I don't actually mind that Punisher "beats" Daredevil at the end of episode one, because he gets his ass handed to him and just manages to get the upperhand because of a gun that Matt didn't notice. Daredevil even blames himself for that the following episode, calls himself stupid for not noticing.
+Dale Luck Also I have a question that I'd like to know what others who've watched it would say. Throughout the entire season, Daredevil is constantly told (by a street level weapons dealer, by Punisher, by Stick, etc.) that his inability to wipe out criminals instead of just crippling them is completely useless, and I thought it was leading up to him actually killing someone. On that final fight with the ninjas on the roof, Matt doesn't protest against Punisher's shitty cameo appearance in sniping off the ninjas around him, and proceeds to roundhouse kick Nobu off the roof. For any other criminal that he wasn't vaguely aware could come back from the dead, this would be a death sentence. Was this what Daredevil had wanted, following the death of Elektra? Was it just a poorly shot "Daredevil now kills people" sequence or was it a flacid "I'm going to be angry for 5 seconds now the person I love is dead" and he's going back to normal next season?
I thought Elektra was an incredibly refreshing and complex female character. She was a strong and sexy female lead. I did not see her as necessarily bad or good.When it counted she made the right choices but I think that we're used to seeing heroes that put people first rather than themselves. I don't think she was any less compelling than the Kingpin because she was meant to add a different side to Matt's past and character that we have not seen played out before. Because of Elektra we saw Matt break into Fogwell's gym, steal cars, etc. and we also got to see how far his "no-kill" rule extends. Elektra had the potential to bring out the absolute worst in Matt as opposed to the rest of the cast. That's something *NO* one was able to accomplish in season 1. I think it's unfortunate that she was overlooked by so many. You would think that women and men that like women would be proud of Elodie Yung's performance and how the writer's handled her character.
As much as I'm a Punisher fanboy, I was surprised that not only he could survive this long against Daredevil, but even win in hand to hand. He got beat up pretty badly, but still. In Ennis' run he either had to straight up run away from him or resort to trickery to beat him. Hell, in the comics, in the scene preceding Daredevil being tied up to a chimney (which is basically copy pasted into this season), he beat up Frank within seconds and Punisher had to use some sort of ultra wave sound device to disable Matt.
I rose in indignation when you said Daredevil was the best thing currently on Netflix. When you qualified your statement with Blade Runner, I sat back down. Superb review, as always Razorfist. You tirelessly earn my subscription...unlike a lot of other review channels I can name.
I wish they were more scenes of Matt with the priest. I don´t know, those were kinda sweet in S1. Though I feel there wasn´t enough room for them with all the action.
I also loved those scenes. Basically the internal moral struggle between Daredevils vigilantism and Matt's Roman Catholic faith shown on screen. The actor playing the priest deserves more screen time.
Surprised you didn't mention that Motorhead was playing in the background of the biker scene in episode 3. it put a big fucking smile on my face when I heard it
Beg to differ Razor. This version of the Punisher isn't *just* a trained soldier--he's USMC Forward Recon Sniper. These guys are literally the best of the best of the entire Marine Corps and often become SEALS. And yes, they are trained extensively in knife fighting, shooting blind folded, and maintaining combat readiness even under severe injury.
+Head Trauma Is he a ninja? Does he have radar powers that enable him to anticipate every move his opponent makes in a hand-to-hand confrontation? Didn't think so. Argument stands.
USMC do not become SEALS. You have to be apart of the Navy to be a SEAL. Also, most in the military have poor training in most martial arts, with just basic moves from Brazilian Jujitsu and a few others. The Military gives you lots of confidence but without the real skills to back it up against a trained martial artist or someone with years of fighting experience. Frank Castle would rely on his firearms, but against something like a Ninja in hand to hand, would be quickly dispatched in seconds. People have this idea in their heads that the military are highly trained in hand to hand but they simply aren't, you get an extremely basic training in fighting skills and taught to rely on your rifle.
I'm a big Punisher fan, he's my favorite Marvel character, but I agree with the fact that there's too much bullshit he gets away with in comics alone. I miss when Punisher comics were more self contained stories. Him beating Captain America is as dumb as Franken-Castle.
I don't think the absence of Hand flashbacks is due to the Punisher. It was budget concerns. The artists hide it well,but it's still fairly obvious that they were struggling to tell this sprawling story with the limited resources available to even a high end TV show. Hence the suddenly minimalist set design and exposition dumps in later episodes as they tried to save their last big wad for the finale.
you're the first reviewer I've seen that articulates everything he says perfectly. it's like fucking poetry when u open your mouth, plus your joke deliveries always have me in tears.
Partially semantics, partially to explain Castle's hair style: In this iteration, they've changed his back story to make him a Marine instead of a soldier. The high and tight hair style is extremely common in the USMC, especially in the infantry with hilarious variations on it needing to be banned by the actual Uniform Board (look up the horseshoe for a cringe induced laugh fit). I was an Air Winger and preferred the High Fade myself, but none of our regulation cuts could be considered good looking Aside from that minor quibble and admittedly weak reasoning for a character hair's choice (he's no longer in the service, he should have made like the rest of us and grown out his hair to civilian levels), wonderful review and highly entertaining. Thank you.
I think one of the parts that really shined in this season is Murdock's struggle to find balance in both him being the Daredevil, as well as his life in general. There is always going to be the typical balancing of dual identities and that was surely done pretty well. But what was 100x better was him trying to balance everything involving the Punisher and Elektra's escapades in Hell's Kitchen. That was the point in the season that really had me twisting and turning because I wondered just whether or not all of it would be too much for him, or he would pull a miracle out of his ass and make it all work.
Goddamn YES to every scrap of this, from critique of the Punisher to the demand for the DVD to wanting to bottle Elektra's voice and breathe it as air.
awesome review razor i was waiting for this video and it was worth it and yes season 2 was epic, and lets be honest at this point season 3 is so going to be based solely on frank millers born again comic
Damn, that intro song with the clips from the show is so bad ass. When the guitar starts and Daredevil busts through the window, you know shit's about the get fucking real!
+daniel 39 Netflix Canada also is denied Blade Runner. I do use a VPN though, so I may have to right a great wrong and finally see Blade Runner for the first time.
The Punisher plot was more interesting to watch than The Hand plot, but that's only because they refused to develop it fully. I can understand why people prefer the Punisher. Every time they switched back to Elecktra and Stick, I get the feeling viewers were scratching their heads saying "What's happening now? Something with Ninjas?" They really dropped the ball on that one. Also, am I the only one who felt the romance between Karen Page and Matt Murdock was really flat? not that it wasn't written well, the actors felt like they were only kissing each other because they had to. Deborah Ann Woll looked like she cringed pretty hard anytime there was a romantic scene, she looked really tense like she didn't want to be there.
+Child0fVis0n Matt is a snatch slayer in the comics, as razor said in a previous video, Daredevil is a gash hound and any woman that even shows him so side boobage gets to know all his fucking secrets.
Castle is not a regular soldier. He was marine force recon and also the absolute best of the best at what he did. Him standing up to Daredevil I feel is appropriate though not necessarily beating him.
I'm surprised you didn't make more mention of the Kingpin / Matt Murdock scene, which in many ways, was the scene that always stuck with me after watching the series. It also seems as though the show runners are planning to use the Murdock Papers story line as a basis for the next season.
Yes! YES! I'm so tired of people saying the Punisher needs his own show, when the sum of his personality begins and ends with murder. Awesome character, but There's nothing to explore about the guy. "And then he killed a guy" would be the synopsis of every episode. With how they set him up in the show, He would only works as a side character.
+DrakeVagabond This. Punisher is fucking amazing, simply because I love anti-heros, but they're almost always better as support and side characters, and to that extent, they become my favorite characters surpassing the protagonist, but without the protagonist, plots would grind to a fucking halt. I mean, I love the Greyjoys in A Song of Ice and Fire, but aside from raiding a few towns and yelling at each other over an island and dragon trombone, they do fuck all for the actual plot, compared to Jon, Tyrion, Sansa, Arya, Cersei... etc. Punisher would be suited best as a recurring in Daredevil, that comes back at inopportune times, either to help, or because he is royally pissed the fuck off and wants to kill some bitches and Daredevil can't stop him due to being caught up with other shit. Devil in Cellblock D is so fucking good for that reason, Frank has respect for Matt, but he is trying to teach Matt, that sometimes you have to kill, and that dynamic is so fucking interesting between the two. Daredevil works without Punisher. Punisher works best with Daredevil in the midst.
In Frank Castle's defense, he is a Special Forces soldier. More combat training. And in their initial conflict Frank only wins because he pulls a gun from his ankle holster and grazes Daredevil on the side of the head.
10:00 - Good catch on the strange Stick/Matt discussion. You can tell by the way the camera is kind of panning out and unfocusing that this was supposed to be a flash back, but it looks like they ran out of budget ... or time.
this review is a thing of beauty. thank you for mention the punisher vs cap fights. he lso fought cap to standstill sometime in the 80s in cap 241. but jon claimed the role as his own.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Vincent D'onofrio's brief appearance and him earning his namesake. Wilson Fisk has always been my favorite villain and this show fucking nails it.
To be fair, Paul Kersey was a medic. Frank is a Force Recon Marine. But yeah, Cap losing to him is just ridiculous based on strength, however, Matt losing to him seems fairly reasonable.
The problem with Soldiers is you usually encounter them in things called SQUADS, PLATOONS or COMPANIES Since Frank Castle is just a single "grunt" it's unrealistic a Stick Trained Matt Murdock was taken down by him? I'd say The Punisher has proven he's far MORE than a Soldier the same way Black Widow & Hawkeye aren't just run of the mill Covert Operatives.
I think you're all focusing on realism too much here. Hawkeye and Black Widow are powerless humans. They're more mundane than Dare Devil. Dare Devil at least has something that can technically be called a power. Hawkeye and Black Widow? They're just really well trained. If they can pull of insane feats of strength against super commandos, aliens, and robots. I'm sure Punisher can at least hold his own against Dare Devil for more than 3 to 5 seconds as everyone is saying.
That One Oldtaku Yes, but Daredevil without his powers can perform better than both their amazing feats of strength and with his "powers" it is unlikely they can even hold a candle to him.
Hawkeye took out an alien hoverbike with an arrow without looking. Without powers. So if a normal dude can do something people would mostly expect only Dare Devil could do, with training alone, it's not improbable to beat him in a fist fight. Though again. Comicbook movies. Real world rules of reality don't apply here. Really it's just bad writing in general. The "normal" heroes can do pretty much anything a super powered hero could do if it's needed for the plot. Dare Devil needed to be put in a vulnerable spot for the discussion the rooftop. So they made Punisher beat him down.
Agreed with everything you said, my only real criticism of this season is a lot of the fights seemed to just be there for the sake of having a cool fight when the reasons the fight was happening didn't hold much weight compared to the first season when most of the fights seemed to have good reason. For example, it was awesome when he fought those bikers but the only conflict was the bikers thought Daredevil blew up their bikes. Sure, Frank wanted to kill them so they probably deserved it but there wasn't much conflict there.
I don't remember Punisher winning any fist fight against Daredevil. Punisher pulled out a pistol and shot Daredevil while he was distracted by something.
I agree that Punisher's inclusion in the series had considerble faults. Speaking as a Punisher fan, I think that his story didn't need to take up as much of the centre stage as it did and should've been a side story to pepper in some over the top 80's-esque action between Elektra/Hand story movements. When used as a non-lead character Punisher should be used selectively for short intervals to add fuel an already burning fire and nothing else. One thing I will say in Punisher's favour here is that the writing staff for Daredevil did do a good job of showing a more complex character in Frank Castle than most comic/film writers have previously (fan-boners aside). Normally, he's an almost silent and golem-like figure whose soul purpose is to kill those who harm others, but this series showed a more human figure behind the spray paint skull without making him seem like he's merely desperate for pity and a shoulder to cry on. Anyway, stellar review, Razorfist. Keep the content coming!
+pergproductions - I think you're downplaying the gore in season 1. A guy impales his own skull on a fence, in the extreme foreground of the camera. That same criminal smashes a mobster's head with a bowling ball earlier in the season. Kingpin decapitates a man with a car door, and afterward they show workers hosing off the skull fragments and brain matter. Numerous instances of dismemberment. It's hardly Sesame Street.
***** Yeah but they didn't quite show it as clearly or as frequently, then again I haven't watched season one in about a year so I'm probably talking out of my arse.
Daredevil has officially risen past my favorite super-hero, Batman. Fucking amazingly well done show. Along with this show and your reviews has got me very much interested in reading that comics.
Child0fVis0n I'm not exactly the biggest fan of that show because just the nature of it bothers me big time (younger versions of villains for example).
I'm only four episodes into Daredevil 02, but already I'm lovin it. Plus it gives me something to talk about with my dad so that's a plus. Also a couple of questions, I wanna get into Daredevil comics, whats a good starting point? And what are some good non-marvel & DC comics to read?
+Mute Gamer - I actually did an "Essential Daredevil Comics' countdown last year: ruclips.net/video/PjAXQjKLwGE/видео.html - hopefully that helps. As far as non-DC/Marvel books, I also did a Top 5 Recommended Comics video that included a couple non-DC/Marvel books: ruclips.net/video/XwSJ3EHpBs0/видео.html Godspeed and enjoy!
Abso-fucking-lutely we need Daredevil on DVD! (I prefer Blu Ray lol, but they usually release them side by side, so fuck it.) Season 2 and still no physical release is fucking bullshit!
The writers wanted to add more to the plot with the hand, especially with Nobu, but Jeph Loeb wouldn't let them, stating that no one cares about Asian characters or some shit. Come on man, you've done great work with Daredevil, and don't you know that people enjoy fleshed out and interesting villains with great worldbuilding would have made the Hand better?
People who complain about the show ALWAYS reveal their ignorance of the subject - both Elektra and the Punisher are much closer to their original comic origins - I felt this season was even more true to the comic pages and the show runners were clearly testing the waters for the other shows - Love your reviews - you run circles around the competition.
Good job pointing out ACTUAL flaws that others may have missed. I'm still not entirely convinced though that Daredevil easily overpowering the Punisher would turn out better for the show and for the dynamic between them.
Not sure if this was brought up already, but the word “soldier” in the US military applies only to members of the Army (like how Airman and Sailor only apply to members of the Air Force and Navy, respectfully). In the Netflix continuity, Frank Castle was a Marine, and as any real life Marine will correct you on, they aren’t “Soldiers.”
I'm glad I'm not the only one more interested in Daredevil and Elektra than the Punisher. Just a more interesting arc. Found it really odd that he just showed up to snipe some ninjas on the rooftop then peace out.
Great review, Razor. New Subscriber but I love your work already. You forgot one of the only other down points was the literal plot hole of the 12 story pit that is NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN!
"[The Punisher] is also highly adept at hand-to-hand combat, and has been trained in multiple forms of martial arts such as Nash Ryu Jujutsu, Ninjutsu, Shorin-ryu Karate, Hwa Rang Do, and Chin Na." -Wikipedia, referencing Punisher Annual vol.2, #2 (September 1989)
+NecroArmorLink "I haven't got a chance against him. Never do." - Punisher, on Daredevil, in the pages of his own comic. "Welcome Back, Frank" story arc.
Not sure if you know the context for that moment of Punisher killing Cap Razor, but if I recall, it came from a Zombie Apocalypse AU. Cap was infected, and Punisher was the only one there to put him down before he became a zombie. Also, I believe the writers said that Ben's death was because they were under the assumption that they weren't allowed to use him after that (As they were unaware of the Spider-Man negotiations).
crossbones116 Kraven is to me what Daredevil seems to be to Razorfist, in that we both seem to have 8-foot throbbing adamantine erections for them. I really would love it if Marvel finally did something about him though... *sigh*
+crossbones116 - fanthoman.com/wp-content/uploads/splash.jpg *shots fired* :D - I'd love to see Kraven go up against Daredevil; much more interesting and in my mind worthy prey than Spiderman, and Fisk could hire him to kill Daredevil. The show also has the right length, atmosphere and respect for villains to do Kraven some real justice and present Matt Murdock with his physical rival; as while Fisk is his moral adversary and Punisher is a symbol of his vigilante hunger for justice gone too far, Kraven, with about a century of experience at hunting every species across the globe, alongside hand-to-hand combat, could be the unstoppable predator Matt needs to think his way around, as going up against him would be suicide. Sadly, it seems as if Marvel's planning to do Kraven's *Last Hunt* in the *first* Spiderman movie, so I'm bracing to have my favourite character of all time be twisted, broken and pussified into oblivion... :'(
"Why don't you have him throw down with thanos" 5 years later... Punisher has ghost rider powers and both fights and teams up with thanos... thanks for giving the marvel hacks ideas razor.
Razor, what are your thoughts on the Defenders mini series for Netflix using the shadow land story from the comics. I'd like to see Charlie Cox try his hand at a villainous DD but is that a story worth pursuing?
I love the Punisher, and Bernthal as an actor, but you're right. And later in his own Netflix series, he apparently develops Wolverine's healing powers 😂
Punisher aint Dirty Harry. Maybe at first, but the character had grown considerably. In BORN it is heavily implied Frank made a deal with Satan to become the personification of Death. It is heavily implied he is superhuman but it is not explicitly spelled out in typical comic book fashion.
Yes! Yes! Yes! Great review and very astute observations of the good (great!) and bad of how Frank Castle was characterised in the season. Your thoughts reminded me of a common occurrence in Arrow that makes my eyes roll out of my head: some new villain will come along who for no good reason becomes an expert in hand-to-hand combat. The only reason I can see for this is the writers want the viewer to feel that Team Arrow is in actual danger from this person and they have no other way to achieve this than to fudge the dice roll. Frank Castle is a badass but DareDevil is a super badass.
Glad to hear someone else enjoyed S2 as much as I did after hearing so many lukewarm or shitty responses to it. Daredevil and Punisher were my favorites as a kid, and there were lots of "fuck yeah" moments for me, especially in the first half.
I kind of think MovieBlob has it out for dark and gritty superheroes like Daredevil and the Punisher. He just wants everything to be like the Silver Age. Also what did you think of Wilson Fisk's appearance?
+Nexus Zen It's funny too, cuz he went from saying Dark Knight Rises was "good but great and not as good as TDK or Avengers" to just straight up listing it as bad on more than one occasion.
Actually one thing I am curious about is your thoughts on the Fixer subplot, as it was brought back during season 2 in the flashback sequence during 1 episode and it was an issue you had during season 1.
+Harold Black This. I want Ironfist far more than Luke Cage. Mainly because Devil in Cellblock D, and Ironfist was portrayed relatively well for a childs cartoon in Ultimate Spiderman, in the whole like two episodes I watched of it.
I believe the reason why the Punisher's hair was cut that way, was because he just came home from war and Marines have to have their hair nearly buzzed. If Marvel and Netflix ever do want to bring back The Punisher, there's a good chance that they would have Jon Bernthal grow out his hair just like how the Punisher has it in the comics.
They need to put Bullseye in this show yesterday. Daredevil's best fights are with Bullseye, the guy murdered both Elektra and Karen and yet the show thinks it's more important to introduce Punisher. The hand to hand fight between the two would be as good if not better than the season 1 Nobu fight.
Nexus Zen I'm just mad Bullseye didn't rape and kill Elektra in the series like he did in the comics. That's just a meaningless gripe considering the quality of the series.
Say what you will about Stick expositing rather than the show showing what happened, but I could listen to Scott Glenn recite the obituary of my own father and be happy. Fucking loved this season, and the first, it's almost making Daredevil my favourite hero. Almost. Maybe. Need to buy some comics. Btw, I watched the season prior to watching your review of the show, not to validate my opinion, but I respect yours. Keep it up, love your work.
Holy shit all i can say is those first 4 episodes. How could you not think this was teh best thing you could watch on your tv after all that. I def like season 2 but do feel it slowed down a bit towards the end. But i am really loving how they manage to still make this season most frightening threat all about King Pin (even though he was barely in it). Great series can't wait for season 3
Yeah even as a lifelong Punisher fan the fight at the beginning was a bit absurd. Still liked it though. Also isn't that a military appropriate hair style choice? On the comic side of things, what did you think of Daredevil Noir, Razorfist?
This has nothing to do with Daredevil, but I just notice the Wonder Woman Poster behind you in this video and I was curious what you thought of her. Wonder Woman is my third favorite superhero behind Spiderman and, believe it or not, Raven from Teen Titans, (Either the comic or the cartoon, I'm good with both) and I've always liked hearing other people's opinions on characters I like.
Punisher stopped being just a soldier a long fuckin' time ago. Wasn't/isn't he the vessel for some deity? Even if not, the man's Max Payne cranked up to 72, it's not that hard to believe he could tangle with an exhausted, still newly-minted doordevil.
Bladerunner on Netflix....director's cut or the theatrical? Oh and you are right about Frank Castle....he is a soldier....but he is also special forces so he does have hand to hand training....but not enough to win against Daredevil in a straight out hand to hand fight. I also agree about the DVD release....I'm waiting Netflix.
I too was surprised that Punisher was holding his own in fist fights with Daredevil but I suspended my disbelief. They're trying to make him seems as badass as possible for the scrubs that don't read comics. I loved the portray of Elektra, the actress handled herself well and had good chemistry with Matt. Great season. Especially loved the return of Nobu and Fisk. So fucking awesome.
Any word on what you would like to see from the increasingly likely season 3? Doubtless it will come out after The Defenders, which is likely where this Rising plot The Hand are undertaking is going to debut first. To my mind, I'd like to see The Kingpin spend most of the season in prison using middlemen to slowly create his eventual criminal empire for when he is free. Which of course means Bullseye has to debut at this point, with maybe his first act being killing Melvin Potters social worker Betsy so we can see Daredevil VS Gladiator as the opening fight before the main event. And considering how Netflix and Marvel were dangling threads for a Netflix Punisher spin-off all over the place, what sort of story do you think they'll pull for that series?
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I don't actually mind that Punisher "beats" Daredevil at the end of episode one, because he gets his ass handed to him and just manages to get the upperhand because of a gun that Matt didn't notice. Daredevil even blames himself for that the following episode, calls himself stupid for not noticing.
+Dale Luck Also I have a question that I'd like to know what others who've watched it would say. Throughout the entire season, Daredevil is constantly told (by a street level weapons dealer, by Punisher, by Stick, etc.) that his inability to wipe out criminals instead of just crippling them is completely useless, and I thought it was leading up to him actually killing someone.
On that final fight with the ninjas on the roof, Matt doesn't protest against Punisher's shitty cameo appearance in sniping off the ninjas around him, and proceeds to roundhouse kick Nobu off the roof.
For any other criminal that he wasn't vaguely aware could come back from the dead, this would be a death sentence. Was this what Daredevil had wanted, following the death of Elektra? Was it just a poorly shot "Daredevil now kills people" sequence or was it a flacid "I'm going to be angry for 5 seconds now the person I love is dead" and he's going back to normal next season?
At 11:09, Razörfist becomes the PUNisher.
I regret nothing people.
Murdock's favorite line: I'm kinda busy right now
+SilentTree "It's complicated."
I feel so bad for him.
I thought Elektra was an incredibly refreshing and complex female character. She was a strong and sexy female lead. I did not see her as necessarily bad or good.When it counted she made the right choices but I think that we're used to seeing heroes that put people first rather than themselves. I don't think she was any less compelling than the Kingpin because she was meant to add a different side to Matt's past and character that we have not seen played out before. Because of Elektra we saw Matt break into Fogwell's gym, steal cars, etc. and we also got to see how far his "no-kill" rule extends.
Elektra had the potential to bring out the absolute worst in Matt as opposed to the rest of the cast.
That's something *NO* one was able to accomplish in season 1. I think it's unfortunate that she was overlooked by so many. You would think that women and men that like women would be proud of Elodie Yung's performance and how the writer's handled her character.
Well said, and Godspeed!
Charlie Cox is fucking spectacular, hope he gets the recognition he deserves eventually.
Agreed 100%
Fingers crossed that Spiderstooge doesn't fuck it up.
As much as I'm a Punisher fanboy, I was surprised that not only he could survive this long against Daredevil, but even win in hand to hand. He got beat up pretty badly, but still. In Ennis' run he either had to straight up run away from him or resort to trickery to beat him. Hell, in the comics, in the scene preceding Daredevil being tied up to a chimney (which is basically copy pasted into this season), he beat up Frank within seconds and Punisher had to use some sort of ultra wave sound device to disable Matt.
I rose in indignation when you said Daredevil was the best thing currently on Netflix. When you qualified your statement with Blade Runner, I sat back down.
Superb review, as always Razorfist. You tirelessly earn my subscription...unlike a lot of other review channels I can name.
I wish they were more scenes of Matt with the priest.
I don´t know, those were kinda sweet in S1. Though I feel there wasn´t enough room for them with all the action.
that story the priest told matt in S1 was just soooo good
I also loved those scenes. Basically the internal moral struggle between Daredevils vigilantism and Matt's Roman Catholic faith shown on screen. The actor playing the priest deserves more screen time.
As an Iraqi veteran myself I had the exact same reaction to Frank's inexplicable fighting ability when fighting Daredevil.
+Alexis Sánchez - Thanks for your service, brother.
+The Rageaholic Thanks for the support
Surprised you didn't mention that Motorhead was playing in the background of the biker scene in episode 3. it put a big fucking smile on my face when I heard it
Beg to differ Razor. This version of the Punisher isn't *just* a trained soldier--he's USMC Forward Recon Sniper. These guys are literally the best of the best of the entire Marine Corps and often become SEALS. And yes, they are trained extensively in knife fighting, shooting blind folded, and maintaining combat readiness even under severe injury.
+Head Trauma Is he a ninja? Does he have radar powers that enable him to anticipate every move his opponent makes in a hand-to-hand confrontation?
Didn't think so. Argument stands.
+The Rageaholic I don't think he won the first fight, I mean sure he ended it but only after getting his ass beat and with a surprise gun.
Head Trauma How the fuck do you shoot blindfolded? Not saying they cant, just wondering how the fuck.
USMC do not become SEALS. You have to be apart of the Navy to be a SEAL. Also, most in the military have poor training in most martial arts, with just basic moves from Brazilian Jujitsu and a few others. The Military gives you lots of confidence but without the real skills to back it up against a trained martial artist or someone with years of fighting experience. Frank Castle would rely on his firearms, but against something like a Ninja in hand to hand, would be quickly dispatched in seconds. People have this idea in their heads that the military are highly trained in hand to hand but they simply aren't, you get an extremely basic training in fighting skills and taught to rely on your rifle.
I'm a big Punisher fan, he's my favorite Marvel character, but I agree with the fact that there's too much bullshit he gets away with in comics alone. I miss when Punisher comics were more self contained stories. Him beating Captain America is as dumb as Franken-Castle.
I don't think the absence of Hand flashbacks is due to the Punisher. It was budget concerns. The artists hide it well,but it's still fairly obvious that they were struggling to tell this sprawling story with the limited resources available to even a high end TV show. Hence the suddenly minimalist set design and exposition dumps in later episodes as they tried to save their last big wad for the finale.
you're the first reviewer I've seen that articulates everything he says perfectly. it's like fucking poetry when u open your mouth, plus your joke deliveries always have me in tears.
Partially semantics, partially to explain Castle's hair style: In this iteration, they've changed his back story to make him a Marine instead of a soldier. The high and tight hair style is extremely common in the USMC, especially in the infantry with hilarious variations on it needing to be banned by the actual Uniform Board (look up the horseshoe for a cringe induced laugh fit). I was an Air Winger and preferred the High Fade myself, but none of our regulation cuts could be considered good looking
Aside from that minor quibble and admittedly weak reasoning for a character hair's choice (he's no longer in the service, he should have made like the rest of us and grown out his hair to civilian levels), wonderful review and highly entertaining. Thank you.
I think one of the parts that really shined in this season is Murdock's struggle to find balance in both him being the Daredevil, as well as his life in general. There is always going to be the typical balancing of dual identities and that was surely done pretty well. But what was 100x better was him trying to balance everything involving the Punisher and Elektra's escapades in Hell's Kitchen. That was the point in the season that really had me twisting and turning because I wondered just whether or not all of it would be too much for him, or he would pull a miracle out of his ass and make it all work.
Also, Bronson's mustache can defeat just about anything.
Goddamn YES to every scrap of this, from critique of the Punisher to the demand for the DVD to wanting to bottle Elektra's voice and breathe it as air.
Just (as in literally just) as I finish Daredevil S2, you upload this. It's like my birthday or something. :D
Okay, but you have to admit that the fight scene of Frank Castle in the hallway versus all those prisoners was an absolute blessing to your eyes.
Spoiler safety is the best thing in the history of movie/series reviews.
This is where I post my obligatory request for a Bladerunner review...
Jon IS Frank Castle. In look, in attitude, in madness.
The thing I love about Razorfist is the way he talks. He's extremely energetic and never bores you, even unscripted on the Drunken Peasants.
lol I completely agree about the Clancy Brown subplot. As soon as I saw him on the witness stand, I said "Fuck. This guy is always a bad guy".
awesome review razor i was waiting for this video and it was worth it and yes season 2 was epic, and lets be honest at this point season 3 is so going to be based solely on frank millers born again comic
Hipster beard might be putting it too lightly. I thought the dude was actually allen ginsberg.
The Punisher was inspired by Mack Bolan "The Executioner" written by Don Pendleton beginning in 1969. Check out one of his books!
Damn, that intro song with the clips from the show is so bad ass. When the guitar starts and Daredevil busts through the window, you know shit's about the get fucking real!
God damn it! You mentioned Blade Runner and I immediately went to Netflix only be sorely disappointed.
Netflix Ireland disappoints, yet again.
+Al Valentyn You and I alike, brother.
+Al Valentyn At least you don't have Mexican Netflix
+Al Valentyn you need to use a vpn. vpns alow you to get on to the neflix of other countries.
+daniel 39 Netflix Canada also is denied Blade Runner. I do use a VPN though, so I may have to right a great wrong and finally see Blade Runner for the first time.
+Al Valentyn Wait, there are different shows depending on the region? What the fuck man.
The Punisher plot was more interesting to watch than The Hand plot, but that's only because they refused to develop it fully. I can understand why people prefer the Punisher. Every time they switched back to Elecktra and Stick, I get the feeling viewers were scratching their heads saying "What's happening now? Something with Ninjas?" They really dropped the ball on that one.
Also, am I the only one who felt the romance between Karen Page and Matt Murdock was really flat? not that it wasn't written well, the actors felt like they were only kissing each other because they had to. Deborah Ann Woll looked like she cringed pretty hard anytime there was a romantic scene, she looked really tense like she didn't want to be there.
+Child0fVis0n Matt is a snatch slayer in the comics, as razor said in a previous video, Daredevil is a gash hound and any woman that even shows him so side boobage gets to know all his fucking secrets.
Castle is not a regular soldier. He was marine force recon and also the absolute best of the best at what he did. Him standing up to Daredevil I feel is appropriate though not necessarily beating him.
I'm surprised you didn't make more mention of the Kingpin / Matt Murdock scene, which in many ways, was the scene that always stuck with me after watching the series. It also seems as though the show runners are planning to use the Murdock Papers story line as a basis for the next season.
Been waiting for this review.
I hope there's a Punisher: War Zone review soon!!
Yes! YES! I'm so tired of people saying the Punisher needs his own show, when the sum of his personality begins and ends with murder. Awesome character, but There's nothing to explore about the guy. "And then he killed a guy" would be the synopsis of every episode. With how they set him up in the show, He would only works as a side character.
+DrakeVagabond This. Punisher is fucking amazing, simply because I love anti-heros, but they're almost always better as support and side characters, and to that extent, they become my favorite characters surpassing the protagonist, but without the protagonist, plots would grind to a fucking halt. I mean, I love the Greyjoys in A Song of Ice and Fire, but aside from raiding a few towns and yelling at each other over an island and dragon trombone, they do fuck all for the actual plot, compared to Jon, Tyrion, Sansa, Arya, Cersei... etc.
Punisher would be suited best as a recurring in Daredevil, that comes back at inopportune times, either to help, or because he is royally pissed the fuck off and wants to kill some bitches and Daredevil can't stop him due to being caught up with other shit. Devil in Cellblock D is so fucking good for that reason, Frank has respect for Matt, but he is trying to teach Matt, that sometimes you have to kill, and that dynamic is so fucking interesting between the two.
Daredevil works without Punisher.
Punisher works best with Daredevil in the midst.
In Frank Castle's defense, he is a Special Forces soldier. More combat training. And in their initial conflict Frank only wins because he pulls a gun from his ankle holster and grazes Daredevil on the side of the head.
10:00 - Good catch on the strange Stick/Matt discussion. You can tell by the way the camera is kind of panning out and unfocusing that this was supposed to be a flash back, but it looks like they ran out of budget ... or time.
this review is a thing of beauty. thank you for mention the punisher vs cap fights. he lso fought cap to standstill sometime in the 80s in cap 241. but jon claimed the role as his own.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Vincent D'onofrio's brief appearance and him earning his namesake. Wilson Fisk has always been my favorite villain and this show fucking nails it.
To be fair, Paul Kersey was a medic.
Frank is a Force Recon Marine. But yeah, Cap losing to him is just ridiculous based on strength, however, Matt losing to him seems fairly reasonable.
YES! Credits song is Devil & Daughter. One of my favorite latterday Sabbath tunes.
For the first time since subscribing to this channel, I have stopped the video before watching the spoiler alert. Oh, what a day
The problem with Soldiers is you usually encounter them in things called SQUADS, PLATOONS or COMPANIES
Since Frank Castle is just a single "grunt" it's unrealistic a Stick Trained Matt Murdock was taken down by him?
I'd say The Punisher has proven he's far MORE than a Soldier the same way Black Widow & Hawkeye aren't just run of the mill Covert Operatives.
Yes, but against a superpowered ninja with ultra hearing getting beat by him is still quite the stretch.
I think you're all focusing on realism too much here. Hawkeye and Black Widow are powerless humans. They're more mundane than Dare Devil. Dare Devil at least has something that can technically be called a power. Hawkeye and Black Widow? They're just really well trained. If they can pull of insane feats of strength against super commandos, aliens, and robots. I'm sure Punisher can at least hold his own against Dare Devil for more than 3 to 5 seconds as everyone is saying.
That One Oldtaku Yes, but Daredevil without his powers can perform better than both their amazing feats of strength and with his "powers" it is unlikely they can even hold a candle to him.
Hawkeye took out an alien hoverbike with an arrow without looking. Without powers.
So if a normal dude can do something people would mostly expect only Dare Devil could do, with training alone, it's not improbable to beat him in a fist fight.
Though again. Comicbook movies. Real world rules of reality don't apply here.
Really it's just bad writing in general. The "normal" heroes can do pretty much anything a super powered hero could do if it's needed for the plot. Dare Devil needed to be put in a vulnerable spot for the discussion the rooftop. So they made Punisher beat him down.
That One Oldtaku Doesn't make it a valid argument as to why the Punisher beating him wouldn't be a stretch, but true.
Agreed with everything you said, my only real criticism of this season is a lot of the fights seemed to just be there for the sake of having a cool fight when the reasons the fight was happening didn't hold much weight compared to the first season when most of the fights seemed to have good reason. For example, it was awesome when he fought those bikers but the only conflict was the bikers thought Daredevil blew up their bikes. Sure, Frank wanted to kill them so they probably deserved it but there wasn't much conflict there.
Loved the part at the end, because some of us don't use Netflix's steaming service but do use the DVD mailing service.
Sooooo when's Bullseye
Season 3, my friend
Daddy Razorfist just lit the match. Thanks dude, I definitely have to watch this after watching your review
I don't remember Punisher winning any fist fight against Daredevil. Punisher pulled out a pistol and shot Daredevil while he was distracted by something.
I've disagreed with you on a lot of things, Razor, but this review was absolutely on-point. Great analysis, man.
Great stuff. I eager waited this review since I finished my first thirteen hour binge.
I agree that Punisher's inclusion in the series had considerble faults. Speaking as a Punisher fan, I think that his story didn't need to take up as much of the centre stage as it did and should've been a side story to pepper in some over the top 80's-esque action between Elektra/Hand story movements. When used as a non-lead character Punisher should be used selectively for short intervals to add fuel an already burning fire and nothing else.
One thing I will say in Punisher's favour here is that the writing staff for Daredevil did do a good job of showing a more complex character in Frank Castle than most comic/film writers have previously (fan-boners aside). Normally, he's an almost silent and golem-like figure whose soul purpose is to kill those who harm others, but this series showed a more human figure behind the spray paint skull without making him seem like he's merely desperate for pity and a shoulder to cry on.
Anyway, stellar review, Razorfist. Keep the content coming!
Nice Razor, I am surprise you didn't talk about the Kingpin, that talk they had in the prison was really intense.
One noticeable change between seasons is the significant gore upgrade. Does anyone know why it wasn't this awesome in season one? Budget maybe?
+pergproductions - I think you're downplaying the gore in season 1. A guy impales his own skull on a fence, in the extreme foreground of the camera. That same criminal smashes a mobster's head with a bowling ball earlier in the season. Kingpin decapitates a man with a car door, and afterward they show workers hosing off the skull fragments and brain matter. Numerous instances of dismemberment. It's hardly Sesame Street.
***** Yeah but they didn't quite show it as clearly or as frequently, then again I haven't watched season one in about a year so I'm probably talking out of my arse.
Daredevil has officially risen past my favorite super-hero, Batman. Fucking amazingly well done show. Along with this show and your reviews has got me very much interested in reading that comics.
+Child0fVis0n Not to me it doesn't :/ Fucking hate Gotham.
Child0fVis0n Apologies if it bothers you.
Child0fVis0n I'm not exactly the biggest fan of that show because just the nature of it bothers me big time (younger versions of villains for example).
I'm only four episodes into Daredevil 02, but already I'm lovin it. Plus it gives me something to talk about with my dad so that's a plus.
Also a couple of questions, I wanna get into Daredevil comics, whats a good starting point? And what are some good non-marvel & DC comics to read?
+Mute Gamer - I actually did an "Essential Daredevil Comics' countdown last year: ruclips.net/video/PjAXQjKLwGE/видео.html - hopefully that helps. As far as non-DC/Marvel books, I also did a Top 5 Recommended Comics video that included a couple non-DC/Marvel books: ruclips.net/video/XwSJ3EHpBs0/видео.html
Godspeed and enjoy!
Abso-fucking-lutely we need Daredevil on DVD! (I prefer Blu Ray lol, but they usually release them side by side, so fuck it.) Season 2 and still no physical release is fucking bullshit!
Just wanna say thanks for getting me into both this series and Daredevil as a whole (y)
The writers wanted to add more to the plot with the hand, especially with Nobu, but Jeph Loeb wouldn't let them, stating that no one cares about Asian characters or some shit. Come on man, you've done great work with Daredevil, and don't you know that people enjoy fleshed out and interesting villains with great worldbuilding would have made the Hand better?
People who complain about the show ALWAYS reveal their ignorance of the subject - both Elektra and the Punisher are much closer to their original comic origins - I felt this season was even more true to the comic pages and the show runners were clearly testing the waters for the other shows - Love your reviews - you run circles around the competition.
Good job pointing out ACTUAL flaws that others may have missed. I'm still not entirely convinced though that Daredevil easily overpowering the Punisher would turn out better for the show and for the dynamic between them.
Not sure if this was brought up already, but the word “soldier” in the US military applies only to members of the Army (like how Airman and Sailor only apply to members of the Air Force and Navy, respectfully). In the Netflix continuity, Frank Castle was a Marine, and as any real life Marine will correct you on, they aren’t “Soldiers.”
I just realized, while listening to Razör complaining about the fact that the Punisher is overpowered... The Punisher is Marvel's Batman.
He is the 1970s version of Batman
Not really . Batman is closer to captain america in strength , way more well trained in hand to hand and probably far more intelligent.
Spot on and 100 percent accurate. Especially the stuff about the Punisher as well as the fucking horrible Elektra criticisms from SJWs.
I'm glad I'm not the only one more interested in Daredevil and Elektra than the Punisher. Just a more interesting arc.
Found it really odd that he just showed up to snipe some ninjas on the rooftop then peace out.
Great review, Razor. New Subscriber but I love your work already. You forgot one of the only other down points was the literal plot hole of the 12 story pit that is NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN!
"[The Punisher] is also highly adept at hand-to-hand combat, and has been trained in multiple forms of martial arts such as Nash Ryu Jujutsu, Ninjutsu, Shorin-ryu Karate, Hwa Rang Do, and Chin Na." -Wikipedia, referencing Punisher Annual vol.2, #2 (September 1989)
+NecroArmorLink "I haven't got a chance against him. Never do."
- Punisher, on Daredevil, in the pages of his own comic.
"Welcome Back, Frank" story arc.
Not sure if you know the context for that moment of Punisher killing Cap Razor, but if I recall, it came from a Zombie Apocalypse AU. Cap was infected, and Punisher was the only one there to put him down before he became a zombie.
Also, I believe the writers said that Ben's death was because they were under the assumption that they weren't allowed to use him after that (As they were unaware of the Spider-Man negotiations).
Razorfist, out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on the Marvel character, Kraven 'the Hunter'?
+Demonflesh spawn Hard not to admire a man who wears a lion's face for a shirt.
crossbones116 Kraven is to me what Daredevil seems to be to Razorfist, in that we both seem to have 8-foot throbbing adamantine erections for them. I really would love it if Marvel finally did something about him though... *sigh*
+crossbones116 - fanthoman.com/wp-content/uploads/splash.jpg *shots fired* :D - I'd love to see Kraven go up against Daredevil; much more interesting and in my mind worthy prey than Spiderman, and Fisk could hire him to kill Daredevil. The show also has the right length, atmosphere and respect for villains to do Kraven some real justice and present Matt Murdock with his physical rival; as while Fisk is his moral adversary and Punisher is a symbol of his vigilante hunger for justice gone too far, Kraven, with about a century of experience at hunting every species across the globe, alongside hand-to-hand combat, could be the unstoppable predator Matt needs to think his way around, as going up against him would be suicide. Sadly, it seems as if Marvel's planning to do Kraven's *Last Hunt* in the *first* Spiderman movie, so I'm bracing to have my favourite character of all time be twisted, broken and pussified into oblivion... :'(
"Why don't you have him throw down with thanos"
5 years later...
Punisher has ghost rider powers and both fights and teams up with thanos... thanks for giving the marvel hacks ideas razor.
Razor, what are your thoughts on the Defenders mini series for Netflix using the shadow land story from the comics. I'd like to see Charlie Cox try his hand at a villainous DD but is that a story worth pursuing?
I love the Punisher, and Bernthal as an actor, but you're right. And later in his own Netflix series, he apparently develops Wolverine's healing powers 😂
Punisher aint Dirty Harry. Maybe at first, but the character had grown considerably. In BORN it is heavily implied Frank made a deal with Satan to become the personification of Death. It is heavily implied he is superhuman but it is not explicitly spelled out in typical comic book fashion.
Hey, Razorfist, what's your thoughts on Batman v Superman? Can we expect a review?
+Steve -O It's a fucking disappointment. That's all people need to know.
It's actually pretty good, everyone should watch it to form their opinion on it
I would not be surprised if we got Daredevil Season 3 Featuring Punisher and later Punisher Featuring Daredevil...
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Great review and very astute observations of the good (great!) and bad of how Frank Castle was characterised in the season. Your thoughts reminded me of a common occurrence in Arrow that makes my eyes roll out of my head: some new villain will come along who for no good reason becomes an expert in hand-to-hand combat. The only reason I can see for this is the writers want the viewer to feel that Team Arrow is in actual danger from this person and they have no other way to achieve this than to fudge the dice roll.
Frank Castle is a badass but DareDevil is a super badass.
Glad to hear someone else enjoyed S2 as much as I did after hearing so many lukewarm or shitty responses to it. Daredevil and Punisher were my favorites as a kid, and there were lots of "fuck yeah" moments for me, especially in the first half.
Also, anyone who liked Stevenson in War Zone is alright in my book, sir.
Fucking youtube i was looking for this and a search only showed your first review,awesome review again man
I kind of think MovieBlob has it out for dark and gritty superheroes like Daredevil and the Punisher. He just wants everything to be like the Silver Age.
Also what did you think of Wilson Fisk's appearance?
+Nexus Zen It's funny too, cuz he went from saying Dark Knight Rises was "good but great and not as good as TDK or Avengers" to just straight up listing it as bad on more than one occasion.
I have got to start reading the comics fro old to new I just have to find out were to start
retrospective'll be next
we just have to wait
Actually one thing I am curious about is your thoughts on the Fixer subplot, as it was brought back during season 2 in the flashback sequence during 1 episode and it was an issue you had during season 1.
Not even gonna lie...I would watch Jon Bernthal face off against Thanos lmfao
Just finished season 2. The post credits Luke Cage teaser gave me blue balls, because it's not Ironfist.
+Harold Black This. I want Ironfist far more than Luke Cage. Mainly because Devil in Cellblock D, and Ironfist was portrayed relatively well for a childs cartoon in Ultimate Spiderman, in the whole like two episodes I watched of it.
I believe the reason why the Punisher's hair was cut that way, was because he just came home from war and Marines have to have their hair nearly buzzed. If Marvel and Netflix ever do want to bring back The Punisher, there's a good chance that they would have Jon Bernthal grow out his hair just like how the Punisher has it in the comics.
They need to put Bullseye in this show yesterday. Daredevil's best fights are with Bullseye, the guy murdered both Elektra and Karen and yet the show thinks it's more important to introduce Punisher. The hand to hand fight between the two would be as good if not better than the season 1 Nobu fight.
Nexus Zen I'm just mad Bullseye didn't rape and kill Elektra in the series like he did in the comics. That's just a meaningless gripe considering the quality of the series.
Does Paul Kersey have a crowbar anywhere near him?
I think you're underestimating raw strength combined with Marine training and maybe a slightly greater will to complete the mission.
I would like a reiterate an earlier query: No comment on the lack of Bullseye???
Say what you will about Stick expositing rather than the show showing what happened, but I could listen to Scott Glenn recite the obituary of my own father and be happy.
Fucking loved this season, and the first, it's almost making Daredevil my favourite hero. Almost. Maybe. Need to buy some comics.
Btw, I watched the season prior to watching your review of the show, not to validate my opinion, but I respect yours. Keep it up, love your work.
Loved that Gladiator had his costume on under his clothes.
Holy shit all i can say is those first 4 episodes. How could you not think this was teh best thing you could watch on your tv after all that. I def like season 2 but do feel it slowed down a bit towards the end. But i am really loving how they manage to still make this season most frightening threat all about King Pin (even though he was barely in it). Great series can't wait for season 3
question razorfist is daredevil your all time favorite hero just wondering
Yeah even as a lifelong Punisher fan the fight at the beginning was a bit absurd. Still liked it though. Also isn't that a military appropriate hair style choice? On the comic side of things, what did you think of Daredevil Noir, Razorfist?
This has nothing to do with Daredevil, but I just notice the Wonder Woman Poster behind you in this video and I was curious what you thought of her. Wonder Woman is my third favorite superhero behind Spiderman and, believe it or not, Raven from Teen Titans, (Either the comic or the cartoon, I'm good with both) and I've always liked hearing other people's opinions on characters I like.
Hey Razorfist do you plan on reviewing BVS?
+Crimson Gamer If I may answer that question: Razor was asked this on Twitter and he responded: "I don't review fan films".
+jamesmallone ouch🙀
+jamesmallone DAMNNNNNNNN although to be far some fan films are better than most real films soooooo
Oops you forgot the black and white filter
Punisher stopped being just a soldier a long fuckin' time ago. Wasn't/isn't he the vessel for some deity? Even if not, the man's Max Payne cranked up to 72, it's not that hard to believe he could tangle with an exhausted, still newly-minted doordevil.
Bladerunner on Netflix....director's cut or the theatrical? Oh and you are right about Frank Castle....he is a soldier....but he is also special forces so he does have hand to hand training....but not enough to win against Daredevil in a straight out hand to hand fight. I also agree about the DVD release....I'm waiting Netflix.
I too was surprised that Punisher was holding his own in fist fights with Daredevil but I suspended my disbelief. They're trying to make him seems as badass as possible for the scrubs that don't read comics. I loved the portray of Elektra, the actress handled herself well and had good chemistry with Matt.
Great season. Especially loved the return of Nobu and Fisk. So fucking awesome.
Any word on what you would like to see from the increasingly likely season 3? Doubtless it will come out after The Defenders, which is likely where this Rising plot The Hand are undertaking is going to debut first. To my mind, I'd like to see The Kingpin spend most of the season in prison using middlemen to slowly create his eventual criminal empire for when he is free. Which of course means Bullseye has to debut at this point, with maybe his first act being killing Melvin Potters social worker Betsy so we can see Daredevil VS Gladiator as the opening fight before the main event.
And considering how Netflix and Marvel were dangling threads for a Netflix Punisher spin-off all over the place, what sort of story do you think they'll pull for that series?