Daredevil has been great this first season. I know I’ve said it time and time again, but it’s true. I think they have done a lot of awesome things to set up Marvel’s extended Netflix universe going forward. Daredevil has definitely not been perfect, though, and I think that comes with it being the first of its type. While I’ve loved all of the Iron Fist and Luke Cage references, sometimes they seem forced and crammed to the point of overdoing it and taking away from this show itself. I view this as Marvel’s Arrow, and everything else will be The Flash where they learn from their mistakes going forward. The final episode of Daredevil seems to wrap things up nicely, but they are closing multiple stories that definitely threw off the pacing.
The episode opens with Ben’s funeral, which is a nice opening that gives some more time to Karen and Matt bonding. Throughout Season 1, I’ve felt like Matt and Karen needed some more one-on-one time to really develop their relationship. The show did a great job with the Foggy/Karen relationship, but until the final couple of episodes, they usually had Matt running around as Daredevil while Foggy and Karen grew closer.
Fisk has been amazing this season and already established himself as a top MCU villain. The written progression of his character has been extremely well-done and really made Fisk into more than a mindless brute. At this point in the series, Fisk has nearly lost Vanessa, and he did lose Wesley, the two people he trusts the most. Leland tries to play Fisk for most of his money, but we all knew how that was going to play out. I’m happy to finally see Leland go down.
I’m also happy that Foggy and Matt finally made up, which was handled well. It’s a ridiculously shocking moment to find out that your friend has been leading a double life as a vigilante and that he has super senses, so Foggy had every right to freak out and take some time to process everything. However, best friendships don’t die that quickly, and it’s so satisfying to see Matt, Foggy, and Karen around a table together again working hard. It’s also smart and realistic that Foggy hasn’t fully accepted Matt being Daredevil, but he at least gets it and has become more understanding in the reasoning behind Matt’s decision.
I think this final episode moves extremely fast. Like I mentioned above, the show had a decent amount of stories to close up in a short hour time span. They just shipped Gao off to her home country to tie up the heroin plot; Wesley, Leland, and Ben were all killed off (easy enough); and we know that Fisk and Daredevil have to have one more showdown before the season can officially end. The show uses a montage with classical music to show all of the people on Fisk’s payroll being arrested when Hoffman is saved. I think this is an acceptable way for them to tie everything in a quick fashion, but again, maybe they could have slowly outed Fisk’s confidants throughout the season to show the growing threat towards him. I definitely like seeing Fisk walk free from the armored vehicle because I think it illustrates him finally becoming the Kingpin.
It’s awesome that Melvin Potter is the one to create Daredevil’s official suit. We knew that’s how it was going to happen, but having him suit up in his traditional red costume is perfect for the final episode. At this point, Matt is finally embracing his duty as a vigilante in full force. The show echos every other awesome superhero predecessor that has the hero recognizing the importance of being a symbol that gives the city hope. I definitely think it felt somewhat rushed getting to the final battle, because there is so much build-up and craftiness in how Fisk avoids being mentioned, yet Matt happens to hear the one radio call about Fisk’s location. A bit of a stretch; however, we’ve been waiting for this moment all season, and I think the writers realized they needed to give an appropriate amount of time to this showdown that would establish their rivalry going forward.
In the end, this was definitely an acceptable and satisfying conclusion to Daredevil. There are other episodes in the series that are much better than the finale, but as I said, they were doing a lot with Daredevil to set up the entire Netflix portion of the MCU. The acting this season has been terrific from everyone, but Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio really stand out as the leads; they’ve been amazing. Season 1 finishes off on a really positive note, and I can’t wait to see where things grow from here. How far along will Nelson & Murdock be by Season 2? Will Fisk slide out of prison again? There is plenty that has been set up for next season, and hopefully by that point, they can really focus on Daredevil because the rest of the series will be out. I think that it will be exciting to watch The Hand come into things, and hopefully, that group will be the main villain with Elektra leading the charge. It’s frustrating that Daredevil is coming to a close, but I have been blown away by everything they’ve done so far, and knowing that they aren’t wasting any time developing the other shows is exciting.
Moments of the episode:
– Fisk literally takes a taser like it’s nothing.
– Nelson & Murdock: Avocados at law!
– “Down at the alley… where we used to…” Good cover, guys…
– Fisk walking away from the armored vehicle shows that he truly is the Kingpin.
– Ah, what a clever way for them to finally show us the Kingpin in his traditional white suit!!!
[Photo via Netflix]
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