“Let the Devil Out”.
Full disclosure here – I am, quite possibly a 5 year old, and love anything related to superheroes. I’ve seen almost all of WB’s “Arrowverse”. I survived the short-lived DCEU. And I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But, Daredevil…
…Daredevil is a rare stroke of genius in an over saturated genre. Daredevil is the entire genre at its best – from the story telling and dialogues, to the themes, choreography and character arcs, Daredevil is a masterpiece.
Quick Recap: Daredevil is the story of Matt Murdock – a blind lawyer by day and a vigilante by night as he wages a one man war on the criminals of Hell’s Kitchen.
Spoilers ahead
Daredevil Season 1 was not a superhero show – it was a character drama about Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk. It defined the superhero genre, in the same way Raimi’s “Spiderman” did, by taking the time to develop its flawed, but likable characters.
Matt is a stubborn and selfish Catholic, who finds catharsis in beating the living daylights out of criminals. Fisk decapitates a guy with a car door and caves his own father’s head in with a hammer.
Neither of these characters should be likable.
But they are.
They are written with such complexity and intricacy and acted so well that we find ourselves rooting for both of them.
The binomial conflict between Fisk and Matt is the engine of the season. Both want to save the city, but in very different ways. And we find ourselves rooting for both of them.
In terms of choreography, Season 1 reintroduces no-cut, long-take action scenes (sorta like Oldboy) into the genre. And it is amazing.
The Hallway Fight in Episode 2 goes down in television history, not only because of its unbridled action and brutality, but because of its portrayal of the hero as a normal human being – a hero who is tired, falls and bleeds.
Very few villains have been as compelling and sympathetic as Wilson Fisk.
Fisk is a study of contrasts – his brutality and ruthlessness is juxtaposed with feelings of warmth and discomfort. It is almost paradoxical that it is the villain who has a satisfying romantic character arc.
Daredevil Season 2 isn’t perfect. Honestly, if you decided to skip the last 6 episodes and watch anything else (suggestions include: Rick & Morty, BoJack Horseman), it would be completely fine.
But, the first 5 episodes are a cinematic treasure.
Season 2 introduces The Punisher (Frank Castle) – a vigilante who’s methods of extreme prejudice get him in the cross hairs of Matt.
In Matt and Frank, we got the ideological conflict Zack Snyder could never deliver. Matt and Frank spend close to 50 minutes just debating their different outlooks on morality, war and depression and this verbal sparring adds a very rich texture to their dynamic. The Matt/Castle conflict concludes with one of the saddest confessionals on cable as the latter tells Matt about his family and how they were massacred in front of his eyes a day after he returned from war and lends a greater sense of tragedy to Frank Castle’s death and The Punisher’s birth.
Honestly, skip everything up till Season 3 after this.
I have no words for Daredevil Season 3.
In the beginning of Season 3, Matt is broken – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He is half the man he was.
Season 3 pulls no punches. It is not afraid to deal with issues like abandonment and growing up without parents. Hell, it’s not afraid of giving Matt’s mother postpartum depression. The show uses the character’s flaws to help us empathize with them and understand why they are who they are.
Season 3 pits Matt against Agent ‘Dex’ Poindexter – in many ways, a tainted mirror image of the hero. This contrast makes Dex’s entire arc all the more heartbreaking, because both of them come from similar backgrounds.
Matt’s entire character arc is driven by his spiritual crisis, which is projected onto his desire to kill Fisk to end the threat posed by him, once and for all.
Matt’s 39 episode journey culminates with his realization that he is a hero not because he can kill Fisk, but because he can’t. His friends and his morals make him heroic. He is a hero because he is Matt Murdock, not because he is Daredevil, thus concluding a very satisfying emotional and spiritual arc.
For those who have not seen it yet, I hope I did a good job of convincing you to check it out.
Daredevil was a masterpiece, and is quite disheartening to learn that it won’t be returning again. We bid farewell to this spectacular show.
-Anant Shri
