Their most successful bit so far has been the "Daredevil" series, which borrows heavily from Frank Miller's take on the character. Like with his influence on "the Dark Knight," Miller brings a darker tone to Daredevil and Netflix continued that theme in a major way.
The essence of Daredevil's character is the way he represents Irish-Catholic immigrants who came to the US and fought to carve out a place in the rough and tumble streets of New York. Sure he's blind and has some super hearing powers and ninja fighting skills, but his character is defined by the way he doggedly clings to his Catholic ethics and his ability to take both a mental and emotional pounding and still overcome.
His opponents in the Netflix series are very, very interesting particularly in light of current concerns about violence in the inner city, immigration, and fears about the existence of terrorist cells across the country. Daredevil is a rather obvious stand-in for traditional Americans' struggle to deal with these concerns without losing their soul in the process.
What's more, the Daredevil villains are politically correct stand-ins for the kinds of people and crime that actually scare Americans.
Politically correct inner-city violence and immigration
I had to notice with no small amusement a paradox that has come up in my generation in our social media conversations. I noticed in Daredevil season one that there would be Facebook posts all over my timeline about the righteous cause of the #BlackLivesMatter movement juxtaposed with the same people extolling the awesomeness of Daredevil season one.The irony is to see people lambast police officers for using levels of violence to try and control thugs that makes our stomachs churn and then see the same people binge-watching a show where a white American beats criminals within an inch of their lives in an effort to do the same.
With season 2 of Daredevil I'd see tons of posts or tweets from people furious with Donald Trump's charges that "Mexico is sending criminals and rapists" or his proposed moratorium on Muslim immigration. Those same people would then excitedly binge-watch Daredevil's efforts to stop the rampant crime caused by particular ethnicities of immigrants within Hell's Kitchen.
Part of the way in which Daredevil gets away with this is that they avoid, other than a few brief scenes with a particular arms dealer, any depictions of black criminality or white-on-black violence. The thugs Daredevil fights are always white and the non-immigrant thugs are bikers.
And the immigrants that Daredevil is dealing with? Irish mafia, Russian mafia, and Japanese mafia/ninja supervillains.
The result of all this is that Daredevil is able to play to modern anxieties about inner-city violence and immigrant-initiated crime without actually referencing the ethnic groups people are actually worried about and diving into the controversy.
If I mention a concern for rising black violence in urban or suburban settings I can be called a racist, but if I move to a richer, all-white community and escape to Hell's kitchen in my Netflix binges I'm safe. If I voice concerns about how the risks of introducing large numbers of Muslims or poor Mexican migrants into the country I'm a racist but when I'm watching Daredevil beat up other Irish-Americans in my flat in gentrified downtown I'm safe.
If they can get Matt Murdock to wrestle with cognitive dissonance in season 3 that would just take the cake.
Season 2: A half-good follow up
In my estimation they made three mistakes in season two of the show...*Don't read any further unless you are prepared to hear spoilers*
Mistake 1: They went overboard on the grim violence
The best parts of season two were the parts that featured Frank Castle, "the punisher." His character was PERFECT for testing Daredevil's commitment to "thou shalt not kill" and the way that he conflicts love interest Karen Page makes for some good drama that wasn't really properly exploited by the writers.
The episodes that featured Punisher were gripping and intense, but there were times when it was just overboard. One major example is when they showed the head of the Irish mafia murdering another man by slowly stabbing a fork through his eye and into his brain at a wake.
It was also interesting when he's later torturing Punisher with power tools, you get close to the point where you aren't sure if you want to watch anymore, and then they threaten to start torturing his dog...
At that point I was basically going
but mercifully Punisher relents and we don't see them exhibit animal cruelty. It's funny that as humans we are capable of watching cruelty towards other humans (to a point) but when it's turned on animals that's just too much. Especially animals like dogs, our best friends.
After my brother finished this season he texted me saying, "I think I'm going to take a break from watching people die for a few weeks."
The Punisher takes as much punishment as he doles out and the show seems to dance on the lines of what they can get away with in terms of violence without turning off their audience.
More modern shows ought to take a page out of John Wayne's "the Searchers," a story that includes tremendously grim violence and cruelty but doesn't have to depict any of it graphically in order to convey the emotions and drama of the moment.
You can accomplish so much more with what might be described as the cinematic version of "show don't tell" in which you use the actors' responses to convey the weightiness of a moment rather than just depicting it. They at least got this partially right when Karen Page steps out into the diner and sees the aftermath of Frank's brutal murder of a few dudes.
I love much of the violence in the show, especially the single-shot scenes in each season's episode three, but they need to use some other tactics.
Mistake 2: Nobu and the hand
The most gripping action sequence of season one would either be when Daredevil fights his way through a pack of Russian mafia thugs to rescue a boy from child trafficking or his epic encounter with Nobu where he's sliced up to the point where he nearly dies.
It was revealed in this moment that Nobu isn't just a Yakuza boss but is actually a legit ninja and his Shoge hook became a really sinister image.
Well they doubled down big time on Nobu and his hook in season two, basically bringing him back from the dead and repeatedly showing scenes where he'd pull out the weapon and you're supposed to feel the dread of having to watch Daredevil get carved up again.
However, it felt like a massive stretch to me to believe that Nobu has super powers or that he'd really been the mastermind of a massive, underground ninja organization this whole time. None of the episodes centering around the Hand or Elektra did much for me, although I always enjoy Stick.
When Scott Glenn tells me that there's this major war going on for the world between a group of ninjas who's leader has been moonlighting as a Yakuza boss and who's evil plot centers around that organization successfully digging a major hole in New York for some reason and weaponizing a 5'7" girl...I can almost take it all seriously.
I understand that the Hand plays a big role in the comics I just don't think this was executed all that well. Nobu is kinda wooden and he doesn't seem that threatening to Daredevil now that he has body armor and a baton.
Mistake 3: Elektra isn't convincing
When it's revealed that converting Elektra is the ultimate aim of Nobu and the Hand I'm not sure what to make of that. It seems clear enough that Daredevil could track her and dispatch her even if she went rogue and it's not clear why the Hand sees her as this unstoppable weapon. Is she really that much more useful than immortal Nobu?
I guess perhaps she'd be their best bet for a world-leader killing assasin or something, I don't know, it's not explained.
When she slits the throat of a boy in front of Daredevil and asks him "This is who I am? Can you accept me?" I had to roll my eyes. Just a bit too much, imo. The scene where Matt and Elektra plan to run away to London if they survive their upcoming battle with scores of Hand ninjas produced in me a similar reaction.
You're asked to accept that she wins over Daredevils heart in part because he's fighting so hard for her soul and in part because he feels free to be who he really is (a costumed vigilante) when he's with her whereas everyone else in his life is either at arm's length or threatening to force him to give up his identity.
I thought the show's conclusion worked for a few reasons. One reason was that I was happy to see Elektra die, even though I know they'll just bring her back later. Maybe next time it'll be better written.
Another reason was that I loved how the show wrapped up by exploring Murdock's emotional toughness in the face of losing Elektra and losing Foggy yet still being willing to risk emotional attachment again by revealing his true identity to Karen Page. They'd already explored his physical toughness so diving into his emotional strength was a good move.
Everyone knew that Daredevil would overcome the ninja hordes because Punisher would show up and gun a bunch of them down but it was still slightly satisfying to watch it unfold.
The pandering soliloquy to New Yorkers offered by Karen Page when it's finally time to write her feature article on vigilante justice was the worst part of either season. It's just not really set up by the show's themes this season. After watching Daredevil prove victorious over the Hand and seeing him basically just accept the Punisher's presence despite their philosophical differences I'm not thinking "man the people of New York are so tough and awesome for surviving all of this." Maybe they could have got there, but didn't feel like it really landed.
Feels like the show is pandering to the audience as survivors but I think an ode to the kind of hero Murdock is phrased in universals would have been better. Of course Deborah Ann Woll tends to overact quite a bit in this show so it may have been doomed regardless.
Presumably season three will return to the Kingpin as the major villain and he'll no doubt build some kind of powerful coalition of politically correct opponents to threaten Daredevil's urban setting. Although much of season two misfired for me it still produced some amazing moments and I'll be ready to escape back to Hell's Kitchen for some safe depictions of Daredevil's battle for justice whenever season three is released.
I guess I disagree with the criticisms here generally. I think a far more reasonable criticism would be in including so many characters to the point that it detracted from Murdock and Foggy. My main gripe is that Murdock all but quit being a lawyer in Season 2. That is one cool aspect of this character, his dichotomy of being a law upholder while also acting outside of it. But that is a minor thing for me because I like the Season for what it is.
ReplyDeleteAs for the mistakes you think they made in Season 2, I agree on some level and disagree on another.
First, the show is violent. I know many people who don't watch it at all because of this fact. So that is a problem you just have with how the writers have chosen to portray the violence. I don't particularly like violence on tv, but I do like the fact that the violence is like a character itself. And just when I feel like it is getting too bad to watch, it usually ends. I would prefer there to be less of it, but it is hard for me to criticize the show for it because that is a conscience decision that the writers/producers made and it is done well and fits the story.
Second, Nobu and the Hand is portrayed brilliantly in the show. This is coming from someone who has read the comics. The writers like you said are following Frank Miller's themes, imagery, stories, and characters. And they are portraying the Hand like they are found in the comics. If there is any fault, it is that they made the decision to follow the comics. The Hand is always portrayed as secretive. You don't get much information about the Hand other than bits and pieces. If that makes Nobu wooden then I am fine with that. The whole point of that character is that he is evil, part of the Hand, and comes back to life. That is actually the most important thing about the Hand is that they have figured out how to bring people back from the dead. Without that fact, the Hand is just ninjas really. So I applaud the writers for showing them as they have always been in the comics. I also suspect that with each season we will see more and more about them without ever truly understanding everything they are up to. That is the whole point.
Third, I agree that Elektra isn't convincing as the most dangerous person in the story and that the Hand's plan depend on getting her as their leader. They could have portrayed her as that powerful but they didn't which was a mistake. But she is still formidable and ruthless. But I agree with the point.
Maybe I am too emotionally invested in Daredevil after spending so much time reading the comics. But I thought Karen's emotional appeal was appropriate. But I don't know that it fit the overall theme of the show like you said. That is part of my minor criticism that there are too many main characters. I could do with less of Karen independent of her relationship with Matt. There really should be more of just Matt and Foggy. That is the heart of the show and they tore that apart at the end of season 2. I suspect they will patch things up, but the show should really revolve around those two like in season 1.
Sorry if I sound too critical. I enjoy this show and enjoyed your article, just wanted to give an alternative perspective.
"I would prefer there to be less of it, but it is hard for me to criticize the show for it because that is a conscience decision that the writers/producers made and it is done well and fits the story."
DeleteI don't hate violence on TV, I just think some of the depictions are needless. I don't need to see every bullet wound in order to understand what's happening the point I was trying to make in my "searchers" reference was that this is often a lazier way to try try and convey intensity.
As far as the Hand goes, just seems like something that's easier to accept in a comic book than a TV show that prides itself on being gritty and realistic. I think in general the writers are wise not to over-explain something that no explanation will make sound realistic, like Murdock's visual powers in season one.
I just didn't find the Hand that interesting or menacing and instead came alive when the punisher was around or when the Kingpin made an appearance.
I totally agree about Matt and Foggy and have to note that literary-type criticism isn't really my strength so I don't mind the feedback there.