In watching Daredevil season two, it feels like new showrunners Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez decided to take notes from The Russo Brothers’ work on Captain America: The Winter soldier, and then brushed up on classic hardcore action dramas like William Friedkin’s “To Live and Die in L.A.” or Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs,” and probably took in screenings of kung fu theater and Midnight Meat Train while they were at it, then broke off to have a beer while reading some 80s Frank Miller Daredevil, as well as some 90s Punisher comics, with some of Garth Ennis’s 2000s run for some flavor, and came up with one of the most excellent additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date.
Since the events of the first season, The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen has become an urban legend. Folks have come to maybe like him a little while police have been unsure of him, but at least he hasn’t killed anyone. But then, someone takes their time to escalate things with as it appears a heavily armed force is killing multiple criminals with loads of firepower. This draws Daredevil’s attention leading to… well, maybe more than he bargained for, right off.
As you might imagine, we end up seeing his first confrontation with Marvel’s gun-toting vigilante and I’ve got to say it: after three failed movies, this is the best rendition of Frank Castle to date. The writers here understand one thing that makes The Punisher genuinely frightening. He’s not just an ex-soldier with a lot of guns. He’s a veteran who saw a lot of shit during combat that might’ve driven him crazy except for the wife and children who would’ve kept him sane if it weren’t for the fact he just saw them brutally murdered leaving him a ton of anger that he can’t get rid of while relying on immense tactical knowledge and experience mingled with painful memories that are making him into a possibly insane ex-soldier…. with a lot of guns.
All this pent up fury makes for a great on-screen character and Jon Bernthal plays it up to the fullest. He completely owns the role in a way that Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane, and Ray Stevenson were never really given the opportunity to. He’s the grim reaper here… the boogeyman, much like Jack Bauer in season eight of ‘24.’ You knew he’d been there because of the high body count and messy crime scene, and you knew to be afraid of him. It was great to see this since, much like The Incredible Hulk having so many misfires until the Ed Norton movie, the character was finally gotten right here and used correctly.
I also have to give equal praise for how Elektra is developed and used here. Ever she was mentioned in season 1 as “the Greek girl who Matt signed up for a language class to get with in college,” we’ve been wondering how she would be portrayed in this series as opposed to the terrible movies from Fox. Petrie and Ramirez did well in getting Elodie Yung to bring the martial arts assassin to reality. She’s the wild card complicating Matt’s life while making things interesting for him, as she deals many issues affecting her own. Also, it was just plain nice to hear a nice accent from this tan European character.
In fact, all the characters are handled wonderfully. Foggy Nelson, in particular, is awesome this go around. He’s the Samwise holding things together while Frodo-like darkness threatens to overcome Matt and everything they’ve worked together for. Karen Page comes into her own as well, showing great evolution since her first appearance in season 1, and she gets to shine a good bit before it’s all over. Everyone is mixed well into the many moving parts that make this screenplay so complex and enjoyable. I mentioned The Russo’s earlier not only for the suspense and intrigue they put into the Winter Soldier movie but also because the fight scenes in Daredevil season 2 are very much with on par that flick. There’s excellent movement and choreography here. In fact, I’d love to see Cap or Bucky show up on season 3 just because of everything that comes into play. Also, for those wondering if the much-admired hallway fight from season 1 could be outdone, all I’ll say is…. For my money, the title has been taken. You’ll know it when it happens.
At the heart of it all though is Charlie Cox embodying the terrible dichotomy Daredevil and Matt Murdock present. Matt loves New York and considers it his to protect at all times. The gifted blind savior must do everything h can for the people he cares about but can he bend without breaking? In the streets and in the courts, he can be good but can he always be good enough and what happens when both lifestyles begin to destroy each other? Matt gets put through the ringer physically and emotionally here and Cox brings tremendous depth to anchor the show.
Visually and story wise, everything in this show feels like it’s ripped right out of the funnybooks. This is a harsh world full of life and story potential. It’s a lot of fun to see how this corner of the MCU has been developing as we wait for the likes of Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders. Is it necessary to watch the equally excellent Jessica Jones prior to watching DD season 2? No, but you’ll appreciate some things a lot more if you do. In every way that counts, Daredevil is just as great an adaptation of that medium as The Flash is on modern TV and I truly cannot wait to hear an announcement for what will happen to these characters next. Also, it’s just plain fun to see this comic book cover emulated on screen.
GRADE: A+