I know, I'm very late to the party - with Jessica Jones and Series Two set to debut on Netflix in 2016, reviewing Daredevil now may seem a bit...well, awkward.
But quite honestly, this is some of the best television I have seen in awhile. And the fact that it's available via streaming makes it doubly effective.
If you're looking for the relatively high-stakes drama of Avengers, well...you won't find it. It's very much a smaller scale story, much like Ant Man, but with a decidedly noir-ish sensibility. (Having a wide canvas helps - the first five minutes of Daredevil serves as the origin sequence).
What's remarkable about Daredevil is that it plays both Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) as two halves of the same coin. Both are men who have seen - and have been affected - by violence in the streets. Both men have internalized the violence they've experienced, and both men believe they are in the right....but the effect that Murdoch and Fisk's choices have on the people in their lives has as much play in driving the storytelling as the two men's efforts.
And let's be clear - this is a brutal series to watch, in many ways. It's meant for binge watching....but best appreciated 2 - 3 episodes at a time. Watching Daredevil in one solid block of time would be a challenge...and a disappointment, especially since the direction on several episodes is stellar.
Daredevil's first season on Netflix is a must-watch. Plan to spend some time with it this holiday season.
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