Netflix Daredevil

That's fair enough.

Perhaps she was afraid that whatever her husband had done would fall on her head, and wanted nothing to do with it.

Well, in the comics, Daredevil's mom ran away to become a nun. I'm guessing she's one of the nuns in the orphanage Matt was sent to, and she simply was too ashamed to approach Matt, or else she approached him at some point offscreen and we'll see her in flashbacks in season 2.

Didn't she have some mental illness, too? Because in Daredevil, female characters get any disease on earth...

So finally got through the first season? My impression? This is a really good gangster story that just happens to feature a superhero. It reminds me a lot of Intelligence and early Justified, and for those who don't know, those are very good things to remind me of. After the massive letdowns that were the last few Marvel movies (barring Winter Soldier) it was nice to see this again.

My thoughts on some of the cast:

Matt and Foggy are more or less exactly as presented in the comics. The falling out between the two in Episode 10 is played extremely well, and in a way that makes Foggy come off as perfectly justified, something that superhero stories don't always handle especially well.

I know there have been some complaints about the female cast in this thread, but compared to the comics it's a huge improvement, at least thus far. This version of Karen Page is more fleshed-out than her comic counterpart ever was, and they have (at least thus far) avoided turning her into a drug-addicted porn star, a la Frank Miller. Maybe that's in her backstory, what with all the hints they've dropped about her having an unsavoury past, but even if it is, they've still handled it with far more class than the comics did. As for Vanessa, sure she's not much of a character yet, but the set-up is there, and the comics version only really gained a personality right before she died. Claire Temple was also a nice addition who I wouldn't mind seeing again later.

As for the villains, Fisk was great. D'Onofrio's voice can get irritating at points, and I think they may have overplayed his personality issues, but it's still a good performance, and an excellent piece of characterization by the writers. One of my main complaints about the Marvel films has been how completely underwhelming the villains are, with only fangirl-favourite Loki getting much in the way of a personality (and his is bloody inconsistent). There are none of those issues with Fisk, who is a well-developed figure who dominates every scene he's in. Also his last fight with Daredevil was a damn near run thing, in a way that few of the final battles in the Marvel films have felt like.

The supporting bad guys have also been good. Nobu was a nice little introduction for The Hand, Gladiator was handled surprisingly well (with potential to return later, too), and Madame Gao nicely set up some things for Iron Fist I expect. The Owl I was unsure of at first, but you know what? I'll take it. In the comics, The Owl has always fluctuated between being a psychotic and being a joke. This version, as an aging but surprisingly competent criminal financier, who manages to get the drop on Daredevil and even put up a bit of a fight when Fisk comes for him? It's honestly an improvement. There's also a pretty good chance that his son will become the version of The Owl from the comics.

Were there some missteps? Sure. The scene where the priest assures Matt that The Devil is real was incredibly hokey, and was a poor use of the a real world tragedy (I have serious problems with the way they worded "government militias made the Hutu kill their neighbours." Sure, most people in this thread probably know that they mean they made the Hutu kill their Tutsi neighbours, but there will be people watching the series who don't know that, and their takeaway may well be that the Hutu were the victims and the Tutsi the perpetrators). I'm also unsure how I feel about the killing off of Ben Urich.

Overall though, glad I saw it, and am hopeful there will be a next season that is equally good.

PS-Award for most unfairly maligned character goes to Urich's boss. I've seen him repeatedly referred to both here and elsewhere as a real jerk. He spends most of his screentime trying to help Ben—getting him his insurance, offering him a better job as an editor—and only turns on him when Ben wrongly accuses him of being crooked in front of the entire paper, something you really can't have an employee doing to you if you're the boss.

I like how Netflix actually has a HD version of the hall fight on You Tube. They know what people like.

This is a really good gangster story that just happens to feature a superhero.

Couldn't agree more. It's a solid work that happens to be set in the MCU, giving it a bit of superhero-ness but not feeling like a superhero series (not that there's anything wrong with a superhero series, mind you).

Finished episode 4

O__o Jesus mother of God DO NOT GET FISK ANGRY NEAR A CAR DOOR

Which is something I've heard being praised about the MCU. Having stories set in different genres that feature superheroes (e.g., period piece, spy thriller, space opera, standard action flick, etc., and now a mob/gangster show).

It's not really anything that the comics haven't been doing for decades now, though I can see how people who haven't read much of them can see it as a big deal.

Yeah. That aspect have been one of the coolest parts of Marvel and DC universes. You could see multiple different stories all happening in the same continuity, being part of the same whole. People not familiar with comics seem to think it is all Spider-Man.

Yep we live in a wonderful time.

It's a big deal for the movies, though.

...Which is what I said; I can see why people who haven't read the comics think it's a big deal.

http://marvel.com/news/tv/24478/netflix_orders_a_second_season_of_marvels_daredevil

We're getting season 2 in 2016.

edited 21st Apr '15 5:21:34 PM by GoukaRyuu

Yessss... That's sooner than I'd thought! I thought they were gonna do all the other Defenders shows first!

edited 21st Apr '15 5:24:08 PM by spashthebandragon

Well, given how successful its been I'm not particularly surprised it is getting one but yeah. But, I got Netflix the day Daredevil came out and I can't be the only person. This is a hot property.

Wait, when are they doing the other Defenders shows?

(Really excited for s2, and perhaps learning about Matt's mom)

I thought the same. I am definitively happy to know they will just release alongside with the other Defenders series.

It seems like they're changing showrunners again, but more due to prior commitments than any acrimony.

Seems like Luke Cage's series won't be pushed back because of this news, but I wonder if Iron Fist and The Defenders will be pushed back because of it?

Wait and see...as long as we get all those shows eventually, I am good.

Does anyone else think that Wesley is in love with Fisk? I certainly get that vibe from him.

edited 22nd Apr '15 3:42:18 AM by Nightwire

The trope page for this series says that some fans call Wesley 'Smithers'. You are definitely not alone in this.

@Swanpride: Because the Irish Mafia is completely not an annoying stereotype

You know, I kept thinking...is there a thing like a German Mafia? Or a Mexican Mafia? Or a Canadian Mafia? (I think I now really want to see a show with a Canadian Mafia.....)