The worst part about binge watching any thing is the end. When the final credits scroll on screen, Netflix has stopped asking you if you’re still watching, and there are no further seasons to dive into that’s when the emptiness sets in. Those feelings of, “I’ll never love another show the way I loved you”. And then you do. Eventually the binge hangover wears out its welcome and you’re able to find a new series to consume your time.

Every so often you watch a show or a season and immediately want to watch it again. As you’re watching it the first time you’re already getting excited about the re-watch that’s on the horizon. It may not be immediately following the finish but it’s in the near future. That’s how you know you’re watching something really great, and that was one of the feelings I had while watching the second season of Daredevil.

 

The first season of Daredevil was great for a lot of reasons. For starters this new take on the MCU was darker and gritter and thrived on character development. Don’t get me wrong the movies have developed these heroes wonderfully, but having a thirteen episode season really allows the writers to delve into the characters. The first season burst on the scene and erased everyone’s memories of the Ben Affleck version of the character. When Jessica Jones was released six months later the bar was raised again, as this Marvel/Netflix marriage seemed destined to bring us great stories and characters from lesser known heroes. The fact that season one of Daredevil and Jessica Jones were so good actually made me nervous for season two. Through the first two releases there already is a level of greatness expected from these Marvel Netflix series, and the second season had a lot to live up to.

Fear not though Geeklings, as season two of Daredevil not only recaptures the tone from season one but expands upon it and doesn’t ignore what made the show great in the first place. The characters. I don’t think I would have faulted you if you thought the second season of Daredevil was trying to do too much with the inclusion of Punisher and Elektra. We have seen how BvS has tried to do the same thing and that fear ended up being pretty real. Daredevil on the other hand does a tremendous job of letting all these characters shine and have moments on their own so none of the story arcs come across as filler. There is a great balance given between all the characters.

The inclusion of Punisher and Elektra help make the season shine. While both characters have appeared in Marvel movies before (quite terribly I might add) season two helps purge those memories from your mind. Jon Bernthal is the best Punisher to date and his performance is fantastic. This Punisher is rooted in revenge but also is so deeply broken and damaged one has to wonder if he can be redeemed. Some of the best lines of the entire season belong to Frank Castle and every scene that he shares with Daredevil is memorable, quote worthy, and filled with tense action. I don’t want to say that he steals the show but it’s close. Episode three could very well be the best episode of the season and it’s largely due to the interaction between the two.

When it comes down to Elektra we’re given the character as she was meant to be. Sorry Jennifer Garner but your version of Elektra doesn’t even compare. Elektra is the perfect foil for Matt and is exotic, dangerous, sexy, and mysterious all at the same time. The relationship with Matt is essential for this season, and shows us a character that could have been Matt. It’s easy to look at Elektra and think of her as just as an assassin but there is also this underlining theme that that could have been Matt. If he stayed with Sticks and gave up his moral code Daredevil easily could have been Elektra.

Going with that, season two does an excellent job of showing the importance of what being Daredevil means to Matt Murdock. Season one saw him come into his own and eventually become the devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Season two has him already established and shows that the stakes are super high both for the city and for Matt emotionally. Murdock places the importance of being Daredevil over everything in his life. Over the law firm. Over relationships. Over his own health. In a lot of ways Matt is blinded (pun intended) by Daredevil and a large part of this season is him discovering what actually is important in his life. Season two forces Matt to make some difficult decisions and some of them are cringe worthy. You know when you’re watching something and you’re talking to the TV going, “No Matt. Don’t do that. Come on.” Or is that just me?

Not to be forgotten are Foggy and Karen who are not just side kick characters and provide a lot of heart and soul for the show. Karen continues to be mysterious and intriguing, and each time her past is hinted at I want to learn more about her.She is rooted heavily in the Punisher story line and represents someone who could possibly be redeemed. Foggy on the other hand represents all that is good in the show. Everything he does is almost like he’s the counter of Daredevil and that leads to problems between him and Matt. Foggy is able to see the importance in what he does but also values what he has in his life. His job and his friendships are well balanced which is something Matt is truly missing this season.

While the shows strength is it’s characters, the action ain’t too shabby either. The fight scenes here are crazy good and crazy violent. This season sees the inclusion of ninjas which as you could imagine, just makes things even better. Any time you can successfully write ninjas into any story you’ve got a winner.And for those of you wondering if the show could possibly top the tracking shot fight from last season… just wait till the end of the third episode. Make sure you have the rewind button handy because that shit is awesome.

On the whole I actually think season two of Daredevil was better then it’s first and could very well be the best thing to come from either comic book company this year (although I’m sure Civil War is going to give it a run for it’s money). This Netflx and Marvel marriage seems destined for great things, and while I know the Defenders is on the horizon, I would much rather know that season three of Daredevil was a go because it’s going to be hard to wait. I guess in the mean time I’ll just read the comics because I’ve just added that to my pull list.