A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT NETFLIX'S DAREDEVIL

Finished binge watching Season One of Daredevil and it was pretty good.  Maybe not as good as the generous praise that is being heaped on it all over the Internet but very well made, like a long film (which is the Netflix and AMC trademark) rather than an episodic TV show.

What I liked about it

 Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance as Wilson Fisk the Kingpin (although that name is never used) is the best performance I’ve ever seen by an actor as a comic book villain.  His performance is deep and complicated and full of dimensions.  This is a real human being with all the feelings and foibles and complexities.

 The overall look of the show is great – dark, gritty, full of dirt under the fingernails.

Tthe fight scenes are some of the best I’ve ever seen in a TV show.  There are so many but I would single out the fight in the hallway in episode two as particularly amazing.

 All of the supporting characters from the comic book – Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Ben Urich, Vanessa, Stick - have their essence captured by good performances, faithful renderings.

What I didn’t like

 Like I said D’Onofrio’s performance as Fisk is excellent but physically his dimensions are bit off.  The Kingpin is not just a tall bald guy.  He’s a massive giant.  D’Onofrio should have added a hundred pounds or worn a fat suit.  The wrestler King Kong Bundy is how I see the Kingpin.

 Daredevils’s power in the show is shown to be enhanced senses – smell, hearing, touch, taste etc. but he also uses echolocation like a bat which the show didn’t make clear.   In addition, showing what Daredevil sees as a “world on fire” makes absolutely no sense.  Dardevil’s  line of vision looks like this http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/36257/2867875-daredevil_022_zone_008.jpg

 Other potential super villains such as Leland Owsley (The Owl) and Melvin Potter (the Gladiator) appear in their human identity but the Kingpin is the only major villain for the whole season.  I think they should have added in one or two more villains. Hopefully, they will do this in the second season.

I loved the red outfit but it doesn’t appear until halfway through the last episode.  I would have liked to have seen it more. 

Overall, some of the episodes felt a bit padded.  Could have done with less priest conversations (one or two would have been enough) as well as the whiny what happened to us? dialogue between Matt, Foggy, and Karen in the later episodes. 

Not sure what the point is of this being in the same movie universe as The Avengers.  They hardly mentioned  other heroes (I counted three mentions) and when they are it’s in euphemisms  like “The Incident” or as jokes.  If there were superheroes around, you’d think people would talk about them more.

Still, it’s an impressively put together story.  I think The Flash is a better adaptation (even though it’s not as good as a comic book or character) because it understands the possibilities of episodic TV  and has a multitude of interesting villains but Daredevil is still worth watching.

My suggestion for Season Two – Of course the Elektra/Bullseye storyline with the Punisher “Child’s Play” thrown in the mix too.  Would also love to see Typhoid Mary at some point.   

BETTER CALL SAUL SEASON ONE - MY THOUGHTS

Now that the ten episode first season of Better Call Saul is finished, here are my thoughts....

1.) It is similar to Breaking Bad in that we are seeing the evolution of a person into their true nature....Jimmy McGill is as much Saul Goodman as Walter White was Heisenberg.  The true meaning of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is one cannot deny their nature and to do so only leads to unhappiness and an unfulfilled self.  Mike’s speech to the hesitant seller of illicit drugs in ep. 9 about the nature of a criminal applies to Jimmy/Saul as well.

2.) One of the biggest complaints I’ve read about BCS is that it is all over the place in terms of tone.  I think this understandable - This is where the two shows are not alke.  You are not going to get nonstop murder and mayhem like BB because that is not Saul’s story.  He’s a criminal but so far as we’ve seen not a murderer.  On Breaking Bad, he was often comedy relief and BCS definitely has more of sense of humor about it than BB.

3.) Bob Odenkirk’s acting as Saul throughout Season One but especially in the confrontation scene with his brother in ep.9 and the monologue during bingo in ep. 10 (Chicago sunroof) which rivals Walter White’s Tenerife monologue in BB.  I hope he wins an Emmy.  He clearly deserves it.

4.) A lot of chatter about who people want to see appear from BB.  I am okay with a rationing of appearances by BB characters except as they figure into this story like Mike for example (and I have gained a new appreciation for this charcter).  An appearance by Walter White would make no sense as he and Saul did not know each other prior to BB.  An appearance by Jessie would only make sense if it happened in the present day which is possible.  That would be interesting!

5.) As Saul’s brother Chuck and Tuco’s lieutenant Nacho do not appear in BB, I look forward to seeing their fates in BCS.

I have always thought that much of Saul Goodman’s shtick on BB was bullshitting – the spiel of a salesman, not necessarily reality.  That is partly true.  The evolution of Saul the emperor of dishonesty, money laundering, bringing criminals together is still in its early phases but what we have seen so far make for a worthy follow-up to BB.