Blindness that turns into a gift. A lawyer with a life outside of the law. A man who tears down to build back up again. These are the elements that make up the storyline of Netflix's "Daredevil," a show centering on Matt Murdock, a NYC lawyer by day and superhero vigilante by night. This show, which released its second season earlier this year, quickly took the place of my favorite current show. And I don't take favorites lightly.
Read, if you dare, these five reasons to watch "Daredevil," and it may become your new favorite show as well. (Note that no spoilers await you except that of spoiling your plans for this week. For after reading this, you may very well decide to binge watch the show!)
1. The Themes
I have never watched a show with such intricately presented themes, and I've watched a few shows in my lifetime. "Daredevil" doesn't just entertain, it enlightens. It forces its watchers to think and contemplate morality, responsibility and justice. Take the following conversation from season one as an example:
Matt Murdock: "I know my soul is damned if I take his life. But if I stand idle, if I... if I let him consume this city, all the people that will suffer and die..."
Father Lantom: "There is a wide gulf between inaction and murder, Matthew. Another man's evil does not make you good. Men have used the atrocities of their enemies to justify their own throughout history. So the question you have to ask yourself is are you struggling with the fact that you don't want to kill this man but have to? Or that you don't have to kill him but want to?"
2. The Dialog
Bad dialog ruins a show for me. If the characters seem forced, unnatural or plain stupid, then I don't feel like coming back for another episode. Maybe this is why I can't get enough of "Daredevil." The dialog is stellar! It portrays characters in a complete, human and authentic way as expressed through verbal and nonverbal dialog. The little details that "Daredevil" puts into its characters blows me away.
3. The Action
Matt can kick some butt. The fight scenes are complicated, epic and full of ninja skills no blind man should realistically possess. Despite this superpower, though, "Daredevil" doesn't give Matt the skill of invincibility, a skill many other superheroes tend to possess. Instead, the show beats up Matt almost as much as he beats up the villains. It shows the cost of fighting crime and the danger that lies in every combat.
A note to anyone with a weaker stomach, this show can get gory. For this reason alone, I originally thought that I would never watch the show, for I can get nauseous at the sight of blood. Don't let this stop you! Instead, learn to art of when to close your eyes. This is how the goriest show that I watch is also the best show that I watch.
4. The Quality
The production of "Daredevil" now gives me high expectations for all Netflix originals. The cinematography is effortless and the soundtrack is very supportive. The actors superbly embody their characters. The little things the support the storyline, things such as camera angles and setting all complement the show seamlessly. Take the three minute one-shot fight scene in season one for example. How they did that, I do not know.
5. The Characters
Where do I start? The characters show a depth to them beyond what we can see that makes the watchers feel connected. I even like the villains simply because their characters are so full and intricate. "Daredevil" doesn't make caricatures (the worst possible thing a TV show can do in my opinion), but devotes screen-time and themes to each character that makes them seem so real. (My sister will never look at avocados the same because of Foggy.) Also, the wide variety of characters keeps the show fresh.
I could give you a hundred reasons to watch "Daredevil," but you won't know until you watch it. So how about you change your week's plans and follow along as a lawyer-turned-village fights evil both in "Hell's Kitchen" and in his own soul? Then tell me if "Daredevil" isn't your favorite show, too.
