Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, TV | Tagged: daredevil: born again

Daredevil: Born Again First Impressions: Marvel Hits Its Dick Wolf Era

Daredevil: Born Again is well-acted, well-scripted, and wastes no time. It's not big event TV, but much more like Marvel's Dick Wolf era.

In December 2020, after a routine eye exam revealed some corneal scarring, I was diagnosed with a nice little pile of eye conditions. They aren't vision-impacting, but they are painful, and as someone who was never that into wearing makeup in the first place, I decided it was best to stop wearing any for the sake of my eyes. Six months later, I bought my first bottle of nail polish and learned how to paint my nails. It was my way of still presenting feminine, a visual representation that I still took pride in my looks, and it was relaxing. Every week or so, I'd set aside some significant time to paint my nails so I'd have time between coats to let everything dry, and I wouldn't have to worry about smudging anything. That time, for an hour or two, I would watch YouTube essays, scroll mindlessly on TikTok, or, recently, watch Marvel Television shows like Daredevil: Born Again. 

"Daredevil: Born Again" Hits The Ground Running

There was a time not long ago when Marvel Television was a must-see TV, but things began to fall off, specifically when the perceived quality of the shows began to drop as well. As Marvel continued to lean into the interconnectivity of the cinematic universe, the shows weren't things you could watch if you wanted but needed to watch if you wanted the full experience of the MCU. In terms of quality, Daredevil: Born Again is a lot better than some of the previous Marvel shows. The first four episodes have seen what worked with the Netflix show and leaned into those aspects. The cast remains fantastic, and they slip back into these roles like second skins, as if they had never left. If anyone was worried about this show trying to twist itself into a knot to be PG-13, it does not. While the progression from Netflix to Disney+ isn't entirely seamless, it's about as smooth as it could possibly be.

It also doesn't waste time with the story and themes kicking off right away. This isn't a slow burn, at least not initially, as major events start happening immediately. If you're worried they're going to gatekeep Kingpin to try and build up tension, they do not. The always-fantastic Vincent D'Onofrio shows up 20 minutes into the first episode. They also don't try and hide Matt being Daredevil for episodes at a time either, so someone looking forward to Matt kicking the absolute crap out of someone will walk away happy with these first two episodes. They do a very good job of setting up the overall story that this season will follow.

That's something that Daredevil: Born Again does, which feels very true to TV. The overall season-wide story of the show is about Kingpin being mayor and what is going on there. However, the show doesn't solely focus on that. There are smaller stories that take place over the course of a couple of episodes. This feels like television for an extended movie where the second act is stretched to the point of snapping over the course of 5 episodes. We have our A plot, which moves slowly along each episode, and our B plot, which is established and (more or less) wrapped up quickly. Imagine that: a Marvel TV show written, structured, and paced like an actual TV show. We love to see it.

Marvel Television Is No Longer Event Television (And That's Okay)

Let's circle back to painting my nails. There are television shows you watch with your eyes unable to move away from the screen, entirely caught up with what's happening, and sometimes you feel unable to breathe. Then there are shows that you watch, and you fold your laundry as you watch. Maybe you set up your computer in your kitchen and do the dishes. Or, in my case, you settle down for a bit of self-care and a show. You're not distracted, but you're also not entirely captivated either. That is what Marvel Television has become. It's no longer must-see TV, it's "I need to organized this thing and need something to watch while I do it" TV.

Perhaps that is a symptom of Marvel Television truly becoming part of the cultural ethos. Once upon a time, there was probably a moment when someone couldn't look away from the next episode of Law & Order. Now, it's practically a go-to background noise. Does that mean Law & Order is bad now? No, but maybe a new episode isn't an event anymore; it's just a thing that happens. Marvel has released a new TV show, and they will do that with the same consistency they release movies, and those no longer feel like events. Daredevil: Born Again is another Marvel Television show, it's pretty damn good, but it's not an event. As for me? I watched the first four episodes while painting my nails with Mooncat Maelstrom. The episodes were pretty damn good, my nails look great, and I relaxed for four hours. I'll watch the second half of the season in the next day or two and give myself a much-needed pedicure with some vintage Essie I knicked from my mother.

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