October 21, 2018

By Bon Adamson

_This review contains spoilers for season three of “Daredevil.”_

Marvel’s “Daredevil” found itself in an interesting position this year, coming off of both a shaky second season and a rather lackluster team-up. But that’s not all — the show is also sandwiched between Netflix’s cancellation of spin-offs “Iron Fist” and “Luke Cage.” Needless to say, Marvel’s Daredevil has something to prove.

The tale of blind lawyer ninja Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) continued into its third season on Oct. 19 and did so in spectacular fashion. The third season holds numerous twists and turns for comic-book readers and binge-watchers alike and does more than just throw out surprises.

Daredevil season three sees kingpin of crime Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) exact his master plan to set his life back in order. The not-really-dead Murdock has helped in stopping Fisk’s plan with long-time friend and business partner Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and office manager turned stone-cold journalist Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll). This season also features two big series newcomers, including well-meaning FBI agent Ray Nadeem (Jay Ali) and scary-accurate FBI agent Ben Poindexter (Wilson Bethel).

This season sees Daredevil at his lowest. Fresh off of cheating death, Matt Murdock finds himself with dampened senses and his longtime rival Wilson Fisk let out of prison. With nothing more to lose, (or so he thinks), Murdock sets off on a thrilling adventure to stop the kingpin of crime once and for all.

I found the season to have the best qualities of seasons past — there’s well paced, engaging action and meaningful characters with interesting arcs. All the pieces laid by seasons past lined up perfectly to create 13 episodes of very engaging television.

High points include what might be the greatest single-shot action scene that I’ve ever seen in my life, and some truly heart-wrenching scenes. The show also had its strongest soundtrack this time, featuring great takes on familiar melodies.

That’s also not even to mention the absolutely stellar cast this season, where I can only remember one really shaky line in 13 hours. Ali’s special agent Nadeem became a truly compelling character that I found myself caring for by the end and was truly a high-point among high-point.

The most interesting part of it all to me was the high dependence on cliffhangers in a TV show formatted for binge watching. This was the most the show has ever felt like weekly television, even including the suspense building, off-topic episode near the end.

The show has finally found its footing in all areas, but one — endings. The ending of the season can only truly be described as anti-climactic. The show builds for 13 episodes, but certainly not to the ending that should be there. Over time, the show builds such hopelessness towards stopping Fisk that his ultimate defeat feels lackluster and unearned through plot points that were barely alluded to.

Overall, the show has a lot to offer for comic fans and binge-watchers looking for their next 13-hour thrill ride. Unless, of course, they’re looking for satisfying endings.

_Edited by Siena DeBolt | sdebolt@themaneater.com_