‘Marvel’s Daredevil’ season 1, episode 1 review: A reminder of how cool Daredevil really is
After the Ben Affleck film version of “Daredevil” we have to say we had some strong reservations about this character being revived. That film was such a mess that we really didn’t think that the character could ever have a decent come back, but here we are with Netflix breathing new life into the superhero. Netflix has really shown themselves to be big competitors when it comes to great original programming (“Orange Is The New Black” is a good example of that), so we want to give this show a chance and after hearing our friends rave on and on about this show we know that there is a lot to look forward to this season.
The premiere throws us right into the fire where we see Matt Murdock as a child losing his vision due to a freak chemical spill after a major car accident. When we reconnect with him later in life he reveals that his father was a boxer who had a lot of rage inside, which is similar to what Matt is facing himself. He can fight, there’s no question about that (the fights scenes were incredible to say the least), and even though he’s out there saving lives, you can see that he has his father’s rage inside him too.
We also saw Matt and his business partner Foggy Nelson setting up their new law office as they just passed the bar and are actively pursuing their first client. After bribing a friend (who happens to be a police officer) they get their first client: A woman named Karen Page who was found kneeling over the body of a man she worked with. After there is an attempt on her life in prion by a guard, Matt and Foggy realize that there is something bigger going on and they are able to get her released. They learn that while she doesn’t know who is trying to kill her (and frame her for murder) she does know why: She was the secretary for Union Allied that was using pension money as a ruse to embezzle large sums of cash and Karen found out about it through a file that was accidentally sent to her. She later lies to Matt about making a copy of the file, and he knows it.
When she later sneaks back to her apartment to get the file, she is attacked and Daredevil shows up to save the day. Together they decide to give the file to the press and expose Union Allied. Once the file is released, the man behind the attempt on Karen’s life no longer feels that she is a loose end since everything is already exposed, but decides to keep an eye on her and her lawyers. Speaking of Matt and Foggy – Karen offers to work for them (for free) to help get their law firm off the ground and they happily accept.
There is a lot to like about this show – Charlie Cox is a great cast as Matt Murdock. With there being a huge surge in superhero TV shows and films right now it was only a matter of time before someone tried to revive “Daredevil” and we are happy that it was Netflix since they are putting out a lot of high quality shows right now. They have assembled a great team, have some fun fight sequences and the writing is as dark as Matt Murdock can be. Great start to the season. Episode grade: B+
What did you think of the premiere of “Marvel’s Daredevil”? Leave us a comment below.