All the reasons to spend your whole weekend watching ‘Daredevil’
Sure hope you’ve finally finished your House of Cards/Kimmy Schmitd/Bloodline binge, because there’s something new to Netflix: Marvel’s Daredevil. All 13-episodes of Marvel’s newest comic book TV show drops onto the streaming site TODAY. As in RIGHT NOW. As in, please, finish reading this of course, but then go and binge on Daredevil.
I know superhero-comic-Marvel shows aren’t for everyone, but you need to give Daredevil a chance. It’s not about fantastical superpowers or saving the world, but rather a regular guy just trying to save a small corner of his city. It’s really grounded in reality, which will make it 100% easier to digest than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s also got a really great cast, with really great acting, and the episodes are incredibly well written, you forget you’re watching something out of the Marvel vault. Still not convinced?
Daredevil’s cool
Who is Daredevil? Glad you asked. His real name is Matt Murdock, and he’s a lawyer. He loves defending the little guys, and the innocent guys, and he’s a highly skilled fighter. Oh, also he’s blind. As the show immediately sets up, he’s blinded in an accident as a child and never recovers his sight. Instead of letting this knock him down, it only encourages him to get back up and fight for what he believes in.
Charlie Cox is perfect as Matt Murdock
You might know him best as Owen from Boardwalk Empire, and he also had a role in The Theory of Everything. But now, it’s Charlie Cox’s time to shine as the blind lawyer/vigilante. He also told TVLine that he begged to do most of his own stunts. That’s pretty impressive, considering what we see Daredevil do in the first episode alone.
The show is expanding the Marvel universe A LOT
Don’t want to give away any spoilers, but they do casually mention the Avengers. That’s not the only thing, though. They’ve introduced Claire Temple (played by the fabulous Rosario Dawson) who is actually better known in another Marvel comic, Luke Cage. OK, it doesn’t stop there, because Netflix is also making a Luke Cage series, so that means — we really, really hope — everything is going to neatly tie in together.
But you don’t need to know anything about Marvel to get it
Matt Murdock lives in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. Matt Murdock wants to protect Hell’s Kitchen from bad guys. That’s about it. He’s not going to suddenly strap on a super suit and fly away, or come face to face with any sort of all powerful crystals. Nope. He’s just here to save Hell’s Kitchen. No in-depth Marvel explanation required.
The show is not afraid to get REALLY intense
The great thing about Netflix is that it’s not primetime television. That means they can get away with a little bit more than anything on ABC (cough, S.H.I.E.L.D., cough). That show is light, fluffy, and heavy on CGI action scenes. It’s good fun and all, but Daredevil is the grittier comic show we’ve been waiting for. It’s like a step above what’s happening over on Fox’s Gotham. I don’t mean to scare anyone away by mentioning that it’s a wee bit bloody, but rather just prepare you for what’s going to happen. Trust me, it’s still great.
It’s not just a superhero/comic show
It’s not just about some guy trying to save the day in a grand fashion, but rather its hero’s focus is on helping seemingly real people. It’s incredibly grounded in reality (from the episodes I’ve already binged…) and it’s got sort of a crime-procedural feel to it. If you’re scared away by the thought of flying spaceships and defending the galaxy, this might be the best way to get into the whole Marvel universe, because it doesn’t feel like the Marvel universe.
And, you can watch it all right now
You don’t even have to wait week-to-week to watch it all! Go forth and binge, everyone. See you on the other side.
