Marvel's The Punisher Review: 6 Ups And 3 Downs

1. It Shouldn't Be 13 Episodes

With the exception of The Defenders, since that was only eight episodes anyway, this complaint applies (to varying degrees) to every Marvel Netflix series. Even with Jessica Jones and Daredevil Season 1, the exemplary offerings of this world, the story feels ever-so-slightly stretched out, and it's far more egregious in Daredevil Season 2, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and now this.

The Punisher has nowhere near enough story to fill 13 episodes - which all run from around 45-55 minutes - and there are moments in the early and middle stages of the season when there's a very noticeable drift in terms of what the story is and where it's all headed. The government conspiracy isn't particularly interesting, especially as we're given so much information up-front, and it then drops that thread for an extremism angle before circling back around.

As previously mentioned, in its final third it finds proper focus and agency in its storytelling, and there could be a truly great mini-series here, but across 13 instalments the story is far too thin, leading to the show kicking its heels and a lot of pacing issues that are familiar across the Netflix Marvel Universe.

What did you think of The Punisher? Let us know down in the comments.