Grumpy Bird Reviews: Daredevil s02e07 Semper Fidelis

The cherry blossoms are starting to fall off the trees and the new school year is starting. sounds like a perfect time to start continuing season 2 of Daredevil. Huzzah?

Daredevil s02e07 Semper Fidelis

director: Ken Girotti

writer: Luke Kalteux

Quick Review:

This is the middle episode of this season. And as much as I hate to say it, it kind of feels that way. In this 50 minute episode it feels like there is really only about 10 minutes of meat on this bone. The rest just feels like padding and cliche. I really want to like Elektra, but the more I am shown the less compelling I find here. Come on Netflix, don’t screw this up.

Spoilers Lurk Below.

Analysis:

One of the key aspects of Matt in the comics tends to be that when a woman enters his life, his life falls apart. I guess by that aspect this show is true to the comics, but seeing it on screen in this manner it feels more like a CW nighttime soap.

I guess I would be more okay with that if there was more going on with the Elektra character. Here she just isn’t doing it for me storewise. Matt is compelled to her. We are told that and shown that, but I have yet to really feel the “why.” It is almost as if the writers are so sure that we will be drawn to her that they have yet to really give her a purpose.

Perhaps I missed it, but I don’t know what the point of her mission is. I get that it is against the yakuza. But why? Money? Power? It can’t be just because it is there, but that seems to be it. I need more that the presence of a mystery to make me want to watch the mystery unfold, especially when on the other side of the street there are legitimate interesting issues that could be being explored. by that I mean the Punisher and whatever conspiracy surrounds him. That storyline is getting a short share because of the time being spent on the dragging Elektra story.

Two last digs about that aspect. 1) The opening fight was very weak. All I could think about was the wire work and how out of place it felt. 2) Last season was about Matt learning he needs body armor. Now Elektra is fighting in slacks and a sleeveless shirt. You’d think he suggest she use some more protection.

And another completely different point. We meet a slimy Asian studies scholar this episode. He was crude and racist and was punched for it. Punched a lot. Is that what this season is going to be? We are exploring a little bit of the grey areas of what Daredevil does. Are we going to have one the top needless villainy so that our heroes don’t look quit so psychotic. We already had one example of this when the pawn broker/informant offered Frank the services of children. In return Frank shot him. Is every source of information going to be scummy so that we don’t have to think about the bad things happening to them?

Come on Netflix, if you want to question what is morality, do it. Don’t offer up easy answers.