Netflix launched its made-for-TV Marvel Universe Daredevil series late last week, and lots of people have binged their way through the entire series. I’ve been going for more than a slow burn.
I did watch episode one on Friday night, to be clear. I mean, I’ve waited years for a decent treatment of a hero whose adventures I’ve followed since I started collecting comics circa 1985.
Yeah, I’m old, and ol’ hornhead has been one of my favourites ever since then. Actually, it’s like Netflix stared clear into my soul when picking Marvel heroes to make TV series around; I have a near complete run of Power Man and Iron Fist, and the same for The Defenders, which will apparently be the storyline connection point between all of Netflix’s upcoming Marvel series. For me, it’s one of those shut up and take my money moments; I’m hoping that like other Netflix series there will be Blu-Ray releases, because I’m also still old-school enough to enjoy having physical things that are “mine” along with streaming access.
I even have the Affleck Daredevil movie, and I don’t hate it quite as much as many others do. You may now judge me.
I think it was early Saturday morning when my social feed started lighting up with people informing me that they’d made it all the way through Daredevil, and they wanted more. Over the weekend more folks I know indicated that they’d finished the series, thankfully without too many jarring spoilers, for which I’m grateful. For what it’s worth, I think I’ll have to update my guide to online spoilers, because full series releases do rather change things. Still, so far, everyone’s been good.
Daredevil is remarkably violent — which is entirely fitting for the hero of Hell’s Kitchen — and it’s been shot in a way that maximises the impact of that violence in such a way that I’d be hard put to watch all of it particularly quickly, because it’s not exactly family-friendly viewing. My kids have picked up some of my superhero tastes, but there’s a bit of a difference between the heroes they’re used to and the Netflix interpretation.
That aside, though, I’ve been doing a slow burn (for a Netflix series), and I think I’ve been enjoying it all the more for that. Each episode has had time to resonate with me — I’m only up to episode four as I write this — and I can anticipate a few matters, chortle at a few rather subtle in-jokes that you’d have to be a long-time DD fan to easily grasp, and bide my time.
One of the nice aspects of a full series drop is that you can take your time if you want or gorge if that’s to your taste. I won’t say that I’d have had the same restraint if the BBC suddenly decided to put out a full series of Doctor Who all at once, for example. I’m only human.
Anyway, that’s my approach. What’s yours?
Did you splurge all the way through in a few heavy hitting Daredevil sessions, or are you taking it slow and steady, and if so, why?
Slow burn for me too. I watched ep 5 this morning and I’m slowed down by the fact my wife wasn’t interested at all after watching the first ep. So I’m watching it when she isn’t around (which means in that gap between when I get up and when she does each morning…).
I love the Netflix approach of releasing a series ‘in bulk’ as that more closely reflects modern viewing habits (read: MY viewing habits). No need for a weekly schedule when there’s no broadcast channel to cater to. We’re completely in control and I like it. But the potential spoiler issue is a head scratcher and one that would make GoT virtually impossible in this format as people seem incapable of keeping their traps shut with that show. (Mainstream news website headline writers too).
DD is growing on me after what I thought was a very poor series opener. Kingpin is pitch perfect (wish they’d call him that at least once) but Foggy still irritates me.