Daredevil

IMDb

This week, Marvel’s Netflix powered, 2015, Daredevil series. 
The show is about a blind lawyer, Matt Murdock, played by Charlie Cox, whose remaining senses sharpen to unnatural degree as a result of his loss. By day he prosecutes criminals, and by night he fights crime barehanded in Hell’s Kitchen, the formerly poor neighbourhood he grew up in.

I wasn’t optimistic when I heard about this title. After the movie, and seeing it was Netflix produced, hence having a low budget, I suspected it wouldn’t turn out all that good.

Well, I was wrong.

Daredevil is cleverly written, well acted and choreographed tv show with great mood and realistic representation of combat. When people fight, they fight to the end in a bloody, tough competition of endurance and real consequences to blows and wounds. The show is shot in New York and makes good use of its locations. The only complaint I’ve heard is they didn't CGI in Stark’s tower, considering the series take place after the alien attack, which is often referenced.

My verdict is: a must watch for both fans of darker comic heroes and casual action series viewers.

But let’s examine episode one “Into the Ring.” As usual, spoilers ahead.

It opens with a man wandering down a street jammed with traffic. An accident has occurred, evident by the crowding people and blowing horns.

The man is looking for his kid, who, we learn, pushed an old man out of the way of a truck and as result was splashed with chemicals. He rubs his eyes, spreading the chemicals and his vision slowly fades.

So immediately, in less than five minutes, we get a very visual establishment of who our character is and what happened to him. Introduction of backstory without making the actual story drag, something a lot of series need to learn how to do.

We continue with a confession scene, which I admit drags a bit. When I first watched it, I remember thinking: come on, move on already, what are they even talking about? But as the series progressed and concluded, I realised it was also a clever foreshadowing of the events to come.

Five minutes in, we get a well choreographed action scene as our hero dispatches a few criminals trying to traffic off young women. Again, many praises of how realistic the fight is depicted.

Next we are introduced to Matt’s job, his newly started firm, and his best friend and main supporting character Foggy Nelson, played by Elden Henson.

Right after the speedy establishment of our protagonists and their character dynamics, the chick of the show appears, Karen Page. Played by Deborah Ann Woll freshly out of True Blood, Karen is the shared romantic interest of both heroes in the books. In the series, she becomes their first client and also secretary.

Before I proceed, I want to mention that I really like how the makers played her character, especially towards the end, creating this ambiguity about whether she really is a goodie good girl and hinting at a dark past.

So the scene starts with her waking up covered in blood by a dead body. You can’t do a better job to establish a mystery.

She’s arrested and interviewed by Matt and Foggy who agree to help her pro bono.

After meeting our heroes, it's time to see our villain. Or in this case, his right hand, Wesley, played by Toby L. Moore, as he “hires” a prison guard to set up an “accident” in Karen’s cell. Again nice introduction, to the point, showing him as a powerful man with many people in his pocket/blackmail book.

The guard, a scaredy old man, fails to kill her, which further proves her innocence and helps our lawyers bail her out.

But she’s still in danger, and as they delve deeper into her case and the reasons before the attempted set up and murder, they agree to watch over her. Karen reveals that she saw a money laundry file and suspect that’s why they are trying to kill her. She lies about copying the file, something Matt notices with his lie detector hearing.

After seeing a glimpse of the villains, we are introduced to the crime circle of the city, the head of the Triad, the Mafia, the Russians, the Yakuza and our mysterious main villain represented by Wesley. A well rounded, multicultural crime organisation, each part responsible for a different “industry,” from drugs, to trafficking, money laundry, the black market, etc.

    So our crime lords learn about the earlier trafficking hiccup and are not happy that the Russians couldn’t deal with our masked hero.

    Not wanting to put anyone else in danger, Karen leaves in the night to recover the flash drive from her apartment. She is attacked, of course, but Matt saves her, taking the drive to make it public and clear her name.

    In the end, the day is saved, and the firm gets a new secretary.

    Overall a well rounded, action packed episode that introduces all the main elements and characters without rambling or dragging on forever. The show keeps up the clever storytelling and provides a satisfying end of the season.

    If you decide to give it a watch, you won’t be disappointed.