The Punisher (SPOILER FREE) Review

Jon Bernthal's portrayal of The Punisher earned his own series after the success of his appearance in Marvel/Netflix's Daredevil Season 2 and now all episodes are available to stream on Netflix.

The series is set some months after the events of when we last saw him at the end of Daredevil's second season. This time his story is not as action heavy but takes more of a crime drama approach yet still holds that familiarity of grit.
The show holds a very slow build that the first six episodes feel almost at a standstill while establishing information given from previous episodes. It is only within the last half of the season that the story arcs set up at the beginning are having any repercussions or conclusions. 
We meet our cast members at a steady and natural pace as the narrative builds on their stories. The problems lie in the payoff of these narratives. The characters are all very grounded and fleshed out. The cast do an earnest job at bringing a depth to their roles.
A lack of tension in the atmosphere is caused as there is no difficulty in figuring out the shows wrong doers. This then spoils any tension that can be had and gives the plot less to do while you wait for subplots and the key story to make a twist or a conclusion.
Direction of action scenes are handled with diligence. Every brutal move is witnessed as is the results. The Punisher does not try to glorify the violence, instead it shows the darker side; the wounds, the gore and the effects it leaves on everyone involved.
Tyler Bates presents a score that captures the grit of the story and the humanity of the characters; this most certainly applies in the opening credits. The score definitely elevates most scenes by embracing the tones of the show.

The Punisher has it right with cast, the image, the sound, even the story. Unfortunately it fails to execute the story in an engaging way creating a rather bland first half season. The final three episodes are something else entirely, they're everything the show should be delivering every episode but it's too little, too late.

Mr. Cynic Rates this a 6/10
(Hopefully a season 2 happens and it steps up the game)