The reviews for Daredevil season three are in and it sounds like Netflix is back in fighting shape after the show's messy second season and disappointments like The Defenders and Iron Fist. There are some complaints but based on the first six episodes screened to critics, the Marvel Comics adaptation is once again firing on all cylinders and it sounds like we have three characters to thank for this return to form.
Those are Daredevil, The Kingpin, and Bullseye. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear as if the same can be said for Foggy Nelson and Karen Page but while some critics don't like them in this third season, others seem to be happy that the focus is on them again. So, to check out this spoiler-free breakdown of the first wave of reviews, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button to take a look at them.
Season three of Daredevil absolutely returns the show back to the place it was in season one, going so far as to keep Matt in his early days ninja outfit for a good chunk of time. In many ways, this is a great thing. In some ways… not so much. On the positive side, we get back to the core dynamic of the series, which is Matt and Fisk. We also get back to the methodical character study of what it means for Matt to be the vigilante known as Daredevil. Unfortunately, a return to season one form also means story told at a snail's pace and action that is sometimes hard to track in certain lighting conditions. Daredevil has never not been a mixed bag but the bag is usually full of more good than bad, and that ratio remains unchanged going into the show’s first post-Defenders season. There are things to love. There are things not to love. Matt is great. Fisk is great. Bullseye is awesome. Everything not involving those three people is… okay.
SOURCE: Forbes
Most of the creative decisions and changes made to Daredevil were the right ones. I had never actively disliked the show, but season two quickly lost steam to the point that Hand ninjas would pop out of nowhere, whenever the story seemed to have run out of ideas. While the beginning of this season may still be a bit slow, it pays off because characters like Matt Murdock actually learn and grow. There are fewer action sequences, but the few bits of action really do stand out. The show is furthering its personal relationships between characters, and grounding itself back in reality after the ninja nonsense from The Defenders.
This latest installment of the series isn’t perfect. Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) remains a black hole of exposition, grinding each and every scene to a halt in order to function as an audience surrogate. Through no fault of Woll’s, her character is once again only there to scream in fear or explain something viewers need to know—Siri has a higher function than her. Meanwhile, Foggy (Elden Henson) has a subplot that doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere. Maybe it just needs more time to play out, but the best B and C plots orbit the endgame, whereas these ones too often feel stationary. On its third showrunner in as many seasons, Daredevil also often seems like it’s reinventing itself on the fly. With that comes occasional growing pains and a tendency to fall back on formula. Still, unlike in Season 2, which toggled back and forth between Frank Castle and Elektra so often you thought you were watching different shows, everything is mostly heading in the right direction. There’s a linear flow to it all that is focused and efficient. That doesn’t mean the show couldn’t lose steam like so many other promising yet still flawed Marvel series on Netflix. But so far, so good. [B+]
SOURCE: Observer
Admittedly, it’s never easy handing down a verdict having watched less than half of a season (the total episode count comes in at 13). Still, even with the glacially-paced first three episodes, Daredevil season 3 begins to show its strengths once all the introductions and pleasantries are out of the way. If you – like me – relish the first season of the series over most other seasons in the collective Marvel universe, you’ll be glad to know that this new run marks a return to form for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, even if it takes a few hours to get there. [3.5/5]
SOURCE: We Got This Covered
That's all to say that Daredevil Season 3 puts the focus where it belongs: on Matt, Fisk, Foggy, and Karen, the core characters that we originally grew to love or hate back in Season 1. With that re-anchoring comes some really cool stylistic choices; there's an entire sequence that plays out in black and white, half flashbacks, half imaginings, with one character walking back through another's life as he strives to learn everything he might use to his advantage. And there's a single-shot fight scene in these first half dozen episodes that's unbelievably impressive, easily rivaling any action that's come before in the whole Netflix Marvel universe. So yeah, Daredevil is back. And thanks to its much needed laser focus on the characters and stories fans actually care about, you don't even need to be caught up; If you watched Daredevil Season 1 and then stopped, you could pick up again right at the start of Season 3. That definitely says something about how forgettable much of what came in the interim was. But regardless of where you've been all this time, Daredevil Season 3 is worth returning for.
SOURCE: Gamespot
As for the action, Daredevil remains at the top of the TV game. That aforementioned long-take scrap may lack some of the bells and whistles of season two’s biker gang rumble in the violence stakes, but it is jaw-droppingly staged and choreographed; moving from claustrophobic and confined desperate struggle to take in a much more expansive series of sets, extras and effects. Just like another pivotal showdown in the first half of season three, more importantly, it is a frantic, vicious and edge-of-the-seat confrontation where you can almost feel each agonising, wounding blow. Just as it should be when it comes to Daredevil.
SOURCE: iNews
Fortunately, the background the season provides for Bethel’s troubled FBI agent is fascinating stuff, adding a layer to the character that feels deeper than any origin he’s given in Marvel Comics lore (and certainly not the 2003 movie he appeared in). The relationship between his character and Fisk, in particular, is nurtured in a surprisingly authentic, gradual way that plays to both characters’ strengths and flaws. Six episodes in, it’s too early to say that the third story arc of Daredevil is the show’s best season so far, but it doesn’t take heightened senses to get that impression. Boasting some of the most compelling drama of the series, along with the most impressive action sequences and character moments, season 3 of Daredevil packs a lot into the first half of Matt Murdock’s return to the streets of Hell’s Kitchen. If it can maintain that momentum through the final seven episodes, season 3 could very well be one of the defining chapters of Daredevil’s live-action history.
SOURCE: Digital Trends
It should be no surprise that Vincent D'Onofrio is once again a powerhouse of menace and intrigue as Wilson Fisk, in a deliciously plodded story that carefully progresses Fisk from man behind bars to his full-fledged emergence as the Kingpin of Crime. However, the real pivotal part of season 3 is the building of this MCU version of Daredevil nemesis Bullseye - and thankfully, actor Wilson Bethel nails the role impeccably. His arc is a slow-burn descent into Marvel villainy, much like Fisk in the first season; this version of Bullseye functions almost like a slasher horror killer, and Bethel makes each scene of "Agent Dex's" violent spirals into a standout moment - even when he isn't using his pin-point accuracy abilities in horrific ways (which he definitely does).
As I previously stated, Wilson Fisk is playing every character like a puppet master and Vincent D’Onofrio continues to give a rich, powerful, and intense performance as Fisk. Many say that he is one of the best comic book villains in the MCU and I would argue he’s one of the best in the superhero genre and this season will further prove that. Kingpin shines bright and really puts Matt in a corner, who only barely makes it out of the situation alive. The character is still as menacing and every time he is on the screen you can’t help but be engrossed with him. And, it is his relationship with Daredevil that creates such an excellent show. This new season honestly left me in awe at everything. From the characters journey to the actions to the creative storytelling, this season of Daredevil might be the best yet! After viewing the first 6 episodes, one should expect mayhem to ensure this season as Matt and everyone involved in his life, are in the gravest danger they’ve been!
SOURCE: Geeks Of Color
It’s hard to judge Season 3 based solely off the first six episodes. This only feels like a small chunk of a greater story without the whole picture, which is one of the good things about the Marvel Netflix shows. They are more about telling a greater story in multiple parts rather than a really long season with a lot of boring filler. There’s certainly no filler here. However, there are some kinks and rough edges to Season 3 in terms of pacing and plot holes. What appears to be a plot hole now could get explained away by the end of the season. It’s a good start so far, and it sets the stage for a potential climactic return to form for the character. How new showrunner Erik Oleson lands the dismount remains to be seen. [8.5/10]
SOURCE: 411 Mania