REVIEW: Daredevil – Season One (2015)

Marvel’s Daredevil is a Netflix show created by Drew Goddard and developed by Steven S. DeKnight which has begun a Netflix adventure for the Disney owned Marvel Cinematic Universe. Make no mistake, Matt Murdock and the rest of the Defenders exist in the same universe as the Avengers – with the Chitauri invasion being hinted at once or twice during this first season.

This show blew me away. I went into this show hoping for the best, yet fearing the disappointment that I had over Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I wanted a violent take on the character, a show inspired by the comics, and a complex villain. DeKnight & Co. gave me everything I wanted, and it pleases me to say that I loved the first season. Now, what exactly worked?

There are a couple of things here, first off: Matt Murdock. Charlie Cox was a great Matt Murdock – charming, poignant, and with the dark mind needed for this fictional take on Hell’s Kitchen. He was believable as Matt and as Daredevil, and that’s all you can ask for.

The single greatest shot in this show came in episode two “Cut Man”; the greatest fight scene in original Netflix content history. It was supposedly a single shot, and it was absolutely spectacular. Another action standout was Matt’s battle with Nobu – they just nailed these scenes time and time again.

One of my favorite things about this show was how they absolutely nailed the creation of Kingpin. Vincent D’Onofrio was Wilson Fisk. He looked like him, but it was more than that. This character was as complex as needed, and his origin story was incredibly sad.

Early on in the season, though, I noted in an episode review that my favorite character on the show was Claire Temple. I was excited to see what they exactly wanted Rosario Dawson to do in this show, and I was really pleased with her performance and her character – we needed more of her, though.

I didn’t particularly like the character ‘Ben Urich’; though a prominent comic book character, he felt generic, stereotypical in his first couple of episodes. I really like Vondie Curtis-Hall, but the character didn’t work for me.

I liked Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson this season, though some of their actions were questionable. I’m excited to see where these characters are headed, even if I lost some interest in Foggy’s tantrum.

To me, the best episode this season was “Speak of the Devil”, but I also really loved “Cut Man” and the season finale.

The next Netflix/Marvel show is AKA Jessica Jones, and guys – I can’t wait.

B+

I’m Jeffrey Rex