Daredevil Season 3: A Spoiler Review

On October 19th, Netflix released Season 3 of Daredevil. With 13 episodes and a story that holds it's focus on whatever character is on screen, show runner Erik Oleson has created the greatest season of superhero television for the greatest show of superhero television. Welcome ladies, gents, and non-binary folk to my spoiler review of Daredevil season 3.

The reason I'm now putting out my review for this so late (even though I watched the whole season within roughly 48 hours) is because I wanted to wait until my friends finished watching it, giving me more time to really hone my thoughts on such a marvelous work of a 13-hour film.

Just like my Iron Fist Season 2 review, I will go through each character from my favorite to least favorite. In the case of this show, however, I will be a tad more descriptive in their arcs and whether I felt each of said arcs were completed by the end of the 13 episodes.

I shall begin with my new favorite actor who played an incredibly comic book-y character: Wilson Bethel's Benjamin "Dex" Pointdexter AKA: Bullseye. The character of Bullseye is by far in a way the most comic book type of character ever, with his "power" being his incredible accuracy and turing anything and everything into a weapon. But, show-runner Erik Oleson is able to ground the marksmen in reality not only with his outlandish ability but with the help Bethel's portrayal of him spiraling deeper and deeper into his desperate need to find focus in his life; for him being such an imposing, powerful and frightening character, he's incredibly sympathetic. Was his arc completed in the end, though? Yes and no. He was able to figure out his potential as an over-powered marksman, but his full potential is yet to be realized. He now has an adamantium spine, so now he's super OP! I'm sure his arc of throwing things amazingly well will only further with the possible season 4.

Now to my second favorite character (which is my favorite character in the entire series), Vincent D'Onofio's Wilson Fisk. In this season Fisk is predominantly seen as a desperate man attempting to be reunited with his true love. But, that doesn't mean he's no longer a threat. In fact, it's his drive for being with Vanessa that makes him even more of a threat. His desperation to feel whole again is portrayed exquisitely by D'Onofrio in how Fisk is still being what he's always been, before Vanessa sidled into his world: a master manipulator. He exploits weaknesses at opportune moments, and once you're wrapped around his finger, you're nothing but a pawn in his game. Once again, I applaud D'Onofrio for making me simultaneously be afraid of how real he is, and also sympathize with his realness. He's a man in love, and he's desperate to retain that love. In my opinion, his arc is complete. Yes, he's right back where he started at the end of season 1, but he's married now and Vanessa is free. His romantic heart is happy, but his rage, that will only be fueled within the big box, will grow stronger.

My third favorite character is the one who I wish we could get more of: Jay Ali's Ray Nadeem. A real family man, a man with a heart of gold, and some rationale, Nadeem is something of the heart of this season. His devotion to family, though it may not see so at most points, is felt throughout the season. He's willing to take risks (like unknowingly, then knowingly aid and work for Fisk; or help clear Matt Murdock's name when tarnished by Fisk and vise-versa) in order to keep his family safe. He died to allow the rest of the city to know the truth behind Fisk and his corruption, and how deep that corruption goes. It's sad to say that his arc is very much complete. There's a clear finality, but I had hoped there would be something to salvage. I miss you already, Nadeem.

My fourth favorite character is one that we saw for two episodes, even though she was seemingly ever-present throughout the season: Ayelet Zurer's Vanessa Marianna-Fisk. Vanessa became something like Fisk in the first season, the first two episodes to be exact: her name is whispered throughout, but we do not see her. We, like Fisk, wait for ages to be reunited with her and are, in my opinion, greatly rewarded with this truly awesome power couple. I was reminded of how much I am in awe of her when she's away, and when she does return, I'm still entranced by her power, as subtle as it is. I will go more in depth with my love for her on Friday. Just know that is an amazingly powerful and astonishing character that I wish we could see more of; hopefully that will be the case if we get a fourth season. Now to the important question, is her arc complete? I'm not entirely sure, so for now I'll go with "no". Vanessa has become a leader alongside Fisk so there is always a chance she could become a new head in Hell's Kitchen's crime underworld; but as for her arc this season, she has completed it in becoming a new threat that no one ever expected.

With this ensemble cast of characters, I'm finally getting to the one that most of you have been waiting for: Matt Murdock. The reason he's so low on my list of favorites isn't just because I love the villains, but because I felt like in Iron Fist, there wasn't a huge spotlight on him, and in this case, that's not a positive. Yes, this show is his and he does have a large part of it, but while the other characters are being introduced, whenever we cut to Matt, I somehow forget that he's the protagonist because we've spent most of our time with other characters. I'm sorry for being so controversial, but this is merely my opinion. Not to discredit Charlie Cox, because he does a stupendous job in the black pajamas and civvies, and you can feel the Catholic Guilt radiating off his sad, broken body, but I feel like this season is more about the villains than the heroes. That being said, Matt does tiptoe that grey line as vigilantes do. His clashing with who he is, or was and who he strives to be is ever present. He is, or was, Matt Murdock and he strives to become, to fully embody Daredevil. In my opinion, Matt's seasonal arc is complete. He has embodied Daredevil, black pajamas and all. (Bonus arc completion points for looking like Spider-Man at the end.)

The last on my list of favorites is Joanne Whalley's Sister Maggie. I was elated to hear at the end of episode 8: "Our son is too much like you, Jack." I know of the Born Again comic, and when I heard how vague the character description was for Sister Maggie, I wasn't all to excited for her character. But, once those words were uttered, I jumped out of my seat! I had been waiting for far too long (8 episodes is a long wait!) and to see it finally happen, the reveal of Matt's mother, I couldn't contain my joy! All of this aside, Whalley does an incredible job of being both stern and understanding. Her wit is unparalleled to Matt's monotone look at life. All in all: A+ to you, Miss Whalley! Arc: complete!

Now onto my least favorites, whom I will lump together: Karen and Foggy. The two supporting characters do their job as supporting characters perfectly. For Elden Henson's Foggy Nelson, he cleans up nice and his side plot with trying become the DA is interesting but it's not incredibly compelling. Though the character does become the DA in the comics, they way the life action version decides to drop the campaign is appropriate and contradicts the over dramatized way it would've been done in a comic book. As for Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page, I was and still am not a very huge fan of the character. This is nothing against Woll as an actress, I have just never felt anything interesting regarding Karen. The journalism is great, but her innate bias and overly aggressive need to be everywhere and fix everything is a hindrance to what the character could be. That being said, the best scene in this entire season is easily the scene with Karen and Fisk. That is pure entertainment. Side characters with a completed arc and a cringey office name: check!