Marvel's The Punisher

Even though there's a new villain this season, he's hardly worth mentioning; for all the similarities between the angry men, The Punisher is still defined by the central relationship between Frank and Billy Russo, and that is probably the way it should be.

The Punisher Season 2 is a lot of fun — really violent, excessive fun. Your mileage may vary. But there’s also no denying that this time around, The Punisher has swapped bullets for brains, leaning into easy entertainment over meaningful narrative.

Despite a promising new antagonist in the form of Josh Stewart’s mysterious religious zealot (and his handlers, a pair of wealthy alt-right Bible thumpers who operate like a fusion of the Koch brothers and Franklin Graham), the new plot is continually overshadowed by Russo and his demons.

In short, it’s a mixed bag. The show’s signature fight scenes are still fantastic, as is the Punisher himself, Jon Bernthal. But something seemed to go wrong in the writers’ room this go-round, and even with a new dynamic that changes Frank’s life, there are still some stories in play that might have been better wrapped up in season one.