TV Review: ‘Daredevil’ – Season 3 Premiere

The Devil is reborn as Netflix return to Hell’s Kitchen for a new season of Marvel’s ‘Daredevil’…

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The Devil is back as Charlie Cox returns for season 3 of Marvel’s ‘Daredevil’ (image credit: Marvel/Netflix, used for illustrative purposes only).

 

Spoiler-free review

Starring:  Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Joanne Whalley, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jay Ali, Peter McRobbie

Series created by:  Drew Goddard (Daredevil created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett)

Written by:  Erik Oleson / episode directed by:  Marc Jobst

What’s it about?

Recovering after facing near death in his battle against the Hand, Matt Murdock decides that it’s time for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen to return…

Episode review

Just as Netflix announce the unfortunate cancellation of Marvel shows Iron Fist and Luke Cage, their first hit series returns for its third season.  Daredevil is arguably the best of the Netflix/Marvel ventures and the premiere for its new season takes an expectedly slow-burn approach that is non-the-less an interesting beginning.

In the wake of The Defenders, the final moments of which we learnt that Matt Murdock somehow survived the devastation of his final battle with the Hand (and how he escaped death is revealed but not dwelt upon), “Resurrection” finds Murdock broken, worn down and in the care of Sister Maggie (Joanne Whalley) as he attempts to recover physically and spiritually.  His senses dulled and his soul crushed, it’s been a bumpy road for Murdock who feels he only has purpose as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and it’s time to emerge from the torment of his own personal damnation.

Charlie Cox, as always, is great and we feel every inch of Matt Murdock’s pain in mind and body.  Cox’s scenes with Joanne Whalley are a particular standout as Murdock bears his soul to the Sister who was a mother figure of sorts to the once young boy who had just lost his sight and his father.  There’s also guidance and support from Peter McRobbie’s Father Lantom which adds further dramatic layers to Murdock’s struggle.

Meanwhile, Karen and Foggy continue to deal with the aftermath of their ‘loss’ albeit in different ways – Karen holding on to the hope that Matt is alive and will return, whilst Foggy has chosen to accept that his best friend is gone and move on with his life as best as he can.  Although Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson don’t get a whole lot to do in this episode, both actors slip back into their roles with ease and are as effective as they’ve ever been.

Daredevil would of course not be the same without Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk and “Resurrection” makes room to revisit the deposed Kingpin, dejected as he continues to languish in prison.  D’Onofrio is reliably intense and it seems Fisk is being positioned for a powerful comeback that will undoubtedly once again draw battle lines on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen.

Visually it’s the usual high standard for Daredevil, the use of sound and lighting married with beautiful photography giving the series that cinematic quality we’ve come to expect and appreciate.  The fight choreography is also top-notch and is quite brutal, but with dramatic resonance – especially in those scenes in which Murdock submits himself to a sparring match in an attempt to re-focus his senses.

Ultimately it is a slow start, which is par for the course with the Marvel/Netflix series, but writer Erik Oleson (who replaces Marco Ramirez as showrunner) puts the pieces firmly in place and sets this latest chapter of Daredevil on a thematically interesting path.

The bottom line:  the latest season of Daredevil gets off to an interesting start with strong acting performances, engaging character work and rich visual aesthetics.

All 13 episodes of Daredevil season 3 are available to stream now via Netflix.

TV Review: Marvel’s ‘Iron Fist’ S1 EP1 “Snow Gives Way”

The final Defender is unleashed in the latest Marvel Comics-based Netflix Original…

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Starring:  Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, Jessica Stroup, Tom Pelphry, David Wenham

Series created by:  Scott Buck (Iron Fist created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane)

Written by:  Scott Buck / Episode directed by:  John Dahl

What’s it about?

Fifteen years after surviving a plane crash in the Himalayas, Danny Rand returns home with new abilities and in search of a purpose…

Episode review

Launched on a wave of largely negative pre-release reviews, the premiere season of Marvel’s Iron Fist arrives on Netflix establishing the final member of the line-up for the Defenders.  Much like Luke Cage, “Snow Gives Way” presents us with a slow yet intriguing start to the series.

As Danny Rand, Finn Jones (Game of Thrones) makes for a likeable lead, a dishevelled, humble drifter with signs of an inner strength and a wise, shrewd perspective beyond his years.  Rand’s backstory is teased via a series of flashbacks where events from his childhood and a tragic plane crash in the Himalayas are revealed.

With the Rand family being declared dead during Danny’s absence, Rand Enterprises has come under the management of siblings Ward and Joy Meachum (Tom Pelphrey and Jessica Stroup, respectively) who are in disbelief that this stranger could be their long-lost friend, Ward in particular only interested in protecting his hold on the company.

With a focus on personal strife and corporate conspiracy, the script by showrunner Scott Buck (Dexter) does tend to evoke shades of Dallas but despite those soap opera-like elements being a little generic it does help to build character and plot.  There’s also room for some comic book Kung-Fu action and whilst lacking the edge and brutality of Daredevil it has a grace and skill to it that goes hand in hand with the character’s philosophy and martial arts mastery.  Another highlight is the introduction of dojo-master Colleen Wing, played by Jessica Henwick, who gets to have some fun interplay with Jones in a couple of key scenes that help to define both characters and hints toward a developing camaraderie.

It’s fair to say that the origin story presented in Iron Fist isn’t the most original, already familiar to viewers through the likes of Batman Begins and Arrow but Finn Jones turns in an enjoyable performance and the mystery surrounding Danny Rand’s absence, eventual return and his path to heroism has potential for, at the very least, entertaining viewing…but hopefully something a bit more.

The bottom line:  Despite a slow start, there are still signs that Iron Fist could develop into another enjoyable Marvel series for Netflix.

All 13 episodes of Iron Fist season 1 are available to stream now via Netflix.  The Defenders is due for release in the summer.

The way of the warrior? Finn Jones is Danny Rand in Marvel’s ‘Iron Fist’.

First Impressions: Marvel’s ‘Jessica Jones’ (Netflix Original Series)

Enter the next Defender…

Jessica Jones is the latest Netflix series chronicling the exploits of another of Marvel’s street level characters and having viewed the first two episodes, “AKA Ladies Night” and “AKA Crush Syndrome” I thought I’d offer some quick first impressions.

I must confess that unlike Daredevil, I came to Jessica Jones with limited knowledge of the character created by Brian Michael Bendis with only a passing familiarity gained via Bendis’ run on New Avengers from the mid/late 2000’s.  I had never read Alias, the title that introduced the super-powered private investigator – something that on the strength of this series I now plan to rectify.

Given the quality of Daredevil I still had high hopes for Jessica Jones and I’m certainly not disappointed.  Marvel and Netflix have ensured that anticipations would be met and Jessica Jones (at least thus far) achieves what was established with Daredevil and manages to push the envelope further.  This is dark, gritty stuff and all the more compelling for it.

Once again we are taken to the crime ridden streets of Hell’s Kitchen and this time we are introduced to private investigator Jessica Jones, a world weary ‘gifted’ individual who turns to drink in an effort to cope with a traumatic past event and chooses not to embrace her extraordinary abilities as a force for good.  As Jones, Breaking Bad’s Krysten Ritter proves to be perfect casting as she effectively conveys a complex mix of sarcastic wit, cynical world view and general brashness whilst also letting subtle hints of heroism seep through (we learn that her one weakness is that she sometimes cares).  Jones’s methods as a P.I. are at times questionable (falling foul of lawyer Jeryn Hogarth, played by The Matrix’s Carrie-Anne Moss) but she gets the job done.

Also introduced is another of Marvel’s street level heroes as Mike Colter brings the indestructible Luke Cage (due to receive his own Netflix series in 2016) to the screen and in these first two episodes Ritter and Colter are able to establish good chemistry and get the chance to put their abilities to use in a bone crunching bar fight – their first of undoubtedly many team-ups to come.  The building storyline concerning Jones’s manipulation by supervillain Kilgrave is mysterious and intriguing, although largely unseen, former Doctor Who star David Tennant makes his presence felt from behind the shadows, with unsettling flashbacks that plague Jones a prelude to Kilgrave’s re-emergence in the present as the mysteries of Jones’s latest case begin to unravel.

This is the seedy underbelly of the Marvel universe and is a perfect counterpoint to the family orientated (but no less entertaining) cinematic ventures of The Avengers and I’m looking forward to watching more.

All thirteen episodes of Jessica Jones season one are available to stream now worldwide exclusively on Netflix.

More perfect Marvel casting – Krysten Ritter in the latest Marvel/Netflix series ‘Jessica Jones’.