Daredevil: This is the one with the least amount of area to grow, mainly because that first season was so damn high in quality. Aside from some trimming that needs to be done to the length of certain episodes (like the fourth season of Arrested Development, I wish two or three episodes had trimmed just a few minutes of content that would have really helped make the stories feel all the more cohesive), this is a program firing on all cylinders that makes me excited for where season two goes.
Much of that excitement stems from the casting of future characters, since the acting of the numerous participants in Daredevil season one were frequently top-notch. It was great to see character actors like Bob Gunton get major roles allowing them to shine in the spotlight, while Charlie Cox played Matt Murdoch with equal parts tragedy and conviction that makes me excited at the prospect of him teaming up with the likes of Robert Downey Jr. down the line. And as you may have heard, Vincent D'Onforio was quite a memorable bad guy playing The Kingpin, bringing the well known personality to riveting life with his distinctive traits that could have been one-note crutches in the hands of another actor.
As you might imagine, all that success in casting makes me not only giddy for the other Netflix/Marvel collaborations (oh my God, Kristyn Ritter could knock it out of the park as Jessica Jones), but also what actors will play notable characters from Daredevils mythology in Season 2 of Daredevil. A persistent rumor that spawned last night has Jason Statham being a desired name for Bullseye, which would be cool, though I'd really love to see Walter Goggins take on the role. And boy howdy, if the rumor of Mysterio coming onto the show is true, I'd love to see John Hawkes play that famous antagonist!
The production values on the show were surprisingly accomplished, bringing the 40's era to life in sets and costumes with remarkable skill. However, I do wish season 2 would bring more notable supporting characters to the forefront to bounce off Carter; aside from Daniel Sousa, who was very well-written (his monologue about his experience in a diner with his physical injury was one of the seasons best scenes), the best supporting character, Angie, a waitress and pal to Carter, appeared far too little on the program. To boot, despite a chilling flashback sequence, Dottie really didn't leave much of an impression as a villain, and that complaint is even more resonant when dealing with Doctor Faustus.
Still, that flaw didn't distract heavily from the shows best moments, and frankly, feels more like an opportunity to introduce some really interesting new characters into season 2 (which I think takes places in the 50's). Hopefully, when those new players enter the field, Agent Carter retains the sense of adventure and expert writing that made it shine. Oh, and Peggy Carter kicking as much ass as humanely possible wouldn't hurt either!
Still, it's a shame the second season couldn't have been a more engaging experience as a whole, especially considering how strong the first half of the season was. It was great to watch the cast go to more painful places with their characters, namely Fitz grappling with the mental impairments he received after the events of the first season finale. But once the second half of season two started, the ensemble format of the first ten episodes shifted over to primarily focus on Skye and her discovery of her mom and the Inhumans.
Chloe Bennet had some strong moments in this storyline, especially when she had to deal with her inner turmoil over who to side with (her Inhuman family or her S.H.I.E.L.D. comrades?). Plus, centering the plot around her gave Kyle Machlachlan the chance to shine as the memorable villain Dr. Zabo. What a fun character, who was over-the-top in all the right ways! Alas, Skye's plot lacked stakes, namely since the Inhumans she met (including her mom and Lincoln) just weren't that layered or interesting to watch. Eventually, the presence of the colony of Inhumans Skye was working with became so crucial to show that even when Skye wasn't on-screen, all the characters discussed was what to do with her predicament. It's no shocker to me to that the best episode of this portion of the season was one that returned to the ensemble nature of the earlier Season 2 episodes. This story was called Melinda, which, as you can imagine, was a tale revolving around Melinda May and a past mission gone horrible wrong. It was intense and compelling, two words that couldn't be used to describe a number of the episodes in this part of Season 2.
Further foibles could be found in how little screentime legitimately interesting characters got during this storyline; Phil Coulson was reduced to just asking "Where's Skye?" for much of the time, Fitz/Simmons brief plan with Fury's Toolbox was a rare moment of inventiveness and the best character on the show (Bobbi Morse, played by Adrianne Palcki) was tied to a chair for the entirety of the season finale. All in the name of a clunky season finale that wound up leading up to....fish oil. Woop-dee-doo. There's certainly hope for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as seen in the first half, and even a number of sequences in the second half, of Season 2, but this rough patch certainly dilutes the sort of fascinating promise the program had going into its sophomore year.
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