When Daredevil season 2 dropped, I was in Italy. I was in Rome, and I got on a plane at 3 in
the morning to fly to Paris, where I got on an 8 hour flight to Montreal, where
I got on a 2 hour bus ride home. Among this sleepless, foodless horror of a
day, the one thing that kept me going was the fact that I could watch Daredevil season 2 when I got home.
And I did.
And I did.
The only advantage to this hellish existence was that I was able to see Creed, which, even on an airplane, was an absolute masterpiece.
The point is, I've been excited about very few things as much as I've been excited for Daredevil's second season. The first season was amazing in so many ways, from the action, to the story, to the characters. It was such a surprise from Marvel, which hadn't done anything like it in terms of tone, violence, or quality in their TV universe before it.
With season 2 promising things like The Punisher, Elektra, and The Hand, I got even more excited. I love that the MCU is slowly incorporating more comic book elements as it goes on, and Netflix is the perfect place to tell the stories of those characters. The only question that really stuck with me was whether or not the season would be able to balance all of it. It has a distinct advantage by being a whole season of television instead of just one movie, so they have more time to flesh things out. But that can still be an issue, so does Daredevil's second season balance everything well?
Well, yes and no.
What I'm very happy with is that I enjoyed this season more than the first. The main factor that improved things for me was the season's pace, which is ironically also my biggest problem with the season. The pace was overall faster, and never really dragged, which the Marvel Netflix shows have had some problems with before. Whenever it would slow down, there would be a new action scene, or a new revelation to renew interest. I was never bored at any point in the season, and the show never cut to a scene that I didn't want to see. On the other side, the pacing of the series was very weird. The season was composed of miniature arcs rather than a season-long build-up, which was interesting, but kind of jarring at times. As soon as one story arc really seems to get going, it's pushed to the side for something new. I did like how all of the storylines converged at the end, but it doesn't change the fact that it felt a bit unfocused. Each of the mini-arcs were good, though, and that's what's really important.
The Punisher is without a doubt the best new addition to the universe. I had a lot of faith in Jon Bernthal, and he was absolutely phenomenal, and far better than I ever could have hoped for. He brought so much to the character that I've never seen before, and he's the only iteration of The Punisher that's ever actually frightened me. But he was also a very human character, and brought a lot of sympathy forward, Given the brutality of his actions, I was surprised that I felt for him as much as I did.
The best thing about The Punisher was his foil to Daredevil, and the moral dilemma that he presented. The ways that these two characters approach vigilantism are so different, and there's a lot more to the conflict than just 2 people fighting each other. Seeing Daredevil face this man who goes against everything that he stands for, but believes in his actions just as much, was fascinating. Punisher works so well in this story because he's not just the new antagonist; he's another beast entirely.
The only downside to Punisher's story was that it was far more convoluted than it needed to be. It started off just fine, and it was never boring, but it starts off with a bunch of gangs, and then becomes a sting operation, and a cover-up with the District Attorney, and then it connects to Punisher's past...it's just too much. I actually needed someone to explain the whole thing to me afterwards just to get it straight in my head. There's also a new element to his origin, a specific injury which I won't spoil, that has some implications on his character that I really disagreed with.
The point is, I've been excited about very few things as much as I've been excited for Daredevil's second season. The first season was amazing in so many ways, from the action, to the story, to the characters. It was such a surprise from Marvel, which hadn't done anything like it in terms of tone, violence, or quality in their TV universe before it.
With season 2 promising things like The Punisher, Elektra, and The Hand, I got even more excited. I love that the MCU is slowly incorporating more comic book elements as it goes on, and Netflix is the perfect place to tell the stories of those characters. The only question that really stuck with me was whether or not the season would be able to balance all of it. It has a distinct advantage by being a whole season of television instead of just one movie, so they have more time to flesh things out. But that can still be an issue, so does Daredevil's second season balance everything well?
Well, yes and no.
What I'm very happy with is that I enjoyed this season more than the first. The main factor that improved things for me was the season's pace, which is ironically also my biggest problem with the season. The pace was overall faster, and never really dragged, which the Marvel Netflix shows have had some problems with before. Whenever it would slow down, there would be a new action scene, or a new revelation to renew interest. I was never bored at any point in the season, and the show never cut to a scene that I didn't want to see. On the other side, the pacing of the series was very weird. The season was composed of miniature arcs rather than a season-long build-up, which was interesting, but kind of jarring at times. As soon as one story arc really seems to get going, it's pushed to the side for something new. I did like how all of the storylines converged at the end, but it doesn't change the fact that it felt a bit unfocused. Each of the mini-arcs were good, though, and that's what's really important.
The Punisher is without a doubt the best new addition to the universe. I had a lot of faith in Jon Bernthal, and he was absolutely phenomenal, and far better than I ever could have hoped for. He brought so much to the character that I've never seen before, and he's the only iteration of The Punisher that's ever actually frightened me. But he was also a very human character, and brought a lot of sympathy forward, Given the brutality of his actions, I was surprised that I felt for him as much as I did.
The best thing about The Punisher was his foil to Daredevil, and the moral dilemma that he presented. The ways that these two characters approach vigilantism are so different, and there's a lot more to the conflict than just 2 people fighting each other. Seeing Daredevil face this man who goes against everything that he stands for, but believes in his actions just as much, was fascinating. Punisher works so well in this story because he's not just the new antagonist; he's another beast entirely.
The only downside to Punisher's story was that it was far more convoluted than it needed to be. It started off just fine, and it was never boring, but it starts off with a bunch of gangs, and then becomes a sting operation, and a cover-up with the District Attorney, and then it connects to Punisher's past...it's just too much. I actually needed someone to explain the whole thing to me afterwards just to get it straight in my head. There's also a new element to his origin, a specific injury which I won't spoil, that has some implications on his character that I really disagreed with.
The other big new character that was introduced was Elektra, and I'm kind of split on her. While I'm not exactly an expert on her in the comics, this season effectively changes everything about her, and that isn't always for the best. What worked about the changes were that it lead to some very effective twists, and left her in a very interesting place for the show's future. What worked really well about Elektra was her relationship with Daredevil, with was the second-best dynamic of the season. There was a real sense of history between them, and the flirty quips along with moments of genuine caring were very effective. Their relationship was much more dynamic and engaging than the other romantic relationship that developed over the season.
All of the actors really stepped it up this season. I noticed a big improvement with Foggy Nelson in particular, who may not have a lot of dramatic gravitas, but is definitely more assertive. I like where his character ends up at the end of the season, it feels well-deserved, even if he seemed to ignore the Daredevil aspect of Matt's life in many of their interactions. I get that Matt made a commitment, but the guy's showing up with the tar beaten out of him via a clan of secret ninjas. Cut him some slack.
Karen Page also has much more to do. A bit too much, in my opinion. As a character, I just find that she makes so many strange and illogical decisions, all while taking the moral high ground for no reason, and gets rewarded for it. The direction that her arc goes in over the course of the episodes is very strange, and I don't think it would happen in reality. She seems to have everything handed to her, with no indication that she has any skills in the area that she's working in.
Next to the characters, where this show really excels is in the action, and the action here was somehow even better than in the first season. The fight scenes were longer and more complex, the choreography was flawless, and the brutal realism of the action really sucks you in. It all seems so realistic, and that feeling lead to some truly mind-blowing sequences. They even managed to create a better one-shot hallway fight scene, which surprised me, because I didn’t know that I could like any fight scene more than that first hallway scene.
This season is also bloody. Far more bloody than I expected, and far more bloody than anything else that Marvel has done. This season in general is definitely for the more mature audiences, because if the kids who love Guardians of the Galaxy start watching this, they'll never be the same. There were moments in here that were nothing short of disturbing, with one torture sequence leaving me almost throwing up. And it's not like Punisher: War Zone bloody, where it's cartoonishly violent. t gets pretty disturbing at times, but it never feel self-indulgent. It all serves to set the show's world as a brutal and unforgiving.
All of the actors really stepped it up this season. I noticed a big improvement with Foggy Nelson in particular, who may not have a lot of dramatic gravitas, but is definitely more assertive. I like where his character ends up at the end of the season, it feels well-deserved, even if he seemed to ignore the Daredevil aspect of Matt's life in many of their interactions. I get that Matt made a commitment, but the guy's showing up with the tar beaten out of him via a clan of secret ninjas. Cut him some slack.
Karen Page also has much more to do. A bit too much, in my opinion. As a character, I just find that she makes so many strange and illogical decisions, all while taking the moral high ground for no reason, and gets rewarded for it. The direction that her arc goes in over the course of the episodes is very strange, and I don't think it would happen in reality. She seems to have everything handed to her, with no indication that she has any skills in the area that she's working in.
Next to the characters, where this show really excels is in the action, and the action here was somehow even better than in the first season. The fight scenes were longer and more complex, the choreography was flawless, and the brutal realism of the action really sucks you in. It all seems so realistic, and that feeling lead to some truly mind-blowing sequences. They even managed to create a better one-shot hallway fight scene, which surprised me, because I didn’t know that I could like any fight scene more than that first hallway scene.
This season is also bloody. Far more bloody than I expected, and far more bloody than anything else that Marvel has done. This season in general is definitely for the more mature audiences, because if the kids who love Guardians of the Galaxy start watching this, they'll never be the same. There were moments in here that were nothing short of disturbing, with one torture sequence leaving me almost throwing up. And it's not like Punisher: War Zone bloody, where it's cartoonishly violent. t gets pretty disturbing at times, but it never feel self-indulgent. It all serves to set the show's world as a brutal and unforgiving.
In the end, this season was amazing, and I loved every second of it. Some things dragged it down just minutely enough to make it not perfect, but even those things aren't exactly problems with the story itself. There are multiple elements from the first season that are brought back, all of which are used greatly, and make the world of Daredevil feel more consistent.
This season, weirdly, feels like a lot of set-up for what will come in the future. It doesn't feel as self-contained as the first season did, and while I wish it did, I'm very excited to see what's to come. Whether the story continues in a third season of Daredevil or in The Defenders remains to be seen, as both of them could work for some of my theories. I like that this season introduced more mystic elements of the comics, slowly but surely. There are also many references to Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although at this point, saying that a Marvel show is full of Easter eggs isn't really necessary.
Marvel is continuing to show that they own the comic book game, and if Civil War and Doctor Strange live up to my expectations, then this will be a very good year for them. In fact, this is a very important year for comic book movies, with Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, and X-Men: Apocalypse still to come. I still think that I'll enjoy Daredevil season 2 more than any of those movies, and I'm perfectly okay with that. DC and Fox both have comic book TV projects on the works, and I'm excited to see what comes from their plans.
I just don't know that any of them will be able to top Daredevil.
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