***unsubstantial spoilers ahead***
One of the successes of other Marvel shows Netflix has put out, with the exception of Iron Fist and the Defenders, all deal with pertinent issues in our society. Daredevil with the idea of justice, Jessica Jones with treatment of women by sociopaths, and Luke Cage with the black struggle. The Punisher deals with two issues: the way our veterans are treated and the Second Amendment.
"Sic semper tyrannis," or "thus always (death) to tyrants" is the theme of the show. This phrase spoken in the first episode set the stage clear that the anti-hero is about to take on the governmental abuse. Indeed, one of the characters in reply asks: "Do you think that our government is a tyrant?" Indeed, throughout the show, the audience is exposed to numerous acts of governmental overreach and corruption.
Through this phrase, what appears to be our generic CIA spook abusing soldiers type of action cliché develops into something deeper. And this theme is developed by the underwoven dialogue about the Second Amendment.
I first thought that the character who is an NRA member speaking of radical things was just another way of Netflix's virtue signalling, as it has with so many of their shows like Sense 8. But I changed my mind when I saw them using one of the protagonists to justify concealed carry and when they made a liberal politician look like a hypocrite. In effect, the show maintains at least an open view toward what the Second Amendment entails.
The concealed carry discussion was spoken of in light of self- protection. But the way the Punisher uses guns, and how it was necessary to fight off CIA-hired gunmen, adds a whole new level to the discussion: Is it prudent for people to have military-grade guns to protect ourselves from governmental overreach?
When it comes to actions sequences, the showmakers did exactly what they did in Daredevil season 2, which is pitch-perfect. I never thought that the Punisher adaptation could be anything more than a clichéd action movie, but this show here is a masterpiece.
One of the successes of other Marvel shows Netflix has put out, with the exception of Iron Fist and the Defenders, all deal with pertinent issues in our society. Daredevil with the idea of justice, Jessica Jones with treatment of women by sociopaths, and Luke Cage with the black struggle. The Punisher deals with two issues: the way our veterans are treated and the Second Amendment.
"Sic semper tyrannis," or "thus always (death) to tyrants" is the theme of the show. This phrase spoken in the first episode set the stage clear that the anti-hero is about to take on the governmental abuse. Indeed, one of the characters in reply asks: "Do you think that our government is a tyrant?" Indeed, throughout the show, the audience is exposed to numerous acts of governmental overreach and corruption.
Through this phrase, what appears to be our generic CIA spook abusing soldiers type of action cliché develops into something deeper. And this theme is developed by the underwoven dialogue about the Second Amendment.
I first thought that the character who is an NRA member speaking of radical things was just another way of Netflix's virtue signalling, as it has with so many of their shows like Sense 8. But I changed my mind when I saw them using one of the protagonists to justify concealed carry and when they made a liberal politician look like a hypocrite. In effect, the show maintains at least an open view toward what the Second Amendment entails.
The concealed carry discussion was spoken of in light of self- protection. But the way the Punisher uses guns, and how it was necessary to fight off CIA-hired gunmen, adds a whole new level to the discussion: Is it prudent for people to have military-grade guns to protect ourselves from governmental overreach?
When it comes to actions sequences, the showmakers did exactly what they did in Daredevil season 2, which is pitch-perfect. I never thought that the Punisher adaptation could be anything more than a clichéd action movie, but this show here is a masterpiece.
