"Daredevil" Season One Review

5/16/2015

Written by Scotty

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

I am not going to lie, I am upset to see this season come to an end. I have been rather enjoying watching it and it has been an honor having you read my recaps. I am happy to see that it has been brought back for a second season and cannot wait to see what they do with the story, but before then, I think it would be good to put out some of my final thoughts on the series and what it has brought to the small screen for everyone’s enjoyment.

I would like to take a couple of seconds to talk about the characters that have been gracing the small screen in this series. First, I will have to talk about Matt Murdock, our lead character. Even though he has been partially blinded, he is still able to see, even if it looks like the world is on fire. I am not going to say that this helps him fight, since he is always wearing something over his eyes, but it does give him an advantage while talking to people to see what their reactions really are. And then with his added abilities to hear everything that is happening around him, he has been able to utilize it to find out more about the situation than seeing can provide. Watching him grow up and having to fight with his inner demons was great in the first season, and hopefully it continues into the next one with a little bit more backstory involving Stick's training of him.

Who did not fall in love with Karen Page in this series? Because I know that I did. Being framed by Union Allied from the get go, she was going to be the greatest scapegoat, but there is nothing anyone could do to hold her down. Taking a position with Matt and Foggy was the best choice she could have made. With plenty of eyes on her, she is still able to get away to find what she is looking for, no matter the cost. She has become a very powerful character in this series and does not want anyone to look after her, even though she needs it. I must admit, that her pulling the trigger and killing Wesley was the defining moment her character's coming of age and I hope she does not back down from anything that may be forthcoming in the series for fear of hurting anyone again.

Foggy Nelson, oh what can I say about Foggy? Although he is supposed to be comic relief, he is really so much more than that. Even with everything that is going on in the city, he is far from someone that will lay down in a fight. Even when Hell’s Kitchen is in flames around him, he contains a little bit of that hero aspect and wants to make sure that everyone is all right. But Foggy really is a hero when it comes to keeping his first client Karen from being hurt. With a softball and a bat, Foggy can kick some major bad guy butt. But the story line seems to be fading away of the Foggy and Karen show since he is hooking up with his ex that was able to provide some very valuable information that helped take Fisk down.

Now let’s take a quick look at the big bad of the show, Wilson Fisk. Most people do not like this character in the series since he does not really show his killer attitude at all times. This is something that I will ponder about long after writing this, but what I saw in the series is that he is trying to resurrect himself to be more of a pillar of the community, not a killer. Wanting to live the normal life seems to be what he really wants, but when being in charge of the crime syndicate, it will never be in his grasp. Wanting to show the love of his life that he is human and not the brute everyone is trying to make him out to be seems to be the mask he is hiding behind. I wish there was more about him and his history in the series, I cannot lie about that and a reason why he is at the top of the mountain, rather than Madame Gao or Nobu, but I guess we will have to wait and see what happens with him when he gets out of prison.

One of my favorite things about this series is how everything seems to revolve around Leland Owlsley. But what I do not understand is why you never get to know anything about him. Being a mob accountant seems to work fine for him as he is able to move money all around and make it disappear without anyone batting an eye, but when it comes to light that he is stealing and trying to get Fisk back on track, you want to know more about the man. With all of the connections that Fisk has, Leland was probably the most powerful man in Hell’s Kitchen, but he only tried to show it once and that got him killed. I wanted to know more about the plans he had made with Madame Gao, but I guess it will have to wait until she returns from her home land with a new plan to dethrone whomever is in power.

What about my favorite reporter, Ben Urich? I loved the way Ben was brought to life in this series. He has his ear to the ground and knows plenty about what is happening in his city, but needs a push to make something happen. Even though he has been a writer at the paper for many years, he continues to get push back from the higher-ups and that makes him believe that there is something else behind it. With help from the man in the black mask, Ben is able to expose what happened with Union Allied and clear Karen’s name of murder, but that is not enough for the man, he needs more. With Karen at his side, he knows that what he is getting himself into will be dangerous, yet he continues to do it because the truth must be known by his readers. All the while, as he tries to take care of his ailing wife, Ben shows how much he loves his job, along with what is most important to him when it comes to his life. I was devastated to see him go at Fisk’s hands, but as his wife told Karen, he knew what he was getting himself into and died doing what he did best, bringing the truth to his readers.

Then there's my favorite baddie, James Wesley, Wilson Fisk’s right hand man. It was apparent from the get go in the series that Wesley was more than just a stooge to the big man, but a trusted advisor. Doing whatever he could to make his boss’ life better, Wesley was there to do it. Recommending the right wine, to treating cops, to even killing someone with sensitive information, Wesley was the man to do it all. Being trusted with all of the affairs at hand, he knows more about Fisk than anyone else does and makes sure to keep it that way. When getting word about others in the organization trying to play his boss, he was able to cut off the nasty head of the matter before it even appeared. With the world at his disposal, Wesley also understands what his employer needs, and could make things happen to bring the smile onto the large man’s face again. Although he notices the trouble that Fisk is getting into with his business partners, he will not leave the man’s side, since there is one thing that Wesley is, loyal.

One of the things that I love when it comes to a show or movie that I get into, are the storylines. Daredevil did not lack in this at all. There were a couple of holes that I noticed, but they were not big enough to complain about since the season ended with a bang. I cannot wait and see what the second season will bring to the small screen and what characters will be introduced to Hell’s Kitchen. Finally seeing the suit and where everyone is at at the end of the season, with the exception of Vanessa, there will be hell to pay in the Kitchen for what has happened to Fisk, but how it will come down will be the true question. Well, I hope you all enjoyed the write ups that have been put up about the series and know that I am looking for another one to get into, so if you have any suggestions, please don’t hesitate to shoot me a line. Until next time, keep turning the pages, because the ending is just a heartbeat away.

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