Daredevil: A Cold Day in Hell’s Kitchen

 “What if this isn’t the end? What if this is just the beginning?”

This, in the end, is a fairly predictable finale, but it’s so well-crafted and emotionally resonant that that’s ok. It’s not much of a spoiler, given the forty years since Daredevil #181, that Electra dies, so why not have an emotional Matt pledge to be with her, and go with her anywhere, before their final battle against the odds, just to rub in the fact we all know she’s not going to survive?

It’s an all-out battle with Nobu and the Hand, with much of the supporting cast involved as hostages. Even Frank Castle, while taking a lower profile, gets to play his part at the end… while wearing that proper Punisher skull t-shirt. Daredevil finally gets his billy club, too.

It’s a highly satisfying closer, and that’s not even taking into accountthe cameo appearance of Jeri Hogarth from Jessica Jones- will Foggy take that high flying job? Will he appear in other Netflix Marvel shows before the next season of Daredevil? And we get that dramatic moment, right at the end, where Matt finally reveals to Karen that he’s Daredevil.

I’ll wait for the Netflix shows to transfer to Disney Plus, then I’ll carry on with the first season of Luke Cage…

Daredevil: Bang

 "If I take a night off, people get hurt."

I know, it's been a while. I've always intended to carry on with the now long ended Netflix Marvel series, but there's so much good telly to watch and so it's somehow been several years. But now, although unspoiled, I'm led to understand that the Netflix stuff is about to possibly become a little more relevant to future stuff, so here goes. I'll endeavour to make a project of doing all of them, alternated with other stuff, until they're done, with the occasional short break if I happen to do any other Marvel or DC-themed telly, so the blog isn't too comics-heavy.

Essentially, this is s splendid episode. The direction and visuals are superb, with an excellent pre-titles action sequence and particularly excellent and effective lighting throughout. The chemistry between Matt, Karen and Foggy is wonderful, even as it's being gently established that the law firm is in deep financial trouble through being essentially run as a charity by people who are extremely nice, but perhaps not sustainably so. And, of course, our three leads remind us how wonderful they are.

And then there's the arc plot- of what at first seems like a paramilitary organisation massacring all those gangs who are trying to take over from the vacuum left over by the fall of Wilson Fisk. The long bit of clever misdirection with the gathering of the Irish mob, the speech, and the eventual massacre, feels like The Godfather or The Sopranos, with a very pleasing whiff of Scorsese.

And the conclusion, as DD realises these paramilitaries are in fact one man, the man enters the hospital in pursuit of brave Karen and her charge, and DD is shot in the face... ooh, I've missed Daredevil. More please.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Initiative

"And 'they' are? The government? Nazis? A major cosmetics company?"

The season arc has taken a long, long time to really show itself this time round, but this is the episode where it arrives with a bang, and after lots of appearance my mysterious military types we meet the Initiative. We also, of course, get a proper look at Riley, and lots of significant stuff happens.

We begin by meeting Riley's two good mates, Forrest and Graham. These two instantly tell us that Riley's an important character. After all, not everybody gets their own personal Greek chorus. It's revealed that he really likes Buffy, hence loads of comical failed seduction scenes. But the big, big, reveal- that all of them work for the Initiative and that Riley is the top field operations dude- is so well executed, with a conversation about Riley's pursuit of Buffy continuing as they casually head "downstairs". It's a hugely effective moment. And then we realise that the big boss of them all is none other than Professor Walsh. So that's why we've been focusing on only one of Buffy's lecturers.

Obviously this is all hugely influenced by the then-recent film version of Men in Black, and it's interesting, in hindsight, to see it as a kind of forerunner of a similar establishment in Joss Whedon's own The Cabin in the Woods. I suppose, though, that this is exactly the sort of Area 51 type thing that the US government would have to be running in a town with a Hellmouth in any self-respecting fictional universe. We still don't know what they're for, of course. But what's wonderful is just how funny this arc-centric episode manages to be. The revelation that Riley is just as much the secret identity boy as Buffy is the secret identity girl is exploited for all its glorious farcical potential.

Also fantastic is Willow conspiring with Riley to attract Buffy's interest, not least because it shows that, for all the talk of a "black hole of despair", she hasn't given up on the idea of romance. She's still completely broken-hearted, but Willow is a very sensible girl, and she isn't going to react in quite the extreme way that Buffy did. It'll take a while, but she'll be ok.

The Xander / Giles double act is a thing of beauty and genius, too. The two of them are united in their mutual uselessness, as Giles drives home by admitting that "Once again I'd say you and I will not be needed to help Buffy." Not only is Giles an unemployed ex-Watcher in the early stages of a mid-life crisis, Xander is slowly using his military superpowers, the only thing that made him in any way special. And he's also unemployed, and divided from his friends by his non-studentiness.

But the biggest change, of course, happens to Spike. The chip in his brain now means he can no longer do Bad Guy Things without suffering immense pain. This is probably necessary, of course, if he is to become a regular and he and Buffy are plausibly to both remain alive, but it's an interesting and irreversible character moment. Spike is promoted from charismatic villain status to a character capable of development.

Also, that scene between him and Willow with the extended impotence metaphor is the funniest thing in the history of ever. The season has really stepped up a gear. I'm excited.

Angel: In the Dark

"This is not a needle in a haystack. This is a needle in Kansas."

Yes, I know, this is a nice follow-up to the preceding episode of Buffy both literally and thematically, with even the episode's title being a nice link. But is it really all that healthy for a spin-off which is still trying to establish itself to be crossing over with the original series in only its third episode?

For one thing, it feels a little strange to see Oz, of all people. He doesn't seem to belong in this show, as even the dialogue seems to concede with the comical awkwardness of him and Cordelia "catching up". Spike is a much more natural fit, and his first scene is well funny but, again, he's a recurring villain from the parent show. Is this healthy?

Such worries aside, though, on its own terms it's a brilliant episode, and a superb examination of Angel's character, and how profoundly shaped he is by the desire for atonement, forgiveness and brooding opportunities. The physical tortures he suffers are more or less a metaphor for the mental tortures he forces upon himself every day through his self-flagellating instincts. He can't allow himself to have the Ring Amarra, in spite of all the good it would do, because he feels he doesn't deserve it. This isn't the reason he was sent back from Hell. Better to brood, in the dark. A lot.

Oh, and to help people. We get a nice example in this episode, where he helps a battered woman escape from her abusive lover, and from her own irrational but all-too-common urge to go back to him.

Spike is fun, and gets all the best lines, but what I love about him here is that he's such a people person, even getting to briefly exchange small talk with Cordelia, something which Angel has manifestly failed to do. We have to remember he's evil, though, although not as evil as the horrible, horrible torturer, with his Heinrich Himmler looks, his hints of paedophilia and, oh yes, the torturing. From the minute we see him we know he has to die before the episode ends; he's just too evil to be allowed to survive, however impressed we might be by his quoting from Hamlet.

As for Cordelia and Doyle… well, they've developed a rapport, but it looks as though Cordelia has Doyle firmly in the friend zone, which is bad new for him. The two of them are great together, although it's looking as though their cultural differences regarding alcohol may be a problem: Cordelia, being American, is rather more abstemious than northern Europeans such as Doyle and, well, myself…! Oh yes… and there's the demon thing. Of course we, the viewers, rather suspect that Cordelia probably won't bat an eyelid when she finds out. But Doyle doesn't know her as well as we do. Oh, and bless her for being so excited about the invoice.

But still, all this reliance on the parent show doesn't bode well. There are some promising signs of independence, most notably in a visibly different directorial style, with jump cuts and all, but the show needs to try and avoid these sorts of crossovers for a bit, until it learns to stand on its own two feet.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Revelations

"Interesting lady. Can we kill her?"

Blimey. Do some Americans really think of us Brits as being like that awful Gwendolyn Post? She's a deliciously hissable pantomime villain, perfectly written and performed to be the sort of character you love to hate. But usually in Buffy the British stereotypes are knowing and ironic, and that isn't the case here. A lot of the dialogue here indicates that there's a bit of a stereotype in America of us Brits actually being stuck-up, arrogant, emotionally constipated, puritanical(!) but also intelligent, well-educated and thinking of Americans as culturally inferior. Some of those things may have been true of a certain elite back in the bad old days of Empire, but it's odd to see it in a contemporary context. I tend to see us as more-or-less typical North Europeans: easy-going, fun-loving and partial to beer and raucous laughter, and generally very likely to take the piss out of the Gwendolyn Posts of this world.

That said, she's a delicious baddie and a gloriously fun character. And that's really rather necessary, because this episode not only does a fair bit of heavy lifting in service of the season arc, but it's quite intense at times. Buffy has kept the return of Angel secret for a while now, and this is the episode where the elastic finally snaps. No one reacts well, although it's odd that no one seems to acknowledge any distinction at all between Angel and Angelus. Xander, again, sees red. Everyone gangs up on Buffy in the library, in what looks awfully like an intervention. But it's Giles' reaction, alone with Buffy afterwards and having seemingly defended her, that is the emotional heart of the episode. His quiet yet emotionally devastating words hit so very hard: "You have no respect for me, or the job I perform."

This is, of course, the beginning of a run of episodes that examines and questions the role of the Watcher. With what right do they wield their authority? What is this mysterious "Council", with its decidedly public school membership, and to whom is it accountable? We're beginning to see the start of a distancing between Giles, a sympathetic and likeable character, and the somewhat ambiguous organisation which he represents.

The attraction between Willow and Xander is continuing to fester, and is bound to explode soon. Alyson Hannigan is superb at playing the comic potential of Willow's guilt, but I suspect there won't be much more of this. As for Buffy and Angel, it seems very doubtful if the two of them can be together. There's too much awkwardness. It's still far from clear what Angel's role in this season is going to be, other than as a catalyst for conflict between the Scoobies. Everyone seems to accept his "not evil" credentials, but things between him and everyone else are, for obvious reasons, even more awkward.

Faith's story is also taking a turn into darker areas. She trusted Post, and her betrayal makes Faith even less inclined to trust anyone. The last shot in the episode is her, in a bedsit, alone.