In short, this series gets a lot of things right and makes for a worthy beginning of the end of Marvel series on Netflix. After a great start (Daredevil 1, Jessica Jones 1), the franchise soon got caught up in intransparent and therefore unmotivated plotlines, dragging the interesting characters and their personal conflicts out to the point where the viewer didn't care anymore. The Punisher 2, however, makes good on that by way of three significant changes:

a) The plot is simple, even though it combines two only mildly connected plotlines. Both are basic enough (revenge drama + hunter-hunted drama) so as not to get confusing, in fact, they make for a good variation and keep each other interesting.

b) Simple plot allows focus on characters, especially the villain and side characters. The protagonist gets also a new sidekick, which adds comedy and believable growth to the story. The series lives off the the relationships between people, not their personal conflicts. Plus, all those relationships are relatable and well acted.

c) Simple plot also gives room for efforts in storytelling. There are a lot of smaller and bigger highlights throughout the season, my personal favourite being Episode 3. The whole show is not about what is happening, but how exactly it is happening, and you can tell the creators enjoyed the production.

Combine these new focuspoints with awesome action and you end up with a thoroughly enjoyable series. It is great that Marvel decided to start its (foreseeable) exit from Netflix on a high note, if not the highest.