DAREDEVIL: Season 1: Into the Ring

“Into the Ring,” the first episode in Netflix’s new Marvel series DAREDEVIL, begins with Matt Murdock in a confessional. He tells the priest he was raised to always get back up when knocked down. Matt doesn’t confess, but rather asks for forgiveness for what he’s about to do. Matt Murdock, though he’s blind, puts on a black mask at night to stop criminals. In this first episode, he also begins his new law practice with his good friend Foggy. They take on their first client, Karen, who was found standing over a dead body in her apartment. When they look into the case, they start to see that something much bigger is going on in Hell’s Kitchen. “Into the Ring” sets up the moral conundrum that Murdock faces in the series. He has deep convictions, largely due to his Catholicism, which is why he feels he must do something to save Hell’s Kitchen, but this leads to questionable decisions. For example, near the beginning, a masked Murdock saves some women from being sold into slavery. He doesn’t stop at that, however, but beats the men responsible to a pulp in utter rage. Cosmic justice is black and white in this series, but what Murdock does on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen at night sometimes lingers in the grey. The characters and their relationships in DAREDEVIL are really interesting, especially the friendship Matt and Foggy. Also, Karen becomes a more critical character later on and has her own likable charm. That said, the show is dark, gritty and at times gruesome. DAREDEVIL is by no means a show for children, so strong caution is advised.