With the Kingpin now behind bars Matt Murdock is continuing his battle to keep the streets of Hell’s Kitchen safe. As gangs move to gain a foothold once again on the streets, suddenly a new “army” appears to be taking them out in a rain of gunfire. When this army turns out to be just one man, Daredevil must face up to the darker side of vigilantism.
One thing that is easy to say about Daredevil: Season 2 is get ready for an overdose of the darker side of Marvel. If this wasn’t done well, it could have easily fallen apart under the weight of expectation, but thankfully this is Marvel TV at the top of their game. We get a Punisher who feels just right, an Elektra that gets the adaptation she deserves and a whole lot more. In fact if you’ve been a fan of the comics featuring these characters, you just may recognise some of the story elements pulled into the show.
Looking at Jon Bernthal’s performance of The Punisher/Frank Castle, you can’t help but feel there may be awards in this shows future. This is a layered version of the character who is capable of violence that feels menacing and deadly. We may see the softer side of Castle but there is no denying that he is a force of death, and he is to be feared. Bernthal steals the scenes he is in and brings us one of the best versions of The Punisher we’ve seen; If not the best. To give a hint what to expect with this version of The Punisher, this is at Punisher: War Zone levels. It is violent and gory and I loved every minute of it.
With Elektra, it took me some time to warm to her character. During the process of learning just who this version of Elektra is though, Elodie Yung’s performance pushes through any initial issues and she becomes a strong part of the Daredevil world. She has a story arc featuring Daredevil and Stick (Scott Glenn) which is both sad, and bad-ass in equal measure. It will be interesting to see where her story goes, as this is obviously a character that Marvel won’t be leaving behind.
When it comes to Matt Murdock himself, Charlie Cox continues to play the character well. Putting him on the annoying side of the morality of a vigilante, this is the season where he is forced to question whether sometimes lives have to be taken for the greater good. This is where the Murdock character becomes interesting, because we get to see his darker side and some more of his past. Also interesting is his relationship with Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) who fits nicely between the world of Daredevil and Punisher. If anything it makes for an interesting potential love triangle.
Daredevil feels now like a show that knows it has a safe future and can start to spread its wings. Not only do we see confident story writing in bringing in characters like The Punisher, but we also see characters such as Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) heading in their own direction. We also see links to shows like Jessica Jones, which may mean we see a crossover in the future and that is always going to be an interesting prospect.
After you watch the finale, you’ll be in no doubt that there has to be a Punisher television show. While this has been downplayed somewhat, there is an almost classic introduction feel to Jon Bernthal’s character and how he is handled. If Daredevil: Season 2 was a tester to see how fans would react to a character like Frank Castle, then I predict the Punisher making another appearance in the future. Whether this be in his own show, a film, or as a recurring character in the Marvel television shows, he is here to stay.
Daredevil: Season 2 is a big step forward from the first season, which was already a good start to the show. Even in the fight scenes they try to outdo what has been done before, and they succeed. Some of the choreography and stunt work on show not only in fights but in other scenes are very impressive and must be praised.
Along with the stunt work, the overall style of the show itself is impressive. The way that there is a focus on more than just the visual nature of the scenes pulls the audience into Matt Murdock’s world. There are moments where the show takes on an almost arty feel, but it never goes far enough to alienate the people who are looking for action. This is just another example of how balance works well with the show.
There are many paths Daredevil can take now and all of them look exciting for the audience. Netflix must be loving their relationship with Marvel at the moment, because if they keep bringing us shows like Jessica Jones and Daredevil Netflix are going to have some very dedicated audience. For fans of the darker side of Marvel, Daredevil: Season 2 is a must watch.
***** 5/5
Daredevil: Season 2 is available on Netflix now.