After a recent visit to New York City, I've been inspired to start re-watching all the Marvel Once-Netflix-Now-Disney+ shows. I had an amazing time in the city, and was sad to leave. All of these shows are set and filmed in NYC for the most part, and I'm hoping that re-watching them will help lessen the sting of leaving. (This is not just an excuse to re-watch Daredevil!*)
We begin with Daredevil Season One, and I'm hoping that by paying close to attention to the story, I'll learn something about how to structure a multi-episode series (DDS1 has 13 episodes). Maybe when I finish the whole season I'll write something about its structure as a whole--both in terms of plot and character arc--but for now I just want to focus on pulling some writing lessons or just favourite moments from just the first episode.
It doesn't take long for Daredevil to grab you. After a flashback scene showing us how Matt Murdock was blinded as a child, we get a scene of grown-Matt in a confessional booth with a priest. His monologue here is amazing. Not only does it convey essential backstory, but it reveals a simmering anger beneath Matt's surface that I think is core to his character. (Praise to Charlie Cox for conveying this so superbly). Matt is an angry guy. I mean, we cut to the title sequence after the next scene on an image of Matt repeatedly punching a human trafficker in the face long after the man ceased to be a threat.
But anger alone isn't what makes Matt interesting: it's the juxtaposition of his anger and his Catholicism that does it. These two facets of Matt never cease to be at odds with one another. It's part of what makes him such an interesting character. And Daredevil sets all this up in just three scenes.
There are two more borderline-unresolvable conflicts within Matt Murdock set up in this episode. One is the fact that despite being a lawyer by day, he's a law-breaking vigilante by night. The other is the fact that Matt's dad's--a boxer--didn't want his son to end up as a fighter like him. And yet...
I could go on about the different facets of Matt's character, but these are only supposed to be short posts! Maybe I'll get to it when I write about future episodes. For now, I can only hope that some day I'll be able to pull off writing a character as conflicted and multi-dimensional as Matt Murdock.
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