‘Daredevil’ goes back to basics, benefits greatly
The third season of “Daredevil” is here to bring order to Marvel's Netflix universe.
If it seemed that the luster was beginning to fade on these Netflix comic-book shows — because, say, it took two seasons to get “Iron Fist” right and you thought “The Defenders” was only so-so — “Daredevil" will restore your faith.
In this third season, set to premiere Friday, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is becoming more devil than man, losing his grip on the religion that guided his perception of justice. Crime boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) is on the loose (as much as he can be during house arrest) and, in true Kingpin fashion, lurks in the shadows of everyone’s fears while barely lifting a finger to see results. Having lawyer Ben Donovan (Danny Johnson) at his side helps.
The season amounts to a game of chess between the devil and the Kingpin, with the highly anticipated arrival of classic villain Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) serving as Fisk's cunning key piece in the match. And there's no superhero favoritism here: Daredevil is mostly outwitted and outclassed in the execution of psychological and physical jabs.
Cox’s return as Matt Murdock is no surprise after his supposed “death” in "The Defenders" series during the summer while fighting alongside other streaming Marvel superheroes: Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Jessica Jones. Season 3 opens with those closest to him — Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) — believing that he did die. But mourning turns into frustration and rage when Matt reveals himself but wants nothing to do with the two friends who helped him hold on to what little humanity he had left in his world of superpowered chaos.
What is a surprise, though, is Matt going back to his basic, allblack Daredevil suit, so he’s not an optical disturbance to the show.
There’s something about Daredevil in black that’s brutally appropriate. It also shows the strength of Season 3’s story that the plot doesn't need to lean on the mask, red lenses and horns.
Although Cox is every bit the Daredevil in black as he trains himself back to 100 percent fighting capacity after suffering critical physical damage in “The Defenders,” his top superhero moment comes while he’s suited up as Matt Murdock.
While on a jail visit looking for information on the Kingpin, he is identified as an enemy of Fisk and the scene brews into one of those "hallway fight" scenes for which Netflix's Marvel shows have become known.
With no mask to hide behind, the blind rage in Matt's face as he defends himself is fully displayed, and Cox delivers a definitive Daredevil moment.
The only person helping Matt stay in the light as darkness consumes him is Sister Maggie (Joanne Whalley), the nun at Matt’s church where he’s hiding out.
Some loyalists will scream that Maggie is the mother of Matt in the comics, but it’s unclear whether the show is going that route. It certainly seems so in a season designed to make Matt suffer substantially.
Lost in the excitement of the return of “Daredevil” is the realization that this is the first new season in 2½ years — and the show has never been better.