Tag: tv

Whatcha Watching Geekly June 2026

Whatcha Watching, Geekly? June 2026

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, and today, our writers share what they’ve been watching over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been watching, too, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with what I’ve been watching over the past month.

Kyra’s Movies

I finally got around to watching Fahrenheit 451 (2018). It’s been some time since I read the Bradbury novel (of the same name), but I could tell HBO’s Fahrenheit 451 took a lot of liberties. Updates, if you will. I don’t believe the eye drops and augmented reality social media were part of the original. I’m okay with the additions, but it did bother me that Fahrenheit 451 didn’t elaborate on what happens to people after they got booted from augmented reality social media.

I may have missed something. I got that erasing someone’s data (from their fingertips) severed them from the rest of humanity (through the augmented reality social media or ARSM), but I couldn’t see why that was a bad thing. Did people get food through the ARSM? Did the ARSM pay them? Fahrenheit 451’s world-building was a little shaky. But the acting was stellar. Michael Shannon and Michael B. Jordan–hey, two Michaels–gave brilliant performances. They did so well in the roles that they made me forget all those pesky world questions.

Fahrenheit 451 clocks in at just over an hour and a half. I appreciate the shorter runtime. Too many films insist on more than two hours. The short runtime and the performance of the Michaels make Fahrenheit 451 a fun watch. I’d still recommend reading the original novel. It’s a short read. Heck, I may reread it so I can see all the liberties the movie took.

Crazy Rich Asians was another random movie I watched this past month. Typically, I don’t watch romantic comedies; I read them. And Crazy Rich Asians was first a novel. I may need to pick up Kevin Kwan’s novel and add it to my never-ending to be read pile. Actors make acting choices, and actors in romantic comedies can make some poor choices–or they can’t act. That’s why I tend to read romantic comedies. Let me fill in the blanks for myself. Case in point, the romantic lead in Crazy Rich Asians is not the best actor, and one or two actors make some questionable choices.

Of course, Michelle Yeoh was amazing. The look she and the romantic woman lead’s mother share is perfect. Years were conveyed in a thirty-second stare. Awkwafina was in rare form. I don’t tend to like her in most movies; she’s funny in Crazy Rich Asians. Ken Jeong is the perfect choice to play Awkwafina’s father. I love most of that family. I could do with a little less of Awkwafina’s creepy little brother. Stand-up comedians Jimmy O. Yang and Ronny Chieng partially round out this massive cast. I love Yang and Chieng’s stand-up routines, and they don’t disappoint.

I didn’t expect to like Crazy Rich Asians as much as I did. The movie showcases Singapore, another city just made my bucket list. The set pieces look phenomenal. Constance Wu (the romantic woman lead) did a stellar job, as did most of the cast. But the romantic man lead torpedoed some of his scenes. I didn’t care for the ending because he was deeply unlikable. And I wanted to see a happily ever after. Who doesn’t in a rom-com? Still, I recommend Crazy Rich Asians. Just try to block the male lead from your mind.

Kyra’s Shows

If you’ve been following Geekly for a while, you’ll know I’m a sucker for true crime. Netflix’s Should I Marry a Murderer? stands out from many of the streaming giant’s other offerings: empathy. Should I Marry a Murderer? presents its subject, Caroline Muirhead, in a way that we see why she makes certain choices. She fell in love with a man who turned out to be a murderer. She doesn’t cooperate with the police and makes some questionable decisions. Muirhead admits that her choices may not have been great, but they did have internal logic.

If you’re ever wondering “why did X stay or return,” you may want to give Should I Marry a Murderer? a watch. Muirhead explains her position well. She gets the viewer on her side, and just when that happens, the documentary throws in one of the authorities who call her foolish or state they would’ve helped her. Only, we see how the authorities didn’t help. Should I Marry a Murderer? shows how a police department can fail a witness. This is a cautionary tale. It may even give you pause with judging others because we don’t know what led them to make their decisions.

Originally, I watched Should I Marry a Murderer? while working on a project (a board game design), but I rewatched the show, giving it more attention on the subsequent view. Few shows like this offer empathy. I found myself agreeing with a witness who refused to immediately go to the police. Should I Marry a Murderer? reminds us that we live in a world of gray.

I also watched the recently released Spider-Noir. I won’t go into too much detail. Geekly has a full review of the series. In short, Spider-Noir is better than it has any right to be. I didn’t anticipate Spider-Noir, but that works in its favor. The biggest debate I’ve seen about Spider-Noir is which version is best, Authentic Black & White or True Hue (color), and after I reviewed the show, Marvel released its definitive way to experience the series. You split the two versions.

Marvel suggests watching episodes 1-3 in Black & White, Episodes 4 and 5 in True Hue, Episode 6 in Black & White, and Episodes 7 and 8 in True Hue. Essentially, Marvel says the first three episodes should be in Black & White because Ben Reilly isn’t in the best headspace, stuck in the past. Episodes 4, 5, 7, and 8 are more Reilly’s present (color), while Episode 6 is a flashback (so, Black & White). It’s an interesting concept. I may just try out this method of watching Spider-Noir. No matter how you watch the show, it’s fun.

That’s all I have for what I’ve been watching this past month. Let’s check in with Season.

Season’s Show

I’ve been feeling anime recently, and My Roommate Is a Cat stood out to me on Crunchyroll. I have two cats, so that’s part of the reason. Tee hee! Anyway, My Roommate Is a Cat isn’t something I normally watch. I tend to watch action/adventure or romance, not slice of life, which is the category My Roommate Is a Cat falls under.

My Roommate Is a Cat follows Subaru Mikazuki, a twenty-three-year-old introvert novelist who sucks at dealing with people. He’s also kind of a jerk to the few people who are close to him. He feeds a stray cat (whom he later names “Haru”) and takes her in. Subaru studies Haru’s behavior for a novel he’s writing, learning how she shows affection for him and bettering himself in the process. The show features both Subaru’s perspective for most of each episode and Haru’s for the last five-ish minutes of each episode. Haru’s perspective is goofy since she doesn’t understand why her dumb human won’t feed himself. She has to do everything.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. That’s all our writers have for what they’ve been watching this past month. Let us know what you’ve been watching, Geekly Gang. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Spider-Noir Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Happy Saturday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another reaction/review of a Marvel-themed television show. A live-action show of Spider-Man Noir wouldn’t have made my Bingo card for 2026, but I’m glad Spider-Noir exists. I had little to no expectations going into this show. Full disclosure: I’ve never read the Spider-Man Noir comic book series, and I only watched Spider-Noir one and a half times before writing this reaction (it’s more of a reaction than a review) because I don’t have an ad-free Amazon Video Account. Pay walls. Yay! I enjoyed my time with Spider-Noir. If I had an ad-free option for this show, I would’ve watched it another time or two. It held my interest. We have another caveat to discuss before getting into Geekly’s Reaction/Review of Spider-Noir.

Ben Reilly instead of Peter Parker

You may have noticed that Spider-Noir is Spider-Man Noir in the comic books. That’s a name change. The title character refers to himself as The Spider, and so does every other character, but that isn’t the only name change. Canonically, Spider-Man Noir is an alternate reality version of Peter Parker. Spider-Man Noir is even Peter Parker in the Spider-Verse Series of films. Spider-Noir refers to its lead as Ben Reilly. Ben Reilly does come from the comics. He’s the Peter Parker clone during the Clone Saga. But why did Spider-Noir change its main character’s name?

I don’t know for sure. Several factors could weigh into Spider-Noir changing Spider-Man Noir’s character name from Peter Parker to Ben Reilly. The leading cause could be Spider-Noir’s darker tone (Spider-Noir kills others and uses a gun) and Ben Reilly’s use of alcohol and smoking. Marvel and Sony (with its Spider-Verse movies) may want to retain Peter Parker’s clean image. Spider-Noir can get really dark. And only a lawyer could understand the deal between Marvel and Sony with Spider-Man. I’m not even going to try to unpack all that legalese. I just needed to draw your attention to Spider-Man Noir’s multiple name changes.

Authentic Black and White Versus True-Hue Color

Spider-Noir offered two viewing experiences: authentic black and white, and true-hue color. I chose to watch Spider-Noir in authentic black and white, but my device has an option–and many smart devices have this option–to switch between the two versions. I accidentally clicked on “Switch Versions,” and True-Hue Color looked great from what I saw. But I have to be upfront about which version I watched.

Wow! Spider-Noir really is a different kind of television show. So many exceptions.

Accents

The accents in Spider-Noir can get difficult to decipher. Silvermane’s accent is over-the-top in the best possible way. I’m glad I had subtitles on while I watched, but kudos for the commitment to Silverman’s Irish brogue. Nicolas Cage’s accent often came and went. Typically, I enjoyed Cage’s performance, but his accent could get distracting. I couldn’t place Cage’s accent.

The majority of Spider-Noir’s cast does a good job of approximating 1930’s American speech. I’d even say Cage does a good job, but he goes a little over the top in classic Nicolas Cage fashion. We’ll get to Cage’s performance in a minute, but I enjoyed him as Ben Reilly.

Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly/The Spider

Nicolas Cage gave his best ham-tastic performance with Ben Reilly and The Spider, and it was hilarious hearing Lamorne Morris (more on him in a minute) do his best Cage as The Spider impersonation. Cage is having fun. His brand of overacting worked so well with this character. From his lying down like a dead spider to his odd accent, Nicolas Cage gave his all in this performance. It was equal parts hardboiled detective and Universal Monster movie. I can’t wait to see more of Spider-Noir. I don’t care what the form a new Cage performance takes: video game, animated movie or show, or another season of Spider-Noir. Like Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man or Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Nicolas Cage was born to play this role.

Lamorne Morris as Robbie Robertson

Since his appearance on a beer commercial where he complimented his girlfriend on her teef, I’ve always been a Lamorne Morris fan. The man has charisma. He’s a great fit for Robbie. His chemistry with Nicholas Cage and the rest of Spider-Noir’s cast is fantastic. Heck, the entire cast has great chemistry. In other Spider-Man properties, Robbie tends to get overlooked. He takes center stage in Spider-Noir. Excellent.

Robbie needs to be featured in more Spider-Man movies and shows. And I’ll always take more Lamorne Morris.

The Rest of the Cast

Li Jun Li’s Cat Hardy shares some fantastic banter with Nicolas Cage’s Ben Reilly, but she does a great job with her love interest, Flint Marko, played by Jack Huston. Huston also nails his 30s speech. The entire cast does. Brendan Gleeson makes for a fabulous Silvermane. He’s the kind of guy you love to hate. Abraham Popoola’s Lonnie Lincoln shares some heartfelt moments with Robbie Robertson. I even liked to hate Andrew Lewis Caldwell’s Dirk Leyden. Oh. And Amy Aquino (Dr. Faber) and Andrew Robinson (Ogden Faber) share some excellent scenes with Nicolas Cage and Silvermane with his goons. Oh! Oh! Karen Rodriguez made a sensational secretary/investigator, Janet Ruiz. Ruiz has some of the funniest moments.

I enjoyed almost every minute of Spider-Noir; the commercials were my main gripe. I’m not paying to go ad-free, Amazon.

The Writing

Sure, Spider-Noir plays out pretty much as I expected, but that isn’t always a bad thing. The show follows tropes. At times, it subverts them, but this may be a function of Spider-Noir’s status as a superhero story. When you genre blend and find ways to honor each inspiration, you’ll end up with some tropes, but hopefully, done in a manner that has yet to be seen. Spider-Noir knew what it wanted to build toward and did it. It was a hardboiled detective/superhero mini-series with a dollop of gory monsters. More, please.

Should There Be a Second Season

I know I just asked for more Spider-Noir. I said that on more than one occasion, but I kind of like that it remains a mini series. The cast is fabulous, and the writing is well-done. I wouldn’t say no to another season of Spider-Noir, but the story also wrapped up neatly. Are there any more huge stories to tell? Maybe. I didn’t expect Spider-Noir on the 2026 schedule. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I don’t expect another season. Does that mean that we will see another season?

Those are my thoughts on Spider-Noir. I may rewatch the series in True-Hue to see which version I prefer. I’ve heard this is a hot-button topic. Which version do you like? Let us know in the comments. And let us know if you’d like to see another season of Spider-Noir. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Whatcha Watching Geekly May 2026

Whatcha Watching, Geekly? May 2026

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, and today, our writers share what they’ve been watching over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been watching in the comments, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with what I’ve been watching over the past month.

Kyra’s Movies

When I mentioned to Skye that I saw Send Help this past month, she asked if I had gone to the movies. Nope. Send Help made its way to HBO Max two weeks ago, and I took advantage of the new release. I’m surprised by how quickly movies like Send Help (a 2026 release) make it on streaming services. From what I’ve seen, it did well at the box office, received good reviews, and was fairly popular. Also, don’t be surprised if Skye lists Send Help in a Whatcha Watching in the near future.

I’ll echo what reviewers have said: Send Help is a return to form for director Sam Raimi. It has a rom-com set-up, and just when you think it might venture toward a rom-com, it goes a different direction. Send Help is a horror comedy through and through. The twist surprised me, but it made sense with context. That was good. The over-the-top gore in places felt earned and played up for laughs–oddly enough. I liked it. At an hour and a half (minus credits), Send Help doesn’t overstay its welcome, and that’s an excellent move for a horror flick. If you have HBO Max, Send Help is a good popcorn movie.

I’m unsure where to place The Punisher: One Last Kill. It’s the latest Marvel Special Presentations, available on Disney+. Does it count as a movie or TV show? It doesn’t matter. I won’t go into detail about the show here because I discussed it at length in my review/reaction. In short, The Punisher: One Last Kill is Jon Bernthal’s best performance as the character. I also like Disney/Marvel’s recent trend of letting the actors portraying their characters contribute as much as they want to the project. Bernthal co-wrote The Punisher: One Last Kill’s screenplay, while Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio had creative control with Daredevil: Born Again. Hope this trend continues.

Kyra’s Shows

I don’t know if I mentioned Hollywood Demons in one of my Watcha Watching posts last year, but I did watch the show as its first season aired. That first season featured a lot of Hollywood actors doing terrible things. The less said about the actor who played the dad from 7th Heaven, the better. Yuck! Hollywood Demons’s second season goes in a different direction, and I prefer this season to the first. The second season asks what makes Hollywood stars behave the way they do. What are the underlying issues? The last episode I watched, “Doctor Feelgoods,” shows how registered doctors hook their clients on illicit drugs. Heck, a legal doctor gave Matthew Perry his first dose of ketamine, the drug that would eventually kill him.

Needless to say, Hollywood Demons won’t be for everyone, but I like the behind-the-scenes look. And the show doesn’t get as repetitive as others of its ilk. Doctor Drew keeps his commentary relatively fresh.

Daredevil: Born Again completed its second season this past month. Like the Punisher Special, I won’t go into too much detail because I’ve already posted reviews/reactions for each episode. You can find them here. Daredevil: Born Again, season two, was way better than its first season. The show found its footing. I loved Daniel Blake’s storyline and a few others. I’m glad Daredevil: Born Again took its title character where it did. If you know, you know. I can’t wait to see how Matt Murdock gets out of this jam.

I’m keeping it short this month. Season and Skye have some movies and shows they’d like to share. Let’s check in with them.

Season’s Movie

Hi, Geekly Gang! Per usual, I haven’t watched much, but I do have a movie I watched while I had a bad allergy flare-up. I tend to watch movies when I feel unwell. Turning Red follows thirteen-year-old Meilin Lee, an eighth grader entering her rebellious phase with a helicopter mom. What could possibly go wrong?

Meilin has a nightmare one night and transforms into a giant red panda. She screams when she sees herself in the bathroom mirror. Her mom asks her what’s wrong through the bathroom door and asks, “Did the red peony bloom?” I’m using it the next time I’m on my period. Meilin’s mom grabs painkillers and more types of pads than I knew existed while Meilin hides in the shower. From here on, there’s a lot of embarrassment for Meilin at school, and her parents explain to her that she transforms into a red panda because of her ancestor, Sun Yee. Sun Yee asked the gods for a way to protect her people while the men were at war. Since then, the women in the family transform into red pandas whenever they have an emotional spike.

Turning Red is a cute coming-of-age movie. It did a good job of showing the fear a parent has of growing distant from their child as that child grows up. I had many emotions swirling as I watched it. If you’re looking for something that may make you cry while ending on a high note, I recommend Turning Red.

What are you watching, Skye?

Skye’s Movies

I eased myself into watching more movies in theaters with the latest Pixar film, Hoppers. I was more disappointed than anything else. Hoppers felt too one-noted, mundane, and shallow. Simply put, Hoppers bore little resemblance to the Pixar films I love. However, Hoppers was an improvement to Pixar’s last cinematic outing, Elio. That doesn’t mean much. Despite having elements of good ideas (like most one-shot Pixar films lately), Hoppers never fully delivers on them. It sticks to standard stories you’d see in most other kids’ films. There were two highlights: the insect queen getting squished, and when Jerry used the HOPPER technology. If the film had gone through one or two more drafts, I feel like it could have been something.

What did you expect? It’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I could stop my summary right there, but y’all probably want to hear more. While Super Mario Galaxy isn’t anything great, you can’t say it’s kidding itself about what it is: a bright, colorful waste of time. Illumination Studios prides itself on having no substance in its films, but they still make boatloads of cash. Super Mario Galaxy is no exception.

Of course, having Nintendo attached to this film increased their box office returns exponentially. While I want to be mad at this (as both a movie fan and a Nintendo fan), I’ll also say this is the closest we’ll get to an authentic Super Mario film series. The games never had much plot or depth to them; you just played them. That also seems to be the mentality here: no real plot or depth, just watch. Also, I can’t deny that countless references to the games are fun.

I didn’t know what to expect with Project Hail Mary. It’s safe to say I enjoyed it. The way the story develops is a combination of charming, mysterious, and tragic. While the characters aren’t the most complex, you identify with them and their goal of preventing the sun from dying. Every moment you’re on this ship with these characters, the urgency of the situation feels more real. This is one of those moments when a longer running time helps a film rather than hurts it. All this considered, I still have the sense that there was something about Project Hail Mary I missed after my first viewing. This is a film I’d be glad to examine in more detail.

I watched Fuze by accident. My local theater has a weekly “Mystery Movie” that allows unsuspecting moviegoers to buy a ticket to a show they don’t know anything about. Sure enough, I bought a ticket for this “Mystery Movie,” and it happened to be Fuze. I wouldn’t see Fuze in theaters otherwise. I’m still unsure what it was supposed to be. The whole thing centers around a WWII-era bomb discovered in a city that’s still active and needs to be defused. You’d think that’d be it, but there’s also a bank robbery going on at the same time. Okay? Not only that, but there’s also a random immigrant family being focused on for some reason. Huh? Then, in the end, it turns out it was all a big plot by terrorists. What? After that, we see how our terrorist protagonists met. Why? [Roll credits.] Can someone tell me what this was about?

LOL Sounds like Skye had an interesting month at the movies. Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are all the shows and movies our writers watched over the past month. Let us know what you’ve been watching. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

The Punisher One Last Kill Review

The Punisher: One Last Kill Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Happy Friday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with a review/reaction to The Punisher: One Last Kill Special Presentation. This special has an uneven distribution of action and character exploration/backstory, but this imbalance works for The Punisher: One Last Kill. In short, it’s a bloody good time.

I really liked how Jon Bernthal loses himself as Frank Castle. He pulls off a tortured marine well. His ex-platoon members haunt him. The cinematography drives home the claustrophobic nature of these ghosts. Frank can’t escape his former partners or the family he failed to protect. The Punisher has a clear goal (end the crime family that destroyed his family), and at the beginning of The Punisher: One Last Kill, he’s accomplished that goal. No wonder he’s ready to say his final goodbyes while visiting his daughter’s grave. But Frank Castle hasn’t completed his goal. One member of the Gnucci remains. Ma Gnucci.

I love Judith Light’s portrayal of Ma Gnucci. The character makes sense for The Punisher: One Last Kill, and one of Ma Gnucci’s chief storylines echoes a storyline from Daredevil: Born Again. Ma Gnucci creates an Anti-Vigilante Task Force. The Punisher: One Last Kill reworks this into a bunch of goons trying to kill The Punisher on Ma Gnucci’s behalf. That’s a good interpretation. I also like how succinctly The Punisher: One Last Kill introduces Ma Gnucci. Kudos all around.

And getting back to Frank Castle, I liked how disorienting his portrayal of post-traumatic stress was and how he couldn’t tell who was real. He’s not okay. He’ll live with the ghosts of his past. The Punisher: One Last Kill managed to address PTSD well, while still remaining true to the MCU. Not an easy task. It took an appearance by Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) to slap a little sense into the protagonist. Because of Castle’s mental state, I’m still unsure if we actually saw the real Karen Page. Actually, I’m almost eighty-five percent sure Karen’s appearance was in Frank’s head. He could be recalling a previous exchange with Karen, and The Punisher: One Last Kill found the perfect time to pivot toward action.

At first, I thought about taking The Punisher: One Last Kill to task for presenting an uneven story. All psychological drama upfront; a lot of gory action on the backend. But like I said, it works. In the beginning, Frank’s interior sucked all the oxygen out of the room. Just as it enters the realm of too much self-loathing, The Punisher: One Last Kill introduces Ma Gnucci, and we get reprieve from Frank’s inner thoughts. Again, great job setting up Ma Gnucci. Shortly after Gnucci threatens Frank, Karen Page appears, attempting to get through to Frank, and that’s when Ma Gnucci’s goons attack everyone in the neighborhood. Good pacing.

What comes next are a mixed bag of action sequences. There are some hokey visual effects (Castle falling on an air conditioning unit), but the majority of the action is well done and represents some of the better actions sequences in recent MCU history. I especially liked The Punisher taking down a heavily tattooed muscle man with a ballpoint pen. Nice!

The Punisher: One Last Kill offers up as much blood and gore as any Deadpool movie or Logan, and this is in the span of twenty minutes. Wow! Just wow! While several may view this as “overkill”–get it?–these action sequences serve as Frank Castle working through his demons. They feature plenty of character moments, not the least of which is when Frank watches Ma Gnucci make her escape. Frank has the option to hunt her and claim his “last kill” of the Gnucci family, but he doesn’t. Those same goons Gnucci hired to attack Frank Castle cause havoc in The Punisher’s home streets.

After subsequent viewings, I love The Punisher: One Last Kill’s symmetry. In the opening moments, we see the city as its own character, performing its daily routine. Frank seldom interacts with his neighbors. Toward the end, Frank engages. He aids a family not too unlike the one he lost. During the special’s closing moments, he helps a former Marine fight back against a bully. Frank Castle has found a connection with humanity. He’s found purpose. Is it a little spelled out for the viewer? Sure. But it’s effective. The Punisher: One Last Kill offers plenty of blood. It unleashes The Punisher with rated R action. But it also gives Frank Castle his humanity. It gives him hope. It gives The Punisher a reason to live. And that’s beautiful. Bombastic, gory, beauty.

I always thought Jon Bernthal was a good choice as The Punisher, but his moments to shine in the role were spotty at best. The Punisher: One Last Kill showcases what Bernthal can do in the role. Those are my thoughts on The Punisher: One Last Kill. What are yours? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Daredevil Born Again Season Two Review 02

Daredevil: Born Again Season Two “The Southern Cross” Review

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Friday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction to this week’s episode of Daredevil: Born Again, “The Southern Cross.” Simply put, I liked Daredevil: Born Again Season Two’s finale. It works if Daredevil: Born Again wants to continue with a third season–we already know that Daredevil: Born Again has been picked up for at least a third season–or if the show wants to end with this season. That’s the mark of a good ending. I also love the symmetry between this season’s opening episode title (“The Northern Star”) and its closing episode title (“The Southern Cross”). In the comics, Daredevil has always leaned into religious undertones. “The Southern Cross” works.

Yes. I have some gripes, and they’re ones you’ve heard before in previous episode reviews/reactions, so I’ll continue with what I liked about “The Southern Cross,” for now. Matt Murdock and Kingpin’s showdown in court was inevitable. What occurs in court pays off many of Daredevil: Born Again Season Two’s story threads. Great! Honestly, I don’t think the original Netflix Daredevil spent much time in the courthouse beyond its first season. The fact that Daredevil: Born Again Season Two’s final fight occurs at that same courthouse fits. It’s a little hokey, but I like it. Treating this episode as an extended bottle episode was a good idea. Sure, we see the courthouse’s exterior, and a few shots occur around the courthouse, but “The Southern Cross” is the closest a show like Daredevil: Born Again would ever get to a bottle episode.

Narrowing the final episode to predominantly one location allowed Daredevil: Born Again to focus on its characters. You don’t need to establish another locale if the location of the shot seldom changes. Love. Love. Love. Daredevil: Born Again made the right call. The acting was on point. What else would you expect from Charlie Cox (Daredevil) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Kingpin)? I’ve mentioned it before, but Daredevil: Born Again is a passion project for Cox and D’Onofrio, and it shows. Like I said, “The Southern Cross” manages to tie up several loose ends. Daredevil and Kingpin receive satisfying/interesting conclusions to this season. BB working at the same newspaper as her father made me smile. Heather Glenn’s descent into the new Muse could be terrifying, and I’m here for it. I don’t want to spoil it here, but Glenn’s closing scene legitimately gave me chills.

Other storylines were touched on. I got a better sense of McDuffie. White Tiger got a decent close to her story. It was rushed (more on that in a minute), but functionally, it worked. Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s moment near the end was equal parts fan service and earned. I questioned bringing in Jessica Jones more than halfway through the season, but for the most part, she worked. Sure, I enjoyed Netflix’s Jessica Jones series, and that may have blinded me to her character being rushed into the season’s story. But Kristen Ritter knows this character. Jessica Jones may have aged since we last saw her, but she still takes a swig of Scotch before punching faces. And Jones felt less of a distraction than The Punisher last season. She didn’t hijack the narrative in any way. Conversely, The Punisher became the symbol the AVTF (Anti-Vigilante Task Force) wears.

Jones (and by extension, Luke Cage) justifies Matthew Lillard’s character’s existence. Funny how Bullseye takes Luke Cage’s place at the end of “The Southern Cross.” That served as another great development. But I hope Lillard’s Mr. Charles and Bullseye don’t serve a sole purpose of linking Daredevil: Born Again to the larger MCU. Yes. I know Daredevil: Born Again belongs to the greater MCU, but I like that it’s mostly its own thing. And I don’t want a heap of crossovers in Season Three.

I’m sure I mentioned last year that the Born Again title is one of several where Matt Murdock’s secret identity of Daredevil gets discovered. It should come as no surprise that Murdock’s secret identity was revealed, but in classic MCU fashion, Daredevil: Born Again takes liberties. In the comics, Karen Page sells out Daredevil for drugs. That wasn’t going to fly on a Disney+ show. And I liked that Daredevil: Born Again gave Matt Murdock agency over his identity. Daredevil has been incarcerated in the comics before, which is where we leave him at the end of “The Southern Cross.” This should lead to more nods to the comics, which are always appreciated.

I’ve staved off my critiques, but it’s time to discuss them. Daredevil: Born Again rushes its story. This stems from a combination of a few too many characters and a shorter episode tally than the original Netflix Daredevil. Again, I don’t think Daredevil: Born Again seasons need to run 13 episodes, but a couple more would help establish some of these characters. While I liked Heather Glenn’s transformation, her arc was rushed. We hadn’t seen White Tiger in a couple of episodes (rightfully so, as the show developed other characters, but again, too many characters), and suddenly, White Tiger appears. Okay. I’m unsure of Buck’s fate. I think he lived. And many of Kingpin’s cabinet members and aides got lost in the shuffle. And that gets us back to Kingpin.

Wilson Fisk’s ending was jarring, and I don’t understand how it took place. And I watched this sequence multiple times. The attorney general offers Mayor Fisk a deal to exile himself in return for not pressing charges against him. Okay. I don’t think that’s a thing, but perhaps. We’ll go with it. But before Fisk takes the deal, he goes on a rampage in the courthouse. The offer should’ve been for giving Fisk immunity for the crimes he committed as Mayor before he rejected the attorney general’s offer. How can Fisk escape any punishment after killing at least a few New York citizens and hospitalizing a dozen more? Wouldn’t the deal be voided? That’s a nitpick. We got to see Kingpin fight, and that was cool.

Daredevil: Born Again Season Two was miles better than the first season. I enjoyed this season of the show and eagerly await the next season. Daredevil: Born Again is Marvel’s flagship Disney+ series and for good reason. Clearly, Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio love playing these characters, and I love watching them. Those are my thoughts. What are yours? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.