by Armand Hill

SPOILER FREE

Daredevil is the show that Marvel should have launched its television universe with. Unlike Marvel’s Agents of Shield, which dragged and limped its way through its first season, Daredevil feels like its running on all cylinders from the opening episode. Having watched the first five episodes I’m convinced that the success of this show is built not only on the collective vision of the creative team, exceptional writing and outstanding cast, but also the show identifies the failures of the 2003 Daredevil film and corrects them. The results is a show with characters that are fully realized and a hero that is distinguishable from the others Marvel has presented, but no less worthy.

Daredevil feels like it was built to succeed. The casting feels flawless and parred with writing that allows the cast to turn the show into something exceptional. Charlie Cox seems to have been intended by the Almighty to play Matt Murdock. He manages to channel both Frank Miller and Mark Waid’s versions of the character and is capable of communicating compassion and empathy while also projecting rage and intolerance for injustice. It’s a very delicate balancing act that in my opinion he pulls off flawlessly. Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page really is a huge reason why the show works. Woll’s version of Page is intelligent, courageous, and has her own powerful commitment to justice. She consistently steals scenes and along with Vondie Curtis-Hall who plays reporter Ben Urich,provide a linked but secondary story that carries the show when Cox isn’t on the screen. Foggy Nelson, played by Elden Henderson, could have just been used as comic relief but is better used as an idealist who would like to make money, who happens to be really funny.

Villains define a hero and make or break a show. Vincent D’Onofrio gives Wilson Fisk a sense of humanity that is rarely even seen in comic book versions of the character. That humanity and the fact that Wilson is motivated not solely by money, but out of desire to make things better in Hell’s Kitchen, actually makes him scarier. Toby Leonard Moore as Wesley establishes the caliber of threat that Wilson Fisk’s organization represents throughout the five episodes I had a chance to watch but especially episode one. Without spoiling anything what he is able to do with a cell phone and a tablet to convey menace is impressive. To quote a line from the show he is a shark in a human suit.

I don’t want to be unfair to the Daredevil movie but the show gets right what the film got wrong. Similar to CW’s Arrow viewers don’t have to sit through a long origin story, judiciously used flashbacks convey the important aspects of the story. The relationship between young Matt and his father boxer Jack Murdock, the circumstances of how Matt loses his sight are all better utilized for story telling purposes. And while I’m not a big fan of his initial costume it is an improvement over the 2003 Daredevil suit.

Daredevil is a departure from previous Marvel offerings. With all of the story’s events occurring within Hell’s Kitchen primarily, Daredevil feels like a much more intimate story than anything that Marvel has done since Ang Lee’s The Hulk. The relationships between the characters really turn this show into something compelling along with stellar writing. Oh by the way the fight choreography is amazing and succeeds in giving Daredevil his own style. Check out the fight sequence at the end of episode two, it’s easily the best fight scene since John Wick. Ultimately Daredevil is worth binge watching, definitely worthy of a season two.

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by Tony Ortega

WITH SPOILERS

Having been a comic book reader for the majority of my life, I am always excited at a new television and/or cinematic adaption of my favorite comic books. Historically, some adaptions have severely missed the mark (Constantine, Supergirl, Birds of Prey, and Witchblade to name a few). Many folks may have also had some trepidation to watch the series after the cinematic version of Daredevil failed so miserably (I for one liked it but you can’t really go by my taste). Netflix’s new endeavor with Marvel Comics did get me a bit excited as they have done wonderful original programming with Orange Is The New Black and House of Cards. Needless to say, I was hopeful of their most recent original programming – Daredevil. Now, I have never been a huge Daredevil fan, yet loved reading (and re-reading) the Daredevil storylines by Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, Ed Brubaker, Mark Waid, and Brian Michael Bendis. From episode 1, Netflix’s Daredevil series is an amalgam of these wonderful comic book storylines. As usual (using my best River Song voice), SPOILERS!

Episode 1 opens up with Matt Murdock’s origin story of sorts. I love the fact that it starts right after his fateful accident that robbed him of his conventional sight yet heightened his other sense while granting him “radar sense.” For those of you living under a rock or have never read a Daredevil comic book, Matt Murdock is a young boy living in NYC who saves an elderly man from getting run over by a truck which is carrying hazardous waste. Matt gets struck by the hazardous materials in his eyes and as his father frantically approaches, Matt loses his conventional sight. The series flashes back and forwards from modern day adult Matt to young Matt getting used to life without sight yet heightened hearing, taste, touch, and smell. In the comic book, the radar sense is illustrated much like conventional radar is, which always got under my skin for some reason. The show gives a way better illustration of the “radar sense” and it comes to fruition during the beginning of episode 5. I love the fact that it’s not like radar sense in the traditional way but that he “sees the world on fire.” Bravo writers. I kept re-watching those minutes because I thoroughly enjoyed them.

Kudos to the writers of the series for demonstrating so brilliantly what it is like to live like Matt Murdock. When Matt senses a person’s heartbeat or smells a man’s cologne, I almost feel like I am right there with him. While on the subject of the writers, more kudos to such great character development. Yes, we have Matt, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Wilson Fisk, Turk, Stick, Wesley and Ben Urich – all staples of the Daredevil mythos. They also injected wonderful new characters like Claire Temple (played by Rosario Dawson – insert RENT squeal here). Well, technically Claire is not that new as she has appeared in the comic as a doctor, not a nurse, but I am a RENT head so there.

I love the nuances that are so eloquently illustrated on the show of interacting with someone who is visually impaired. In the opening episode, a realtor holds out her hand to shake Matt’s, which essentially, doesn’t see it and things become briefly awkward. Or how his cell phone rings and announces the person’s name. Things you don’t really think about if you are not visually impaired. Even though Matt is not your typical blind individual, I, for one, have a greater appreciation for those who are visually impaired.

The humanization of Wilson Fisk (aka The Kingpin) was boring at first. When he makes his first appearance, he appears to be so mild mannered and meek that I was having major WTF moments. It was like Fisk had been neutered for the show (much like they have done with Constantine’s character in that failing series). However, at the end of episode 4, we see why Mr. Fisk has earned the name “The Kingpin of Crime.” Holy crap. Yes sir, he is a bad ass.

Charlie Cox is an amazing Matt Murdock and Daredevil and boy, is he a HOTTIE. Yet, can we do something about his hairstyle please. I love seeing Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica from True Blood) playing Karen Page. She is so fricking fantastic on the show. Truthfully, I have no complaints of the actors or the acting. You really get into Matt Murdock’s world in such a way that it almost seems real.

For the Daredevil aficionado, there are lots of Easter eggs to wet your appetite such as references to Mike Murdock, Stick, and “that Greek girl from college” (insert Elektra squeal) as well as references to the Avengers movie. However, for the Daredevil neophyte, the show runs so smoothly that you don’t have to have ever picked up a Daredevil comic book to follow along (for the neophyte – go pick up any of the Frank Miller Daredevil collections or Kevin Smith’s Guardian Devil trade-paperback. You won’t regret it).

Netflix has done an amazing job with Daredevil. As of this writing, I am only 5 episodes in and I am hooked. The internet has been ablaze with folks binge watching all 13 episodes. This is my one complaint about Netflix series – the release the whole season at once and you have to wait a year for the next season. What’s good about Daredevil is that it will lead into Netflix/Marvel’s next round of series – Luke Cage, aka Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist, which then culminates into The Defenders.

On a scale of 1 to 10, Daredevil gets a 10 in my book.