The first reviews for 'Daredevil' season 2 are out and they're really positive

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Early reviews are in for "Daredevil" season two and they are looking good!

The new season puts Daredevil (Charlie Cox) up against two highly-anticipated comic characters making their Netflix debuts: Punisher (Joe Bernthal), a former Marine out for revenge, and Elektra (Elodie Yung), Matt's ex-girlfriend with complicated ties to a powerful new group of enemies. 

Critics so far are happy, but not totally impressed, by the sophomore season. (Netflix released the first seven episodes of the season for review. Like season one, there are 13 episodes in total.)

Variety's Brian Lowry calls "Daredevil" season two "a credible superhero show without a lot of pyrotechnics – a 'Daredevil' with enough sure-footed elements to survive the occasional season-two stumble." He praises the acting and action sequences, but says the early episodes drag: "[season two] looks a bit unsteady and feels inordinately talky in the early going."

Den of Geek's Mike Cecchini offers a mostly positive review as well, but echoes the criticism of the pacing:

The bad news is that Daredevil season 2 fails to address some of season one’s weaknesses. I can't really say that there's a supporting character who has emerged to take the place of Vondie Curtis-Hall's Ben Urich, so that's a presence that feels a little missed. The pacing, handily season one’s biggest flaw, hasn’t improved, and there’s no shortage of overwritten, overwrought dialogue, often delivered in long chunks. Sometimes it’s expository (which is little excuse), and other times, well, it feels like these characters just want to hear themselves talk.

Not everyone agreed about the talky early episodes, however. Nerd Repository's Kyle Wilson said it added to the plot. 

Even more impressive is the dialogue-only scenes between Cox and Bernthal, which come across more riveting than the punches and explosions. The episodes definitely slow down when necessary, and the scripts really capture the essence of each character, allowing Cox and Bernthal to run with the material and create gripping, emotional – even desperate – conversations between two men, both trying to find retribution. These moments are wonderfully true to each character, and just fascinating to watch.

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On the bright side, critics were unanimous in their praise for Bernthal. The "Walking Dead" star will take on the role of Punisher. As Cecchini wrote:  

Bernthal is terrific, and there are a few moments where you can see hints of the man Frank Castle was before he decided to make it his business to slaughter gangsters. This isn’t a charming leading man angling for his own series, it just serves to make Castle’s story all the more tragic. The show strikes an impressive balance between generating enough sympathy for Frank without glorifying his particular brand of vigilante justice.

Cox and Yung were both applauded for their chemistry as star-crossed warriors Daredevil and Elektra, as well. It looks like the performances will remain strong in the second season. Beyond the acting, though, critics mostly echoed their complaints from season one regarding the pacing. 

That said, the critics were only given roughly half of the first season with many excited to see how the disparate plotlines (Punisher, Elektra, the Yakuza, Matt's straining friendship with Foggy) will come together in the second season. 

"Daredevil" season two is out March 18.

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