Thank you for that clarification. That's always been the frustration with these threads. I separated my post into spoiler and non-spoiler parts, but I see I don't need to.
Time for episode one. As people who have followed my posts in the past, I typically make myself a drink for the show. Daredevil had Manhattans, I went with a purple theme for Jessica Jones with the Gin Cassis (plus a shot of whiskey and a beer) but stay tuned for season two to see if that changes, a Harlem Cocktail for Luke Cage, and, for Iron Fist, I went with a Midori Sour. For Punisher, I am going with a Black and White Italian Cocktail, which fits for both the color scheme and the idea that Castle is Italian in heritage:
Coffee Ice Cube
1 oz Kahlua
1 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Amaretto
1 oz Half and Half
OK, drink in hand. Here we go. Starting right off, this might be the most stylized show Marvel/Netflix has done. Maybe Luke Cage, but this is up there. It starts with the haunting acoustic guitar he's playing with his kid. Then the same notes kick in as electric guitar as Frank Castle is the Punisher. The credits also have a bit of a western vibe, which fits the whole desperado thing going on. The style certainly kicks in towards the end with the music choices it makes.
However, it appears Frank actually ends up retiring as the Punisher and just tries to forget. Clearly, he's failing at it. There's a bit of slowness and repetitiveness as Frank keeps getting the same dream and smashing the same wall. But Jon Bernthal can do a gutteral scream like no other. I like the marine support group story. I don't like the ICE agent as much. There's a lot of stereotypes. But there is room for improvement.
The main story this episode is the construction workers, the kid Donny, and the attempt to rip off the mob. It's obviously the catalyzing incident for Frank Castle to return to what he does. In a sense he's a bit of a hero as opposed to just revenge, but he does it in the most violent way possible. Some of the gore is off screen, but not all of it.
Lots of little Easter Eggs. I love that Frank's fake last name is Castiglione (a reverse of the comics). I love the reference to the Gnuccis (probably not the last). Finally, I love hearing "Welcome Back Frank."
Four and a Half Stars. I liked it a lot, but there's definitely a slowness that prevents it from being pushed over the edge.
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