REVIEW: Daredevil Season Two

Though I thoroughly enjoyed Jessica Jones, I must admit that I've been moreso eagerly awaiting the follow-up to the first season of Daredevil for some time now. While I found Marvel's original foray into the world of Netflix programming to be an overall well-crafted, well-executed piece of work, it left me wanting for a more satisfying Daredevil experience. As I mentioned when I reviewed it last year, it felt as though the entire season was one big pilot; a build-up to the ACTUAL adventures of Matt Murdock and company. Lucky for me, Daredevil Season 2 is exactly the payoff I've been waiting oh-so patiently for.

Months have passed since the law offices of Nelson and Murdock helped put Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) behind bars. While Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) continues his crusade against crime as The Man Without Fear and the firm enjoys a new surge of popularity within Hell's Kitchen, a new client appears, the only survivor of one of several violent massacres, all targeting the various gangs that call the Kitchen home. Upon taking the case, the trio find themselves embroiled in the affairs of Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), aka the Punisher, a former Marine who's taken it upon himself to clean up the streets one bullet at a time.

Let me say right off the bat that Bernthal's Punisher is by far the highlight of the entire season. Though I praised Thomas Jane's portrayal of Frank, this is a Punisher who manages to convey every ounce of complexity that the character presents. He's not a hero, nor is he a villain. He's simply a man on a mission; sometimes what he does feels right, other times not so much. He's the perfect foil for Daredevil, a devout Catholic who believes that there is potential for redemption in even the most loathesome criminals New York has to offer. Their interactions, both when debating philosophies and trading punches, ended up being my favorite scenes of the entire season. It's a compelling story that feels right at home in the overall plot of the show. Unfortunately, the other aspects of this season's various arcs seem to pale in comparison.

Joining the Punisher in an MCU debut is Elektra Natchios (once regrettably played by Jennifer Garner, here portrayed by Elodie Yung). A former flame of Matt's from college, Elektra drops back into the lawyer's life seeking his help regarding dealings between her father's corporation and the Yakuza. Truthfully, I could have done without this plotline this season; while it helps build the character of Matt Murdock to some degree, it's simply not as interesting as watching Foggy and Karen work on the Punisher case. The season opens strong, focusing purely on Daredevil attempting to muzzle Frank Castle; after a few episodes, Elektra is introduced and Matt feels very much separated from the rest of the cast. The Punisher plot line feels like the primary story here, while everything involving Elektra, Stick (Scott Glenn, reprising his role from season 1), and the Hand seems to mostly serve as foreshadowing for The Defenders (where all of these Netflix series converge). This would be all well and good, except that our protagonist spends decidedly more time in the B-story than the A-story. 

While it feels odd, it does provide a unique spin on the classic "superhero's do-gooding interferes with his personal life" trope; normally frustrating (since WE of course know why Peter Parker had to break curfew and disappoint his poor old aunt, but no one else is able to understand), here it is played completely straight. Foggy knows how Matt spends his evenings, and his nightly escapades with Elektra are treated exactly as they deserve to be. Yung gives a fantastically unhinged performance, truly bringing out the devil in Matt Murdock; when he forgoes his responsibilities as a lawyer and a friend in favor of fighting ninjas with his ex, it's clear that he's making the wrong decision for the right reasons. Our hero is consciously disappointing and inconveniencing the normal people in his life, rather than doing it by accident as we've seen a million times before. While I found the story arc to be comparatively boring to the Punisher killing his way through the gangs of New York, I will admit that it provided some excellent action, performances, and conflict.

Daredevil Season 2, while not devoid of issues, improves upon the first season in nearly every way. This time around, everything is already established and no time is wasted getting our hero into action; there's very little fat or filler to be found. Jon Bernthal, Elodie Yung, and Elden Hensen all shine here, giving standout performances that left me begging for more. My only issue is that the show still hasn't found that perfect balance just yet; in season 1, I found myself completely uninterested in the exploits of Karen Page, wishing things would go back to Matt Murdock. This time around, Karen and Foggy are involved in things profoundly more interesting than what Daredevil himself gets up to, extraordinary fight scenes aside. Regardless, I've only just finished watching and I'm already pumped and ready for season 3 and a standalone Punisher series alongside that. It seems I'll have to settle for Luke Cage first, debuting later this year; given Marvel's current batting average with Netflix shows, I'm confident that it should be more than enough to tide me over.