Daredevil S2 (2016) Review

 

Daredevil S2 (2016)

Daredevil Season 2 sees the emergence of the Punisher, making Hell’s Kitchen his war zone, while a love interest from Matt’s past forces him into a war of his own.

Season 2 was undoubtedly the most ambitious yet, and had the massive burden of not only being a good season of Daredevil, but also having to set up both The Defenders and The Punisher shows. It had to juggle Frank Castle and all the baggage that comes with his past, the history between Matt and Elektra, Matt and Karen’s budding romance, the downfall of Nelson & Murdoch, and the rise of The Hand. All that being said, aside from a few pacing issues, it knocked it out of the park. I loved seeing Frank murder his way through Hell’s Kitchen and the moral murkiness of him compared to Daredevil and how Matt is really just one bad day away from being Frank. Their ever evolving relationship set the tone early for this season and carried the first half. Elektra’s back half however completely altered the show, introducing some mystical elements to a more grounded show and was more about fighting than about any real story. Matt was stretched enormously thin this season and we saw him start to really buy into the fact that he is Daredevil first and Matt Murdoch the lawyer second.

My only real complaints were with Elektra and how her romance felt forced, especially in the wake of Matt and Karen finally getting together.

We get some of the main cast back in Elden Hensen, Deborah Ann Woll, and Charlie Cox, as well as introducing Jon Bernthal & Elodie Yung. Bernthal absolutely destroyed the role of Frank Castle, portraying him with such anger and fury that felt completely different from what we see from Matt. Cox also really got a chance to shine and his moral ambiguity towards Frank and Elektra made for great storytelling.

Daredevil Season 2 was an action heavier, moral and physical battleground that saw villains turn into allies in the war against The Hand. It would’ve been much better as two separate seasons, one for the Punisher and one for Elektra and The Hand, but nonetheless, another excellent season.

8.9/10