*This review contains minor spoilers*
Click here for my YouTube SPOILER review
After the muddling second-half of “Daredevil” season 2, and the mostly forgettable “Defenders” mini-series, “Daredevil” gets back on track as the show returns to its roots for the third season.
What worked so well for the first season was the chemistry between Matt, Foggy and Karen. However, Matt spent most of his time since season 2 pushing away his friends, and also giving them reason for them to stay away from him. One of things that makes this latest season shine is watching the connection between these three return as they find reasons to work together. While there’s still great acting from this group, Karen Page steals the show with some amazing performances by Deborah Ann Woll.
Also returning full-times this season is Wilson Fisk. Vincent D. O’nofrio does strong work here once again as he shows off both the ruthless and vulnerable sides of his character. Fisk’s story takes a few interesting twists and turns, but the final payoff isn’t as memorable as it could have been.
“Daredevil” adds a handful of new characters that add a lot to the mix. Ray Nadeem seems to be the least essential, and feel a bit like a rip-off of similarly “useless” federal agent character from “The Punisher.” However, a major plot twist elevates Nadeem’s story for the second half of the season. Another strong addition to the show is Sister Maggie. Her sarcastic but tough demeanor plays well off of Matt, but she seems to get less screen time after her big revelation comes to light. The final piece of the puzzle is the villainous Agent Poindexter, or Bullseye, as the comics call him. His character is nuanced, and as evil as some of the things he does unfold, there are still moments you feel bad for him. But, his biggest contribution is to the action sequences, as we see full use of his legendary ability to turn anything into a deadly projectile.
The plot seems to go in quite a few directions, but it all turns out to be deliberate. By the end, everything comes together pretty well and things wrap up nicely. Unfortunately, like all the other seasons, the show centers on the theory that if Daredevil ever kills somebody, he crosses a line he can’t come back from. Not only have they argued both sides of this issue for the life of the show, but cops and federal agents gun down criminals left and right, sometimes with Matt’s help. And yet, there’s no big deal made about this. It just feels a little silly to let Fisk live, especially when we see how all-powerful the Kingpin’s reach has become.
The show gets a bit experimental in its presentation. Matt talking to imagined versions of Fisk are a bit corny, and also feel disappointing because most of these talks between the two of them were shown in the trailers for the show, and made to look the actual confrontations between the main hero and villain. Another episode digs into Poindexter’s origin, but shows it in an artsy black and white, stage-play like manner. It gives us important information, but is just kinds of goofy sometimes.
Overall, “Daredevil” brings back the chemistry between the three leads, and also the menace of Wilson Fisk, while adding the disturbed Bullseye to the fold. There’s a solid build up, but the end wraps it all a bit too conveniently.
Season’s best episode: “Blindsided” (Episode 4): Matt’s clever move backfires thanks to Fisk’s masterful planning, which leads us to an amazing single-shot fight sequence.
Season’s worst episode: “No Good Deed” (Episode 3): The fantastic look into the mind of Bullseye becomes unintentionally silly as it’s portrayed like a high school play.
**** out of *****