Daredevil (season 1)
Karen Page: "This is what you do? You make life difficult for bad men?"
Daredevil: "That's one way of putting it."
release year: 2015
genre: action/drama (TV series)
viewing setting: home Bluray 12/8-12/16
synopsis: By day, Matt Murdock is a blind lawyer more interested in representing poor people and doing it legally. By night, he's a violent masked vigilante whose other senses compensate for his lack of sight.
impressions: This season basically covers Matt and his friend starting up their little law firm and fighting for the poor and downtrodden, while by night he goes and beats the crap out of criminals. There's an overarching plot involving a crime lord who wants to clean up the city, but illegally and violently. There are also origin stories for both Matt/Daredevil and the bad guy. This reminded me a lot of Arrow in that the protagonist is conflicted about whether or not to kill...and much like that show, in this one innocent people die as a result of the hero NOT killing bad guys. So, by choosing not to directly kill one person who deserves it, the hero indirectly causes a greater number of deaths of good, innocent people. I'm not judging here, just pointing out the math. Other notes: there's lots of fighting in every episode. And it's violent! Although Daredevil seems to get the crap beaten out of him every time.
acting: Charlie Cox does a great job with both facets of the conflicted main anti-hero. Elden Henson is his law partner, who's a good-hearted guy with consistently funny lines. Deborah Ann Woll is their first client, who ends up working for them and has a heart of gold (although she's stupid to think she can face off against big criminals and not be at risk...in fact, at least two significant deaths are a direct result of her meddling; while this shows that she has strong convictions, it doesn't change the fact that those deaths were her fault.) Vincent D'Onofrio is Wilson Fisk, a crime lord who's not particular about how he cleans up the city; he's also got a caring human side, and D'Onofrio does an outstanding job showing that as well as the ruthless/angry side. Toby Leonard Moore is Fisk's efficient right-hand man. Vondie Curtis-Hall is weary but competent reporter Ben Urich. Bob Gunton is a smart-ass criminal financier. Rosario Dawson is a nurse who helps patch Matt up sometimes. Scott Glenn appears briefly as old blind warrior Stick, who taught Matt how to cope with his blindness and fight.
final word: Great superhero drama with both action and the human side of things.
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