A darker return to Hell's Kitchen explores justice, power, and the cost of vigilantism
Daredevil: Born Again Season Two delivers another intense chapter in Marvel's grounded street-level saga, bringing fans back into the morally complex world of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk.
Amongst the many superheroes in the Marvel Universe, there are some interesting characters. However, perhaps one of the most unusual superheroes is Daredevil. By day, he is attorney Matt Murdock, who tends to help the less fortunate while working out of an office located in Hell's Kitchen. By night, he is a masked vigilante. Oh, and did I happen to mention that he is blind? Yes, he wears a mask, patrolling the streets of New York City without being able to see, getting by by honing his other senses.
Over the years, we have seen him portrayed by Ben Affleck (The Accountant) in the movie (2003) and Charlie Cox (The Theory of Everything) in the television series (2015). Then, Cox returned last year in the Disney+ show, Daredevil: Born Again. This week, Season Two of the popular show premieres on Disney+ with Season Three already in the works.
As Season Two opens, Mayor Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio; Men in Black) has created a task force to clean up the streets of New York City while Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Cox) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll; True Blood) are in hiding, as vigilantes are being hunted. However, decent, law-abiding citizens are being arrested and held in cages at a secret location. Meanwhile, Fisk is shipping firearms into NYC for his own gains, as he does with everything. The entire season is mostly a game of cat and mouse with Daredevil foiling Fisk's plans and Fisk trying to draw Daredevil out to destroy him.
Cox is once again donning the mask and is perfect in the role as he brings the right amount of sympathy and caring, balanced with the anger and hatred that fuels Daredevil. Returning as well are D'Onofrio and Woll, who make a great archenemy and supportive girlfriend, respectively. D'Onofrio is terrifying as Fisk, and towards the end of the season, he becomes even more unhinged than normal. The rest of the cast is good but mostly serves as window dressing for the three main actors. Of course, fans of the series will have already seen the Season Two trailer, so mentioning that Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter; Dexter: Resurrection) makes an appearance isn't a spoiler. Who else may show up, however, will remain a mystery.
Technically, the show is very strong with visuals and audio that surpass the standard television fare. Fight choreography is also well done, which is necessary in a series where every episode has some fight sequence, otherwise the viewer would most likely get bored. The writing is also solid, though some scenes seem better than others, such as when Murdoch is standing in court as a lawyer.
Daredevil was a solid series when it first premiered back in 2015, which secured it a loyal fanbase. Season one of Daredevil: Born Again also had strong qualities, making it among the ranks of quality television and a well-received addition to the MCU. While Season Two isn't as good as Season One was, it definitely starts strong. Unfortunately, it loses some steam partway through and doesn't necessarily end on a high note. The "Scales of Justice" are unbalanced by the time Season Two ends, which is unfair to say the least. However, since we know there will be a Season Three, there is still time for the outcome to change. It also leaves time for cameos, guest appearances, etc., so we will have to wait and see what comes next. In the meantime, the eight episodes of Season Two should more than satisfy fans. By the way, did I mention that more than one person dies in Season two!?!
Grade: B
