Mark Julian Reviews: DAREDEVIL Episode 01 "Into The Ring"

One episode in and I'm already sold.  Daredevil episode 01 - 'Into the Ring' is the best superhero TV pilot of all-time.  As a fan of Arrow, The Flash, Gotham, Agents of SHIELD and Constantine, each of those shows had serviceable pilots but none are as well-rounded as the first episode of our first Marvel-Netflix collaboration.  The show excels on all fronts - casting, fight choreography, lighting, editing and VFX.  While the show has yet to play all its cards, Daredevil has a maturity and sense of purpose that no other ongoing superhero drama possesses. 

Praise for Daredevil has to being with the stellar cast.  While not initially sold on Charlie Cox (Boardwalk Empire) as Matt Murdock he has a charm and charisma reminiscent of the Murdock from the recent Daredevil comic book run from Mark Waid and Chris Samnee.  Likewise, Elden Henson (The Mighty Ducks, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay) is Foggy Nelson come to life.  Deborah Ann Woll appears to have recaptured the titillating screen presence she had when she burst on the scene in True Blood. All Woll needs is the right breakthrough role and she'll be a household name.  Perhaps Daredevil will give her that push?  Much of the screen time in the pilot is devoted to these three but the other supporting characters introduced - Toby Leonard More as Wesley, Peter Shinkoda as Nobu and Wai Ching Ho's Madame Gao all made memorable first-impressions. 

In many ways, this depiction of Matt Murdock is just like his father, Battlin' Jack Murdock, a boxer with a 24-31 record who was known for being able to take a punch.  But he was known for being tenacious and never surrendering.  He frequently got knocked down but he always got back up.  This Daredevil is not (at least not yet) the superhero from the pages of Marvel.  While he can subdue normal run-of-the-mill thugs easily, his limits are tested by a single trained professional with martial arts skills.  While he wins the fight, Murdock definitely does not walk away unscathed.  As we progress through the series, it will be interesting to see how the Hell's Kitchen lawyer upgrades his costumed persona.  

While his fighting skills may not have peaked yet, the Netflix drama does immediately focus on one of Daredevil's more unique assets.  One of Daredevil’s greatest powers is his ability to tell when people are lying to him by listening to their heartbeat.  The show subtly displays this ability by simply overlaying a heartbeat whenever Murdock is keenly listening to someone speak.  Rather than over-sensationalize Daredevil's radar sense, things simply become louder whenever Matt is focusing.  Where the 2003 Daredevil movie made this ability superhuman, the Netflix series depicts Matt's "super-hearing" as merely giving him a slight advantage over his opponents. 
 

If we were to rank cable networks in terms of the best dramas the list arguably goes -
1.) HBO
2.)AMC
3.)FX.  
If not on Netflix, Daredevil has an execution and aesthetic that would be right at home on HBO.  As we progress through the 13-episode journey of Matt Murdock's transition from costumed vigilante to bona fide superhero, the pilot episode perfectly captures the spirit of a street-level Marvel Cinematic Universe with a touch more sinister and grit.  This is a series not to be missed!