If I was really hardcode, I would’ve either stayed up really late or went to bed early enough to wake up for the 3:00am EST premiere of the newest Netflix show, Marvel’s Daredevil. I would’ve watched as many episodes as I could fit in before starting my work day, and then later in the day I’d have a long, comprehensive review of half of the season.
My real plan was to involve me waking up at 6:00am and at least watching a few episodes before work.
Reality interfered and I didn’t start watching until well after 7:00am, and with multiple interruptions and a shunning of breakfast that I still need to rectify, I watched just one – the first episode – of Daredevil (I think calling it “Marvel’s Dardevil” one time is enough.)
“Into the Ring” is the title of this first episode. I hesitate to call it a pilot, because that seems to infer that this was the episode made in hopes of a series being created. This is Netflix, we don’t just get a full season on Daredevil. We get it on day one.
So I have a lot more watching to do.
Still, “Into the Ring” is the first impression that we all get of this version of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby’s “Man Without Fear.” For many people this may be the first and only version they’ve ever seen. I am sure there are many folks out there who’ve never picked up a Daredevil comic book. I was lucky enough to get a few Daredevil collections for Christmas one year (thanks Dave) and really enjoyed reading them – and they helped make this first episode that much more enjoyable. It was nice recognizing names.
I, however, had never seen the 2003 Ben Affleck version of Daredevil – and I am probably better off for it. Imagine, Ben Affleck as a Superhero? Who would believe that?
(see you soon Bruce)
As I was saying, this first episode is the entryway of this current version of Daredevil. This episode is the one that is going to decide for a lot of people if they’re going to continue to watch.
Me? Hell yeah, I’ll keep watching.
Daredevil is the show that Marvel needed. I’ve watched every episode of “Agents of Shield” (except maybe the most recent one) and yet I feel no connection to it. It happens. Sometimes there’s an enjoyable nugget. Most of the time it’s just – there. Maybe it’s the concept? Maybe it’s the actors? Maybe it’s the overall execution? I’m not sure, but it just doesn’t connect with me as a television show.
I actually think Marvel did a much better job with the short 8-episode “Agent Carter” series. That proved to me that Marvel can tell a good story on television and have it be part of the overall larger universe that Tony Stark helped to build.
Daredevil is further proof. This dark, gritty, violet tale is given to us without any polish. The violence isn’t sugar-coated, and the fighting seems believable. The hero is likable, but you can there is a dark side too him. They don’t tell you that outright, but they seem to allude to it. I like television that makes you assume things rather than hit you right over the head (have you ever said to your brother, “Shaun, come on – I’m your brother!” – no, but bad television writing does that all the time to let the audiene know that two characters are brothers. I hate that.)
I was already a fan of Charlie Cox (a very Marvel name) from his turn on Boardwalk Empire. I think he does a really good job here as Matt Murdock/aka Daredevil – a blind lawyer by day. Blind crime fighter by night. I liked what I saw from the rest of the cast too. Everything seemed grounded in a (albeit slightly heightened) reality. I don’t think we’ll be seeing any aliens in this show, but they do mention “The Incident” that happened there in New York, of course referencing “The Avengers.”
I like that the villains of this show are not creatures for another world, but just creatures of Earth. They don’t want to takeover the world. They just want to profit, and using “The Incident” as a basic backdrop to how they villains, through some legit (and some not so legit) means, are hoping to make a lot of money.
This first episode laid the groundwork for what we are to expect for the next 12 chapters. I assume that there will be some episodic pieces to these episodes, someone that Matt and his partner Foggy need to help each week, but there will also be that overarching story of those bad guys – and we haven’t even seen the main boss yet! Sure, we’ve heard his voice, but haven’t seen his face or heard his name mentioned. I look forward to that moment.
I really, really enjoyed this show and I look forward to watching the rest of the season. But how do I do it? Netflix has such a different way of doing things. If there’s an old show I want to watch, I love the idea of watching a few episodes (or at least one episode) a day. With their original shows, do I watch them as fast as possible? Do I stretch them out and enjoy them more? I haven’t even started the new season of House of Cards yet, but when I do, I am sure I’ll finish it in a couple weeks.
Daredevil? I think I am going to finish that out a lot quicker. But not too quickly.
I want to enjoy it.
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