Television Review: Daredevil — Season 2
Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix arrived in 2015 as a bit of a surprise. The Marvel television and movie imprint had, up until that point, been fairly family friendly and relatively light in tone. Daredevil was darker, a good deal grittier, and surprisingly complex with deep character development, thematic exploration, and sharp action sequences. It became a large critical success for the Marvel imprint and Netflix, showing you could do super hero stories that had darker subjects without being overly self-serious. Daredevil as a character was compelling and as a show it made for engaging storytelling. The second season continues to build on the strong foundation laid by the first and is exceptionally well done. This review will be going into story and character decisions, so this is your courtesy notice of potential spoilers.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Season 2 of Daredevil starts off explosively and in strong form during the first major story-arc. A man by the name of Frank Castle has taken it upon himself to personally eliminate gangs and mobs in Hell’s Kitchen with lethal, military grade force. Matt, Karen, and Foggy get pulled into Castle’s path by a client that managed to escape the massacre of his gang, and Daredevil takes it upon himself to stop Castle. The ensuing conflict is further complicated by the New York DA, who seems to have other reasons for Castle to be taken out other than his violent handling of New York criminality. Castle, given the sobriquet the Punisher by the NYPD, is eventually captured by Daredevil and turned over to the police. Murdock and Nelson end up defending Castle in court, and gradually start to unwind a conspiracy that set the Punisher on his path of retribution.
Castle is a decorated Marine sergeant whose family is brutally gunned down in front of him in Central Park. Castle himself was shot in the head, and a do not resuscitate order placed on him. Castle ultimately survived, and began mercilessly hunting down the people responsible for it. His targets are specifically those that have done evil or committed crime, and his solution is to kill them. The Punisher utilizes violence and torture to extract information from his targets. The Punisher is unashamedly brutal and his methods are extreme and permanent. Having experienced war and violence throughout his military career, as well as the trauma of his family’s murder, it is not that much of a logical stretch for the audience to understand why the Punisher does what he does. The character is handled brilliantly and bloodily by Jon Bernthal, and he brings the intensity of Castle to life. Every moment the character is on screen, even if he is physically restrained, the character feels as if he could explode at any moment and destroy anything in his path.
The major theme of this season is fate, destiny, and free-will. Do people have control over their lives or are they bound by fate? Are the decisions people make already made for them, or do they exercise any free-will or agency in their own lives? This is the crux of the show and the heart of the conflict between Daredevil and Punisher. Daredevil and Punisher both believe in good and evil, but Punisher is an absolutist. In his worldview, evil is evil and can never be anything other than evil. Those that commit evil to innocents deserve death, in his mind. Punisher believes killing is a necessary evil in removing the scum of New York City, because the system fails to adequately punish. Daredevil believes in free-will and redemption. He believes that all persons deserve a second chance and that we are not bound by fate. This is firmly in keeping with Murdock’s Catholic faith. People have a chance at redemption, a chance to do and be good. No one is precluded from it, even violent murderers like Frank and his targets.
The dichotomy between Daredevil and Punisher is shown directly in the third episode with both characters discussing their approach to law and human nature. Punisher accuses Daredevil of being a coward and a half-measure, without the will to finish the job and stop criminals for good. He even attempts to force Daredevil to be like him by giving Daredevil the option to execute a captured criminal, or kill Castle to stop Castle from performing the execution himself. In Castle’s view, either choice would make Daredevil a murderer. Daredevil refuses and takes his own rout, shooting the chains that bound him and fighting Castle, though he is ultimately unable to prevent Punisher from killing his target. This is powerful storytelling and the writers are exploring really good philosophical questions and ethics in this story-arc. Daredevil even manages to stop a gang of bikers from killing Castle after this event despite Castle being unconscious and Daredevil having no real reason to save him. But, Murdock’s belief in open redemption for all drives him.
Fate and free-will play out in the second major plotline of the season between Elektra and Daredevil. Elektra, who was a former lover of Murdock’s years ago, returns to NYC and tries to recruit Matt in her battles with Yakuza and a shadowy ninja organization known as the Hand. Astute viewers will see this as a continuation of the war referenced by Stick from the first season, and Matt is torn over his involvement. On one hand, his daytime life as a lawyer requires him to devote his attention to defending Castle in court. On the other, the Daredevil persona is a key part of him that he cannot separate, despite Foggy’s protestations and much to his chagrin. Elektra herself is also torn and conflicted by her own nature and free will. Matt believes she has a wild and dangerous streak. She is a killer and she seems to enjoy killing. Matt encourages her to be good and try and stop killing. This is not always successful. One of the final reveals of the season concerns Elektra’s past and her inner power. She is presented with the choice of embracing the darkness within her, or rejecting it to save Murdock and their mentor. She ultimately chooses her better nature, and she and Murdock end up confirming each other; he in affirming her goodness, and she in affirming his life as Daredevil. This is great character development and Elektra serves as the darker choice for love and companionship.
Matt’s romantic counter-point to Elektra is Karen Page. Karen represents his day life whereas Elektra represents his night life. Karen and Matt’s budding relationship was always hinted at during the first season and the show finally decides to explore that in the second season in one of the most erotic and memorable scenes in television without nudity. Karen, Matt, and Foggy are at their local dive bar after Castle is first apprehended. Foggy heads home leaving Karen and Matt outside the bar in the rain. Karen takes Matt by the hand leading him through the rain back to his apartment. After a little ways, they both stand still with the rain pouring all around them. Matt gently runs his fingers up Karen’s shoulder as she catches her breath. The camera is pulled tightly onto Karen’s face and her reactions and emotions in her eyes are spellbinding. They slowly embrace and kiss for the first time. Matt breaks the kiss after a few moments, they touch foreheads, agree to dinner the next evening, and Matt bids Karen goodnight. Similarly, when they sit on Karen’s porch after dinner. Matt stops the evening from going any further and explains himself. They have enjoyed themselves greatly, and he wants the feelings they have that night to continue on to the next night and the next and the next. He wants this relationship to be meaningful and not solely about sex. If you will forgive me for a moment, I was quite taken aback and proud that a show, even a mature super-hero show such as Daredevil, would allow the characters to stop themselves and stay true to the characters personalities and development. Matt Murdock became a personal hero for me in that moment, and I applaud the writers for how they handled it.
Karen Page goes through her own character transformation and validation in season 2. Karen becomes obsessed with finding the truth about Frank Castle, continuing her development for investigative work from the first season. Karen believes that Frank is a good man, deeply flawed and, yes, a killer, but that there is good within him. The Punisher has his own internal code about only harming criminals and killers, not innocents. By looking into the deaths of his family, Karen discovers the conspiracy and cover-up the DA’s office created surrounding Castle. Her investigation is also what convinces Frank to allow Nelson and Murdock to defend him in court. Karen gradually drifts apart from the law firm and more and more finds herself in the offices of the New York Bulletin, filling the shoes left by Ben Urich. By investigating the Castle conspiracy, Karen finds herself directly assisting the Punisher in tracking down his targets. This quest to understand and help Frank mirrors Matt’s quest as Daredevil. Matt is trying to save the city whereas Karen is trying to save one man. She is still deeply disturbed by the violence Frank commits and ultimately leaves him after he finds the mastermind of his family’s murders. Karen gets to be one of the few influences of good in Castle’s life and despite not changing Frank’s path for vengeance, she does save him from himself.
END OF SPOILERS
I could go further as to why this season of Daredevil is excellent, the return of characters from the previous season as well as the other Marvel Netflix shows. I have not mentioned Foggy Nelson’s fantastic development since the first season, nor Rosario Dawson’s solid performance, but rest assured that they were noticed and appreciated. There is a great deal to be admired here from the storytelling to the camera work and performances. The only criticisms I have for this season are that it seemed to lose narrative focus in the latter half, with the two major plotlines seeming to intersect a little too conveniently. The ending itself is very well done, but I felt the last episode was a little underwhelming. The show is also more violent than in the first season. The Punisher is brutal, and there is plenty of blood and violence surrounding him which some may find off putting. The overall impression of this season is that it is a resounding success. They gave us a complete story with great character development and terrific philosophical examination. I hope that they continue in this vein and that future seasons, as well as the other Marvel Netflix productions, continue in their excellence. They have once again found ways to make superhero stories interesting on screen and do serious work without becoming too self-indulgent or campy. Future developers and studios should take notes.
4.5 stars out of 5.
