And I’m not sure that’s all bad.
Keep in mind that I’m not criticizing the show. Sure, its got its problems, but Netflix original programming has been cranking out some stellar digi-vision using both bigger properties and original, in-house ideas. To date, I’ve been impressed with nearly everything I’ve seen.
Thankfully, the Marvel series are no exception.
But I will say that while I enjoyed season one of Daredevil, I wasn’t incredibly impressed with the ending. I won’t warn you about any spoilers – I don’t think this is a huge surprise – but by the end of season one, DD and Kingpin were reduced to a straight up brawl where they both kept bashing each other’s face in while shouting: “It’s my city!”, “NO, it’s MY city!”
I swear this happened to me on a playground in Elementary school involving a mound of ants and a chocolate bar…
Anyway, it was the fight “everyone was looking for” as I’ve been told by people who are much better purveyors of creative efforts than myself (much like rehashing A New Hope was the EXACT THING the Star Wars franchise needed…bastards). However, I really wanted a flash mob made up of local citizens to show up with pitchforks and some snazzy twitter handle and tell those guys, “Nope, it’s OUR city!” #HellsKitchenBitchin.
For season two, poor Matt Murdock has been reduced to a one dimensional space (which is rough for a blind dude) and his oft-heard refrain has become a stale battle cry.
Despite that and what I’d call a slightly uneven start where Murdock wastes all kinds of time trying to convince Punisher to do things “his way”…in “his city” and gets a bullet in the face for his trouble (thank you Marvel gods), everything else on the show has been stellar.
It’s like Daredevil is Jimmy Fallon: He’s not quite as funny as Kimmel, doesn’t have near the game of Ferguson, but he’s got a lot of intriguing friends that stop by.
I left last season hooked by Karen Page’s suddenly super-interesting developments (won’t spoil that) and dying to see Wilson Fisk make his comeback. This season I got that and more as Punisher and Elektra stole the show, scene by scene. They’ve got stereotypical comic book backgrounds but they’re delivered with enough intriguing storytelling and so on point that they shine next to Murdock’s brute force attack on our property laws (MY CITY, BITCH!)
I’m down to the last episode which I may or may not rush. The season has been excellent and Joss should take some notes here on how to introduce spin-offs without utterly turning your script into a Byzantine mess of infertility, Nordic hot tub time machines, and blandly forced conflicts between your franchise’s main characters (IT’S MY INFINITY STONE, NO IT’S MY INFINITY STONE…wait, maybe not that one.) I’m genuinely interested in seeing both Punisher and Elektra get their own series.
Though honestly, I could do with an extra helping of Karen Page, super journalist. That seems like something more worthy of an off-network, off-cable production. Run it Busiek Marvels style where we get to meet all these sometimes one-dimensional heroes through the eyes of a flesh and blood human being.
Then again, Ben Ulrich would have been the perfect character for that. Now that my friends would truly be MY KIND OF TELEVISION.
NO MINE!
Categories: Reviews
RUSS LINTON 
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