LogFAQs > #904128129

Marvel's Daredevil

I'd like to thank Scarlet for exposing me to Bendis's run of Daredevil. Really helped me to see how good a character he could be (speaking of which, Scar, drop me some of Bendis's DC work).

Strangely... it was easier to watch through Daredevil again than Guardians of the Galaxy. Perhaps that's an effect of writing, cinematography, format... or maybe I just remembered the events of the shorter movie more than the miniseries. Either way, I had no problem binging through Daredevil.

I remember the first time I watched through Daredevil. I was hooked. I loved getting to explore the characters... learn about this version of Matt and Foggy. Meet Karen. Get to see how they slowly bring Fisk into the picture. From the end of the first episode, the cabal that was set up was clearly defined, letting you know the whole picture of what the budding superhero would have to deal with. Russians in human trafficking, Japanese in real estate, Chinese in drugs, nocturnal birds in money, and of course, the Kingpin of it all... hidden in the shadows, to start.

This series was written from start to finish, to be complete. DD season 2 didn't necessarily need to happen... we were introduced the character, saw his origin, saw him take out his primary antagonist, and saw him set his place in the world. That's all that's necessary for a good story. That sets him up for a crossover series. Heck, you could leave it there and pull him into Avengers or Spiderman or whatever you want at that point. Basically, this was a complete story. And that feels really good.

Main characters were thoroughly introduced and developed. Side characters were given their spot in the limelight. And even supporting bit time characters all got just enough to be considered useful. Melvin, Urich's boss, the crooked cops hired by Fisk... all the little guys had just enough to be worthwhile, and not a bit more. That's skillful. To write that many characters in effectively.

Most of the secondary characters were done well... maybe this is where the show was weakest with characters. Gao was great, and the Russians were exemplary. Owlsley's end was... meh. Aside from that, he was properly utilized. Nobu got the short end of the stick here. Guy was alluded to be related to the Hand, but his execution was probably the most poor. Also, he was technically killed by Matt, which kinda defeats his whole "no murder" thing. Still, pacing called for his quick removal, which was fine. Oh and Wesley was phenomenal. Right hand man of the Kingpin... really, the guy kept everything together. Matt doesn't know just how key Karen was in taking down Fisk, here.

Foggy was great. Exactly what you'd want from him. Karen was done well too... just got attacked way too many times. I get that they're trying to play on comic fans, but man, it's hard to see the girl go through so much and come out... ok. I liked that they were building something between Foggy and Karen... didn't like that it fell apart at the end. Screw comic purists, those two were so cute together.

I've said enough about Ben prolly.

Matt Murdock... the character was nailed. A blind man, pretending to be blind... I wonder how many takes they had to do every time the actor demonstrated a slight inkling of being able to see. The subtlety of Matt's senses, and how he downplays them while acting the alter ego really sells the character. As Daredevil... he's action hero. I wonder if he would've spoken with a deeper voice had the Nolan Batman trilogy not existed. Still, his development throughout the series is very solid, with him consistently fighting to determine who he is.

In the end, taking out Fisk with the law is what saved him. He came to realize it was possible, with the help of Foggy and Karen. That's what allowed him to beat the shit out of Fisk without killing him. He knew he didn't have to. He could be the good guy he wanted to be.

(cont.)
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