Strickland33
Well-known member
I'm going to put in another plug for DC Universe streaming service and Young Justice. I can't stress how good this show is. Every episode like a wonderful short film. There's so much depth that you want to watch each episode again right after you watch it. The show doesn't hold hands. It introduces characters organically without the trite "I am so-and-so" crap. The characters age, they grow, they mature, they get promoted, they get married, they have children. It's unlike anything we've seen in the genre outside the comics.
DC Universe is $7.99 a month and a few weeks in I'm very happy with my purchase. There are three new episodes a week and it's a highlight of my week. Nine episodes into Season 3, the show is as good as ever without some of the shackles of broadcast standards and practices. It's mature, but not "adult." It's hard to explain except for saying the show has matured with the main cast. The leads have grown from teens to their early to mid-20s. I rewatched this week's three episodes last night. One was a profile of Vandal Savage that was a deeper look into a villain than I've seen in awhile. The best part was how it just causally dropped a HUGE reveal about the history of a Justice Leaguer without blinking. In the three episodes, a hero and villain in the comics got drunk and (heavily implied) had sex. Another episode included a subplot in which superhero toddlers and children got together for a playdate. Such an everyday type occurrence is unique in the genre. I don't remember seeing a gathering of heroes, spouses/partners, and 2-10 year olds, some without powers some without. But on top of that, you know an assassin is across the street waiting for all the guests to arrive. The storytelling is excellent.
Some other quick thoughts. The CW shows returned this week (Flash last week) and were pretty good. Supergirl, Arrow, and Black Lightning all reset some things that should help push the shows forward.
Haven't watched The Punisher or seen reviews, but I'm curious what people think.
Random thought about Luke Cage. It hit me last week (probably after the Golden Globes and seeing ads for Akita) that they killed off Cottonmouth in the first half of Season 1 because Mahershala Ali couldn't commit to a full season or beyond one season because he was in high demand. He was in 5 films released in 2016. Now he's one of the biggest stars out there.
I'm impressed that you have been able to keep up with all of those CW shows. The time:quality ratio just wasn't working out for me...
I watched a couple of episodes of Punisher. It's a bit better than season 1 at the same stage, but still not as good as Daredevil season 2. The problem with Punisher is more a problem with the source material, though. Bernthal does an outstanding job with the character and the supporting cast is good, as well. The show just makes me uncomfortable because of its crypto-fascism (maybe just regular fascism), but again that's just the Punisher. He kills people he thinks are bad and the comics rarely question the underlying morality of his compass in any meaningful way.