While series one of Daredevil took a certain amount of time finding itself, its succeeding series is able to effectively jump right back into the action fairly quickly; it doesn’t take as long to get going and, having spent a certain amount of time away from it (watching Jessica Jones), it was comforting to step back into the offices of Nelson and Murdock and to watch the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen at work, thankfully doing away with the black bandana and upgrading to a proper superhero suit, complete with all the toys that that entails.

The second series is a huge improvement on the first; it is just that bit more consistent and interesting and is able to include multiple storylines, bringing back familiar characters as well as introducing new ones, without losing focus and delivering a solidly written and concise story, which is particularly gripping and compelling throughout its series run. It is an ideal length as no episode feels wasted and is constantly of a high, exciting standard.

Speaking of new additions, series two brings Frank Castle/The Punisher into the mix, perfectly played by Jon Bernthal. As I mentioned in my series one review, I’m a relative newbie when it comes to the world of Daredevil (though I did see the 2003 Affleck version, just like I said I would), so the character of The Punisher was completely new to me, but his inclusion into this second series was a welcome breath of fresh air. From his Terminator-style entrance in the police station, he proves himself to be a formidable force to be reckoned with but he also shows genuine, believable depth as the series progresses. Castle is a fascinating, conflicted character as he can be both an unstoppable, unrelenting force as well as a tortured, sympathetic tragic figure. As hinted at before, Bernthal is perfect in the role, he shares some great chemistry with both Charlie Cox and Deborah Ann Woll and I’m sure that everyone agrees that he definitely deserves his own series!

And of course we also get Elektra, played wonderfully by Elodie Yung, and this adds another fresh, exciting dynamic into the show as it leads Matt into his struggle to maintain his dual identities, a fun and thrilling story arc, and throughout the series both Daredevil and Elektra prove to be a formidable fighting force while also managing to incur genuine support from the audience as their relationship is rocky but complete with mutual respect and compassion. As well as the new additions, Wilson Fisk and Stick also make some welcome reappearances and the first few series episodes also reintroduce that warm, charming Matt/Foggy/Karen dynamic that was so admirable in the first series even though, due to the events of the story, things take a downward turn as they eventually all go their separate ways.

The stakes are raised in this second series and as such, the accompanying action set pieces are executed with enough style and aplomb. As mentioned before, it is great to see Daredevil in a proper armoured superhero suit as opposed to the black bandana and overall, this series seems to be following in the footsteps of (the second series of) Arrow, delivering a remarkable sophomore outing that neatly carries on from its predecessor and gives the audience more bang for their buck.

A consistent, confident and entertaining second series that introduces some admirable new characters and an intriguing, multi layered plot.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Whadaya think? D’you reckon I’ll be able to get through Luke Cage and Iron Fist in time for The Defenders? Hope so – lagging behind is taking its toll!