Five Favorite Episodes of "DAREDEVIL" Season Two (2016)

Below is a list of my favorite episodes from Season Two of "DAREDEVIL", the Marvel Netflix adaptation of the Marvel Comics hero, Daredevil. Created by Drew Goddard, the series starred Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock aka Daredevil: 




FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF "DAREDEVIL" SEASON TWO (2016)



1. (2.06) "Regrets Only" - When Matt Murdock aka Daredevil and former girlfriend Elektra Natchios face the Yakuza during a gala held by the corporation Roxxon, they come across evidence conveying the return of a lethal former. Meanwhile, Matt and his law partner Franklin "Foggy" Nelson risk their firm to ensure justice for the vigilante Frank Castle aka the Punisher. Their assistant Karen Page sees a different side of the latter.





2. (2.04) "Penny and Dime" - Karen uncovers shocking facts about the Punisher's identity. Meanwhile, the latter finds himself hunted by a powerful Irish mobster in Hell's Kitchen, who wants revenge for his son's death.





3. (2.11) ".380" - Karen starts working with Frank to bring down the mysterious heroin dealer, Blacksmith. Claire Temple quits her job as nurse, when the hospital's administration tries to keep her silent regarding the Hand's attack. Matt visits Madame Gao, the Hand crime lord, in order to get information on Blacksmith. Stick learns that his attempt on Elektra's life had failed and prepares to face his former protégé.





4. (2.09) "Seven Minutes in Heaven" - In Ryker's Island Prison, crime lord Wilson Fisk offers Frank a chance at Dutton, the prison's "kingpin", whom Fisk believes had organised the deal-gone-wrong that lead to the deaths of Castle's family; in order to become the prison's new "kingpin".





5. (2.08) "Guilty as Sin" - As Frank's trial spins out of control for Matt and Foggy, Matt's former mentor, Stick, returns to deliver shocking revelations about the future of Hell's Kitchen and that he is also Elektra's mentor.

"DAREDEVIL" Season Two (2016) Photo Gallery

Below are images from Season Two of "DAREDEVIL", the Marvel Netflix adaptation of the Marvel Comics hero, Daredevil. Created by Drew Goddard, the series stars Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock aka Daredevil: 



"DAREDEVIL" SEASON TWO (2016) Photo Gallery

MARVEL Netflix Franchise and the Serial Drama Format

MARVEL NETFLIX AND THE SERIAL DRAMA FORMAT

I have only seen two shows from the Marvel Netflix franchise – “DAREDEVIL” Season One and “JESSICA JONES” Season One.  Overall, I enjoyed both shows, but . . . I have noticed a flaw regarding both.  I have also noticed that other bloggers and television critics have noticed, as well.

I do not think the writers for the Marvel Netflix series know how to write a TV serial drama very well.  Many have complained that their shows are “too slow”.  Let me put it another way . . . the franchise’s 13 episode format for the franchise is a deterrent for the shows and they come off as being too slow.  Frankly, I believe this is bullshit.

There have been TV shows in the past that utilized the serial drama format – especially in the science-fiction/fantasy genre or the comic book genre (which might be more or less the same thing).  But these past shows have more or less aired a season long story arc within 22 episodes.  Remember “BABYLON 5″?  “BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER”?  “LOST” (until Season Four)?  Arrowverse shows like “ARROW” and “THE FLASH”?  Until recently, even “AGENTS of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “GOTHAM” have utilized a 22-episode story arc.

So, what happened?  When did television viewers and critics stop tolerating longer story arcs in television serial dramas?  More importantly, when did TV writers stop knowing how to utilize the serial drama format?  When did it become difficult for them to balance action and drama, while writing a season long arc within 13 episodes?

While watching Season One of “DAREDEVIL” (which I enjoyed), I can recall at least two or three episodes that seemed to feature a lot of talk and very little action. I am thinking of the episode called (1.10) “Nelson v. Murdock”, in which Foggy Nelson confronted Matt Murdock after discovering that the latter was dark clad vigilante wanted by the New York police at the end of the previous episode.  At first, I found Foggy’s confrontation with Matt rather interesting.  Eventually became somewhat boring to me.  If it were not for the plot lines involving characters like Karen Page, Ben Urich and Wilson Fisk sporadically interrupting the Matt-Nelson interaction, I would have ended up regarding this episode as a two-man stage play between actors Charlie Cox and Elden Henson.

I am not advocating less drama and more action.  I still have bad memories of Season Two of “AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.”, in which the addition of more action, at the expense of drama, nearly ruined that season for me.  Marvel Netflix’s solution to their problems – at least as far as their fourth series, “IRON FIST”, is concerned – was to shortened that series’ 13-episode arc to 10 episodes for its second season.  And yet . . . the seasons that followed Season Two of “AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.” managed to provide a better balance of drama and action without shortening its next three seasons.

Balance.  Perhaps that is the true problem with the Marvel Netflix shows.  There is no real balance between the use of drama and action in their shows.  If that is the case, I do not see how limiting the number of episodes from 13 to 10 will solve the problem.  After all, Marvel Television is only willing to do this for “IRON FIST”.  And this lack of balance seemed to be a problem with all six shows.  If the show runners and writers of the other five Marvel Netflix series do not want to reduce the number of episodes per season, perhaps they and their staffs need to learn to balance the use of drama and action in their narratives.

Five Favorite Episodes of "DAREDEVIL" Season One (2015)

Below is a list of my favorite episodes from Season One of "DAREDEVIL", the Marvel Netflix adaptation of the Marvel Comics hero, Daredevil. Created by Drew Goddard, the series stars Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock aka Daredevil: 



FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF "DAREDEVIL" SEASON ONE (2015)



1. (1.09) "Speak of the Devil" - Matt Murdock aka Daredevil faces his own demons and an assassin named Nobu, thanks to being set up by local crime boss Wilson Fisk and the criminal organization known as the Hand. Also, Matt's law firm suffers a setback when one of their clients, a woman named Elena Cardenas who is preventing Fisk and the Hand from taking complete control of an apartment building, is murdered.





2. (1.04) "In the Blood" - The Ranskahovs, two vicious Russian criminal brothers working for Fisk, strike back against Daredevil by kidnapping the woman who had earlier saved and then helped him, local nurse Claire Temple. Fisk moves to further consolidate his power in the criminal underworld.





3. (1.06) "Condemned" - Daredevil takes out the police when they try to kill Vladimir Ranskahovs on Fisk's orders. He takes Ranskahov to an abandoned warehouse, hoping for answers about Fisk. Meanwhile, Matt's law partner and friend, Foggy Nelson and Mrs. Cardenas are injured during a series of bombings.





4. (1.13) "Daredevil" - In the season finale, Matt and Fisk have their final showdown, while the latter is being hunted by the police. Matt is finally dubbed by the media and the locals as "Daredevil".





5. (1.02) "Cut Man" - Matt makes a near fatal error while trying to save a kidnapped boy who had been snatched to draw out Daredevil. Meanwhile, he finds an unlikely ally in Claire after she saves his life.