I saw Daredevil: Born Again's second season. I'm rather bummed.
Sure, it's always swell to see Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, the Man Without Fear, in top, slugfest form, but I sure didn't like this season's subversive, police-state narrative, where law officers (of any sort) were depicted as impulsive thugs. What about the criminals who assault citizens? They do exist, and depending on where one resides, they often get away with their crimes, despite ardent, enforcement efforts, all because of clueless and self-serving politicians. Guys like Murdock are meant to fix that sort of thing, not turn a blind (ahem) eye.
Hey, here's thought. Born Again could have tackled (and could yet tackle) a presiding, social concern: child trafficking. The topic isn't out of range for superheroes. For one, there's a powerful, 1995 novel entitled Batman: The Ultimate Evil by Andrew Vachss, which details the revolting situation head-on. It left an indelible, lasting impression on me, and the book is more pertinent now than ever, considering that within the past few years, such atrocities have leapt to an all-time high. Born Again could have woven (could yet weave) some villain into that immoral tapestry, but this season chose to probe the contemporary cliche of bad is good, and good is bad. How rude! How typical! How drab!
Here's another Season 2 setback: I (and others) desired an ongoing, Sopranos allusion for Michael Gandolfini's Deputy Aide Daniel Blake. The prospect fizzled, even though "The Grand Design" was an exemplary episode for the character. Blake's handling of Genneya Walton's BB Urich in "Requiem" was fortifying, too, pressed ever further by Arty Foushan's Buck Cashman, who judged from the shadowy perimeter. Still, just as Blake's high-bar ascension seemed clinched, it died. "The Hateful Darkness" proved the fateful, final nail in the poor lad's coffin.
For a little compensation, Matthew Lillard's CIA operative "Mr. Charles" and Wilson Bethel's diner-scourging Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye did what they could to exploit the city's quirky recesses, creating the required intrigue that holds one's interest, but even their defining moments came and went, thanks to all the meandering, ministerial muddlement.
The same went for Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones and Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page, both looking quite fetching, I might add, but there was never enough of them. Why were they teased if their deeds were to be (with Jones) minimal or (with Page) sporadic and downtrodden? (In a similar way, Elden Henson's Foggy Nelson was reinstalled to fight the good, flashback fight, but his ghost was banished far too fast.)
I did like the Jack Duquesne/Swordsman portions, despite the heavy-handed, Law & Order bracketing. (At least I didn't have to contend with Chris Melonie mucking things up with his unconvincing, "I'm for justice" stance.) Tony Dalton did a great job as the vilified, Hawkeye-sprung vigilante, giving a performance that was sad but never sappy.
And what of Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin, you ask? Well, the fearsome Wilson Grant Fisk was once again ultra-imposing, even if drowned by a mountain of socio-political blather and an unfortunate, cringe-worthy tearful moment when he lost his beloved "Queenpin," Ayelet Zurer's Venessa. On the upside, his boxing match was the season's highlight, at least next to the finale's onslaught of Daredevil wannabes, and his bearhug snap of a compassionate doctor felt so right, even if it was so wrong. (Also, I dug the Kingpin mask featured in that string of Headroomy segues. I wouldn't mind having one to accompany my Don Post, super-deluxe Tor Johnson mask, but what are the odds one would be produced? Still, in the vast world of Marvel/Disney merchandizing, I suppose anything's possible when it comes to making a buck.)
Well, that more or less sums it up. Hell's Kitchen (and NYC in general) might still be fiery, but in the epic heart of ambivalence, so what? I had such friggin high hopes for this season, too. Now that my vim has been scrapped, I'm queasy about Disney+'s upcoming, Punisher special, "One Last Kill," and don't even get me started on Spidey: Brand New Day. I hope and pray that their focus doesn't become unfocused, but due to this Daredevil slip, I can only hope for the best (as in a possible, Frank Miller-minded stretch) and prepare for the worse (as in further excuses as to why bad guys are just poor, misunderstood victims of the system).
