After a great deal of anticipation, Marvel Studios has finally released the first of their 2015 offerings in the form of Daredevil, a series distributed through Netflix which ties into the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series was promised to show a darker side of the world we see on screen, one that is fairly disconnected from the whiz-bang adventures of Iron Man and Captain America; having watched the entire thing, I can safely say that Drew Goddard and crew have definitely kept that promise. Anyone who was worried that Daredevil would be dumbed down for a wider audience, relying on references to the movies in order to stay relevant (like ABC's Agents of SHIELD) should be pleasantly surprised; this is a show that exists in the same world as Hulk and Groot, yet manages to be its own totally grounded thing.
The premise of the series revolves around Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox); blinded as a child, he is trained to use his heightened senses to his advantage. Donning a mask, he sets out to clean up his city as the vigilante known as Daredevil. By day, he is a lawyer alongside his best friend and business partner, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). The two set up shop in their childhood home of Hell's Kitchen, a seedy section of NYC that has fallen on particularly hard times following the Chituari invasion in The Avengers. Leading the cleanup effort is Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), better known to comic fans as the Kingpin of Crime. A shadowy crime lord/businessman, Fisk seeks to rebuild the city he grew up in into his own ideal vision, even if that means destroying the old one in the process. After defending a young woman by the name of Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Murdock sets out to expose Fisk for the monster he is, dismantling his criminal empire bit by bit.
One thing that should be known before diving into this series is that this is not a show that follows a "character of the day" format. There are no appearances from Bullseye, Elektra, or Stilt-Man. This series is a thirteen episode-long origin story. Not just for Daredevil, but also for Wilson Fisk. D'Onofrio gives an interesting performance; this version of the Kingpin is a far cry from Michael Clarke Duncan's intimidating wall of muscle. Here we see Fisk as he first emerges into the public eye; he's essentially an extremely powerful child, unaccustomed to social situations. He's quiet, reserved, and awkward until he flies into a sudden fit of rage. This is a villain that feels very strongly and reacts in turn. That said, those looking for the confident, self-assured crime lord found in the comics will be disappointed; it isn't until the last episode that Daredevil appears in the iconic red suit and it isn't until the last episode that you really feel as though the Kingpin on screen is the same character as the one from the comics. As I said, it's an origin story in every sense of the word; a preamble to something bigger. It's a double-edged sword; on one hand, it's a bit of a cop-out that it ends just as it sets the stage for something bigger and better. On the other hand, the entire season was spent establishing characters, fleshing out their personalities, and building the world. There are some moments that don't relate directly to the plot, but it's hardly fair to call these moments filler, since they give us more time to get a feel for this cast of characters and how different an environment Hell's Kitchen is compared to Avenger's Tower (which doesn't appear in the skyline even once). To put it simply, this entire season feels like one long pilot.
Special consideration must be given to the action in this show; there are no alien lasers or vibranium shields to be found here. Every fight scene is impressive as it is brutal. If there was a Daredevil Drinking Game, it would definitely involve taking a sip every time Matt Murdock does a flip-kick or every time a bone pops out of a limb. This is precisely what I wanted out of this kind of series; while Thor is fighting frost giants and Captain America is punching techno-Nazis, characters like Daredevil are beating up junkies, rapists, and human traffickers. Hell's Kitchen is the seedy underbelly in which colorful costumed heroes are seldom found; it creates a stellar contrast to the dynamic adventures we see in theaters. One fight scene in particular is utterly spectacular, consisting of one, unbroken shot as the camera simply pans around a dumpy hallway. This happens relatively early on in the series, so it's a shame that we don't really get anything this impressive for the rest of the series (though several fights come close, especially if they involve Wilson Fisk).
The cast all play their parts well. Cox is likable and nuanced as Matt Murdock (I particularly enjoy his discussions with Father Lantom, played by Peter McRobbie). Elden Henson's Foggy Nelson manages to be both good comedic relief and an actual character; something that is sadly rare to find in the role of "not as good looking best friend to the protagonist" these days. Vondie Curtis-Hall joins the supporting cast early on as Ben Urich, a reporter for The New York Bulletin (sadly, The Daily Bugle is never mentioned) who works with Karen Page to dig up dirt on both Fisk's operation and his past. The role of the old reporter looking to make a difference in the world of fluff pieces is hardly a new convention, but Curtis-Hall makes Ben into a really enjoyable character, struggling between doing what he knows is right and what he feels is best for himself and his family. Rosario Dawson appears as Claire Temple, an ER nurse who tends to Murdock's wounds after his daring escapades; truthfully, I feel as though she didn't appear nearly as much as she should have. Her character explores some interesting themes in her first appearance, yet disappears less than halfway through the season, only to briefly show up later. Other highlights to the ensemble include Toby Leonard Moore as Wesley, Fisk's right hand man, Scott Glenn as Stick, the enigmatic blind man who trained Matt as a child, and John Patrick Hayden as Matt's father, Battlin' Jack Murdock. Out of a cast of enjoyable performances, I feel as though these three in particular did excellent work that I hope to see more of in Season 2.
While the entire thing feels like it's building to a payoff that we won't get to see until later, Daredevil definitely did not feel like a waste of time. It's full of twists and turns and brilliant little moments that I feel fills the gap for something a little more subtle and nuanced that has been missing from the MCU. It not only helps round out the world that has been established by the dozen or so blockbuster movies, it also stands alone as its own perfectly competent production. For anyone looking for something a little different than the usual superhero offerings from Marvel Studios, I highly recommend you take thirteen hours and give Daredevil a watch; just be prepared to be left wanting to see more.
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