Look, it’s incredibly apparent that a lot of people – myself included – have infinite levels of respect for the Netflix Daredevil show and the fact that Marvel Studios ensured (eventually) that they were going to continue in this fashion was a move that’s proven to be the right one. However, let’s not kid ourselves that the Netflix era was perfect, because there were plenty times when the show could drive you equally insane with its approach as it could drive you into a state of excited frenzy.
One particularly bad habit that came with the Netflix era was that show would often hit you with a huge episode absolutely crammed with thrilling violence, devestating plot twists and traumatising revelations and then suddenly stand on the brakes for literally three whole episodes to let everyone catch their breath before ultimately picking up the pieces. I only bring this up because last week the MCU era of Daredevil may have provided arguably one of the most satisfying moments in the hero’s onscreen history as Matt Murdock finally donned the horns and took the fight to artist serial slayer, Muse.
Will this era choose to pick up one of the former’s most frustrating habits, or is this truly a case a brand new day for the man without fear?
Muse, the twisted serial killer who may have bled as many as 60 victims dry in order to complete his ghoulish art, has been thwarted, but not stopped. After a vicious beating at the hands of a newly invigorated Daredevil, Muse latest victim, Angela Del Toro, was saved but the mask maniac managed to escape despite Matt handing his deranged ass to him like a side of tenderised beef. However, while rumours whirl that a vigilante managed to finally slow the murderers roll, Mayor Fisk is about as pleased as you’d expect that after a year’s absence, his nemesis has once again returned to his extra curricular activities.
However, never one to let an opportunity pass, Fisk mobilises his brand Anti-Vigilante Task Force with a simple order: find and take down Muse as quick as possible in order to swipe the glory. But while the feelers are out for Muse, Matt is discovering that after a year away from being Daredevil, it’s only taken one night to reignite a lot of the old troubles he had trying to keep his secret identity the first time around. Psychologist girlfriend Heather Glenn is disturbed to find new bruises on her boyfriend’s body as she senses him pulling back; law firm partner Kirsten isn’t a fan of all the sudden secrecy at work and resisdent bloodhound Cherry (who knows Matt secret) isn’t happy that Murdock is once again out taking the law into his own hands.
However, when it’s discovered that Muse’s real identity is that of Bastian Cooper, a patient of Heather’s, Matt wastes no time in streaking to her office in order to beat the AVTF there before Muse creates another macabre masterpiece out of his girlfriend. Brace yourself folks, it’s Daredevil vs Muse round 2.
Part of the reason that earlier seasons of Daredevil seemed to lose momentum at the most important times can be attributed to two things. The fact that the purse strings were being held too tight by certain parties and at times a count of 13 episodes just seemed too long for the material. However, with the seemingly bottomless pockets of Disney and only 9 episodes to play with, that old problem no longer seems to be an issue as the show tenaciously sticks with its Muse story line and pursues it to the bitter end. Of course, there are both pros and cons that come from this and the most noticable con is that the Muse storyline comes to an end incredibly soon despite only really gaining traction last week. Yes, we get a bloody rematch between big red and the pastey painter (as no one calls them), but it felt that there was a lot more story to tell as we’ve only just met the guy. Cool costume and disturbing M.O. aside, Daredevil isn’t exactly known for his extensive rogues gallery, so if Muse is actually dead, it seems like a massive waste for a character who lacks the antagonists of a Spider-Man or a Batman. Aside from Kingpin and Bullseye (most excellent), other villains such as the Owl and the Gladiator have been “normalised” into more average side characters. With Muse biting literal bullets only after two episodes, I can see the likes of Stilt Man or the Mandrill stepping up any time soon. Not that we’d want them…
However, if this is the last time we see Muse (despite an interview somewhere claiming he had a multi-season arc), at least the show didn’t cheap out on us. Getting Wednesday’s Hunter Doohan to portray the man under the mask with all the thousand yard stare he can muster means we manage to get some backstory to the guy before he opens up one of Heather’s veins in order to start once again doodling with gore. However, it also means we get to fast track a rematch with Daredevil as the two men dismantle her office with their flailing limbs and while their second fight in two episodes might not match the triumph of the previous, it’s actually way more vicious – especially when Daredevil shoots a grappling hook through the lunatic’s shoulder.
However, it’s Heather who scores the messy kill shot with a hidden revolver which once again saves Matt from having to make that ultimately, dark choice that’s been haunting him ever since he caused Bullseye to take the express elevator to the street.
However, while we’re yet to see where Matt and Heather’s relationship goes from here, Wilson Fisk seems to have taken a little sidestep from once again becoming the Kingpin after his violent breakthrough last episode. But while this may sound exactly like the same issue that sometimes rocked the momentum of the Netflix shows, it actually fits the plot well as the news that Daredevil’s returned effects Fisk in some interesting ways.
There’s no doubt that the urge to do things the old way broil within Fisk’s chest like bubbling acid (his right hand man, Buck, might as well just be called Wesley II at this point), but a complex mix of emotion flicker across his face when he first finds out. Is he angry? Scared? Excited? Jealous? All of the above, maybe? Who can say, but there’s quite an interesting matter at play here between his wife, Vanessa and the wayward thorn in his criminal side, the unruly crime boss Luca, who wants things back to the way they were. However, Vanessa gets the troublemaker off the board in a fairly intriguing way by tasking him to kill her husband. Obviously, it’s a trap as Luca is quickly assassinated by Buck barely two seconds after advancing on Fisk as the Mayor enjoys a quiet meal. But the real question here is who exactly was in on it? Obviously both Vanessa and Wilson had clearly had enough of Luca’s bullshit, but did Fisk actually have anything to do with the planned hit, or did Vanessa just use her husband to do her dirty work for her? Tatilising questions all, and they also mean that Daredevil managed to keep that all-vital momentum going after such an fantastic previous episode.
Did the show manage it by pulling some shady moves? Oh hell’s yeah. I mean, if the only thing Muse can’t draw now is breath, I’ll be pretty disappointed and some of the detective work to put the dots together feel a little rushed and overly convenient. On the other hand, while Art For Art’s Sake might not equal the majesty of the previous installment, it manages to keep the energy of it alive by moving with welcome purpose.
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