It’s been something of an uneven journey for the sophmore season of Marvel’s horned do-gooder, but as the Netflix universe of vigilantes grows to involve super strong private investigators, bullet proof homies and iron fists, it seems that it has to learn the lessons that similarly plagued the cinematic arm of the MCU the hard way. Thus while the season has been delivering a steady stream of winning moments and hard hitting sequences that could genuinely be classed as some of the best of the whole Netflix universe, the arc overall was constantly groaning under the weight of so many plot points that either referenced past seasons or set up future ones.
However, we’re now at the end of the line and the road to The Defenders starts here, but can Daredevil get in some serious heavy lifting to facilitate the mass of wrapping up required to bring home the multiple endings each character requires before we head into the much ballyhooed team up?
After an endless amount of kidnappings, attacks, seiges and even a spot of torture facilitated by the ancient clan of assassins known as the Hand, blind cosumed vigilante slash lawyer, Matt Murdock has been floundering in order to get a grip on their nefarious plans, but after realising that their focus is on his stab-happy ex girlfriend, Elektra Natchios whom they believe is actually a prophecised secret weapon known as the Black Sky, Murdock is once again outmaneuvered when the Hand decide to target everyone he’s ever saved in an attempt to draw him out.
“Everyone” may be quite an over reaction from the Hand, but it also means that they’ve managed to unknowingly snag almost-love interest and part time damsel, Karen Page, in their clutch of hostages. This is especially tough as final member of the Nelson & Murdock family, Foggy Nelson, has quit and been snapped up by the prestigious law firm run by notoriois legal shark Jeri Horgath who is loan from the Jessica Jones series. As Matt in his Daredevil guise strains his senses to scramble for a clue, he finally locks the location of the Hand down and he and Elektra heads out to do the hero thing.
However, while trying to wade through the mass of ninjas that spring out of the woodwork, it seems that Elektra is in big danger of falling into the hands of… well, the Hand, which might be an incredibly bad thing what with all that Black Sky talk floating about.
Will Matt declaration of love enough to stop Elektra from turning and do the couple have what it takes to break the Hand and their leader, Nobu, once and for all? A hand from Frank Castle who has fully embraced the persona of the Punisher will certainly help. But in the face of tragedy, Matt finally decides to come clean with the single loved one left who doesn’t know about his double life.
It’s a shame that this season struggled under the weight of so much plot when it started so freaking strong, but even though the storytelling had been compromised numerous times by trying to mix so many noticably diffrent ingredients, the show has managed to mostly compensate by offering out magnificent moments that kept the season comfortably in the game. However, all these good and bad points end up colliding as A Cold Day In Hell’s Kitchen proves to be a microcosm of all the issues that’s plagued the entire season. For example, the whole gambit from the Hand to lure Daredevil in by capturing everyone he’s ever helped not only comes out of nowhere, but it mostly occurs off screen, meaning that Deborah Ann Woll – who was perfectly fine at the end of the last episode – is now kidnapped once again and this time she doesn’t even get the courtesy of a scene establishing it. Even though we get to spend a little more time with Rob Morgan’s hapless, reoccurring felon, Turk, it’s tough to give a shit about this rather abrupt (and fairly slapdash) plot twist, especially as Woll was being held at gunpoint by Clancy Brown last episode.
Elsewhere, we get endings for the two main additions of this season, but there’s a bit of an issue with the Punisher’s arc considering that it was completed last episode, so all Jon Bernthal really has left to do is spray a skull on a black jacket, suddenly turn up to sniper some ninjas to help Daredevil in the final battle (which makes no sense) and then fuck off to lead his own solo series. To be fair, it’s fucking stupendous to see Bernthal wearing the skull, but the moment is so extraneous, I feel I won’t get a full strength Frank Castle clad in the character’s comic accurate garb until his own series starts – which is a little bit anticlimactic when he has some truly momentous moments throughout the series.
Fairing a little better is Elodie Yung’s Elektra who now gets to take centre stage now that we know the Hand is after her. Of course, even though she gets a moment where Murdock fully pledges his love for her, comic fans knows that she’s due a date with temporary death – however, there’s something just wrong with watching Elektra get fatally stabbed with her own sai by someone who isn’t Bullseye (say what you will about the 2003 movie, but at least they nailed that bit) and while it all still makes thematic sense where the entire Netflix franchise is going, it takes a genuinely iconic Elektra moment and makes it a little too basic.
It’s something that seeps into the climax as a whole. I mean, sure, they get to face off against an army of the Hand on a New York rooftop and it’s appropriately epic, but we’ve essentially been watching Daredevil and Elektra fight ninja hordes virtually non-stop for about four episodes now, so it ends up unavoidably feeling a little anticlimactic. Also, Frank Castle suddenly turning up to pick off ninjas from an adjoining rooftop not only feels illogical, but horribly unearned which is weird considering considering that Bernthal’s been bagging the nest moments up until now.
Still, the central figure in all of this is still Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock who, I have to say, has been weathering the rather chaotic nature of the plot rather well. He’s been being bounced between the very different story needs of both the Punisher and Elektra and the two haven’t always proved to connect that smoothly, but through it all, Cox has provided the consistent glue needed to hold everything together. Be it him arguing his moral code to Frank Castle while chained to a chimney or trying to juggle his feelings in the face of a psychotic old flame, Cox has provided the bedrock the season has desperately needed.
That’s not to say that the second season if Daredevil was a loss – far from it. In fact, while it lacked the stability of the previous season, when it was in its groove it often presented moments, fights and visuals far superior to its predecessor. The Punisher stuff was virtually flawless, as was that brief return of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin and the one shot fight scene in episode 2 and the fact that Daredevil now has a billy club that shoots a grappling hook was sweet beyond compare.
With the status quo all flipped and flopped, we end with Nelson & Murdock kaput and Matt outing himself as Daredevil to a stunned Karen. But considering the narrative hoops Daredevil had to leap through to help set up The Defenders, the pressure is on Netflix to make the season’s more awkward moments worth the effort.
Defenders assemble, I guess…
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