Inexplicable TV Review: Daredevil – Season Two (And One) excellent

Note: Season one and two spoilers for Daredevil follow.

The first season of Daredevil dropped when I was on one of my frequent blogging hiatuses, so to get my thoughts on that out of the way – Big fan! Marvel movies are typically light fare, so, it was interesting to see their take on dark and gritty. Daredevil felt like a really focused, small world exploration of the superhero world. If films like The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy are about the planet and the galaxy, respectively, then it’s awesome to have a show like Daredevil that’s just about a region of a city, albeit the biggest city in the U.S.

The second season, while not quite the wonderful surprise of the first, manages to hit similar heights in different ways. It would be folly to try to emulate the performance of Robert Goren Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fiske – the Kingpin. So, they don’t. Instead, Frank Castle – the Punisher – is present from the first episode. While Matt Murdock is aggressive in his pursuit of justice, season two is full of characters who are willing to cross the moral line for their own reasons – The Punisher, Stick, Elektra. There is a two-episode cameo from Fiske, essentially, that’s awesome, and the season’s end enemy comes via a natural progression.

Since this is The Internet, let me make my one obligated complaint – Daredevil definitely needs to crack open a window and raise the shades for season three. Dark and gritty can be good, but we now have roughly 20 hours of that tone established, and it’s probably an 18-episode streak of dark now, from the middle of season one to the end of season two. It would be nice to peek in on Foggy and his ex-lady Marci tackling a lighter case, or Ace Albino Reporter Karen Page succeeding at work, or Matt apprehending a villain without a shit-ton of collateral damage.

Still though, it’s a relatively minor complaint, since I eagerly binge-watched the whole second season in a two-day span. Unlike Jessica Jones, the pacing is kept fairly consistent throughout, and the show starts with a literal bang with the introduction of the Punisher. Jon Bernthal (Big Pun) is definitely the highlight of the season, with Elodie Yung (Elektra) as the other standout newcomer. Scott Glenn (Stick) and Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple) return as well for a couple episodes, and they’re both splendid. Oddly, Charlie Cox – Daredevil himself – is probably my least favorite character, but he’s basic enough that he allows the other characters around him to excel, because of their contrasting actions and behavior. (Also, I’ve heard that he is a heartthrob with the ladies.)

So! Power rankings: Daredevil season one > Daredevil season two (just by a bit) > Jessica Jones (just by a bit) > big gap > Gotham (future writing subject, but it’s incredibly uneven and at best good for camp value). 

The image is a promo poster from Netflix for season two of Daredevil.

Inexplicable TV Review: Jessica Jones (and her interesting co-stars)

Note: Season one spoilers for Jessica Jones follow. It’s been on Netflix for a couple months though, so I imagine I’m one of the last people to see it anyway…

One of the issues with Netflix being a provider of shows now is that they don’t air commercials. Now, commercials are usually just kind of annoying, but I must admit that after binging on Jessica Jones and the second season of Daredevil this past weekend, it’s nice to have a few minutes to catch my breath and to decompress.

I think the problem is more pronounced with Jessica Jones, which is a bit slower paced and drawn out as compared to conventional network shows and even Daredevil. The noir, detective elements of the show are cool, but I don’t feel like they’re utilized as well as they could be. This is a show that really could have used some lighter, “mystery of the week” episodes, a la The X-Files, as a bit of a break-up from the dark, season-long arc of Jessica’s pursuit of Kilgrave.

However, I’m being a bit needlessly negative at the start here! Overall, I thought Jessica Jones was a continuation of the fine foundation set by the first season of Daredevil. You don’t have to watch one to appreciate the other, but they both have the same sort of tone to them. They feel like well-planned, developed projects, as opposed to the ultra-aggressive (and seemingly stupid) D.C. movies.

While Ritter does solid work as the title character, I thought she was more of a B, B+ in the role. It’s tough, because I’ve seen Don’t Trust The B****, probably one of the five people in the world who has. That show remains one of my favorites, and features Ritter at her snarkiest, so Jessica Jones just seems like a more badass, less humorous version of The Bitch in Apartment 23.

Fortunately for the show, every other actor is on-point, especially David Tennant as Kilgrave, the mind-controlling master villain. I was at a bar last week and my buddy Matt essentially called him the creepiest motherfucker ever, and that’s a pretty apt description. He is manipulative, disgusting and evil, but because it’s Tennant, there is also a carelessness and frivolity to his actions that somehow make them worse. (Side note: Don’t look up comic book panels with Purple Man, the character he’s based on, unless you’re looking for nightmare fuel.)

The two besties of Jessica Jones are Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor), who work well when paired with Jessica because they’re seemingly functional human beings. Yes, they have some demons, but both are able to work normally, and as a result, deal better with Jessica’s shit. Luke Cage already has a spin-off, set to debut in September, and the trailer is friggin’ awesome. And slight future spoiler – Trish is a superhero in the comics, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they go that way with future seasons, since Taylor and Ritter have great chemistry with one another.

Once you get past the four leads, you get to dicey side characters. Will Simpson, Hope Shlottman, Jeri Hogarth, Malcolm and Pam all have moments, but they all have farcical scenes as well. (Okay, Pam, not so much, but wow, those dresses she stole off the curtain rods left little to the imagination.) The melodrama between Jeri, Pam and Jeri’s ex seemed especially drawn out and forced, and there were probably better ways to establish Jeri’s ruthless nature.

Again though – minor complaints. Tennant’s performance alone is reason to binge the ole Jessica Jones. It’s on Netflix, probably until the end of time, so there’s no rush at this point. (And in the next few weeks, I’ll also have some reviews of Daredevil’s second season, and Gotham.)