4 ms·

> (As regards Daredevil season 2, it was unfocused, full of ninjas and superfluous side characters. They completely lost the plot.) It perhaps speaks to how me

by ashark 10y ago

> (As regards Daredevil season 2, it was unfocused, full of ninjas and superfluous side characters. They completely lost the plot.) It perhaps speaks to how mediocre-bordering-on-bad season 1 was that I agree with all of that and still think it was quite a bit better.

lobster_johnson 10y ago
It's certainly a polarizing show! I think S1 was lifted considerably by the presence of Vincent D'Onofrio as the Kingpin, who acted as a focal point of Daredevil's efforts. But S2 had no such character. The Punisher was an attempt at a similarly complex figure, but it failed miserably, particularly because, for all of the Daredevil group's shenanigans, we know he's a protagonist, not a classic bad guy. The central dilemma that the series tried to elevate to a theme was Daredevil's non-lethal approach vs. the Punisher's lethal one, which makes for weak TV indeed. Especially since all of Daredevil's enemies were ineffectual McGuffins that only existed to be mowed down. It was also bogged down by the fact that the character (or his portrayal, at least) was humourless, dour and unpleasant, adding to the existing roster of humourless, dour and unpleasant characters (including Daredevil himself, who must be one of the most boring superheroes of all time, as portrayed by the show). Karen Page could have contributed some heart to the proceedings, but as in S1 her role was merely being constantly on the verge of tears in every single scene. Oh, and the ninjas. Apparently the comic is all about ninjas, but still. Ninjas, really? In the end, I felt the show only come alive around Foggy, especially when he was being a brilliant lawyer. I'd personally like to see Daredevil replaced with a courtroom comedy/drama around Foggy Nelson.
- ashark 10y ago
  Strongly agree about the ninjas. What a generic non-threat for a character like this. "Oh, look, another roomfull of ninjas. Bet this will be some riveting action. eyeroll" And their half-assed effort to have that one Special ninja, but that never went anywhere. So strange. The portrayal of Kingpin was the only reason I didn't stop watching Season 1 about half way through. S2 had much better work on the action scenes (except The Hallway Fight near the beginning of S1, which remains the best in either season and had to be the work of someone they only brought in for that one episode) until the very end when S1's filmed-by-enthusiastic-amateurs-with-a-love-for-flat-medium-shots-and-one-camcorder-in-a-warehouse aesthetic came back with a vengeance. Agreed about Foggy. Side characters and villains save the show, really.

by ashark 10y ago

lobster_johnson 10y ago

It's certainly a polarizing show! I think S1 was lifted considerably by the presence of Vincent D'Onofrio as the Kingpin, who acted as a focal point of Daredevil's efforts. But S2 had no such character. The Punisher was an attempt at a similarly complex figure, but it failed miserably, particularly because, for all of the Daredevil group's shenanigans, we know he's a protagonist, not a classic bad guy. The central dilemma that the series tried to elevate to a theme was Daredevil's non-lethal approach vs. the Punisher's lethal one, which makes for weak TV indeed. Especially since all of Daredevil's enemies were ineffectual McGuffins that only existed to be mowed down. It was also bogged down by the fact that the character (or his portrayal, at least) was humourless, dour and unpleasant, adding to the existing roster of humourless, dour and unpleasant characters (including Daredevil himself, who must be one of the most boring superheroes of all time, as portrayed by the show). Karen Page could have contributed some heart to the proceedings, but as in S1 her role was merely being constantly on the verge of tears in every single scene. Oh, and the ninjas. Apparently the comic is all about ninjas, but still. Ninjas, really? In the end, I felt the show only come alive around Foggy, especially when he was being a brilliant lawyer. I'd personally like to see Daredevil replaced with a courtroom comedy/drama around Foggy Nelson.

ashark 10y ago
Strongly agree about the ninjas. What a generic non-threat for a character like this. "Oh, look, another roomfull of ninjas. Bet this will be some riveting action. eyeroll" And their half-assed effort to have that one Special ninja, but that never went anywhere. So strange. The portrayal of Kingpin was the only reason I didn't stop watching Season 1 about half way through. S2 had much better work on the action scenes (except The Hallway Fight near the beginning of S1, which remains the best in either season and had to be the work of someone they only brought in for that one episode) until the very end when S1's filmed-by-enthusiastic-amateurs-with-a-love-for-flat-medium-shots-and-one-camcorder-in-a-warehouse aesthetic came back with a vengeance. Agreed about Foggy. Side characters and villains save the show, really.