By: Edward Nguyen
★★★★★
“Daredevil,” the Netflix original crime series, returns with a phenomenal third season. The show, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, picks up right after the “Defenders” crossover, in which Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is left severely debilitated and believed to be dead, following a massive battle as his vigilante alter-ego Daredevil. In the season, Murdock deals with his newly returned nemesis–crimelord Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio)–while struggling with an internal crisis of faith, identity, and purpose.
The season spans 13 near hour-length episodes with each continuing from another, being more along the lines of a very long movie. The season is also very structurally paced. Every shot, cut, and line work towards the purpose of moving the plot forward. Small parts that may seem unnecessary at the time end up coming into play later. Even a seemingly mundane conversation is turned interesting due to how it ties into the narrative.
The story is profound and complex. Tension, emotion, and shock are all built up and delivered perfectly, keeping you on the edge of your seat. With the majority of the characters all struggling to win, it is always unclear as to what will happen next. You find yourself constantly thinking that a scene will go one way, but then it goes straight off the rails into another direction. The twists, while hard to predict, are still telegraphed enough that it doesn’t feel like they come straight out of the blue. Even if you’re accustomed to the nature of the show, it will still manage to surprise you as the plot unravels.
The show juggles a multitude of characters, the story becoming the sum of many perspectives, with all of them still revolving around the overarching plot. Murdock’s friends Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), now a successful lawyer, and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), a journalist and Murdock’s former love interest return, while newcomers and FBI agents Ray Nadeem (Jay Ali) and Ben Poindexter (Wilson Bethel) come into the fray. Murdock and Fisk walk the now blurred lines of good and evil, while many of the other characters fall back and forth or in between the moral perspectives.
The acting is incredible, with every bit of emotion in the plot is emphasized by the passion from the cast. D’Onofrio gives off a terrifying presence as Fisk, with his restrained fury and subtle reactions, while Cox exhibits the inner turmoil of Daredevil as he struggles through his frustration and pain. Even minor characters have emotional depth, displaying realistic reactions and heated performances, sometimes with only a few minutes of screentime.
Already established characters are fleshed out even more, in some cases adding haunting backstories or newfound admiration. There is depth to every one of them, with none being a clear hero or villain. The protagonists, while good-hearted, are still deeply flawed, while on the other hand, you cannot help but sympathize with the villains. Depending on the episode, I flickered between wanting the bad guys to succeed, to eagerly awaiting their downfall. They are not simply evil for the sake of being someone for the protagonists to fight, but have rational conflicts and motivations that make you wonder if there is still a chance for redemption, which is fitting, as that coincides with one of the story arc’s many themes.
Having a reputation of impressive one-shot fight scenes, this season does not disappoint. The action returns in the best way, with amazingly choreographed brawls that, while reminiscent of earlier seasons, feature new twists and tactics that have never before been seen in the show. It is a lot more brutal than the earlier seasons as well, the injured Murdock taking more hits than before, but still delivering a good amount back with a newfound savagery. These fights are well-balanced with the buildup, serving as cathartic sequences following periods of anxiety and development, yet used conservatively enough as to not reduce the show to all flash and no substance. Earlier fight scenes in the series sometimes felt gratuitous, intended to impress the audience with the high-quality stunts and footwork. In this season, every single one is desperate, high-stakes, and personal. You don’t know which way it is going to go, but you know exactly which way you hope it will.
One of the best things about this season is that it is ultimately satisfying. Every question and mystery does not get teased above your head for too long, but is revealed right when it needs to be. Situations that could have been frustrating tropes were instead quickly dealt with. There is no cheap writing to rush a quick thrill, but rather constant ups-and-downs that stave you off until the finale, which is possibly the most exhilarating, shocking, and powerful episode. All of the loose ends are tied up in an outcome that finally makes all the anticipation worth it.
Season three of Daredevil is a fantastic addition to the show. The story is compelling and well-written, the episodes are perfectly paced, the acting is on point, and the action scenes are electrifying. It builds upon and even improves past seasons, surpassing even season one in quality, and solidifies Daredevil as the top superhero series out there.