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[BudokaiMR2]

Punisher really didn't come out of nowhere.

He was in his house or whatever listening to the police band.

DD found out the whereabouts of the Hand thanks to police reports.

Seems pretty obvious to me that Punisher would pick up on a 20+ person hostage situation and take it as a chance to rack up some headshots.

I was honestly waiting for him to show up for most of the fight.

 

[neorej]

How so? DD saved his ass when he was cornered. He had access to the radio in the shed. He saw an opportunity to continue his vengeance and to payback DD.

Punisher really didn't come out of nowhere.

He was in his house or whatever listening to the police band.

DD found out the whereabouts of the Hand thanks to police reports.

Seems pretty obvious to me that Punisher would pick up on a 20+ person hostage situation and take it as a chance to rack up some headshots.

I was honestly waiting for him to show up for most of the fight.

You're right, I saw him flick on the scanner, but never made the connection that he'd pick up the chatter about the 20-person hostage situation and act on it. Loved how he was just clamly popping ninja's with that sniperrifle.

 

[McBryBry]

You're right, I saw him flick on the scanner, but never made the connection that he'd pick up the chatter about the 20-person hostage situation and act on it. Loved how he was just clamly popping ninja's with that sniperrifle.

I saw it the same way. My only complaint is that the tease of a battle with a hundred ninjas made me think he'd show up and just start mowing them down instead of 4 or 5 headshots.

 

[DeathyBoy]

I saw it the same way. My only complaint is that the tease of a battle with a hundred ninjas made me think he'd show up and just start mowing them down instead of 4 or 5 headshots.

Here's the problem with S2.

S2 needed three beats that built to each other.

1) The Punisher fucks up New York's crime families and Matt brings him down.
They nailed this one. The pay off with Frank's speech and Mahoney getting a promotion was boss as fuck. Really excellent start to the season.

2) Trial of The Punisher
This one was when S2 began to slip. The trial could've made for some excellent TV but they didn't go all the way with it. It'd have been nice if we got some solely court based episodes to be honest, really showing Matt vs the DA going full on against each other and furthering Matt's belief that he can't fix things as a lawyer anymore.

3) Elektra returns/The Hand.
Finally, Elektra returns near the end. Reveal The Hand was manipulating shit all along. They wanted the crime families gone because there's something beneath New York they need. Change it up so it's Matt/Elektra trying to stop whatever The Hand wants to bring from the ground - Elektra believes in what they're doing, Daredevil has doubts but wants to stop them anyway. Bring The Punisher in the same way he came back in the actual show, but have Fisk use him to destroy The Yakuza. So the season ends with Punisher/DD/Elektra vs The Hand.

Like I can't believe The Punisher's plot and DD's plot just stopped combining at a certain point. That was some bad writing.

 

[BudokaiMR2]

I saw it the same way. My only complaint is that the tease of a battle with a hundred ninjas made me think he'd show up and just start mowing them down instead of 4 or 5 headshots.

Yeah I really wish that scene was just like 5-10 seconds longer with a few more Ninjas for Frank to cap. It was still well done, but the payoff coulda been better.

 

[Christian]

So, there were obviously a few hanging threads, but the one that got to me... Why did Stick take that ornate white dagger out of the cabinet when Elektra was coming to kill him, give it to his cronies, then tell them to get away before it was too late? Was he just giving them a weapon? I felt like it was supposed to be significant, but then she sai'd them, and we never heard anything else about it. And if The Hand knew Elektra was a Black Sky, why did they kidnap Stick when they were in The Chaste headquarters, when they apparently could have just as easily snagged her???

I really liked the season, REALLY liked it, but I feel like there were parts to The Hand plot thread that are niggling at my brain and making me feel like it wasn't as tight as the rest of the Netflix stuff so far.

 

[DeathyBoy]

So, there were obviously a few hanging threads, but the one that got to me... Why did Stick take that ornate white dagger out of the cabinet when Elektra was coming to kill him, give it to his cronies, then tell them to get away before it was too late? Was he just giving them a weapon? I felt like it was supposed to be significant, but then she sai'd them, and we never heard anything else about it. And if The Hand knew Elektra was a Black Sky, why did they kidnap Stick when they were in The Chaste headquarters, when they apparently could have just as easily snagged her???

I really liked the season, REALLY liked it, but I feel like there were parts to The Hand plot thread that are niggling at my brain and making me feel like it wasn't as tight as the rest of the Netflix stuff so far.

The problem is they're building The Hand/Black Sky as some endgame shit... but they've skipped the part explaining HOW it's endgame shit.

 

[Christian]

I was excited because it felt like they were finally going to start explaining/using magic in the MCU, but it definitely seems like the writers or showrunners got cold feet at some point and just started leaving loose ends laying around all over the place. I liked the first seasons of DD and JJ because while there may have been room to expand upon the characters and ideas, it still told a self-contained story that left you satisfied at the end and not terribly puzzled by a lot of stuff.

 

[MadraptorMan]

At this point I think The Foot make more sense than The Hand.

But at the same time I totally enjoyed this season.

 

[Ricker]

Episode 5 was a snorefest,omg,hope it picks back up...

 

[Magic Mushroom]

I think Faraci's thoughts mirror mine the most.

http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/03/20/daredevil-season-2-review-an-improvement-in-every-way

It's really good, brilliant at times, but not without its problems. Most notably The Hand.

As a fan of Ennis' Punisher, this season was a delight. Bernthal nailed it.

 

[DeathyBoy]

I think Faraci's thoughts mirror mine the most.

http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/03/20/daredevil-season-2-review-an-improvement-in-every-way

It's really good, brilliant at times, but not without its problems. Most notably The Hand.

As a fan of Ennis' Punisher, this season was a delight. Bernthal nailed it.

it gives Castle brain damage to explain why he’s so damn violent

Um, what?

I mean they allude to it the same way they allude to the PTSD, but Castle never shows any signs of brain damage. Isn't the entire point of the character in the show that all of these excuses for his behaviour are red herrings?

 

[pislit]

What I really do not like about Daredevil this season and last is there is not enough lawyering for Murdoch.

 

[neorej]

Um, what?

I mean they allude to it the same way they allude to the PTSD, but Castle never shows any signs of brain damage. Isn't the entire point of the character in the show that all of these excuses for his behaviour are red herrings?

During the court, the brain-expert tells how he got shot in the head at close range, which made him relive the trauma of losing his family constantly or something like that.

 

[Hyun Sai]

I finished season two yesterday night, and was very disappointed.

First 4 episodes are a blast, but the rest is a mess, minus Frank's arc.

In the end, I enjoyed the first season more, even if it dragged in the last episodes. It had much more charismatic villains.

 

[KarneeKarnay]

I really liked this season and thought that this portrayal of the Punisher is probably the best film/tv version ever. The fight scenes were fantastic and every actor felt like they were putting their all into it.


The only real cons for me were 3.

1. At one point it looks like Frank & DD's story are finally intersecting and they don't. It felt strange and I can only think that someone wasn't sure how they can bring the two together, removed that link altogether. Poor decision on their part, but I still enjoyed the show regardless.

2. DD and that Blond chick. That says it all for me. She's a good actress, but something about their relationship just annoys me and makes her very forgettable. He character almost feels cliched. The DD version of Louis Lane.

3. The ending didn't feel finished to me. You can argue that they left plot points unresolved for season 3, but they became such big story points that I became a little confused about it.

- Why did they dig a big hole in the ground?
- Why is Elektra

Spoiler

Black sky

?
- What does it actually do?
- What does this have to do with the hole in the ground?
- Why did some of the ninjas have the organs removed?
- Where did Elektra come from?

They did the setup for season 3 with Fisk. I feel they probably could have answered all these in this season.

Why do you guys think?

 

[blazenumb1]

Just finished season 2 last night and loved the show, I thought it was amazing.

There were some parts that were slower and/or I didn't like but all in all, very good season.

I really can't wait for Punisher to have his own series, they couldn't have picked a better actor to play him.

 

[jmood88]

Unfortunately it completely drops off a cliff after that and keeps getting worse.

No it doesn't.

 

[Anung]

What I really do not like about Daredevil this season and last is there is not enough lawyering for Murdoch.

I see your point but that was kind of the point of this season wasn't it? Matt failing to balance aspects of his double life.

 

[DroidDev]

The only real cons for me were 3.

...

2. DD and that Blond chick. That says it all for me. She's a good actress, but something about their relationship just annoys me and makes her very forgettable. He character almost feels cliched. The DD version of Louis Lane.

I felt the same way about it. Karen and DD/MM are great characters individually, but the relationship felt forced to me. It's like a cliche, makes me want to vomit in my mouth, kind of relationship. DD's connections with both Claire and Elektra felt more convincing to me.

 

[neorej]

I see your point but that was kind of the point of this season wasn't it? Matt failing to balance aspects of his double life.

Yeah, that's how I took the 2nd act; Matt being pulled apart by Foggy/Karen in one corner and Stick/Elektra/The Hand in the other.

 

[poppabk]

I didn't mind the mystical stuff, but it needed to be explained a little better. The crazy kids, the sarcophagus, the resurrected ninjas that can die but only under certain circumstances (maybe), the giant hole in the ground, the black sky. It left everything in the dark, which made it really hard to care about what was going on. They kept talking about the dire consequences of the hand obtaining the black sky, but didn't explain what they were.

 

[OnPoint]

Finished yesterday. Not sure what the situation with spoilers is, so I'll be safe.

Positives:

Spoiler

I loved the Punisher. The fights were decent. Elektra was fun. The brutality wasn't dialed down. The little bit of Kingpin we got was great.

Negatives:

Spoiler

The reveal of Stick's "War" and subsequent "Black Sky" reveal was a letdown. I never really felt emotion for Matt's struggles. Subsequently, the Matt/Foggy/Karen stuff had no real weight to me.

Overall I actually enjoyed watching it, despite my negative list being larger than my positive one.

 

[Kyne]

damn that Iron Man reveal at the end.

Now we're gonna need to wait 2 years to see Karen's reaction.

 

[Sephzilla]

Just finished the whole season. God damn, Punisher absolutely stole the entire fucking show. I was kind of upset that he didn't play a bigger role in that last fight though. When they teased Daredevil and Electra vs a hundred ninjas I figured Castle would end up mowing a bunch of them down.

With a teased minigun.

I know, right? He even gets a twitchy trigger finger looking at the thing. I'm seriously let down we didn't get a big Punisher action sequence at the end considering things were building up to it.

 

[Sephzilla]

Some general thoughts on the season

1. Punisher absolutely stole the show. He was the best part of every scene he was in, with maybe the exception of when he was with Fisk
2. I didn't know Fisk was going to play a role in this season, I was legit shook when Punisher walked up to him in prison. Also the scene where Kingpin tells Murdock that there's going to be hell to pay once Kingpin gets out was an A+ job of setting up a future storyline
3. I liked Elektra. She and Matt had really good on-screen chemistry
4. Stick and the war with The Hand was the low point of the season. It just didn't feel very fleshed out and The Hand didn't feel really intimidating since we didn't really know what their end game was or what they could actually do with Black Sky
5. I really didn't care for Foggy in this season. You'd think after stopping Fisk and generally proving that Matt knows what he's doing as Daredevil that he'd give Matt a bit more slack in regards to balancing his Daredevil life and lawyer life.
6. Karen seeing Elektra in Matt's apartment and then getting upset/leaving made me roll my eyes because it felt cliche as fuck. Just because a woman is in your apartment (as well as a blind old man, whom Karen never bothers asking about) doesn't mean you're sleeping with someone else.
7. Karen quite frankly better bite the dust next season. Her constant habbit of digging too far and never letting anything go needs to catch up with her, or she needs to get in way too over her head finally
8. Everything about that Daredevil vs the biker gang sequence was jaw dropping
9. As I said in a previous comment, I really wish Punisher played a bigger role in the final showdown against The Hand especially after they clearly teased Punisher using a big ass gun

Overall, I really liked season 2. Probably not as good as season 1, but it's hard to top season 1 in my opinion.

 

[NealMcCauley]

Finished the season last night and I enjoyed it a great deal. Overall I think it was a better season than the first. I liked the low key approach to the back half of the season and emphasizing the interactions with the characters. There's still action, but it's not the focus.

Feels like they're keeping the mystical stuff at bay so it can eventually contrast with Matt's faith. At one point in the final episode Matt was talking about how he didn't believe in the magic/mystical stuff, and I thought Elektra was going to snap back "That's a bold statement from a self-hating Catholic."

Really enjoyed Bernthal in this. He stole the season from everyone without breaking a sweat. I had a legit tear rolling down my face during the graveyard scene. That moment when he found the hidden arsenal was a legitimate "oh shit" moment. Hope Netflix and Marvel make a decision about how they want to continue with the Punisher. Hell, even a 3 episode miniseries would be fine imo. Leaving him carrying the mini-gun was the biggest tease ever.

Probably a controversial opinion but I felt the greatest improvement was Foggy. He's no longer in Matt's shadow and can be a rounded character. "I was hoping you would, relieved you didn't" was a pretty awesome/brutal way to say goodbye for the moment.

Next season (if it gets a greenlight) should be interesting. Looks like Fisk may figure out Matt/DD and use that to destroy him.

 

[TheOddOne]

- Vulture: What Daredevil’s Depiction of the Punisher Gets Right About War Vets.

Not going to quote anything, because it's a fast read. Interesting perspective on the character.

 

[LordRaptor]

I'm wondering if Kingpin is going to somehow blackmail Jessica Jones into following Murdock around or find out who Daredevil is. Maybe he kidnaps It's Patsy!! to get her to do his dirty work.

He wouldn't need to blackmail her, he'd just need to offer her a case that seems legit at face value. "I think my lawyer is having an affair with my girlfriend, can you follow up on that?"
JJ Comics spoilers:

Spoiler

Alias starts with her being setup with a 'routine' cheating husband case that has her accidentally uncovering Captain Americas secret identity, so they could pretty easily adapt that to the MCU with DD instead of Cap

 

[Hot Coldman]

The Punisher's story sort of just... coming to an end to make way for the more pertinent (if way more generic) Black Sky plot was a bit of a letdown, but sure, it's Daredevil's show. Matt FINALLY telling Karen who he was is a god damn relief, though.

I rather enjoyed this series. Elektra felt like a weak point for a while but I came around on her as her arc wrapped up. Berthnal and Woll stole the show, of course - the scene with Karen and Frank in the diner was the peak of the season.

Excited for an S3. Don't corrupt Karen, please. PLEASE.

 

[ElTopo]

Fisk was a treat, they finally showed his full physical power, without overselling it. Dude is a beast you do not want to cross. His rise to power in prison was shown just enough, I think he was well handled. Scheming, using people to have them do stuff for him.

.

I think they've already shown that when he bashed that guy's head in.

 

[Hot Coldman]

I didn't buy Fisk being able to just manhandle Castle like that at all. He should have been torn apart. Guess there's the plot excuse of "oh Frank just fought like 20 prisoners and then got detained by 20 more prison guards", but even so.

 

[ElTopo]

I didn't buy Fisk being able to just manhandle Castle like that at all. He should have been torn apart. Guess there's the plot excuse of "oh Frank just fought like 20 prisoners and then got detained by 20 more prison guards", but even so.

Frank was restrained. And already fought about a dozen guys to the death. Plus he took a knife to the arm. Keep in mind that Bernthal is 5'10 and D'onofrio is 6'4 in real life. Frank put up a good fight but the Kingpin is no pushover.

 

[kirblar]

Um, what?

I mean they allude to it the same way they allude to the PTSD, but Castle never shows any signs of brain damage. Isn't the entire point of the character in the show that all of these excuses for his behaviour are red herrings?

I thought the picture reveal in Ep12 was that Frank sustained the injury shown in the CT in the war? Or was he one of the healthy people?

 

[spindashing]

I knew it, never trust anyone played by Clancy Brown

I just finished S2 and I can't help but laugh at this post. Oldie but goodie.

 

[ElTopo]

I knew it, never trust anyone played by Clancy Brown

Fuck, I knew his voice sounded real familiar. He's Lex-Fucking-Luthor from all the DC cartoons.

 

[Hot Coldman]

Frank was restrained. And already fought about a dozen guys to the death. Plus he took a knife to the arm. Keep in mind that Bernthal is 5'10 and D'onofrio is 6'4 in real life. Frank put up a good fight but the Kingpin is no pushover.

The Kingpin (and Vincent D'Onofrio) is no pushover but this specific MCU iteration of the character has never seemed physically intimidating to me. :/

 

[spindashing]

Fuck, I knew his voice sounded real familiar. He's Lex-Fucking-Luthor from all the DC cartoons.

Also the ever-so-money hungry, Mr. Krabs!

 

[TheSadRanger]

The Kingpin (and Vincent D'Onofrio) is no pushover but this specific MCU iteration of the character has never seemed physically intimidating to me. :/

I can never stop thinking of Planet of the Apes whenever he goes Donkey Kong on someone and beats em on their chest lol.

edit: I know Affleck DD is lol, but I actually kind of liked the swagger that Michael Clark Duncan brought by doing Kingpin and obviously he was more physically intimidating.

 

[SJRB]

Just finished, that was a crazy awesome ride. So many awesome moments, most noticably the hallway/strairway fight and the Punisher prison fight which was shockingly brutal.

Only downside is how Punisher wasn't more involved in the finale, I totally expected him to open up the minigun on that mob of ninjas or something crazy like that. O, and how Elektra turned out to be a mystical ancient power or whatever, that was unfortunate. I loved how Matt handled it though, saying it was all nonsense. Especially since, you know, he prides himself on being catholic.

But I can't see how this WON'T result in a Punisher spinoff. I mean, what was the deal with the disc he took from the photo frame?

 

[poppabk]

Just finished, that was a crazy awesome ride. So many awesome moments, most noticably the hallway/strairway fight and the Punisher prison fight which was shockingly brutal.

Only downside is how Punisher wasn't more involved in the finale, I totally expected him to open up the minigun on that mob of ninjas or something crazy like that.

But I can't see how this WON'T result in a Punisher spinoff. I mean, what was the deal with the disc he took from the photo frame?

Yeah there was also the whole 'tell her the truth about (some place)' from the colonel, so who knows what else is in Frank's past.

 

[nded]

I dunno, I think D'onofrio does a good job with portraying the Kingpin as a man whose physical appearance and cultivated mannerisms belie his strength and brutality.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

But I can't see how this WON'T result in a Punisher spinoff. I mean, what was the deal with the disc he took from the photo frame?

Micro refers to this:
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/microchip/4005-1526/

 

[SJRB]

Micro refers to this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchip_(comics)

Hmm, I had no idea! Thanks!

 

[TheSadRanger]

I dunno, I think D'onofrio does a good job with portraying the Kingpin as a man whose physical appearance and cultivated mannerisms belie his strength and brutality.

Eh, he was better in S2 I'll give it that.

Also how did he go from being almost broke and barely having enough "resources" to bribe one guard to bribing the entire prison staff?

 

[nded]

Eh, he was better in S2 I'll give it that.

Also how did he go from being almost broke and barely having enough "resources" to bribe one guard to bribing the entire prison staff?

Guess he took all that cash Dutton was counting.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

So the hole brought the Black Sky urn?

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Getting as much Kingpin as we did was a huge shock for me. I expected a quick cameo, but he basically got an entire episode focused around him.

Fisk stays in Cell Block D too, wonder if that was a shoutout to "The Devil in Cell Block D" storyline from a few years back.

The tail end of the S2 felt like a backdoor pilot for a Punisher series and tons of setup for Daredevil Season 3. Elektra will be back, Karen knows, Kingpin will probably get out of jail and know way more about Daredevil. I was disappointed with how it ended, but I'm excited by what they've setup for the future.

 

[MuddyDonut]

Needed more lawyering.
Needs less epsiodes.

 

[broncobuster]

Matt and Melvin's relationship is charming. Melvin needs to make him a new suit to match the helmet next season.