Ricky Church reviews the first episode of Daredevil season 2…
The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is back after a stellar first season. Now that Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin is behind bars and Matt Murdock has fully donned the Daredevil costume, Hell’s Kitchen has never been better protected. However, new forces have come to the city to control it, including a one-man army bent on serving permanent ‘justice’. For Flickering Myth’s episode reviews of Season two, Martin Carr and I will be tackling it together and alternating episodes. Now, let’s get ready for some punishment.
What was immediately clear after the opening scene’s foot chase was the humourous relationship between Matt and Foggy. Their friendship was one of the highlights of the first season and its great to see that relationship continue and evolve now that Foggy is let in on much more of Matt’s double life. It’s also a nice touch that Foggy tires to get Matt out more often only to be turned down as Matt’s resolve as Daredevil has arguably never been stronger. The relationship between them and Karen has similarly been given a bit more focus as well. Their rapport in the bar was quite evident and it’s no doubt that Charlie Cox, Elden Hensen and Deborah Ann Woll have quite the chemistry with each other.
One of the central themes of this season is the nature of consequences. It’s brought up a few times how there is a vacuum in the underworld now that Fisk is gone. Several gangs are attempting to fill that void and are getting picked off by what seems to be a well-armed group. Though Murdock has a lot to be proud of for his part in taking down Fisk, it seems he hasn’t quite thought out or prepared for the escalation of crime in Hell’s Kitchen. His struggle with that will be quite interesting to watch, especially as he comes face-to-face with The Punisher.
Though Punisher and actor Jon Bernthal didn’t get a lot of physical screentime, his presence was strongly felt throughout the episode. His takedown of the Irish mob said everything you needed to know about the character: this man is brutal, efficient and quick. His power was only heightened from there as Daredevil discovered several bodies hanging from hooks, all the work of one man, culminating in a shootout at a hospital as Punisher attempted to finish the lone Irishman off. If it wasn’t clear before, Punisher’s fight with Daredevil at the end only cemented the fact that this guy will not be easily taken down.
Season one of Daredevil got a lot of love for its excellent fight choreography, something which continues here. Though the new suit doesn’t seem quite as agile as the black ninja outfit, and jump cuts seem to be employed more than they were before as Murdock fights in the suit, somewhat hindering our sense of its mobility. That being said, it’s still great to see the actual Daredevil suit onscreen and in movement for more than a few minutes. Some improvements seem to have been made to the mask and other areas of the suit between their work on the seasons, making it look better than it did in Season one’s finale.
With a strong premiere that introduces Punisher’s threat level very well and its focus on continued character building, season two is already off to a great start.
Ricky Church
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Originally published March 18, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
