DAREDEVIL: SEASON 3
SHOWRUNNER Erik Oleson
CAST Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Vincent D’onofrio, Wilson Bethel, Jay Ali, Joanne Whalley
PLOT While Matt Murdock (Cox) mends his body and spirit following the climactic events of The Defenders, the manipulative Wilson Fisk (D’onofrio) returns to the spotlight. WHILE DAREDEVIL’S INAUGURAL season is widely and deservedly regarded as one of the highlights of Marvel’s Netflix output thus far, its sophomore outing was a bit of a mixed bag — a poorly paced plot involving Elektra and The Hand ultimately undoing a strong, Punisher-focused start. It’s little surprise then that with all of the ninjas now out of the picture this third season reaps the benefits. New showrunner Erik Oleson (Arrow) ups the ante for all our characters while taking the show back to its roots.
We pick up where we left off, with a Matt Murdock (Cox, modulating his performance perfectly) who’s a little worse for wear. Not only does he start off the season with his heightened senses on the fritz but, more worryingly, he’s also suffering a crisis of faith. The latter has always been an important element of Daredevil’s mythos, but while previously Matt’s introspection has felt mundane, here it finally feels engaging. That’s in large part due to the dynamic between Matt and Sister Maggie (Whalley) — a key figure from his past — whose brand of tough love smoothly offsets our hero’s bouts of self-pity.
The other pivot upon which this season rests is Wilson Fisk (D’onofrio). The highlight of Season 1, he was off screen in prison for much of Season 2 but still managed to make his presence felt in a far too brief appearance. In Season 3 the show’s MVP is back to the fore, and back at his manipulative best, sowing seeds of doubt into the people he wishes to control before letting their minds do the rest of the work.
It’s not just the core duo who are compelling. With Agent Poindexter, better known to comic book fans as Bullseye, we get an accelerated but no less effective version of the treatment Fisk received in the first season — with poignant flashbacks doing an exceptional job of getting us into his headspace — and Wilson Bethel does a great job acting out his inner turmoil. And, in what is refreshing casting given the Asian stereotyping Daredevil has been guilty of in the past, Jay Ali’s Rahul Nadeem, an FBI agent and devoted family man, is a well-rounded character who we still want to root for even as Fisk pushes his buttons.
Still, it’s with the action sequences that Daredevil’s latest season truly outdoes itself. From a continually escalating 11-minute-long take — an homage to Season 1’s memorable corridor fight — to a mano-a-mano showdown guaranteed to have comic book aficionados salivating, the brawls have never been more impressive or visceral. Combine that with tight, purposeful storytelling on display thus far and, if it sticks the landing, it could be a new high for the Marvel/netflix universe. AMON WARMANN
VERDCT With slick execution to match its high ambitions and no sign of slowing down, Daredevil’s third season is on its way to being among the best Marvel/netflix offerings yet.