Inhumans was a disaster. The epic scope of that series was done on a small budget and the writing and some of the casting was lousy. The writer who worked on the show did a crappy job.
Iron Fist was a disaster as well. If the Defenders budget was "shoestring" then Iron Fist was produced on "penny loafers", and that's without getting into a broader discussion of the scripting and questionable casting decisions. I'm generally impressed with most of the Marvel/Netflix series. But given two unpardonable turkeys prior to The Punisher it seemed like we might be entering shark jumping territory. The good news from my perspective is that Marvel/Netflix is back in form. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I've no axe to grind with this series. Nitpicking the stuffing, the only noticeable oops! is a minor plot-point inconsistency: Micro trying to defend his masculinity to Frank by threatening to expose himself, which is odd since Frank tortured him in the buff in an earlier episode (wonder if anyone else caught that). Bottom line, The Punisher is hard edged entertainment that delivers with solid performances, great dialogue and one of the best storylines of the genre. Cat PS: My bad, mixed up the Inhumans with the Defenders. It's hard to tell these super groups apart these days without a scorecard.
I find that generally the Netflix series are pretty good quality but Iron Fist was just horrible. I mean I watched it to the bitter end. I have th feeling that when Micro was going to expose himself it was going to be-ahem- with a wee bit of wood hence the difference.
Bitter end describes Iron Fist perfectly. Sadly, it felt like I was watching it in dog years. Perhaps, but I seem to recall Micro uttering a line about how hung he was, which suggests something a little different than raising the drawbridge. Cat
Another fan of this series. Just finished watching and the plaudits and positive reviews are spot on. Quite possibly my favorite of these series overall.
Finished last night & fully enjoyed the entire series with only a few nitpicking reservations. I feel comfortable recommending The Punisher to all fans of prior Marvel/Netflix series, the only caveat being that one should be prepared for very bloody, excessive violence in some episodes. This series is not for younger kids or the squeamish. Keeping in mind that the storyline rings true to the character's nature, the perceived graphic overkill doesn't come across as gratuitous or out of the ordinary. Only the survival rate of violently compromised heroic characters & villains stretches credulity a bit, but this is ...after all... based on a comic book character. Most of the real life scenarios, internal conflicts and ramifications for actions are handled realistically and with believable conviction. I'd rate this 4 1/2 out of 5 Kalashnikovs with only 1/2 a clip missing for the picked nits. Cat
Four episodes to go and I really like this one. Not sure who cares in a world of binge watching, but moreso than the other Netflix Marvel series, this one works better as episodic television. The episodes of some of the previous series just kind of blended together in my head whereas these each felt like fairly satisfying mini-stories while still advancing the season long macro arcs. They did not have to do that to be great (see 'Jessica Jones"), but it is a lot harder to do and will make it a better watch if it is ever shown on "regular TV"
Finished the last 3 episodes last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Really good and didn't drag as I feared it would over 13 instalments. The only real nitpick I have is Frank's comic book ability (well no **** Sherlock) to heal from any manner of wounds that would kill a normal human being or put them in intensive care for at least a month. He heals like a Vampire. You can have a drinking game whereby you have a shot every time his right shoulder (just his right...go back and check) gets stabbed, shot or dislocated. Maybe next season they will go back and show him taking down the cartel from the start of the show.
I think this is one of the best recent Marvel-series. It's VERY hard-hitting (literally); decent characters and good pace of the show overall.
I was kind of lost for the first half of it but it went by really fast, especially compared to some of the other Netflix Marvels; I enjoyed it. And I did't have to hear Danny Rand angstly say "the haaaaaaaaaaaaaaand" 30 times an episode.
Jesus, I just made it through the first two episodes of Punisher, and I'm still wincing. That's a rough, rough show -- it might be the single most violent TV series I've ever seen. Well-done, though. Beautiful color, fantastic production values. I'm into it, but man, I'm not gonna sleep well afterwards...
I think my wife and I are up to episode 8 or 9, but we are loving this. It's my favorite of the Marvel series since Jessica Jones, easily. I'm sort of surprised that they decided to go this way with the show but it totally works.
And BTW, to our host @Steve Hoffman: keep your kids far, far away from this show. This is the heaviest, most over-the-top R-rated-for-violence TV series I've ever seen. Way, way too much for anybody younger than (say) 15 or so. And even then, it's borderline. The arm-breaking and knee-capping makes me wince and yell "OHHHHHHhhhhhhhh...." every time. The sound mix and FX are perfect, real bone-crushing stuff. We watched two more last night and are still enjoying it. Tremendous production values, the acting is thoroughly believable, and actor Jon Bernthal has a good presence. I never doubt for a moment he could seriously kick anybody's ass.
Naw, just saying a "comic book show" like this is not gonna be kid-friendly. I'd watch anything with comic book heroes when I was a kid. This is rough to watch as an adult. I wince a lot and look away during many scenes. Gotham on FOX is somewhat violent, but I'd call it barely PG-13.