‘Daredevil’ full season 2 review: Was Punisher and Elektra too much for one season?

There was a lot going on in “Daredevil” season 2 and we mean a lot! We not only had stories for Matt, Foggy and Karen, but we had Punisher, Stick, Elektra and Wilson Fisk all squashed in as well. Was there too much going on? For us we have to say there was. What we liked so much about “Daredevil” season 1 was that we had a small cast, one big bad and a slow reveal to all the tormented layers to these few characters. We really got to know everyone, including the villain (Wilson Fisk) which is something you don’t normally get to see on a superhero show.

What we liked

Punisher – When we first heard about Jon Bernthal being cast as The Punisher, we weren’t sold on him, but after seeing what he did with the character and the strong writing behind him it was easy to see why he landed the role. We didn’t know whether to root for him, hug him or hate him and with that many layers to this character we knew we were in for something special. We can’t wait to see him on his own series.

Wilson Fisk: If you read our Daredevil reviews from last season then you know that we here at CarterMatt think that Wilson Fisk is one of the best TV super-villains of all time. We have said it time and time again that no one does villains quite like Netflix and Wilson Fisk is at the top of the list. He was just as outstanding as he was last season and we wish there was a lot more of him then just a few episodes near the end – but hey, we will take what we can get. Also, that fight between Wilson and Frank – unbelievable power behind that fight scene and the highlight of the entire season for us.

What we didn’t like

Too many storylines/unanswered questions – What we loved about season 1 of Daredevil, and what made it stand out against the rest of the superhero shows, was that we had a small cast of characters that were well thought out and had time to be developed for us as a viewer. This season we had Matt, Foggy, Karen, Punisher, Elektra, Fisk, 200 ninjas, Reyes, Stick, Nobu and the list goes on. It made for a very broken season with too much happening and not enough pay off. We also had a lot of storylines that went no where like the autopsied ninja or the bottomless hole. Lastly we felt like the storytelling had too many elements that were either way too convenient for characters like the Blacksmith eluding everyone, but one street level thug knows where he is to tell Punisher, or things that didn’t make any sense at all like Brett bringing Karen to a crime scene when she’s a just civilian that was just under police protection.

Elektra – We started out the season liking the character of Elektra, but feeling that she was misplaced on this season and should’ve really had her own season since she is such a big part of Daredevil’s life, but by the end of her storyline we were just over her all together. Elodie Yung did a great job portraying the character, but the writing behind her just wasn’t that strong. It took way too long for her motivation behind asking Matt for help to be revealed and she was so flippant all the time that we had a hard time caring about her or buying into the idea that Matt would leave NYC for anyone – especially her.

There were a lot of things we liked about this season, but it felt very broken and at times quite hokey. With Punisher moving to his own series, we are hoping to see a smaller cast and a more well thought out story for season 3. Reel it in and get back to the basics of what made Daredevil so great the first time around. Also, get those ninjas better training (maybe Ra’s al Ghul’s school of ninjas?) – they were noisy and exposed almost all the time! Season grade: B-

What did you think of “Daredevil” season 2 and what grade would you give the show? Leave us a comment in the box below and share your thoughts.