Daredevil – Review/Recap: All of Season 2
*WARNING!: Spoilers for season 2 of Daredevil throughout! Proceed at your own risk.*
Daredevil’s daring second season surpassed the expectations of many fans and critics alike who couldn’t fathom a better season after its amazing first season. Fans awaited the second season (premiering less than a year after the first premiered) with bated breath to see if it could even measure up against its first season. Its safe to say that this sophomore season, unbelievably, was even better than the first, which is saying a whole lot for this tremendous Netflix hit.
This season packed in even more enemies for Matt Murdock, the “blind” lawyer (my inner-lawyer cries out in glee) by day turned “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen” vigilante by night. The fine line between right and wrong was blurred with the introduction of Frank Castle, AKA “the Punisher”. Essentially, the Punisher is an extreme version of Daredevil, one who kills the enemy instead of bringing them to justice, at least not justice in the eyes of the law. Adding to the dynamic of the Punisher and Daredevil is the fact that Matt is representing Frank in his court trial once he is turned in by Daredevil. Although, with Matt’s frequent disappearances, Foggy and Karen were the ones most involved with Frank’s case. Frank’s origin story was heartbreaking, and not only made viewers begin to question what was truly right and wrong, but also had Matt considering the very same thing.
Elektra’s, Matt’s old flame from college, reappearance in Matt’s life pulled him into two separate directions. Not only was his newly formed relationship with secretary Karen threaten, but also his mundane lifestyle. His internal conflict was personified by the two romantic interests in his life: Karen and Elektra. Karen is a reminder and tether to his life as a lawyer with his best friend Foggy at their firm Nelson and Murdock. Their romance is sweet and slow burning, as Matt feels safe and reassured with Karen. Elektra, on the other hand, fits in with his vigilante persona, despite being the opposite of a vigilante herself. Elektra is seen by Daredevil as another soul to save, albeit from herself, and at the end of the day her fighting skills match (or out-match) his own, which only serves to intensify his erratic and dangerous behavior. These polar opposite relationships fulfill one side of his persona, and in the end he requires both to go on, which is why Matt makes a bold decision in the last seconds of the season finale. The loss of his exhilarating and dangerous partner Elektra leads him to open up to Karen in the most intimate way: revealing his vigilante identity to her. With all these new faces this season, there was bound to be some old enemies cropping up as well. The sudden appearance of Wilson Fisk (the main enemy of Daredevil in season 1) took me by surprise, which is not something that happens quite often. There was definitely some set up for his return later on, bigger and badder. Matt, you better watch out, because I think Fisk is onto your secret! Melvin Potter also appeared a few times as Daredevil’s go-to outfitter, and we even glimpsed a bit of his superhero costume. I appreciate these easter eggs, tremendously. Speaking of easter eggs, a familiar face from Jessica Jones (another Marvel TV show broadcast on Netflix) popped up, and her name was even mentioned a couple of times. This gets me excited and hopeful to see these two character’s stories intertwine.
The one caveat of this season was the dissipation of Foggy and Matt’s professional and personal relationships. Matt’s constant endangering of himself and multiple instances of letting Foggy and Karen down drove them to formally shut down Nelson and Murdock, and put some extra tension in their friendship. The one good thing to come of this horrible separation was the fact that Matt’s unreliability led Foggy to realize he is a great lawyer on his own, and teaches him to be more confident. But aside from this, Matt has just been left isolated by the end of the season, even his relationship with Karen having failed, which is why he wants to salvage it by showing her how much he trusts her that he’d tell her his secret.
I honestly thought the climatic end of Elektra’s true nature, a weapon for evil and destruction by the use of the organization the Hand, was quite obvious. Even her resurrection seemed obvious to me, with all of the foreshadowing and the dragging of the casket-like case in which she was revived. But I am still intrigued enough to want to know what exactly will happen after this.
Marvel's @Daredevil Season 2 playing in 15…14…13…12…….NOW. #Daredevilhttps://t.co/KlFRU27bNv
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) March 18, 2016
This season of Daredevil had more gore, more action, and more grit. The fighting sequences were beautiful to watch, especially Daredevil’s fight with the bikers in the hallway and stairwell. The single take fight sequences, as this one was, seem to be the best kind on this show, as they are perfectly executed. The second season of Daredevil was better than the first, which I hadn’t thought was possible until after I watched it. Out of 10, I give it a whopping score of 9.
