Daredevil Season 1 Review

Series developed by Netflix have become a huge hit on the website, which is why its decision to take on another series, though this one of the superhero world, came as no surprise. Taking on a Marvel project certainly wasn't a small task. You've got largely successful franchise films in existence and to follow those in the form of a show expands the appeal even further. Daredevil reached that standard and in some ways, even went beyond it in ways most thought Marvel wouldn't necessarily go towards. (Warning: I tried to keep this post as spoiler-free as possible, but it is not entirely spoiler free.)

I have to commend Charlie Cox on his performance as Matt Murdock. He did an outstanding job. The character of Matt Murdock is so complex and sometimes difficult to understand, which is why I feel a TV Show was the perfect place to show his character. It takes some time to fully understand Matt as a character, but Charlie brings the character to life in a great way. He loves his city, very similar to the Green Arrow. However, he's also one of the most religious superheroes and seeing that play in with his vigilantism was interesting. He questioned his morals in what he was doing and how far he would go. Ultimately, he took it to the edge of that line without crossing it. He would nearly beat people to death, torture them, and use sever injuries to his advantage. He wouldn't kill a villain with his own hands, but threaten to leave them to die. He's such a flawed character that contradicts his own life through his day job and night job. A lawyer with his own firm shared with his friend Foggy, Matt aims to uphold the law and prove his clients to be innocent. However, when the day turns to night, Matt's going against the law himself while trying to protect the innocent of Hell's Kitchen. Behind his interesting personality, Matt has an interesting backstory. As a child, he was blinded from chemicals, causing him to see a world on fire. It also caused him to gain heightened senses, despite the loss of sight. He can hear better, smell better, sense better; all of these things allow him to be the hero he's become. He's compelling, exciting, and daring, which is no surprise because of his name. I was intrigued by his character from the very beginning and I enjoyed learning more and more each episode.

Every superhero has someone they work with in their normal lives. In Matt's case, he has his best friend Foggy Nelson and a woman named Karen Paige, who is not only saved by Matt and Foggy in a legal case, but also by the Daredevil from an attacker. Foggy is a comical character, providing much of the lightheartedness to the very dark and gritty show. Elden Henson puts on a good performance as the character, though my one minor complaint was that he sometimes seemed overly comical. There was one particular scene, though I won't discuss it in this post so it can remain pretty much spoiler free, in which he was meant to be serious, but I found it hard to take him seriously. This may have just been something I felt. Henson combines Foggy's charm and vulnerability to play the part very nicely. You also have Karen Paige played by Deborah Ann Woll. The first episode of the series focuses on how she becomes a part of Foggy & Murdock law firm. Like most females in superhero shows, Karen's not to be taken lightly. Her character development is another interesting aspect to the show. She's strong and independent, sometimes going beyond limits that even the viewer wouldn't necessarily think she would cross. Woll allows the viewer to see the progression of Karen's character from someone who needs saving to someone who can now save herself.

It's important to note that as there is the trio, there is no love triangle. Yes, there was some connection between Foggy and Karen for a period of time, but Foggy seemed to abandon that connection and go more towards his old love, Marci (Amy Rutberg). Seeds were certainly planted for a future romance between Karen and Matt, though only subtle gestures indicated any romantic interest in each other in season 1. There is no back-and-forth of Karen between Foggy and Matt, nor is there any jealousy between the two. The idea of a love triangle simply doesn't exist in the show. However, since the relationship does occur in the comics, I'm assuming it would occur in a future season.

Besides the main trio, there are also two minor, but enjoyable, characters in the show, as well. Claire Temple, played by Rosario Dawson, is also very deserving of praise. Her character, though never linked to Daredevil in the comics, is Matt's love interest for a few episodes, though this romance doesn't take away from the show's core storyline. Being that Claire Temple exists in the storyline of Luke Cage, another Marvel hero, I'm curious as to if she will be crossing over to the show Netflix has planned about him when it is released. Vondie Curtis-Hall's Ben Urich is also another great character in the storyline who often interacts with Karen. Both Claire and Ben serve in important roles that can each be surprising.

The big bad of the show is another outstanding character. Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk shares the screen with Matt Murdock and intrigues the viewer nearly as much as Matt does. His performance was one definitely one of the best to watch. While most villains are in public spotlight and open, Fisk is shy and awkward for the most part, though that certainly doesn't stop him from committing terrible crimes. D'Onofrio captures those qualities and does an outstanding job. He has two sole companions, his friend Wesley (Toby Leonard Moore) and Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer), who he becomes pretty much attached to. His friendship with Wesley isn't actually a comfortable relationship, it's more of a very tense loyalty. His backstory is probably the most violent on the show, but it was also seeing how this still influenced him as an adult. Fantastic job by Vincent D'Onofrio in the role and he will most likely be another main character in season 2.

What makes the show stand out from other MCU films and shows is the darkness of Daredevil. The violence in the show is brutal and while the beatings Matt gives himself can be to an extreme, the beatings he receives truly propel the level even higher. The dark and gritty quality to the show makes it unique and worth watching because it's something Marvel hasn't really done in the past. The darkness and fight scenes alone are enough reason to give the show a watch. Each fight scene was great, but in particular, I loved the one in Episode 2 'Cut Man'. The sequence in the scene was absolutely fantastic and you get to see how much Matt pushes himself even when he's been knocked down countless of times.

If you haven't begun watching Daredevil, I highly recommend giving it a try. Season 1 is fantastic and after only around a week and a half of it being out, it's already been announced that the show is getting a season 2. The show was given lots of promotion and rave reviews before it went online to everyone and it definitely deserved the praise. I hope you all enjoyed season 1. I loved it and I'm definitely excited for the eventual release of season 2.