DAREDEVIL season 3 - Born again

Daredevil is a Marvel-Netflix miniseries created by Drew Goddard, starring Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Wilson Bethel, Jay Ali, and Joanne Whalley. The third season follows the titular vigilante at his lowest, recovering from the events of The Defenders. Upon hearing of Wilson Fisk's release from prison by the FBI, Matt Murdock decides to completely abandon his civilian life and embrace his identity as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, committing to kill the Fisk--the Kingpin of Crime--himself.

The Context

I've been fairly vocal on this movie blog of how disappointing the Marvel Netflix Universe has been lately. The first two seasons of Daredevil and the first seasons of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage all came out at a time when many people were questioning the longevity of the superhero genre as a whole. After all, we were getting titles like Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant Man, and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice which were all disappointing films that suffered from existing in a post-Avengers world in their own unique way. Thor 2 was stuck with needing to exist because the character needed a buffer movie between the two Avengers films, Avengers 2 was stuck trying to cram so much into one movie, Ant Man tried so hard to do what Spider-Man: Homecoming did so well with portraying a superhero story with far lower and more personal stakes, and Batman v. Superman... well that mess had all its own problems. 

"Maybe superhero fatigue will finally set in after all," we thought. "Maybe this entire genre peaked with 2012's The Avengers and we're just on a downhill slope from here. Maybe there really is no future for superhero movies." Oh, what fools we were.

But really, understanding the superhero zeitgeist at that moment is really important in understanding why so many people gravitated towards the Marvel Netflix Universe--with shows that took the superhero genre and made them dark. And not just dark to a campy degree like the X-Men series or Snyder's woefully misdirected DCEU, but dark with purpose--using that to its advantage to allow it to tell mature, compelling stories with themes that simply would not be possible in a more kid-friendly work.

Daredevil dealt with themes of faith, religion, corruption, and whether or not vigilantes should be allowed to kill. Jessica Jones incorporated every aspect of its first season to tell a rape allegory using the superhero genre in a very unique angle. Luke Cage came when the Black Lives Matter movement was at its height and used that to fuel its narrative. If the MCU was criticized for being too "kiddy" and "comic book-y" and the DCEU was criticized for being too dark and edgy with no substance, the Marvel Netflix Universe thrived in telling unique and interesting stories that pushed the superhero genre to its limits. 

But the disappointment of Iron Fist and every title since (excluding The Punisher) have led many fans to completely give up on the Netflix shows entirely with its decline in quality, care, and deeper messages. The Defenders and the second seasons of JJ, LC, and IF were all so disappointing that it seemed like all we really had any hope for anymore was a third season of Daredevil.

And then it happened. And we all remember why we fell in love with these shows in the first place.

The Story

Daredevil season 3 is a delightful return to form. Picking up where the story left off in The Defenders, the show quickly dismisses everything that didn't work in the past. Any mention of Elektra is quietly waved off and thankfully the Hand don't even get a passing mention. No more superficial evil ninja organizations, no more connections to other shows, all we get is just good, honest, quality writing.

This season feels much more aligned with the character-driven, self-contained story of the first season, centering the conflict solely between Daredevil and Wilson Fisk. Matt Murdock is presented here at his lowest, keeping to the shadows beneath the cathedral and keeping himself away from all his friends and loved ones under the belief that he must commit fully to his Daredevil persona--in essence, becoming the Devil--in order to take down the Kingpin of Crime. Our hero is an inversion of the idealistic vigilante of the first season, and he really wants us to know it.

On the other end of the spectrum, Wilson Fisk is shown rising up from the confinement of his prison, asserting his control over the FBI. I don't want to go into spoilers of just how easily he wraps everything around his finger, but it is intensely interesting to watch him manipulate every person he comes across. While season 1 was more focused on introducing Fisk as this very powerful and yet very sympathetic villain, season 3 really displays his comic counterpart's manipulative side and ability to always remain several steps ahead of his enemies.

The season is heavily inspired by Frank Miller's Born Again graphic novel in the Daredevil comics which dealt with themes of death and rebirth, forgiveness and redemption. While not as overtly spiritual as in the comics, this season does faithfully recreate these themes in Matt Murdock's struggles as he descends deeper and deeper into his crisis of faith while Fisk only continues to rise from his imprisoned state and regain his grasp over Hell's Kitchen. At no point does the season reach really profound heights in its themes, nor does it ever push the genre and medium to create a unique and compelling story in the same way Jessica Jones season 1 does, but it still delivers on a strong narrative that begins and ends very satisfyingly.

The Characters

With a new season inevitably comes new characters, and Daredevil season 3 really delivered. No character is wasted in this season, with old characters given more character development and new characters being just as interesting.

Foggy Nelson doesn't come across as the "Ron Weasley" of the gang as much as he sometimes did in previous seasons, and instead is shown to be really quite competent as his own man while also serving as Matt's conscience and a reminder of what he used to be. Karen Page is given a great deal of development as we are finally shown her backstory which really puts all of her previous actions into context while tying directly into the season's themes of forgiveness. Many fans of the show who hated her in previous seasons will undoubtedly become sympathetic to her after watching her backstory.

Sister Maggie and Special Agent Nadeem are the biggest new additions to the Daredevil cast and they both do a remarkable job of tying into the season's story while being unique and interesting characters in their own right. Nadeem in particular was very much at risk of being another "stuck up cop who never listens to the main character" in the same vein as Misty Knight and, to a lesser extent, Dinah Madani, but he quickly becomes a character with his own arc and story that I found myself rooting for within the first few episodes.

To round off the cast, Agent Ben Poindexter is Frank Castle's successor as the strong fighter who mirrors Matt Murdock. While Frank Castle is a dark reflection of the killer that Daredevil could one day become, Poindexter is a twisted version of Daredevil at his most extreme--a psychopath whose identity is found only in killing his enemies. It's hard to go deep into why Poindexter is such a great character without going into spoilers, but the show does a great job at highlighting his character and making us simultaneously sympathetic to his plight as well as fearful of his abilities with a single episode. 

The Action and Colors

If Daredevil is known for anything beyond its great storytelling, it's the action. Daredevil's first outing had that amazing Oldboy-inspired hallway scene. Season 2 followed up with an equally amazing stairway scene. Season 3's answer was a jaw-dropping prison scene, an Alfonso Cuarón-inspired 11-minute long take that incorporated amazingly choreographed fight scenes and story beats (and actually was a single take, with no edits or cuts hidden). This was an extremely impressive fight scene that must have taken several days of planning and filming that I really don't think can be topped. 

While not every fight scene can be impressive as the long take, each one was given a lot of care not only with its choreography but with its place in the story. Showrunner Erik Oleson mentioned in an interview with Nerdist that he wanted every single fight to have stakes and to have a purpose for being there in the story. Each fight scene in the entire season was expertly choreographed and performed, and does what I think every superhero fight scene should do--have all the characters use distinct and personal powers/fighting styles: Daredevil is an expert in hand-to-hand combat and exploits his ninja training; Poindexter makes great use of his perfect aim to convert ordinary desk items into lethal projectiles that can curve in the air and ricochet off walls with deadly precision; Fisk uses his size to his advantage with slow but brutal attacks. This all helps make the fights interesting and set the characters apart while also giving us insight into their personalities, and it's appalling how some movies still don't understand this.

This is also more of a minor detail, but I really did like the season's use of color. There are a few key scenes that are drenched in red in the same way that many of Daredevil's scenes were lit red in The Defenders, and the duality of Daredevil and Kingpin were both (rather overtly, but still) shown in their outfits and in their hideout; Daredevil wore his classic black outfit and hid in the dark basement of a cathedral while Kingpin eventually dons an all white suit while living in an elaborate, pure white penthouse.

The Complaints

There really isn't much I can say that I didn't like about the season. In terms of pacing, I think the season was mostly good. There were a few times when the episodes felt like they were padding, but it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the other Marvel Netflix shows where it felt like entire episodes were padding.

I do think it's a shame that Murdock doesn't use his Daredevil suit as often as I was hoping, but that's also a minor complaint.

Some plot points felt a little forced without much payoff, namely Karen and Fisk's interaction.

The reveal of Ben Poindexter at the very end of the season felt unnecessary to me, and I wish they had just ended the season with Matt, Karen, and Foggy.

Final Verdict

Daredevil season 3 is a very good season and a fantastic return to form. Its story was engaging and well told, its characters well developed and interesting, and its action simply amazing. Considering Luke Cage and Iron Fist were both recently cancelled by Netflix, I don't know what the future holds for Daredevil or what remains of the Marvel Netflix Universe, but I sure hope they can reach the standard set by Daredevil. There is a lot to love about this season, and my faith in Marvel and Netflix has truly been Born Again.

Score: A-