I just finished the second season and let's get the most important thing out of the way first: what is the deal with the coffee? After the first couple of times the popular beverage is brought up, I'm like "oh, that must have been some kind of inside joke about how the characters keep up with their hectic lifestyles". But then (and I am not exaggerating) it is mentioned in most, if not all, of the episodes this season. "Hey Matt, you want a coffee?" "Sorry Foggy, I owe you a coffee" "Miss, keep the coffee coming" You know what...no. Fuck your coffee!
Other than the constant bitter caffeinated drink references, I thought the season was pretty damn good.
Joe Bernthal's performance as Frank Castle was a man possessed. You can't take your eyes off of him. He's scary as hell when he's pissed off...and he's pissed off a lot. And Bernthal also nails the emotional moments. The scene in the graveyard nearly had me in tears. His rapport with Karen is touching and makes you genuinely feel for this psychopath. This is by-far the best adaptation of The Punisher to light up a screen.
The other standout this season surprised me. Foggy Nelson kicks a lot of ass. I thought he was one of the weaker aspects of the first season, but here he is probably the biggest hero. He finally stands up for himself and puts the law firm on his back during the Castle trial. Foggy doesn't put up with Matt's shit anymore and tries to find his own happiness. His job offer made me proud. He deserves it.
I've seen some other people online turning up their nose at Matt Murdock and, to be fair, he makes some stupid decisions, but I think he is still an admirable character. He's wishy washy on his no-killing policy, messes up the court case big time, and abandons his friends, but I'm still rooting for the guy. I can't blame him for being erratic because he gets beaten to a pulp by ninjas every night. He fights as Daredevil to protect the people he cares about and even complete strangers. I got emotional when Stick tells Elektra that Matt came to save her, not him. His brief romance with Karen is very sweet and I was grinning like an idiot throughout. I know its not going to happen, but I want them to be happy dammit.
Karen is still a strong character, even if she gets into more shit than Lois Lane. I wasn't entirely convinced by her fascination with the good side of Frank Castle, but, like Foggy, it was cool to have her become independent. I was so pumped when Matt revealed he was Daredevil, but that makes me very worried about her life expectancy.
Elektra was pretty good. Like a lot of the storylines near the end of the season, her being the "chosen one" was dumb and felt rushed. Her sacrifice was a satisfying conclusion to her arc, but she won't be dead for long.
The action scenes this season were still fantastic and better than most American shows and movies. Its been a while since the first season, but I felt like the fights in this one had higher highs and lower lows. A lot of the fights take place in oppressively dark locations, which bothered me a bit. The choreography was really good, which makes it all the more confusing why they tried to hide it.
Overall, it was a strong season, even though some of the storylines didn't end well. Clancy Brown being evil was weird and I'm not entirely sure what the ninjas were doing. There's some good setup for next season and the wait will feel very long.
Oh and I'm 99% sure we are getting a take on Born Again in season three. They hinted at it multiple times. Obviously, Karen isn't going to be a strung-out prostitute (sorry, Frank Miller) and hopefully Matt Murdock won't become a ranting and raving homeless man, but everything else points in that direction.
