Morality: The Blurred Line Between Black and White

Hey there all,

I know Raven just talked a bit about Daredevil and said she would revisit the show when she and I have watched more, but I am not that patient. I'm talking about it now. And possibly forever. I may never post about anything else ever again! (Lies. I will talk about other things on Monday. I am almost 80% sure of it.)

As Raven noted in her previous post I love the Daredevil comic books. Usually it is Raven that finds dark, gritty, depressing media to be enjoyable more than I. In fact I'm usually pretty opposed to it. Comics are the one medium where I seem to very actively enjoy and seek out darker characters and story lines. My all time favorite superhero (at least for the moment) is Jessica Jones, another of Marvel's Defender superheroes - and one who will also get her own show on Netflix. Luke Cage and Iron Fist round out the four Defenders who will grace Netflix's roster in the coming years. I don't know much about Iron Fist and honestly haven't read any of his comics, but I adore Luke Cage (even in his cheesy 70s costume.)

Though let's all be honest in our joy that he lost that yellow shirt. 

Each Defender is what I would consider a small scale hero. Their comic books aren't usually about saving the world. They're about saving a segment of a city. Usually a very small segment, at that. All of the Defenders are New York City based heroes and the city is as much a part of them as they are a part of it. Though some of the cast of the Defenders eventually goes on to bigger (we can argue if they are better) things, they are primarily concerned with the welfare and well being of their city.

So, back to the show. Thus far I have only watched the first 5 episodes. There are spoilers ahead for those episodes, and the Daredevil universe in general ahead. I will try to keep them to a minimum. What I love about this show, the same as I love about the comic, is the characters. The are all far from perfect. Their circumstances are far from perfect. And the world in which they live is full of chaos, danger, death, crime, and tough obstacles. The way the characters interact with this imperfect world and the other imperfect people in it is very rich and layered.

I'm going to give you a rundown on all the major "good" characters in the story and why I love them. Starting with the obvious...

Matthew Murdock (alias: Daredevil)
Matt Murdock (for the uninitiated out there) was born and raised in Hell's Kitchen - an impoverished, crime-ridden section of New York City. His father was a boxer who wanted a better life for his son. Even after a childhood accident leaves Matt blind (but with heightened senses thanks to some science chemicals) his father pushes him to be a better student, and a better person. His father, needing more money for himself and his son, starts throwing fights for some bad men to make ends meet. Eventually he can't do it anymore - his need to be the best for his son overtaking his need for money - and he refuses to throw a fight, leading to his death.
After his father's death Matt takes charge of his abilities, learning to channel and filter the senses that could otherwise overwhelm him. Later he goes on to law school and then to a small private defense practice with his best friend, Foggy Nelson (who we will get to later).
Now, here's why I love Matt. He's a brilliant lawyer (he can tell when anyone is lying and how any jury is reacting to him by listening to their heartbeat) and he is a strong, talented crime fighter. But sometimes Matt is a huge idiot. He is not careful at concealing his secret identity, he has the worst taste in women (in my opinion), he can be a bit of a jerk to his aforementioned best friend, he forgoes common sense and caution to the detriment of himself and others, and has a tendency to act first and think later. In other words, he's got some flaws.
He's also very grey in terms of morality. He's a lawyer who breaks the law to punish the men that the justice system can't touch. He is a vigilante in every sense of the word. Each side of his character stands on a separate side of the moral fence. As a lawyer he is careful to stay inside the bounds of the law, protecting those who are falsely accused. As a vigilante he breaks laws left and right to punish the people the law has to overlook. It's a complicated relationship that plays to perfection in the show.
And why does he do it all? Because he loves his neighborhood. He loves Hell's Kitchen and even though he could be a big time superhero and a big time lawyer basically anywhere, Matt chooses to stay in his section of New York and focus his efforts there. Because it's enough work for a lifetime.

Foggy Nelson
The show has not delved into Foggy's past so neither will I, but suffice it to say Foggy and Matt are old friends and their relationship is one of the few constants in Matt's life. And likely in Foggy's. Foggy is not always as altruistic as Matt, often playing a more average Joe-type character driven by more than a need to help save the world. Foggy might be happy working as a high powered lawyer were he not so close with Matt. As it stands Foggy shares his friend's morals and do-gooder spirit, but it's not always so easy for him. And he makes it known.
Foggy is one of my favorites parts of both the show and the comic series. He is unendingly loyal, though not necessarily unendingly patient with Matt. When he finds out about his friend's double life he has plenty to say about it and like a true friend he doesn't pull his punches. He is usually very good at telling Matt what he needs to hear, even and especially when Matt doesn't want to hear it.
He's less confident than Matt and this often manifests in his relationship with women. He is quite endearing, but not always attractive to the women he wants in life, especially when Matt is standing right next to him, getting all the ladies. But I love the way Elden Henson (a tragically underrated actor, I think) plays Foggy's relationship with Karen Page in the show. It is a delightfully friendly, hopeful, and supportive relationship thus far - even though I'm fairly sure the writers intend Karen for Matt (after all, that's how it goes down in the comics.) But Henson, with his perfectly timed jokes, casual self-deprecating flirtation, and more realistic (non-superhero) reactions to life have me rooting for him and Karen way more than I expected.
Foggy will definitely be the common man's view of the world. He is what I would be in that position - and Henson makes me feel okay about that.

Karen Page
Not my favorite character in the comics, but so far I am loving her in the show. She shows up as the damsel in distress in the first episode. She discovers some bad stuff about her company and in response bad men try to frame her for murder and then try to murder her when that doesn't work. Enter new lawyers, Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock. They save her and get to bottom of the mess with her old bosses in the meantime, though justice is certainly not served as we would all like by the end of the episode.
The show's Karen is, to me, very naive - a blonde ingenue type (a type I admit to finding very, very dull). But she combines that with a very strong sense of right and wrong. Karen doesn't seem to see the shades of grey the rest of the characters do. There is no scale, only right and wrong, and she will fight to bring those in the wrong to justice. Even when it gets her into a lot of trouble (spoilers: it does.) She charges into fights she doesn't fully comprehend and thus far hasn't been great at extricating herself without help. I hope that will change as the show progresses.
I enjoy her camaraderie with Foggy and I wish she were less obviously pining for Matt. I think it would be refreshing to see a female character in a platonic relationship with all the show's men. I understand why Karen Page cannot be that person for this show... but my wish still remains.

Claire Temple
We don't know much about this character yet. She claims to be a nurse and she saves Matt's life after he takes some dumb changes as Daredevil. She puts herself in situations of immense risk for him, without asking much in return except his assurance that he is on the right side of the fight. She even gets kidnapped by the Russian mob to try to lure Daredevil into the open, or find some information on him. But Claire is as much a fighter as she is a healer, an uncommon combination that I relish. She is very tough and although she has been the primary love interest for Matt so far I hold high hopes that she will either come to her senses or become more than just a love interest.
Raven and I found ourselves saying something about how stupid Matt had just been and then Claire would say the same thing a few scenes later. She, like Foggy, doesn't hold back against Matt's carelessness. She also voices some concerns about Matt's morality that I think serve to show the audience that although Matt may be on the right side he may not be fighting the right people, or the right way. Even good people make bad decisions.
So far, Claire may be my favorite character in the show. If I could choose a character I would like to be most like it is undoubtedly her. (It helps that she is played by Rosario Dawson who I think is amazing all the way through.) She has a lot of attributes I particularly value in a good person: loyalty, competence, caring, intelligence, and a no bullshit attitude a mile wide. Temple may end up being the conscience for Daredevil reminding him not to stray too far into the world he fights against.
Claire Temple, from the comics doesn't actually appear in Daredevil. She is a part of Luke Cage's world. Hopefully she will bridge the gap between the worlds and show up in both shows. I certainly hope they keep her arch with Luke, despite adding her to the Daredevil world.

Here is a good, quick rundown of all the character and who plays them if you want to put some faces with these names.

I will get around to posting about the villains (and one more hero) of the Daredevil world soon. Suffice to say for now they are every bit as compelling and interesting and even likeable as the heroes.

Until next time,
Owl