Some viewers were nervous about the quality of the third season of Netflix’s “Daredevil”, and they had some good reasons; the lengthy time spent between seasons, the decline of quality in other Marvel-Netflix collaborations, and the fact that it’s opening would have to tie into the sad state of affairs that was “The Defenders”. However, a new showrunner and a ‘back-to-basics’ formula has helped make the third season a phenomenal piece of storytelling not just as super-hero narrative but as a crime-drama, a psychological thriller, and a high-stakes morality play.
Thankfully apart from a layman asking ‘what’s Midland circle’ (hint: it’s disappointing) is, the opening of this season doesn’t dwell too heavily on the events of “Defenders”. Honestly, the important thing is Matt Murdock is in bad shape by the time the season opens, but we’ve seen similar states of distress in the past anyway. Daredevil is a resilient, but very flesh-and-blood superhero, and in the second episode of the first season he was knifed by Russian gangsters, sliced up by an actual ninja maybe seven episodes later, and in season two he’s been shot in the head by a Marine (surviving only because of a helmet) and then poisoned by even more ninjas. So Matt Murdock beginning this season recovering from horrific injuries, with enough information given so newcomers or anyone who didn’t watch “Defenders” know a building collapsed with him inside of it, shouldn’t catch anyone off-guard. The first few episodes are focused on Matt coming to terms with being Daredevil at the cost of his physical well-being, and the rest focus on the metaphysical cost his soul might have to pay.
Along with a broken body, Matt begins the season with a shattered faith and spirit poised to collapse into despair. He is galvanized into action partly due to his own stubbornness, his anger directed at God for allowing so much of his pain to be met with hollow, temporary victories. As tired as Matt is of crushing defeats, he’s not willing to stay down and retire as Daredevil. When confronted with the inevitablity of his own mortality if he continues down the path of a vigilante, after the beating he’s taken, his infamous response is:
“I’d rather die as the Devil than live as Matt Murdock… I’m Daredevil. Not even God can change that.”
What really galvanizes Matt Murdock back into his vigilante mission though is the machinations of his arch-foe, Wilson Fisk. Largely absent from the series since the first season, Wilson Fisk has become more dangerous since his first arrival onscreen. No longer is he the same cripplingly shy mobster, the bogeyman who cast a shadow even in the dark, this is a proper Kingpin that the fans of the Marvel comics, the cartoons, and video games all have been waiting for. Now willing to step into the light, as evident by his new wardrobe of comic-accurate white suits, this Wilson Fisk is playing the long con to get out of prison and corner the city’s criminal enterprises all while appearing to cooperate with the federal government.
Of course this doesn’t account for Daredevil’s involvement, and the newly crowned Kingpin isn’t going to allow his nemesis to ruin his plans this time. Much of his rumination this season is turned towards hijacking the narrative from the free press, which rightfully paints him as a criminal, and turning it against Daredevil. The city needs a new villain if Wilson Fisk is ever allowed to roam free without consequence, and merely waiting for a new alien menace or hiring a mercenary doesn’t have the same appeal to this version of the Kingpin.
Rather, he turns his attention to a new player, a sharpshooter who would one day become Daredevil’s greatest (or at least most hated) enemy. Through gaslighting and other subtle manipulations, Wilson Fisk probes and molds the fragile psyche of the man known as Benjamin ‘Dex’ Poindexter into his personal executioner and dark reflection of Daredevil. This is the Netflix adaptation of Bullseye, the assassin with impeccable aim, though we don’t see him in his fully realized state just yet. Just as it was with Matt in his homemade black-suit, his proto-vigilante garb, and with Fisk only gradually lightening his suits until season three brought the classic white suit to life, Bullseye has to have his own narrative arc so that his transition into super-villain feels justly earned.
Not just Poindexter but every character feels fully realized, fully fleshed out, protagonists in their own stories rather than sidekicks or support in “Daredevil”. Foggy Nelson goes on the offensive as a way to protect himself, his family, and the sacredness of the law to ensure Wilson Fisk is re-imprisoned, and Karen Page is finally faced with the ghosts of her past, several of which are of her own making. New characters are slid into the story without feeling shoehorned, none of them jam the structure like a square peg into a rounded slot. Sister Maggie, a nun with a caustic-wit who treats Matt’s wounds both spiritual and physical, is a most welcome addition, and Agent Nadeem could have been any clueless or immoral FBI agent who fell into bed with Wilson Fisk’s criminal agenda, but the story doesn’t do him that disservice. He’s a good man, just manipulated and desperate, trying to do the right thing by his family.
In fact, while flawed (sometimes to a horrible degree) every character has impressive layers and depth. Wilson Fisk might be a criminal mastermind, but around the woman he loves he turns into a big shy dork. Benjamin Poindexter has severe mental health issues (as does reoccurring character Melvin Potter*), but he’s trying to get his issues under control even when it causes him no small amount of anguish. Karen is a good person, but she’s made mistakes in her past and she’s tried to warn Matt not to put her on a pedestal as an innocent thing to be cherished. And Matt himself? His crisis of faith, his impotent rage, issues with abandonment and the sheer stubbornness even for paths that might prove worse for himself prevent him from being a flawless protagonist. It does however make him a perfect superhero.
*It’s worth noting that while Melvin Potter seems a savant, ‘Dex’ is a radical departure from the standard Hollywood hand-waved, purposefully obscure classification of mental illnesses. Instead season three gives an accurate (as well as engaging) portrayal of borderline personality disorder and psychopathy, that obviously took seriously clinical research and the treatments required for such conditions.
Netflix has been canceling Marvel shows this past month. People have become nervous as a result, especially since “Luke Cage” was popular and “Iron Fist” had a much improved second season that ended on a tremendous cliffhanger. But I would bet my Netflix subscription that “Daredevil” will be free from the culling, and I look forward to what season four will bring to the table. This hasn’t just been a perfect superhero show, it has been a show that’s changed the way stories are told.
Every Sort of Story 