Fanboys Anonymous

Marvel's The Punisher is set to premiere at 3am EST on Netflix, and per usual, this post will be documenting my running commentary of thoughts as I binge-watch every episode. I'll be adding notes almost as a stream of consciousness and when everything has concluded, I'll be wrapping everything up with a full season recap and review to see just how good or bad the overall package was and the hits and misses in a Reviewpoint podcast video.

I invite you to follow along and to leave your thoughts in the comments below just the same!






Episode 1 - "3 A.M."

- "Punisher comes to Juarez, we'll kill his ass!" - LOL no you won't.
- I think I'll skip the intro from now on. Once was enough. Not bad, but not good enough that I want to hear it 12 more times in a row.
- Anybody else find it funny to imagine Frank Castle making that sandwich and putting it in the ziploc bag and all?
- Nooooo, not the sandwich! Now, it's personal.
- Damn it. I want a sandwich. What the hell, Marvel? I just ate. I shouldn't be hungry again. You're going to kill my diet that I don't really have. If I make it through the rest of this episode without getting a sandwich, I'll be happy.
- "He was like a superhero to me or something, except they don't die." In Marvel, at least. Unless you're Quicksilver.
- "You really think our governments are tyrants?" - uh...yeah, dude, they are. Look around. That one babbling gun-nut is crazy but Lewis knows what's up. (This probably means I'll hate him eventually since I agree with him lol)
- I like Curtis. He's totally going to die, right? I hope not.
- Donny my boy, don't pay that bill. Ah fuck.
- Damn it, Donny. You're out of your element if you go on this rob job.
- Oh shit, I know that voice. Yup, that's that woman that's in a bunch of stuff and always seems like this wise yet untrustworthy but also somehow motherly character. She's great.
- Ugh...Donny...
- WTF is up with this song playing while Punisher is going all punishy on these construction douchebags? Weird choice. It doesn't really fit in my opinion.
- Well that's one less mafia family to deal with. Looks like The Punisher just preemptively solved SO MUCH crime. Not that I'm condoning that sort of thing....officially.

Episode 2 - "Two Dead Men"

- Three eggs over easy, side of bacon, sourdough toast. Okay. Sounds good. Not as good as that sandwich. Good line about "Depends on the eggs" by the way.
- I like my Microchip as "Microchip" and overweight instead of this guy. Let's see if he's going to change my mind.
- I wonder if the audition to play Frank's wife consisted of just waking Jon Bernthal up with kisses, cause that's all she's doing. Well, and getting shot in the head.
- Wasn't Jigsaw in the mob instead of, well, pretty much the total opposite?
- Well Wolf died a lot sooner than I thought he would.
- Those don't look like over easy eggs.
- For some reason, I'm finding myself not interested in this episode. I hope things pick up.

Episode 3 - "Kandahar"

- I'm warming up to Micro(chip) more, I'll give him that. Still don't like him enough, but I do like him more.
- So since Billy Russo is a future villain, and they're going with the "best buddies" angle, I'm just waiting for the episode 6 or 8 turnaround where they find out that he's in bed with the villains for some reason. Right now, I'm not getting too much out of him.
- Oh shit, Lewis was the dude who played Lee Harvey Oswald in 11.22.63? I knew he looked familiar.
- Time for the obligatory "sleepy head" scene.
- Uh, Lewis, if you're gonna be that trigger happy from nightmares, maybe don't sleep with a goddamn loaded gun under your pillow?
- While this whole massacre in Kandahar is happening on screen, the main thought running through my mind is that it's sad that there are people who will watch this and think to themselves "fuck yeah!" with some sort of patriotic pride, as if this is something to be honoring.
- LOL at the chair rolling. If Micro would have said "weeeee!" that would have been great.

Episode 4 - "Resupply"

- That's healthy, Lewis. Also, you haven't learned your lesson that you'll shoot your dad.
- Turk!!!!!!!
- So wait, the guy from Lethal Weapon is basically just doing the same role here of "generic authoritative cop from another place coming in to tell you what's up" eh? Don't trust him.
- They just did a Robin Hood joke, but as far as I'm aware, there hasn't been a single reference to anything in the MCU like the Battle of New York. Are they just not even trying to make these fit in the same universe anymore?
- From their first hit-cute, I've been waiting for Micro's wife to try to kiss Frank. That's going to happen down the line for sure.
- I don't buy some of these Anvil recruits to be highly skilled weapons unless you add the phrase "in a donut shop" to the end of the sentence.
- Dinah's had enough of a chance for me to like her, but she's just getting bitchier. Sam's a pushover, too. I'm okay if we don't see too too much of their story bulking things out.
- Lewis is just awful. I hope he doesn't kill Curtis.

Episode 5 - "Gunner"

- Dinah is waking up in bed. Clearly, Frank's wife will kiss her now. Sleepy head.
- I hope Sarah makes Frank some eggs. He likes those.
- That kiss felt weird.
- Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Hey there. You're going to be a villain for the second half of this season, aren't you?
- I'm starting to think I might not want to binge this whole season straight through. I'm pretty tired, so I might take a nap after the next episode.
- Nice ass, but Misty and Elektra still have hotter sex scenes.

Episode 6 - "The Judas Goat"

- So if you're following my exploits for being hungry, I didn't quite get a sandwich (because I don't have the proper materials here) but I did heat up some shitty frozen pulled pork sliders that will tide me over.
- I guess every one of these servicemen sleep with a gun under their pillows.
- Damn it, why did I choose to eat pulled pork during the scene where they're doing surgery?
- Trying to step up your sex scene game, Dinah? At least you're naked this time.
- Did she just steal his pillow for her back? How rude.
- I always thought Ben Barnes would be a good choice for Dick Grayson. Nightwing gets around. The way Barnes' characters are here and in Westworld, that confirms my theory.
- Sorry Micro, but out of all the characters on this show, the one I hate the most is your son. What a little pecker.
- For those interested, the ranking of how I like the characters at the moment are Frank, then Curtis, then Micro, then Billy, and blah blah.
- Ugh. Now I hate the cop even more.
- Only a matter of time before Lewis killed someone. At least it was another shitty person.
- Oh noooo bad guy is bad guy. (Downside to knowing the source material ahead of time)

Episode 7 - "Crosshairs"

- "And in my first memories, they shot Kennedy." Damn it, Leewis Harvey Oswald. Side note, I hope this actor doesn't get typecast as murdering military guy forever.
- Riggs did it better.
- Um...five second rule?
- Fuuuuck bullet proof glass.

Episode 8 - "Cold Steel"

- Quantity of sex scenes versus quality. Hmm...
- And there's the kiss. Micro's going to be piiiiiiissed.
- Micro doesn't need to show him his junk. He was naked in the chair, remember? Funny convo and a great exchange between the two though. I liked this scene a lot.
- And there goes Stein. Figured that had to happen.
- By now, I've been awake 24 hours straight, so I'll be taking a snooze and picking this back up real soon. Stay tuned for more reactions and the Reviewpoint later today!

Episode 9 - "Front Toward Enemy"

- Alright, let's return to schedule.
- Surprised Karen is on this Langtry show instead of Trish Walker's.
- 37? In a row??? (points if you get that joke)
- Better not kill Curtis.
- Good.

Episode 10 - "Virtue of the Vicious"

- Those parakeets are broken. Sure you didn't buy them from Lloyd Christmas?
- One of the problems with these Netflix shows is that I always feel like there's a subplot or two (or three) that are built in purely to stretch it. This Lewis situation is interesting, but it isn't furthering much of the narrative of the original goal. It's just giving everyone more to do. Instead, I'd rather see this be the pure and only focal point of a six episode arc that is separate and not interwoven sometimes. I think it would be smarter if Marvel released six episodes at a time of these shows to make it easier to binge, keep things tighter, and roll them out more often throughout the year instead of 2-3 bulk chunks of 13 episodes.
- That being said, I do find it interesting to pair Punisher up with a PTSD guy. But it feels so much like a detour with this senator's introduction coming in so late.
- A guy like Castle would never be vindicated in the real world. Too many conspiracies for and against him, despite how we know he's the good guy (albeit flawed).
- Anvil is such a cool word.
- Great scene with the bomb in the kitchen. One of the best this whole season.

Episode 11 - "Danger Close"

- Forgot about Mastrantonio. I thought she would amount to more by now.
- Home Alone?
- LOL that's not a hand grenade, that's a head grenade.

Episode 12 - "Home"

- Micro better not be dead. That was one of the things I hated about Punisher: War Zone. If they make the same mistake twice, I'll be pissed.
- Woo! Alright. Good.
- Does Frank go to the dentist to fix that missing tooth, or does he just staple it back in or something?
- I hope Maria doesn't call him sleepy head when they're having sex. They're in the bed, after all.
- I really thought this would be the episode where Billy gets disfigured.

Episode 13 - "Memento Mori"

- Ever notice how in movies, whenever someone takes a bullet out, they always drop it onto a metallic surface that makes a satisfying tack-clank sound? I love that.
- I wonder what the body count for this show is.
- Well I guess I was officially wrong about Rafi and James being evil. They're just conflicted bureaucrats rather than legitimate "villains" of the normal sense.
- Haha Sarah needs it. Remember, he's supposed to be hung like a horse.
- I hope Carl lasts longer than Micro.
- There's one hole for Jigsaw's face.
- Well Dinah's not dead, that's for sure.
- A little closer to Jigsaw with every face smash into that mirror.
- I'm still not buying that she's dead.
- And she's not.
- I like the somber ending. It fits.