Daredevil Season 1 Episodes Ranked (w/SPOILER Review)

Daredevil Season 1 Episodes Ranked (w/SPOILERS)

Daredevil: Born Again hits Disney+ in just a few weeks. In preparation for that, I watched the first three seasons of the show. So today I’m going to be ranking the episodes from the first season. Let’s get started! 

• SEASON REVIEW: This was a first time watch for me. This show has been on my radar to watch and check out for a while now. I’ve heard fantastic things about the show pretty much ever since it came out. I love Marvel, I love superheroes. I just never got around to checking it out. But with Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio appearing in several MCU projects, I felt like I needed to check it out. More importantly Daredevil: Born Again comes out next month. I decided to watch the show and review each season leading up to that show. As for the review for the season, it was everything I hoped it would be. This is one of the best superhero shows of all time. So many of the superhero tv shows that I’ve watched were on CW and Disney+ and this clears all of them. The writing of the show is great, the action of the show is great, I love the characters, I love the character dynamics. Everything about this show is fantastic. One of the interesting things about this season is that it is focused on relationships. You have Matt and Foggy’s friendship, you have the addition of Karen to Matt and Foggy’s relationship. We explore Kingpin’s relationship with his parents. Kingpin has a romantic plot line in here. I just thought that was done so well. It makes you care about the characters and the arc that they’re on. You know when something bad happens to them how other characters around them will respond. All of the characters in here are great, you really do like every single one of them. Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, Daredevil is great casting. He’s so good in this role, he can be physical in the action scenes. He has great chemistry with Foggy and Karen and the dynamic between them I thought was great. When reports came out saying that Foggy and Karen weren’t originally in Daredevil: Born Again I didn’t really know what to feel. I hadn’t seen the show. Just after watching the first season, I don’t know why they weren’t in the original version of that tv show. So much of what makes this show interesting is their dynamic. Foggy and Karen are what help ground Matt from being this superhero. Of course you have to talk about the great Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin, fantastic casting. What they did with Kingpin was so fascinating when they made him this threat. You want to see Team Daredevil take him out by the end. He’s this evil person. But they also find ways to humanize him and make him grounded. But not in a way that takes away his threat level. They do a flashback episode showing Kingpin as a kid with his parents. You see that Kingpin’s father was even worse than he was. They give Kingpin this romantic interest that shows the humanity in him. As you move into the finale, it’s tragic where he’s separated by Vanessa but you also know it’s right. You feel this sense of Victory when he’s taken out, but you feel bad for him. It’s the writing of the show that elevates it and makes it fantastic. Another thing you have to talk about is the action and fight choreography. Boy oh boy was this something so cool. Daredevil is a fun character to put into fight scenes. He’s an acrobatic character that can do a lot of cool fight scenes from other superheroes. Their camera angles are wide enough, you can see everything that is happening. There’s a brutality to the sequences that Disney or Marvel haven’t really done. A lot of people talk about the one take fight scene from episode two. Absolutely fantastic sequence, it’s so joyful seeing Daredevil beat the crap out of henchmen in a small space. It also felt like the right length for the season. I feel most superhero tv shows are the wrong length. Disney+ has six episodes long seasons. It feels like a two hour long movie extended to be four long. The Arrowverse tv shows were 23 episodes long. There’s so much filler in all of them. 13 episodes for Daredevil feels about right. Every episode has a part to play, even the flashback episodes tie into the plot and what was being explored. When you put it all together, you get a fantastic season of television. The day that I’m writing this review, I haven't started season two. I’m very excited to continue watching this and for Daredevil: Born Again. And I’m very curious what the quality of the show is going to be compared to these seasons. 

13. World on Fire (Episode 5): This episode had a lot going on. I didn’t find this episode as interesting as some of the other episodes. This isn’t a bad episode, it's not one of the top episodes. There’s ideas about Kingpin closing in on his plans for the city. All of his scenes in the episode are with Vanessa discussing it. It shows that Vincent D’Onofrio is great as Kingpin. Even him having these small conversations with other characters is great. Some of the moments between Foggy and Karen could easily have come across as cheesy and corny. The writing for the show is so good that it doesn’t and it works. With watching every episode you do realize that this is a show about character dynamics and relationships. It really surprised me with just how much this episode was about that. It quickly makes you care about the characters and care about them together. Where all of them are strong characters on their own, but they’re even better together. Related to that, some of the stuff between Matt and Rosario Dawson’s character felt very human. You start to see in this episode that maybe there are romantic feelings for one another. But because of what Matt is doing and who he’s going up against. It’s hard for them to have a romantic relationship in that way. There’s nothing this episode did wrong that made me dislike it compared to some of the other ones. 

12. Rabbit in A Snowstorm (Episode 3):Once again another very solid episode that had a lot of solid ingredients inside of it. What I thought worked so well about this episode was that it felt like it was progressing the plot forward. Where we get a tease of Wilson Fisk at the end. Matt hears the name Wilson Fisk for the first time. It's nice to get some forward momentum here. With having one of Fisk’s men go to Matt and Foggy, you just see the true mastermind that Wilson Fisk, Kingpin is. Even when Fisk’s men know how Karen joined Matt and Foggy is so evil in a sense. That’s such creative information, not many people know that. So the fact that both him and Fisk knows that makes you know that Kingpin is a threat. You get Karen having to deal with the events that happened at the beginning of the show. I just thought that stuff was really interesting to me. You see how complicated of a character Karen is because of this. The reason why this episode is ranked lower. I think the episodes above it had more interesting stuff inside of it. But it’s still a really solid episode, there’s no bad episodes here. 

11. Into the Ring (Episode 1): An episode that does a fantastic job of laying the foundation for the show and we understand who the characters are. Right out of the gate, I appreciate just how dark and gritty this show is compared to other comic book properties. It feels like something so fresh, new, and different. Since the show was on Netflix it was able to get away with it and go for it. It builds out this mystery involving Karen and how she ties into Kingpin’s plot. Early on, you’re invested in what’s going on. You want to see what’s going to happen next. This episode does a great job of letting the audience know just how important these side characters are going to be to Matt and his journey in the season. Charlie Cox as Daredevil is great casting. The dynamic between him and Foggy is great, you buy into their chemistry. The show isn’t designed to be a comedic show, but there’s enough just solid little one liners here that make you chuckle. They’re appropriately placed but never cut the tension. 

10. Cut Man (Episode 2): This episode is able to build off the foundation from episode one. All of the little things established in that episode are able to be expanded upon. A large percentage of this episode is focused on the relationship between Foggy and Karen. This is an element that I wasn’t really expecting to work as well as it did. But I think the chemistry and dynamic between the two of them works. You have Matt off doing his own thing with Rosario Dawson’s character. Some of those dynamics in here were just very interesting. Another one in here is you get some time with Matt and his father. You see that he’s trying to be a good dad. Because of the circumstances they’re living in. He has to break the rules and go against the law. And you see where that leads him in the final moments of the episode. The episode really did focus on relationships and I thought it worked. You get Matt in action beating up some of the henchmen. I didn’t realize that this was the episode that had that iconic one-take hallway scene. It’s just as cool as I’d hoped it would be. 

9. In the Blood (Episode 4): What elevates this episode and makes it fantastic is you get to spend time with Kingpin. He was introduced at the end of episode three and this episode allows us to spend time with him. Where we see just how evil and despicable he is. We know that he’s dangerous and villainous just from this episode. Even what he does in the final moments with killing one of the brothers was just a great moment. You see just how vicious he is because they interrupted a date. That moment right there made me realize that Kingpin is going to be a fantastic villain. This episode continues a lot of the stuff that Karen was doing in episode three. We have her partnered up with Urich with this interesting dynamic between the two of them. Those moments in here with the two of them was very interesting and felt fleshed out with how they tackle their world views. We spend more time with Rosario Dawson’s character and her relationship with Matt. I just love how that relationship unfolds where you can tell there’s a respect for one another. It’s not presented in this romantic way that you might expect. Overall, I just thought this was a great episode that was elevated by Kingpin. 

8. The Ones We Leave Behind (Episode 12): This episode has one of the most emotional and shocking final scenes of the entire season. I figured something bad was going to happen to one of our heroes. It’s still so tragic to see Kingpin kill Ben because of his mom. That’s what this show does so well with Kingpin. They never diminish the threat level of Kingpin. But you see the humanity in him because of his mother, somebody that did care about him. Even having Kingpin trying to figure out what happened to Wesley is interesting. You know that he’s going to do something bad once he figures it out. It just provides this great tension in the entire episode. All of that tension is released in the tragic moment when Ben dies. You get some great Daredevil action this episode with him rescuing those workers. It has this payoff of seeing him save people. He’s obviously done that in this season. But when he does it in this episode it has payoff to it. The music that plays and how it unfolds, plenty of great payoff with that. Everybody has a part to play in this episode. Foggy is trying to work on the investigation with Kingpin using some of his old friends. Karen is dealing with the quality of the previous episode. All around a great episode that made me very excited for the finale. 

7. Speak of the Devil (Episode 9): There were a lot of elements in this episode that surprised me and I really liked. The big thing about this episode is you finally get Matt and Kingpin meeting face to face. Both as Matt and Daredevil, that was just awesome. We’ve been waiting for this meetup since episode one, so getting that pay off was great. You get some fun action in here with Daredevil fighting this ninja dude. It’s a brutal action sequence but it shows just how good the fight scenes are. Seeing Daredevil fight a ninja is something very cool that I didn’t know that I wanted. Since they’re both acrobatic characters, it provides for a cool sequence. You also get a lot of moments with the investigation and Journalism side of things that ties into what Matt is doing. That was just a nice touch to throw in this episode that it felt like we were getting things coming together. The beginning of the season set up all of these characters and plot lines. And the back half of the season starts to pull everything together. This all leads up to a cliffhanger where Foggy learns that Daredevil’s identity was great.

6. Condemned (Episode 6): This is the episode where I felt like things were coming together. Where we get Kingpin’s plan all coming together and how that has had a big impact on the city. This is another episode that makes you hate Kingpin. You want to see Matt take him out. Through what Kingpin is doing, it causes Matt to have to work with one of Kingpin’s men. That was an interesting twist that I wasn’t expecting but it felt necessary. Even the worst of criminals working for Kingpin works with the person that’s trying to stop him. Beyond that, I loved the scene where Daredevil and Kingpin talk on the phone. That’s just a great scene and it’s something that we’ve been waiting for. It’s just handled so well. I like that they met, but they didn’t meet face to face. They only met on the phone so there’s that excitement for them to meet face to face. Also, some of the stuff with Foggy and Karen was very interesting. I’ve talked a lot about this show about character relationships. You continue to get more of that with this episode as the relationship between them progresses. And you get Foggy being hurt by what Kingpin did, once agin it makes you hate Kingpin more. The police force and reporters learn more about Daredevil. Like I said, this episode brought all of the elements together. I think it does that in a way that makes sense and is compelling. 

5. Stick (Episode 7): I’m not familiar with the Stick character from the comic books. I really wasn’t sure what to expect from him. But I really liked what they did with his character and how he ties into Matt’s backstory. I liked it when this season focused on Matt’s backstory after his father died and after the incident and what happened to him becoming the person we know him to be. The Stick character was very interesting, it provided this nice tension and dynamic. Matt is still using all of the techniques that Stick taught him. But Matt isn’t as violent as Stick is, so there’s this tension between them in certain situations. The action sequence at the dock is very cool, the way it’s shot and how it uses the camera was very cool. That’s one of the stand out elements about this show is the action. It feels different from stuff we’ve seen in the MCU because Daredevil is a more acrobatic character. On the Karen, Foggy, and Ben front they figure out some stuff that leads them closer to Kingpin. This episode had interesting dialogue, cool fight scenes, and progressed the plot forward. 

4. Daredevil (Episode 13): There’s multiple elements about this episode that really worked for me. First up, it was nice to see Matt, Foggy, and Karen all back together. That was this conflict in the last three episodes. Getting to see all of them back together and celebrate Kingpin’s arrest was satisfying. Even the dynamic between Matt and Foggy in this episode I thought was great. Foggy is worried about Matt being Daredevil, but he’s not stopping him. There’s these conversations where it’s very clear that Foggy is worried about his friend. He’s been a good friend because of it. It makes you care about their relationship even more. The stuff with Kingpin was fantastic as always. He gets arrested halfway through the episode and I was thinking that something has to happen because there’s still 25 minutes left. Even Kingpin expressing his love for Vanessa as he’s being arrested. It’s one of the most unexpected heartbreaking scenes of this entire season. It leads to Daredevil’s first fight in the suit going up against Kingpin. The fight scene for that fight was great, one of the best fights of the entire season. They did such a great job of making Kingpin this villain that you want to see taken out. When Matt is able to do so, it’s satisfying and you feel the weight of it. A season finale can easily disappoint if it’s not great, this finale did not disappoint. 

3. The Path of the Righteous (Episode 11): This episode very much deals with the fallout of the last episode. This episode has Matt and Foggy separated after the events of the previous episode. Because of that separation, Team Daredevil isn’t as strong. Therefore you see some of the cracks fall through and things don’t go well. In this episode see the frustration and humanity in Kingpin. It’s dealing with what happened to Vanessa in the previous episode. You see how hurt and worried he is. But because he’s hurting so much, you know that something bad could happen from it. You also have Weasley’s plot here with kidnapping Karen and the results of that do not end well for Weasley. You know that once Kingpin finds out, Karen and Team Daredevil are in trouble. You feel this sympathetic nature towards Kingpin, while also knowing just how dangerous he is. You also get Karen feeling the guilt of what she did with Ben in the previous episode. She was trying to do what was right and help their case but lied to Ben in the process. Even the cliffhanger in the episode, it’s so simple. it’s just Weasley’s phone ringing. That notion right there, that small little detail is a great note to leave this episode on. 

2. Nelson v. Murdock (Episode 10): This episode had a lot going on. It all felt properly fleshed out and all of it worked so well. You get the tension between Matt and Foggy as he learns Matt’s secret. That was handled so well. The episode goes from present day to how they first met and showing the start of their relationship was great. I loved how that was such a big part of the episode, showing how much Matt’s betrayal meant to Foggy. You’re heartbroken by the end of the episode as Foggy leaves Matt. Other superhero shows do have this idea of what happens when the people close to you find out your identity. Some of them don’t always handle it the best. I think Daredevil handled it very well. The stuff with Karen and Ben was fascinating, heartbreaking, and gripping. They tie in this plot point about Ben’s wife being sick and this leads them to an investigation where they  actually find Kingpin’s mom. That twist in there was fantastic, I loved that twist so much. I was starting to put some of those pieces together as the scene was unfolding. The stuff with Kingpin was once again sad with what happened to Vanessa. You know that she’s somebody that he cares about. You feel this fear as you don’t know what Kingpin would do because of it. Heartbreaking is what comes to mind when I think about this episode. I mean that in the best way possible. 

1. Shadows in the Glass (Episode 8): This episode was fantastic on every level. The big reason is this episode focuses on Kingpin both in the present and past. Both sides of that were fascinating and we understood who he was. They show his childhood and how awful and abusive his father was. It just sickens you to your stomach. It doesn’t at all make you sympathize with Kingpin, but you see the humanity inside of him. You see what led to him to be the person that we see in the show. When the movies or tv shows are able to do that, but in a way that’s compelling it’s great storytelling. In the present, you get a lot of time with him and you see how he responds to what happened in his childhood. You know that he has this darkness inside of him, despite seeing the humanity inside of him. You know what he’s capable of. You know what he can and will do when he gets mad. All of this build up leads to Kingpin’s speech about his plans for the city. This causes our heroes to feel this sense of loss. You know what this means when Ben deletes his article on Fisk. Or when Daredevil throws his computer, you know what it means and it makes you hate Kingpin even more.