TV Korner: Marvel’s Daredevil Finale

“I don’t know, I think the horns are a bit much.”

It’s been a hell of a ride, along a path littered with the bodies of enemies and allies, the innocent and the guilty, the weak and the strong.  All of these have gone towards paying the price of justice.  A hefty price, but is the payoff worth it? Truth be told, episode 13 “Daredevil” doesn’t give you a clear answer to such a difficult question.  Instead it works just as the law should.  Honestly.

The final episode of Daredevil brings everything to a head for all the parties involved.  It becomes less about beating Fisk, and more about exposing him.  Surprisingly, it spends a significant amount of time in aggressive investigation mode instead of putting it’s titular hero on the streets.  More often than not, the action is dedicated to talking and reading instead of resorting to old school street combat.  It helps reveal the intelligence in the series, that I have been praising since the first episode.  There’s not as much characterization this time around.  Instead the plot and the points thereof become the driving force of the narrative.  It isn’t a detriment however, since so much of the series has been dedicated to establishing its characters and providing an emotional connection to the audience.  Matt’s evolution to Daredevil has been gradual, but there were some aspects of his final product that I felt should have been expounded upon further.  Namely the billy club, which is a big part of his character in the comics, gets downgraded to just being a weapon he can use to hit people with (granted seeing him use it is kind of cool).  The suit itself isn’t perfect, but that adds to the sense of evolution that the character has had up until this point.  It’s clear that though he has upgraded his arsenal, he’s still continuing to grow as a hero.

The big highlight of course is the fight with Fisk.  It’s fast and brutal enough to seem real, but its also drawn out to an appropriate amount to be a satisfying final confrontation.  There’s also a climactic sequence involving the fate of Fisk’s criminal empire set to Italian opera music that projects a classic crime movie tone; as well as a powerful monologue about the story of the Good Samaritan that D’onofrio serves up expertly to solidify his character’s position as a criminal force of nature.  It was also worth it to see where Foggy ended up in coming to terms with Matt’s persona.

Final Word: Daredevil’s finale is strong.  Unfortunately it’s not quite on the same level as the rest of the series.  Inevitably, the wrapping up of the mystery is less compelling than the mystery itself.  Bearing that in mind, it is still satisfying.  Charlie Cox’s evolution in to the hero of Daredevil has been tumultuous to say the least, but where it has led him has been a natural progression that few origin stories can boast.  It’s clear there’s still so much more to the story that can be told, but for now, this ending is everything that it should have been; with Fisk’s fate being appropriate, dramatic, and characteristic.  I have my gripes with the costume of course, but what kind of fanboy would I be if I didn’t? Admittedly though, it works well within the context of the show.  The fact that everything about the series has been so good, and yet there’s still so much left to explore is one of the best parts of the whole thing.  Daredevil has a rich publication history, and this has just barely scratched the surface of where it can go.  All in all, as a fan and a lover of action and drama, Daredevil has been a revelation.  Never did I think (after the 2003 movie), that it would be given a second chance to get it right.  A second chance that it runs with in the best possible way.  There’s been plenty of time spent on developing the characters and world and, by the end of it all, it feels complete.  Who knows when we’ll be seeing the Scarlet Swashbuckler back on our TV sets; but if Marvel’s Daredevil hasn’t left you with bated breath for AKA Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and finally the Defenders, than maybe you’re the blind one.