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selenakNaomi Novik: The Summer War: very charming novella, delivering on a variety of good-for-me-tropes. Dysfunctional siblings argueing, then working together and realising they care? Check! Neat twists on fairy tale motifs while still delivering a fairy tale? Check! Father who has his own story and is neither excused for his actions nor reduced to a one dimensional cliché? Check! It's not the easiest time for me right now for Darth Real Life reasons, and that's leaving aside the general mess the world is in, so I really enjoy delving into well written fiction where most of the characters aren't irresponsible toddler-like megalomaniacs and the plot makes sense.
Daredevil Born Again: Season 2 : Speaking of plots which work: s2 didn't have the problem of essentially being two shows grafted together, and so not only did they have a well executed overall seasonal arc, but the "new" characters were fleshed out, so didn't feel paper thin compared to the "old" ones. Back when I wrote about s1 I mentioned that all these "supervillain elected to high office despite electorate knowing about their past" plots - which comics came up with decades ago, both in DC with Lex Luthor and in Marvel with Kingpin - never felt as believable as now, it's more that "eventually, enough people see through these guys to rise against them" feels unduly optimistic. But within the show, I bought it. And really appreciated the episode where Matt has to struggle with not just saving Foggy's killer Dex from imminent death but also genuinely give him another chance. Incidentally, I was indifferent to Dex as a villain in s3 of the Netflix Daredevil, but must admit the two Disney seasons have made him genuinely interesting to me. The reason why I loved this particular episode, and also the overall conclusion of the season, is that I thought this was the writers taking Matt's Catholicism serious beyond the aesthetics and beyond the comics book code of heroes not the Punisher not killing their villains. Here, it felt earned, especially since the struggle with the concept of grace and redemption was aided by flashbacks to the late Foggy doing just this, giving someone who while not a supervillain was a jerk a chance because it was just and because he got what formed this particular man. The thematic importance of this also came to bear in the season's last two episodes where after a season on the run and hence "only" Daredevil Matt defeated Kingpin not via a physical fight but as Matt Murdoch, lawyer, with a combination of smarts and putting himself on the line in a non-super fight way - and where near the end of the finale he's able to talk Wilson Fisk down from the killing-everyone-in-sight-and-letting-himself-be-killed rage and didn't let the enraged New Yorkers kill him . The show knows its audience, the of course there was a physical Kingpin vs Daredevil fight as well - but several episodes earlier . The decisive climax was an emotional one which also made its case for NOT following the nihilistic "kill or be killed, there is nothing else" cred. Oh, and of course it was good to see (albeit only a few times in the last three eps or so - Jessica Jones again!
Daredevil Born Again: Season 2 : Speaking of plots which work: s2 didn't have the problem of essentially being two shows grafted together, and so not only did they have a well executed overall seasonal arc, but the "new" characters were fleshed out, so didn't feel paper thin compared to the "old" ones. Back when I wrote about s1 I mentioned that all these "supervillain elected to high office despite electorate knowing about their past" plots - which comics came up with decades ago, both in DC with Lex Luthor and in Marvel with Kingpin - never felt as believable as now, it's more that "eventually, enough people see through these guys to rise against them" feels unduly optimistic. But within the show, I bought it. And really appreciated the episode where Matt has to struggle with not just saving Foggy's killer Dex from imminent death but also genuinely give him another chance. Incidentally, I was indifferent to Dex as a villain in s3 of the Netflix Daredevil, but must admit the two Disney seasons have made him genuinely interesting to me. The reason why I loved this particular episode, and also the overall conclusion of the season, is that I thought this was the writers taking Matt's Catholicism serious beyond the aesthetics and beyond the comics book code of heroes not the Punisher not killing their villains. Here, it felt earned, especially since the struggle with the concept of grace and redemption was aided by flashbacks to the late Foggy doing just this, giving someone who while not a supervillain was a jerk a chance because it was just and because he got what formed this particular man. The thematic importance of this also came to bear in the season's last two episodes where after a season on the run and hence "only" Daredevil Matt defeated Kingpin not via a physical fight but as Matt Murdoch, lawyer, with a combination of smarts and putting himself on the line in a non-super fight way - and where near the end of the finale he's able to talk Wilson Fisk down from the killing-everyone-in-sight-and-letting-himself-be-killed rage and didn't let the enraged New Yorkers kill him . The show knows its audience, the of course there was a physical Kingpin vs Daredevil fight as well - but several episodes earlier . The decisive climax was an emotional one which also made its case for NOT following the nihilistic "kill or be killed, there is nothing else" cred. Oh, and of course it was good to see (albeit only a few times in the last three eps or so - Jessica Jones again!
no subject
Date: 2026-06-08 02:45 pm (UTC)Yup.
I did enjoy the season, though, for all the reasons you listed. And especially seeing Jessica Jones again. I miss her so much.
Haven't read that book but it sounds great! Thanks for the rec.
no subject
Date: 2026-06-08 03:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-06-08 04:51 pm (UTC)