Warning: This recap contains spoilers for the season two premiere of Daredevil, “Bang.” Leave the ring and find a fight away from this page if you haven’t seen the episode yet.

Finally! The long wait is over, and Marvel’s Daredevil is back on Netflix with season two. The premiere kicked things off with a mix of the everyday and the action-packed. In some ways, the opening scenes were a reminder that not much has changed. We started with Matt Murdock on a rooftop, surveying his city and listening for those who need help—just like the end of season one. His devil may care attitude (yeah, I know) was obvious as he smiled after a job well done. He’s doing the same thing he was doing before he booted Wilson Fisk out of Hell’s Kitchen: trying to make his city a better place.

The cozy and familiar vibe continued as Foggy and Matt walked to work. Those damn avocados are the cutest. In a few beats of dialogue, we learned Foggy’s still supportive of Matt’s nighttime activities but also terribly worried about him. Oh, and in order to explain all of Matt’s regular injuries, Foggy told Karen Matt has a drinking problem. Speaking of Karen, Nelson and Murdock has kept busy. Their waiting room was overflowing with clients–clients who couldn’t necessarily pay in actual money, but still.

The establishing the state of the union even included a night out at Josie’s. Charlie Cox, Elden Henson, and Deborah Ann Woll had fantastic chemistry in the first season, but now? It’s like they’ve been friends and co-workers forever. If I knew what “squad goals” meant, I’d probably use it here. They nailed communicating tons without words, even with Karen having to believe in Matt’s blindness.

Just when we got settled in with the familiar territory, things went south with a massacre. Matt and co. learned blood has been spilled around the Kitchen by the buckets. But Matt got answers as Daredevil: Taking Fisk out of the equation only left the door open for others to try to take control. The news hit him hard, as did discovering some of the mystery perpetrators’ handiwork. It was emphasized how no one believed one man could be responsible. In fact, they may have brought up that point a few too many times. We got it, guys.

Of course, I’m not sure if I really got it until Jon Bernthal’s Punisher entered the hospital to search for the victim he missed at the earlier bloodbath. His determination showed in his stride: Every move he made had purpose—as in lethal purpose. It was, in equal turns, fascinating and scary to watch. I’m not terribly familiar with the comics version of the Punisher so I didn’t have strong feelings about him joining Daredevil, however it was quickly apparent he was a worthy inclusion.

In a move I didn’t expect, the end of the first episode took us right into the meeting of Daredevil and Punisher and their first fight. Matt hasn’t proven himself to be an excellent fighter, but he has been scrappy enough to more than take care of himself. He wasn’t a match for Punisher though–not this time. The threat Punisher presented to Daredevil was established quickly and mercilessly, and it needed to be. They had to show the audience Punisher was on Matt’s level and could be a problem even without the weaponry. I was genuinely worried for Matt before the Punisher shot him.

Daredevil’s season two premiere had the right blend of old and new. It was comforting to come back and see Matt, Foggy, and Karen hard at work developing the law practice, but I’m guessing probably not everyone is interested in the series following them as they take cases and accept fruit cobbler as payment. The Punisher’s actions shook things up and turned what could have been a boring debut into an engaging one.

Random thoughts:

• Karen can truly be a tough-as-nails badass and when she flips into that mode I’d believe anything she tells me.
• They’re using a bit of a different technique to showcase Matt’s abilities, and it made me take pause and think more about how he experiences the world.
• Foggy’s persistence is a sight to behold. I don’t think the role could have been more perfectly cast.

Favorite quotes:

• “Do I look like I’m capable of making healthy life choices?” – Foggy
• “If I take a night off, people are gonna hurt.” – Matt

What did you think about the return of Daredevil? Are you a fan of what’s happening with Punisher? Share your opinions in the comments. Oh, and happy bingeing if it’s a thing you’re doing! We’ll be posting one recap a day for the second season so keep coming back to share your thoughts.

—

IMAGES: Netflix