"Daredevil" Season 2 - Character Close Up

Written by Scotty

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

Well, another season of Daredevil has come and gone too quickly and I must admit that this season is my favorite of the two. For me, all it takes is a good storyline to keep me intrigued and with the addition of the Punisher this year, it is hard to say it was lacking in that aspect. But the thing that keeps this series moving forward is the characters and what they bring to the story and this year, there was no lacking in that whatsoever.  So without further ado, time for my character breakdown of Season 2 of Daredevil.
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Matt Murdock – Unlike season one, this season Matt is starting to understand the truth behind what is happening to Hell’s Kitchen. Even with putting Wilson Fisk behind bars, the Kingpin still appears to have the power to change the outcome of whatever he wants. With a new vigilante coming to town, Matt knows that the Punisher’s methods are wrong and when he is able to stop the beast from killing everyone in his way, Matt understands what caused the rampage. More so than ever, Matt keeps his friends in the dark about what he is looking for and winds up pushing them away for what may be for good. The budding romance between Matt and Karen is cut short when the only woman he ever loved comes back into the picture and even though he knows he has hurt Karen in the process, he is willing to throw it all away to be with Elektra once again. He's not a very likable character this season since Matt treats his friends like trash and pushes them away, but there may be a shot of redemption since it was for their own safety, but I kind of hope he stays on his own for the next season.

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Karen Page – Karen was able to grow a bit in this season and her quest for the truth winds up getting her in more trouble than she bargains for. This seems to be a turn off for a lot of people, but I enjoyed watching her investigative mind take over. Being able to find things that nobody else would even bother to look for, she wants the truth and nothing else. Falling for one of her bosses was entertaining and the hurt she suffers when finding out that Matt is hiding something from her was actually a great motivator to prove that he is wrong about other things.  Being able to break through the Punisher’s walls also made her essential to the story with Frank Castle since she was the only one he would talk to overall. Joining the paper, Karen will probably see and report on more things that nobody else in Hell’s Kitchen will want to touch in the future. I look forward to seeing what she does next, especially when it comes to the Kingpin getting out of prison.

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Foggy Nelson – If you do not love Foggy, there must be something wrong with you. Even though it does not seem like he has grown that much from the first season, he really has. Being forced to think more on his feet than normal, Foggy was able to show that words are much more powerful than weapons. If his buddy Matt would be willing to give this a try, he might find that he is able to go through a night without as many cuts and bruises. Even when the District Attorney is at his throat, Foggy is able to pick which battles he knows he can win and saves up his ammunition for the right time. The opening statement that Foggy was forced to give for Frank Castle brought the jury to tears because he was able to appeal to their humanity and not their hatred, which defines him in a nutshell. I am surprised that the story does not follow him more, but he does not bring that much action to the table. Soon, I believe we will see him working at a large law firm and hopefully throwing an odd job to Jessica Jones.

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Frank Castle (The Punisher!) – Oh my goodness, I have been waiting to see this appearance ever since it was announced and it did not disappoint in my eyes. Only reading a few of the comics, I am not versed in all things Punisher, but it looks like they got a good part of him right from what I do know. Looking for vengeance for the loss of his family, the Punisher will stop at nothing to get answers from anyone that has them. Taking out half of the crime families in Hell’s Kitchen, it is even a task for Daredevil to stop him. But there is much more to Frank Castle than just vengeance when he opens up, he is a little puppy dog when it comes to how much he loved his family and how much fun they had together. Even his old colonel recognized how kind this man was while in the marine corps. When he is not on a rampage, Frank Castle could be one of the few people you would want to have watching your back, but when the switch gets turned on, there is nothing anybody can do to stop him as he seems to be proficient in all weapons, even a shank. I really liked this showing of Frank Castle and there was nothing better than seeing him go back home and admitting to himself that that part of his life is over before heading back to the streets of Hell’s Kitchen once again. I would like to see a series with just him and some new running mates or have him pop up in The Defenders, but when he killed the man that caused the death of his family, his vengeance should be served and now he can retire…but probably not.

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Elektra Natchios – I was on the fence about the Elektra character being brought in, especially after watching the two movies that featured her character. I will admit that I was not a fan of her character until the next to last episode where you see the killer instinct in the little girl’s eyes. Falling in love with Matt back in college, she wanted to do anything that could unleash the darkness in him, but he would not succumb to it. Being disappointed in this, she runs away from what she could not accomplish, but comes crawling back for help years later. Even though it was at Stick’s command, I would think that she would have been able to say no to that, and it kind of took away from the power she should have possessed. When she finally discovered who she was, besides a stone cold killer, she is forced to make the decision that would eventually cost her, her life. I was sorry to see her go, but you never know what the Hand will have in store for her future since they seem to have found a way to live forever.

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Sargent/Detective Brett Mahoney – I knew during the first season that Brett would become a little more vital to the storyline, especially since he is a quiet informant to Foggy and in turn Daredevil. Seeing as to how he is able to get the facts about what is happening around Hell’s Kitchen, he knows that at least two of his friends will be able to help with the problem. And the door swings both ways as Daredevil knows that the police need a shot of good publicity when it comes to catching the bad guys and turns the collar of the Punisher over to him. Being torn on what is wrong and what is right when it comes to justice, Brett wants the city streets safe again and even though he lets his little conversations go with Daredevil, he knows that at some point, the masked vigilante will have to be arrested and put away for good.  

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Mitchell Ellison – If you want to talk about someone that steals the show, I could not wait for Ellison to get on the screen once again. Having the best one liners in the show, Ellison is the voice behind Karen, keeping her on track to find the answers that she desperately craves. Knowing that Karen has it in her to be a great investigative journalist, Ellison keeps his foot on the pedal when it comes to the former secretary to keep her motivated to move forward. But the story is not the only thing that he wants, especially when he sees that someone could be in trouble. Trying to take care of his staff members, Ellison knows that they are the only reason the paper is still in service and will do anything to make sure they are safe. Why can’t they make a series about a newspaper that reports in a city that is being overtaken by a vigilante or superhero and just have Ellison take the lead, I actually think that I would watch that.
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I know there are a couple others that I have missed on this, and if one of them was your favorite, I am sorry that I left them out. Stick made it back and continued to train Matt on what he did not know, Marci Stahl is taking care of her friend Foggy, Claire Temple is called upon to help when there is no one else to turn to (she should have been featured a lot more) and District Attorney Reyes is trying to keep things covered up from her past. Even though I hate politics, I liked how they were utilized in the show with the District Attorney and her own motives and it even gets called out several times. But the rebirth of Wilson Fisk has to be my favorite part of the show and the episode "Seven Minutes in Heaven" made me a very happy man. I was hoping for a little bit more of an overlap between Daredevil and Jessica Jones in this season, but I guess two references and two appearances by characters would have to be enough, even if they were far from my favorites. Well, on to another year of waiting for the next round of Daredevil to make it through. I don’t know what to expect next and I think that is what makes it so exciting, at least until the rumors start to fly again. 

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