Daredevil Season One was so good and so well received that it changed to original game plan. Forget the Defenders, everybody wanted more of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Jessica Jones was already in production at the time so it was too late to alter that course. But instead of Luke Cage debuting in early 2016, like it was planned, Daredevil Season 2 was green lit. March 18th, 2016, DDS2 was released on Netflix taking the plot and the characters even further than before.
THE PLOT
With Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, in prison and the Russians, Chinese, and Yakuza mafias driven out of the city, the drug trade in New York is left wide open for the taking. The Irish mob moves in but then are suddenly gunned down with military-like precision. A biker gang and the Mexican Cartels are dispatched in similar fashion. Daredevil needs to discover who the killer of killers is, this Punisher of the guilty. Then Horn-Head reunites with an old flame and his former mentor, Stick. Stick informs the hero of an ancient war being waged in New York, and Daredevil's old girlfriend is the key.
THE GOOD
All of it.
The Punisher. Jon Bernthal as the Punisher steals the spotlight from Daredevil himself. Bernthal is easily the best actor to have stepped into the role of Frank Castle, but to be fair he has seen three other portrayals of the character to learn what to do and what not to do. Not only does Bernthal embody the essence of the character but he also looks like he stepped out of a Steve Dillon comic panel. The prison hallway massacre sequence is better than the Dolph Lundgren and Thomas Jane Punisher films combined. Punisher's murder methods and Daredevil's "no kill" code are tested against each other in very compelling arguments and the audience is pulled back and forth between them.
The Hand. The Punisher is taken out after four or five episodes and the show teeters on falling apart due to a lack of cohesion. What Fisk brought to season one was a central plotline and overall goal. Season two has a directionless feel after the Punisher's rampage is resolved, but then Stick returns and reveals what was lightly hinted at in season: the war between the Chaste and the Hand. I love ninjas. The Hand are the Marvel Universe's primary ninja clan and they are treated very well here. Instead of being simple cannon fodder for DD, even the simplest of the Hand ninjas was beating the hell out of the hero. The Hand fill the vacuum left by Fisk and introduces a massive plot which could stretch over seasons and possibly wider into the other heroes of Netflix's combined universe.
THE BAD
There isn't too much wrong with this season. If I had any gripes it would be with the casting of Elektra. Elodie Yung delivers an underwhelming performance and feels a bit forced. She plays a character the antithesis of Deborah Ann Woll's wonderful Karen Page, immediately placing her in a negative light. I prefer this interpretation of the character as opposed to Mark Steven Johnson's but I vastly prefer Jennifer Garner to Elodie Yung. Elektra does get better by the end and ultimately is another strong addition to the cast, despite having trouble getting started.
Elektra's Demise. Perhaps the most iconic image within the entire Daredevil comic book canon is that of Elektra's initial demise at the hands of the villain Bullseye. !SPOILER ALERT! This scene is replayed during the final episode's climactic battle. But Bullseye isn't the one to do it, instead it is executed by a character named Nobu of the Hand. Now I'm not the biggest Daredevil fan nor do I have any strong affections for the character Bullseye (who has yet to be introduced formally in the series), but this sets up a unique situation. When Bullseye is officially introduced what are they going to do with him that will equal or replace his big moment? There were plenty of different ways they could've resolved that final battle, they didn't necessarily have to adapt that seen.
THE VERDICT
The year of heroes battling heroes has begun. I binged Season One in one day. It took me two days to get through Season Two, not because it was inferior but because my schedule didn't allow the time. Season Two is even better than Season One, a feat I wasn't sure was possible. Netflix still appears to want to deliver on their promises of Luke Cage and Iron Fist, but with the success of Daredevil and Jessica Jones also being green lighted for another season, this could prove problematic. Netflix has stated that they only have the budgets to do two Marvel shows per year. Luke Cage is officially debuting on September 30th, 2016. Where's Jessica Jones Season Two? And will we get Daredevil Season Three next year or will we instead receive JJS2 and Iron Fist Season One? Or will Iron Fist be pushed back yet another year? And what if Luke Cage Season One is a major success? Unless they find more money something will have to give.
Comic books are ongoing sagas (at least they used to be). Netflix television provides what appears to be a far more appropriate medium for these characters and stories. With a few exceptions the Marvel movies have developed their heroes but scarcely scratched the surface of the supporting casts and have given use mere paper caricatures for villains. Wilson Fisk and the Purple Man have surpassed anything (other than Loki) that the films have given us. Even Nobu of the Hand feels more menacing and further developed than most of the film antagonists. The only advantage the films have over Netflix is the budget.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but the future of super heroes is Netflix.
Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 1 out of 10
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