of him knowing Micro is alive and well and the whole situation being part of a scheme to get the upper hand. See how resourceful he was in turning the tables on Micro and ensuring things are on his own terms was a joy to watch and one of those little arcs that made me want to cheer. And in the midst of being threatened, he stops to throw a compliment at the waitress as he leaves the diner. “Delicious”, indeed.

 

[Crimson]

@Mel O'Drama Are you watching these shows in any particular order? I haven't established your pattern yet; certainly not (season) release order, since you're watching complete series.

Not watching these in release order, are you finding the narrative jumbled? I was recently discussing these shows with a friend, who was also not watching them for the first time and also complete series; I couldn't recall the shows well enough to say if the chronology would be muddled for him.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Are you watching these shows in any particular order? I haven't established your pattern yet; certainly not (season) release order, since you're watching complete series.

I'm watching in this order, which I believe is chronological release order by season.

I'm only watching a season of each show at a time, so while I've watched their earlier seasons, I have Season Three of Daredevil, Seasons Two and Three of Jessica Jones and Season Two of both Luke Cage and Iron Fist still to watch.

I agree, it would become muddled to watch complete series. At the very least, the little Easter eggs wouldn't be half as much fun.

 

[Crimson]

'm watching in this order, which I believe is chronological release order by season.

Interesting. Somehow I had the impression you were watching entire series through -- all of DAREDEVIL, all of JESSICA JONES, etc.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Somehow I had the impression you were watching entire series through -- all of DAREDEVIL, all of JESSICA JONES, etc.

It could be because it's taking me forever to get through each season. At least that's how it's starting to feel for me.


(Though I was both pleased and disappointed at how quickly I burnt through The Defenders).

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Punisher

Kandahar / Resupply
​

It strikes me that each of the four episodes to date have been different in tone and theme from one another. Kandahar has numerous flashbacks to Frank’s time in Afghanistan with the troops dovetailing with Micro’s history, all linked by present-day scenes of Frank holding Micro prisoner.

Almost every character seems to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder of some kind or another. These would seem to be the ties that bind. Lewis, with his foxhole in the back garden and firing a gun at his father after waking from a nightmare, is the most representative of this angle, and it’s very well done. One can almost feel his detachment, and the fact that he’s desperate to claw himself back onto a mission because he can’t deal with life on Civvy Street is tragic, poignant and very real.

The threads are coming together very slowly, and I’m interested in many of these characters, even if I don’t actually care about them. It’s certainly well-made enough that I feel I want to keep watching.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Punisher

Gunner / The Judas Goat / Crosshairs / Cold Steel / Front Toward Enemy​

The longer episode length is becoming a bit of a bugbear with me in some ways - if all episodes were 45 minutes instead of an hour, I could probably squeeze in an extra episode per evening. While at the same time, I do appreciate that this is one of the factors which allows the pacing to be so good. In particular I’m enjoying how unhurried the scenes are. Even more than the previous Netflix series, The Punisher noticeably has lengthy scenes of dialogue and character.

I have to retract my previous thought that Stein would turn out to be a baddie. He’s now been killed, after helping Madani start to prove the corruption within the agency and joining her hunt for the office bug.

As far as the season’s real Big Bad… there are levels, so I suppose it’s in the eye of the beholder. Billy Russo seems to be intended as the A-villain, but I find his actions and his portrayal far too pantomime-ish and one-dimensional. Boo as he pulls the strings behind the scenes, stabbing people while pretending to be a good guy. Hiss as he abuses his incapacitated mother. Well, no. I don’t think I will, actually. He just feels strangely miscast, with Ben Barnes lacking both the intensity of the other marines and the requisite villainous charisma. It feels a bit like the budget couldn’t stretch to a name like David Tennant this time round.

Lewis Wilson, on the other hand, is just fascinating. What a terrific arc the character’s had. His post-traumatic-stress-driven actions feel very rooted in his history and despite his sometimes horrifying rampage, Daniel Webber has kept him sympathetic all the way through, playing it with shades of grey. The fact that Wilson is as suicidal as he is homicidal really evidence his inner torment and conflict. He’s one of the most interesting characters of the Netflix Marvel saga, beautifully portrayed. After spending the first few episodes trying to work out who he reminds me of physically, I’ve realised his facial features look very much like those of Home and Away’s Dodge (a series in which Webber himself appeared, albeit some twenty five years after Dodge). Oh, I’ve just discovered that Webber went on to play Lee Harvey Oswald, and I can completely see why.

Karen is more ballsy than ever, directly calling out a terrorist during a phone conversation on live radio (surprisingly, not Trish Talk this time). There’s a haunted angle to Karen’s appearances in this series which I’d initially put down only Matt being missing, presumed dead. But during some dialogue about regrets, it came back to me that Karen is carrying the burden of having killed someone back in Season One of Daredevil. I’d practically forgotten about that, but something about her performance here suggests she certainly hasn’t. That was quite unexpected and very satisfying. And once again, nothing’s been said. It’s all in the face.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Punisher

Virtue Of The Vicious / Danger Close / Home / Memento Mori​

The flashback episode featuring the hotel bombing was really well constructed. I particularly enjoyed seeing the same event from different angles, depending on the agenda of the person giving their statement.

It’s been good to see Karen in this series and I think it’s really done her character a service. The only moment I didn’t overly care for was when she did a Diana Fairgate by convincing the marksmen that she was Frank’s prisoner as he held a gun to her head, but they were under pressure so I’ll let it go.

The Karen we see here is at least as complex as Daredevil Karen, and some of her ballsier moments feel more authentic here given her experiences. Indeed, the dialogue even saw another character reel of a list of many of Karen’s inexperiences with incredulity. And she remained completely unfazed. There was an especially nice moment at the end of Virtue Of The Vicious in which she countered DS Frank Mahoney’s underlying threat of consequences regarding her enabling Frank’s escape by pointing out that if Frank is the threat she’s just a victim. The implication being that Mahoney knows Frank was there to help and he also knows she was right to aid Frank’s escape.

Lewis Wilson’s inevitable death was a sad one. He was one of the more fleshed-out characters here and held my sympathy despite his actions because he was so clearly living with post traumatic stress. I thought the death itself looked a bit CGI fake, but since I’ve never been in that situation (fortunately), I could be wrong.

Naturally, his wasn’t the only death. There were the inevitable bloodbaths and deadly rampages with Frank in the middle of things. As mentioned before, a lot of the violence felt so fitting it was almost expected and so I never had a visceral response to much of it. However the eye gouging was one moment that made me physically raise my knees to hide my eyes, even though Rawlins - as with all Netflix Marvel villains - was evil enough that his nasty death was clearly designed to be almost therapeutic for the audience as much as Frank himself.

continued…​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Punisher

Virtue Of The Vicious / Danger Close / Home / Memento Mori

continued​

With Rawlins dispatched, Wilson self-exploded, and Madani on-side, Russo was left as the key antagonist for Frank in the final episode, and this is where any sense of jeopardy ended for me, because he’s just a young snot up against Frank. The character was never written to be a physical match for Frank. It was all about the deception, and once he was exposed it was in the bag. Given that, I felt that the final confrontation went on a bit long. Ben Barnes just hasn’t held my attention in this series. His monologues bored me, quite frankly. And his facial expressions when getting beaten in the finale were rather comical at times. Like Shades in Luke Cage, knowing Russo is back for Season Two is a bit of a turn-off.

The reunion of the Liebermans (Liebermen?) was satisfying enough, though I could have done without the reunion sex.

Madani felt as though she filled the Claire Temple role in regards to her challenging the system. Doing things her own way and exposing injustices at any cost. She has no fear of her superiors and even talks back to the Deputy Director of one of the most powerful agencies on earth. It’s almost like she has a death wish. But it’s been very watchable and I have enjoyed the procedural angle along with the exposition of conspiracies and corruption. Once again, the MCU in general - and the Netflix series in particular - has no sacred cows with its depiction of those in power.

As Marion James, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio has been great.It’s also been really good to see Tony Plana as Madani’s superior, Homeland director Rafael Hernandez. A character actor of many years’ standing, he remains best-known to me from Ugly Betty and whenever I see him on screen I resist (not always successfully) the urge to call out “Papi”.

All in all, The Punisher has given a terrific first season. In fact I’d say it’s a contender for the best, most satisfying journey, though there’s fierce competition from Daredevil and - in its own way - Luke Cage. Thinking back to the storyline in Episode One - with Construction Worker Frank cementing his colleagues - the series has come a long way and walked a confident and sometimes unexpected path. Most expectations I may have had early on in the season were either met or changed, while most reservations were cast aside.