I finished watching the second season of Daredevil last night. I thought the first one was good (if overpraised), but this one is much stronger. Although outstandingly well-acted and full of neat visual touches, the previous season wasn’t very dynamic… Except for the virtuoso fights, most scenes just involved characters standing still while spouting exposition at each other. This time around, though, the series hits a near-perfect balance between moments of quiet gravitas and a generally riveting pace.
Besides fixing some of the earlier flaws, the team behind Daredevil also deserves kudos for keeping much of what made the other season work. Once again, they manage to be dark and violent without completely losing their sense of fun or humanity. It remains a smart show that is proudly gritty yet it doesn’t try *too hard* to be badass (I’m looking at you, second season of True Detective). Indeed, I would say they pull off the kind of urban-crime-meets-ninja-action vibe that some of the best Daredevil comics – and many Batman comics, for that matter – were going for.
Also, like Jessica Jones, the show nails the main characters but it’s not a slave to the source material. The show runners were not afraid to flesh out underdeveloped elements of the cast (Karen Page is much more interesting in this live action version) and to craft their own story… Despite paying homage to a handful of memorable set pieces, these series don’t make me feel like I’m watching a lame remake of the comics (a la recent DC animated movies), but like I’m watching another cool adventure with the characters I love!
In this regard, Daredevil by and large does a good job with the Punisher, capturing Frank Castle’s visceral appeal without shying away from his disturbing viciousness. Even when the show adopts a more benevolent depiction, halfway through the season, it doesn’t stop engaging with the implications of Frank’s worldview, fitting him into the series’ broader themes.
That said, there is one aspect of the Punisher’s characterization which was notably absent from Daredevil, namely his very active sex life.
Return to Big Nothing
The Punisher War Journal #33
I get why the show’s writers didn’t include this – sex is usually linked with hedonism, which sort of clashes with Frank Castle’s exaggerated, stoic persona. At the same time, this trait does fit in with the character’s hypermasculine archetype.
The Punisher (v6) #28
Empty Quarter
Even in the excerpts above, it’s not all fun and games. There is often a pragmatic angle to the Punisher’s sexual escapades. For example, Frank has repeatedly gotten laid while inhabiting alter egos, in order to infiltrate crime organizations:
Assassin’s Guild
The Punisher (v2) #5
What’s more, with a few exceptions, the Punisher’s erotic interludes are not exactly joyful moments. In fact, they can sometimes be downright depressing…
The Punisher MAX #49
The Punisher #2
Overall, Frank Castle doesn’t seem to have a clear type… Even his strict sense of uncompromising righteousness did not prevent him from sleeping with the notorious assassin Elektra (in Thunderbolts). But hey, who am I to judge?
At least, someone as methodical as the Punisher probably knows how to do things right in bed. Then again, as you might expect, he is hardly a master of cutesy pillow talk…
The Punisher MAX #23
Punisher MAX (v2) #16
“Daredevil by and large does a good job with the Punisher, capturing Frank Castle’s visceral appeal without shying away from his disturbing viciousness.”
No it didn’t and the live action Punisher series was even worse and it seems like you’re confusing sex (which is all it was to Frank most of the time) with lovemaking and there not the same. That last line from Return to Big Nothing never made any sense and god, I hated Micro. Speaking of Elektra, you left her out, Vette (Punisher Max Special: Little Black Book #1) and Painkiller Jane.