Daredevil: Season 2

THIS POST HAS SPOILERS AND SOME HEAVY FANGIRLING

Since Daredevil decidedly is by far my favorite Netflix original series, I expected to be blown away by its second season. The truth is, I ended up being really disappointed in so many things while, at the same time, being completely in love with one character in particular. So at the end of season 2, I have mixed feelings about our Hell’s Kitchen superhero, his friends, his enemies and his actions.

PLOT

For what it’s worth, 50% of Daredevil’s season 2 was actually interesting and not going to lie, it was all thanks to Frank Castle. The rest of the plot, everything to do with Elektra and the silent ninjas and Daredevil’s personal struggles, was a bit pointless for some reason. Maybe it was the lack of tolerance I had towards Matt Murdock this season,  the way he treated Karen and the fact that he kept defending the keep the bad guys alive motto. All of it seemed a little ambiguous by the time we realized Fisk was still pulling all the strings in the prison – controlling everybody, including the other prisoners and the guards!

But on to the good stuff: Frank Castle was introduced this season as the Punisher, and let me tell you, his story line was pretty much the only thing that kept me glued to the screen. While Daredevil was having issues with Elektra, fighting the new evil forces and having to kill a guy that he already killed, Castle’s fight was a lot more emotional, meaningful and interesting. Together with Karen, he held the season on his shoulders and with Jon Bernthal’s amazing performance, stole the show from Daredevil with ease.

Also, not to make it all about Frank Castle, I really enjoyed the episodes revolving around Fisk as well. I though it was well made, and I liked how it kind of brought us to date with how Fish was doing in prison. I also thought it was pretty interesting to see him help Frank escape, which sort of blurred the lines of both characters.

characters

As you can probably tell by the title image, I’m completely and utterly in love with the Punisher. He was, from the beginning, the perfect character, and Jon Bernthal was the perfect choice to play this violent yet passionate man. I could go on forever writing about him, and I will feel no shame in doing so.

Right from the beginning, despite his violent tendencies, Frank Castle is amazing. He is skillful, rough, evil and a lot darker than the movie version of him. He also doesn’t really change his mind, and once his determined to kill someone, he will do it – even if Karen asks him not to. Though it doesn’t prove him to be less human, it just shows how broken he feels, and how strong he actually is.

Daredevil’s second season also introduced us Elektra, a character I disliked from her first moment to her last. She just didn’t click with me, and as much as I love women kicking ass, I just didn’t like her doing it. There was no chemistry between her and Matt Murdock, and their relationship felt empty while it should have been filled with strong emotions, feelings and frustration. She just wasn’t my favorite.

varia

The series is as strong visually as it was during the first season. There is a fight scene during the beginning of the season where Matt fights off the biker guys on a staircase. It is amazing! The whole sequence is thrilling and beautiful from start to finish, and the fighting choreography is just gorgeous. It appeared to be realistic and that’s something I continue to love about Daredevil.

I liked the weapon Daredevil ends up with by the end of season 2, it looks cool and amazing, but I wish the first presentation of the weapon would have felt a little more monumental. At the same time, I like the subtlety about it, similar to the way the Punisher required his skull-shirt for the final act of the season, one minute he didn’t have it, the next he was wearing it like a boss.

Not sure if it was me, or something that actually happened, but I thought Charlie Cox was a lot weaker this season. Maybe it was his character development that made it seem so, but he felt less like Daredevil and more like Matt Murdock, which sort of bummed me out a bit. At the same time, Foggy was such a badass in the beginning of the season! I loved that shift between the two guys, but at the same time, the series kind of forgot about Foggy and he definitely deserved more attention throughout the season.

In general

At first, in the beginning of the season, I was excited and bumped up and thrilled about everything! By the time the season ended, I was a little underwhelmed and disappointed. It wasn’t as strong as season 1, and yet, it introduced an amazing character who the fans are going just as crazy over as I am. Frank Castle was definitely the diamond in the rough of season 2, and I hope his involvement isn’t forgotten by season 3 (or even his own show?).

But in the middle of the mayhem Castle was causing throughout the season, who can forget the unbelievable story line of bringing the dead back to life? As Elektra was being put into a rock-coffin in the end of season 2, because he was the lost force, I was thinking how stupid it was for me to think Daredevil was a realistic superhero show. Sure, his eyesight is enhanced due to chemicals and he has superhero  like hearing powers, but at the same time, he is just a regular man, fighting regular bad guys. Up until the ninjas start bringing back the dead, which shattered my precious illusion. That being said, I’m still definitely tuning in for the next season.