Daredevil‘s performing a juggling act between the two main plotlines of the season, but only one of them manages to successfully capture my attention.
With the introduction of Elektra (Elodie Yung), this season’s beginning to feel fractured and unfocused. Whereas in the previous season, the Nelson and Murdock team was on a one-track hunt for Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onfrio), season two now has dual “foes” competing for Matt’s (Charlie Cox) attention. It’s not clear yet why the writers chose to structure this season that way, but so far, it doesn’t appear to be entirely effective.
The heart of this season clearly lies with Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), and “Regrets Only” continues to make that ever more apparent. His scenes at the hospital were utterly heartbreaking. All of the anger and bloodlust seemed to have vanished, leaving only the desperate ache to remember his loved ones. The fact that it’s so easy to sympathize with such a brutal killer is a testament to Jon Bernthal’s amazing performance. He plays vulnerability and violence like they’re two sides of the same coin, and it’s not difficult to believe that the man who was shooting people like fish in a barrel just a few episodes ago is the same man softly asking about the dirty dishes in his old kitchen. Frank reminds us all that sometimes what victims of trauma want most is someone to talk to about the painful memories we try to bury and repress.
In that respect, how wonderful was Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) in that role as listener and fellow human being? She was beautiful in her understanding that what Frank desired was to connect with someone, and her huge stores of empathy and respect for the truth made her capable of being that person. Karen’s really come into her own this season. Once a helpless victim, she’s transformed into an essential part of Nelson and Murdock. She’s still flawed, of course, given her penchant to disregard consequences in favor of her own agenda, but that’s what makes her all the more interesting. I’m really hoping her character growth doesn’t get buried in what will be the inevitable romantic fallout with Matt, because she’s such a strong character without him.
Anyway, it was her dogged investigation that shed the light on Frank’s mysterious past, and now Frank himself wants to know the truth as well. His plea of “not guilty” was a steely moment, but hardly surprising given what we know about his character. For Frank, there’s no perfect plea bargain, no deal with the District Attorney that could ease his mind. He’s not afraid of the death penalty, nor does he care about how long his jail sentence will be. His life isn’t his own anymore; it belongs to the ideal of justice. His desire to go to trial is fueled only by goal of unveiling the truth, bringing his family’s murderers to light, and uncovering those responsible for silencing his story. Reyes (Michelle Hurd) better watch out.
Unfortunately, all this emotional, dramatic turmoil and the momentum it’s building get derailed by the appearance of Elektra. Although their spy antics at the gala were fun and light-hearted, they have very little to do with the tone the show’s striving for, and again that begs the question, what is the point of Elektra? To make Daredevil sexier? To teach Matt a lesson that your past can, and will, haunt you? There may be more to her character that’s yet to be revealed, but right now it feels like time’s being diverted from Frank’s powerful and moving story for frivolous nonsense.
For that matter, why exactly is Matt keeping Elektra a secret from Foggy (Elden Henson) and Karen? There’s no need to go into detail about who she is and why she’s there, but there’s also no harm in mentioning that she is a former flame and current client. It’s alluded in the previous season that Foggy knows of his Greek ex-girlfriend — why not at least tell Foggy what he’s up to? It feels like all of this unnecessary secrecy will blow-up in his face when Karen inevitably finds out about Elektra, and Matt will have a lot of explaining to do.
In the midst of all this turmoil, Foggy’s getting lost in the shuffle. Between keeping Matt’s secret and trying to rescue his dying firm, Foggy feels more and more like he’s an outsider in all aspects of his life. More often than not, Foggy’s the lone dissenter among Matt and Karen. He’s constantly disapproving of Matt’s vigilante alter-ego, and clearly doesn’t believe in the justice Frank deserves as much as he cares about the practical effects it will have on his career. He only very reluctantly goes along with their foolhardy campaign for Frank when he knows he’s outnumbered. Now that he knows about Matt and Karen’s budding romance, Foggy will struggle even more with staying on the same page as everyone else. Hopefully Foggy will find his place in the firm, because his advice is often more valuable than Matt and Karen may yet realize.
Other Thoughts:
Matt and Elektra may have stumbled into something a lot more complicated than they were expecting, seeing as how their Japanese foes may not work for the Yakuza after all.
Matt’s strong feelings about tipping your waiter is just further evidence that he’s the hero Hell’s Kitchen needs.