Now that fellow Flix-Man and I, David Blanchard, have watched all 13 episodes of Marvel's first Netflix series, DAREDEVIL, I'm going to do a comprehensive review. I will try to keep SPOILERS to a minimum in the episode breakdowns below. And I will not reveal some of the big surprises in the series.

 

I read and enjoyed Daredevil comics as a kid and like most people I particularly dug Frank Miller's runs on the book. The DAREDEVIL and ELEKTRA movies were huge disappointments, although the DAREDEVIL: Director's Cut is significantly better than what I saw in the theater. It's still a mess though. I was very excited for this series and relatively pleased with the casting and the few clips that were released.

 

I convinced David to marathon the series with me and while we had a good time watching the show, DAREDEVIL is a mixed bag. It is a dark series both figuratively and literally. The image at times is way too dark. I know this is by design, but they need to back off a little. And as far as content goes, it's very dark and they take some of the violence to an extreme. Within the context of the storytelling though, I never thought it was too dark. 

 

GENRE:

 

The creators have said that they set out to make a crime show first and a superhero show second. Unfortunately neither one completely works. And the biggest missed opportunity is making this a lawyer show. Nelson and Murdock is established as a Mom and Pop law firm founded by two idealists. Yet there is very little time spent in court. Instead of chasing down cases, taking on appointed defense cases by the court, and struggling to make ends meet, early on they are given a retainer by a man who won't disclose his own name and that's enough to keep the bills paid. It's really lazy. When the writers decided to slow down the superhero stuff in the second half of the season, we could have gotten some really compelling court subplots that show how skilled Nelson and Murdock are as lawyers. Instead, you could call that second half "Page & Urich" as they investigate Wilson Fisk. And Page & Urich is repetitive, boring and ultimately just filler. It's amazing how many times they sit around in an office "investigating" or have the same arguments over and over again.

 

FIGHT SCENES:

 

The fight scenes are very well done and I appreciate Daredevil's fighting style. He is an athletic martial arts fighter and he is quite skilled, but I never felt it was over the top and ridiculous. You can feel the fights, the bruises, cuts, broken bones. And I love that by contrast Wilson Fisk's fighting style is brute force and uncontainable rage. I appreciate that since Matt Murdock/Daredevil is just a very well trained human - there's nothing superhuman about him - that he gets injured in almost every fight. Sometimes in minor ways and sometimes in ways that take him off his feet. The problem with that is the series seems to span a relatively short amount of time, so it's hard to believe that he could heal so quickly only to go out again and face more punishment. 

There has been a lot of hype about the fight scene at the end of Episode 2 and it's incredible. It's all one shot with no cuts and it's well choreographed and painful. Unfortunately the series never even attempts another bravura sequence like that. That was very disappointing. When you raise the bar like that in your second episode, expectations are high that you will do something like that again. Once per season is not enough.

 

SOUND DESIGN:

 

This is one of my favorite parts of the series. The sound design is fantastic. This is primarily what they use to indicate Daredevil's powers whether it is someone's heartbeat, or a certain watch they wear or distinguishing one person from another when in pursuit. Bravo to the sound design!

 

ALCOHOL:

 

It was surprising how much drinking there is on Daredevil. Characters go out to the bar and drink way too much, celebrate with drinks, etc. They have hangovers and smell like distilleries afterwards. But strangely no one has a drinking problem. That could have made for a compelling subplot.

 

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE:

 

There are a few references that tie DAREDEVIL into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Battle of New York is mentioned a few times. That's a reference to the climax of THE AVENGERS when they battle the invading alien Chitauri. 

There are mentions of a magic hammer and an iron suit. A mention of Captain America. And Crusher Creel is a key opponent of Murdock's boxer Father, Battlin' Jack. Creel later becomes The Absorbing Man and appeared on AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. in some of their best episodes this season.

 

CHARACTERS:

 

Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox)
 

Charlie Cox is capable as both Matt Murdock and Daredevil. He is a solid choice for the dual role. But I can't say he's an exciting performer. He wasn't engaging whenever he was on screen the way say Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth or Robert Downey Jr. are. 

 

Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio)
 

D'Onofrio is a great choice as Wilson Fisk and he looks fantastic in the role. This season is very much his rise to power, although it's disappointing that he's never referred to as the Kingpin of Crime. Something apparently the filmmakers shied away from or were afraid of. Fisk's uncontrollable raging out are highlights of the series and some of my favorite moments. But in some ways, the blew their setup with the character. For a while he is referred to by Wesley as my employer and simply saying Fisk's name can get you killed. Early on in the series, Fisk doesn't seem to exist on paper or online. With that kind of build up, when we see Fisk in the flesh, he should be terrifying. And he should terrify the people he is meeting with. But when he meets with his Russian, Chinese and Japanese allies, or with money man Owlsley, he is often humble and way too respectful. It's amazing the shit he takes from them. I was stunned by this portrayal and not in a good way. They show the quieter more human side of him in his courting of Vanessa, but it's a big misstep to show that side with his criminal allies. Taken as a whole, I love the portrayal though.

 

Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson)
 

Henson brings a lot of energy to the show as Murdock's law partner. He is clearly the comic relief and most of the humor lands both because of the writing and because of Henson's engaging performance. Unfortunately he has to handle a lot of screen time without an engaging plot and as I stated above, he should have been in the courtroom more with compelling material to play. His relationship with the super sexy Marci Stahl (Amy Rutberg) is pretty hard to believe. It's nice to see the chubby funny guy get the hot girl, but it doesn’t seem very likely.

 

Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll)
 

Karen Page is the dullest character of the series and if you add up all her screen time she may actually have more than Matt Murdock and Daredevil combined. Woll is not an engaging performer and the writers don't do her any favors. The writing for her character is the weakest of the main characters. I kept hoping she would be killed. 

 

James Wesley (Toby Leonard Moore)
 

Moore does solid work as Wilson Fisk's right hand man. He is ever present in the series either representing Fisk or standing at his side and his presence is always welcome.

 

Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson)
 

Rosario Dawson is a breath of fresh air every time she appears. Her dialogue is sharp and her performance is really engaging. She has great chemistry with Murdock and many of their scenes are the highlight of the series. I don't understand why she is only in five episodes. She is very much missed in the second half of the season. Was Rosario not available or did the filmmakers just write her out of the story?

 

Ben Urich (Vondie Curtis-Hall)
 

This old school newspaper reporter is played by a Black actor here even though the character in the comics is White, but that's not the problem. The problem is that Curtis-Hall plays everything down the middle. He has a subplot about his ill wife who requires 24-7 care, but we never see true desperation or emotion. It is all very controlled. And when he gets his teeth around the Fisk story and how big the corruption is, he never seems passionate or obsessed. Story wise this character is pulled in these two dramatic directions but you would never know it the way that Curtis-Hall plays it.

 

Leland Owlsley (Bob Gunton)
 

The always reliable character actor Bob Gunton has some great lines as the money man ally to Wilson Fisk. I enjoyed his sarcastic comic relief.

 

Vanessa Marianna (Ayelet Zurer)
 

Ayelet Zurer is stunning and does as much as she can with the material. Unfortunately the filmmakers fumble the falling in love part of her relationship with Wilson Fisk, but once they are in love it is very clear and handled well.

 

Madame Gao (Wai Ching Ho)
 

Gao is an old Chinese woman and ally to Wilson Fisk. Her constant meetings with Fisk get tiresome. She seems feeble and uses a cane so the big reveal that she knows Kung Fu and can disappear into the darkness like Batman is ridiculous.

 

Stick (Scott Glenn)
 

While one of the best things about the ELEKTRA movie is Terence Stamp as Stick, mentor to both Daredevil and Elektra, Scott Glenn makes the role his own here. He owns the screen and is captivating for every moment of his screen time. I only wish there was more of him.

 

EPISODES:

 

1 Into the Ring
 

The pacing of this first episode is very slow. The dialogue is slow. The confessional scene begs for flashbacks to shots of Battlin' Jack Murdock in the ring, but they never come. Foggy really brings energy into his scenes. Great debut of the fantastic sound design especially when indicating Daredevil's powers. The closing montage was good visual storytelling in contrast to how poorly paced the rest of it is.

 

2 Cut Man
 

This is a great episode. Claire Temple is a well written character and Rosario Dawson brings a lot of positive energy. Her rapport with "Mike" (what she calls the Man in the Mask) is beautiful. Great flashbacks with Battlin' Jack Murdock, Matt's Father. The climactic fight scene is expertly done and a highlight of the series.

 

3 Rabbit in a Snowstorm
 

There is a solid fight scene in this episode. There are good courtroom moments, some of the few in the entire series. Solid intro for Wilson Fisk.

 

4 In the Blood
 

Good relationship building with both Matt and Claire and with Fisk and Vanessa. 

There is a very clear example of what Fisk is capable of and how far his reach extends. That is a particularly great sequence.

 

5 World on Fire
 

More of what Fisk is capable of and how far his reach extends.

 

6 Condemned
 

Man in the Mask on the run from the cops, who are owned by Fisk.

First conversation between Man in the Mask and Fisk, which is excellent.

 

7 Stick
 

Great introduction to Stick, Daredevil's mentor. Scott Glenn is excellent in the role and he has a great mentor relationship with Murdock. I love seeing Stick kick Murdock's ass and antagonize him along the way. Unfortunately the episode is paced really slow. Who the hell is the guy at the end that Stick talks to? He's never seen or mentioned again.

 

8 Shadows in the Glass
 

I was not thrilled to see flashbacks of Fisk's childhood. I would have rather had it be a mystery. Having said that, it was handled well and I enjoyed the material. Some great lessons and surprises. However, casting Domenick Lombardozzi was a strange choice. He is a very Italian character actor and I enjoy his work. But Fisk is not an Italian name and he plays him as a totally Italian neighborhood guy. Very surprised that after living in the shadows and being such a mystery, Fisk goes public.

 

9 Spark of the Devil
 

Ben Urich finally meets Matt Murdock. He has already met the Man in the Mask. Murdock is blind. The Man in the Mask has no eye holes. Their voices are essentially the same. There is no gravelly Christian Bale thing going on. Yet this old school reporter can't figure out that Murdock is the Man in the Mask? Really?

Daredevil versus Fisk is great. I love seeing Fisk get physical. 

Much like the last two episodes, the pace is very slow.

 

10 Nelson v. Murdock
 

Between the end of 9 and the start of 10, Claire Temple has come and gone. She patched up a half dead Murdock and met Foggy. All of this is off-camera and referred to by Foggy! Why? How compelling would it be to see Claire saving Matt's life while Foggy helps, having just discovered his best friend and partner's shocking secret. Total missed opportunity and disappointment. The series is so slow at this point it needed that burst of Rosario to shock it back to life.

The flashbacks to law school were pretty annoying and mostly filler. There is a subtle reference to a Greek girl that Matt dated which is clearly a shout out to Elektra. The flashback to the first time Matt put on a mask and why he did it is fantastic. There is way too much Page & Urich. So boring.

 

 

11 The Path of the Righteous
 

Claire finally returns in a lovely scene with Matt. We are finally heading in the direction of a proper costume. I loved the surprise ending. Did not see that coming.

 

12 The Ones We Leave Behind
 

Fisk raging out despite the consequences is awesome. Madame Gao suddenly knowing Kung Fu is ridiculous. When Urich has a long talk with Man in the Mask, I kept waiting for him to say, how do you see with that thing over your eyes?

I hate this device almost every time it's done - Urich goes home, settles in to his computer to write a story and surprise! Someone has been in the room the whole time. That's some seasoned reporter, he can't even tell that someone is sitting there. Actually it's just bad writing. Another shock ending that I did not see coming. This show is not afraid to kill off regular characters.

 

13 Daredevil
 

The opera music montage is way over the top. If Fisk knows that the FBI is coming for him, why does he let himself get arrested, only to then have a commando team break him out from the transport in a huge firefight? Why not just have an escape plan and disappear without all that drama? It's fun to watch, but it doesn't make sense. Fisk is smarter than this. Great climactic fight between Daredevil and Fisk. I love the distinct fighting styles. Could have been a nice ending hanging up the Nelson & Murdock sign, but the scene continues on with Matt and Karen and goes on forever!

 

DAREDEVIL:

A huge disappointment is that Murdock does not don the Daredevil costume until the climax of the final episode. And even worse, he is not named Daredevil until after that. For a series called Daredevil, that's a huge blunder. He's referred to as the Man in the Mask or the Masked Man. And eventually the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. It's almost like the filmmakers were afraid of it somehow. Ultimately they use a newspaper headline to name him. This should have been done much earlier in the season. And I think they should have found a way to work in the phrase, "The Man Without Fear". 

 

As for the costume, early on in the series, Claire Temple says that Murdock needs body armor. He says it would slow him down. She says so would a bullet. I expected this would lead to the costume, but it doesn't and it's a real missed opportunity. Eventually he makes a discovery that leads to his amazing new costume, but he certainly could have gone through some iterations of body armor before making the discovery.

 

Instead he wears that black schmatta over his face with no eyeholes. I was hoping a criminal would grab those strands hanging off the back of his mask and swing his head into a wall. But no one ever does. It's just like having a cape, those dangling strands are a bad choice for a superhero.

 

IN CLOSING:

 

DAREDEVIL was entertaining overall, but although the first half builds, the second half is pretty boring with a lot of filler until the final episode. There are a lot of things they could have done to fix this. Clearly they wanted to save everything for the finale, but instead they could have had one of the big surprises as the end of Episode 11, the arrest of Wilson Fisk at the end of 12 and then built up to the climax. I would recommend DAREDEVIL to comic book fans and fans of superhero movies, but not to the casual viewer. It's a decent start to the Marvel Netflix franchise and certainly a better launch than Marvel's AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. But it's not the home run I was hoping for. And with the planned franchise of JESSICA JONES, LUKE CAGE, IRON FIST and THE DEFENDERS, does that mean we won't get DAREDEVIL Season 2 until after those four series? Or could we get it as soon as next year?