Daredevil and Catholicism

[Peace]

19 hours ago, He is Risen! said:

I wanted to get into this show but a few episodes in there was a really gruesome scene that was difficult for me to stomach

Yeah. That scene was so unnecessary.

[LittleWaySoul]

2 hours ago, Peace said:

Yeah. That scene was so unnecessary.

It almost felt as though the creators were like, "Hey, so, no sex in this show, huh? Now what are we gonna do to make it interesting? Ah, I know! Let's make it as graphically violent as possible, that's a great idea!"

Though like I said, I do think there's a case to be made for some of the violence in the show. Flannery O'Connor and all that jazz. 

[krissylou]

When I first watched Season 1 I thought the Catholic ideas were great but some of the technicalities were a little off.  So okay the priest is a little loose with the seal of confession (not much though -- he brings it up later with Matt himself (a definite no-no) but is very clear he'd never tell anyone else) but I can forgive that much dramatic license.  The sign in front of the church says that "Holy Eucharist" is on Sundays at 10:30 am.  That sounds more like Episcopal language to me, I've never seen a Catholic church describe it that way (rather than, say, "Mass times").

I loved the content of Matt's conversations with the priest though.  I'm curious what you thought sounded off there.

But then here's my favorite.  There's a scene at a funeral (graveside) and the priest is there wearing a purple stole.  I was mildly annoyed with the Netflix people.  It's WHITE for funerals, people.  C'mon, look it up.

Turns out they were right and I was wrong.  Purple is a valid option too!  (Though I've been to a bunch of Catholic funerals and only ever seen white in the wild.)  Netflix knows more than I do!  So then I laughed at myself a lot.

[LittleWaySoul]

20 hours ago, krissylou said:

I'm curious what you thought sounded off there.

I don't think it was anything very specific, just the entire thing felt like they were really trying but couldn't quite capture it. Little details about confession etc were also things I noticed. 

[krissylou]

Ah okay.  I mean when Matt is hanging out outside the church and the priest says "The last time you were here (in the confessional) you seemed to have a lot on your mind" that is definitely a no-no but I was willing to chalk that up to dramatic license.

And the what-color-for-funerals thing just amused me.  Netflix was right and I was wrong!

[Circle_Master]

I hadn't made that connection between Daredevil and Catholicism - so thanks for bringing up the question.

I wonder if they have any deeper spiritual connections in Jessica Jones or the more recent Luke Cage.

[Seven77]

Glad that this thread exists! Daredevil is one of the best shows I've ever seen…  the Defender shows  (not really interested to watch Jessica Jones season 1) are the only real reason that I keep Netflix streaming.

 I think that Season 1 of DD was better written than Season 2. I like the introduction of The Punisher and Elektra in Season 2. It took a while for things to get moving in Season 2 and it got a bit tedious towards the middle episodes. There is much more excitement throughout the 1st season, or maybe it just seemed that way because it was so new. In both seasons, the characters are likable and three-dimensional for the most part. After seeing Kingpin's background story, which was very effective, I expected to see something like that for The Punisher––but maybe it wasn't necessary, after all, there was a lot said about his background. And hey, they probably left it for the upcoming Punisher series!

As far as the Catholicism goes, Daredevil is a very Catholic character. I didn't realize this about him because I never really followed the comics. All I knew was that he was blind and that alone intrigued me. Anyway, I love how the series portrays him as explicitly Catholic. And it depicts his struggles to reconcile faith with his superhero actions. He is a work in progress. But there's a lot he has learned by Season 2. Matt Murdock doesn't kill people, something that Frank Castle  and Elektra have no qualms about.  He knows how the faith can impact his life on a practical, day-to-day level. I like that scene in  Season 1 where 

Karen asks Matt how he copes with all the brutality that they witnessed, and Matt answers that he is Catholic. Then Karen asks, “does it help?” “Not today.”

He struggles. But he goes to the priest––I forgot his name–– for advice, very often. I like the priest's explanation of sin and satan but at moments throughout the show, his Catholicism is kind of wanting. For example, when

the priest says that he's come to the church to pray to God, he points to the crucifix instead of the tabernacle.

That scene really bothered me; it revealed an ignorance of Catholicism.

2 weeks ago I started watching Luke Cage with my cousin. All amesome 13 episodes, which are all named after Gang Starr songs. Some parts are difficult to watch, especially in the 1st episode. Now I'm looking forward to Iron Fist.

[Seven77]

Glad that this thread exists! Daredevil is one of the best shows I've ever seen…  the Defender shows  (not really interested to watch Jessica Jones season 1) are the only real reason that I keep Netflix streaming.

 I think that Season 1 of DD was better written than Season 2. I like the introduction of The Punisher and Elektra in Season 2. It took a while for things to get moving in Season 2 and it got a bit tedious towards the middle episodes. There is much more excitement throughout the 1st season, or maybe it just seemed that way because it was so new. In both seasons, the characters are likable and three-dimensional for the most part. After seeing Kingpin's background story, which was very effective, I expected to see something like that for The Punisher––but maybe it wasn't necessary, after all, there was a lot said about his background. And hey, they probably left it for the upcoming Punisher series!

As far as the Catholicism goes, Daredevil is a very Catholic character. I didn't realize this about him because I never really followed the comics. All I knew was that he was blind and that alone intrigued me. Anyway, I love how the series portrays him as explicitly Catholic. And it depicts his struggles to reconcile faith with his superhero actions. He is a work in progress. But there's a lot he has learned by Season 2. Matt Murdock doesn't kill people, something that Frank Castle  and Elektra have no qualms about.  He knows how the faith can impact his life on a practical, day-to-day level. I like that scene in  Season 1 where:

 

Karen asks Matt how he copes with all the brutality that they witnessed, and Matt answers that he is Catholic. Then Karen asks, “does it help?” “Not today.”

 

He struggles. But he goes to the priest––I forgot his name–– for advice, very often. I like the priest's explanation of sin and satan but at moments throughout the show, his Catholicism is kind of wanting. For example, when:

 

the priest says that he's come to the church to pray to God, he points to the crucifix instead of the tabernacle.

 

That scene really bothered me; it revealed an ignorance of Catholicism.

2 weeks ago I finished watching Luke Cage with my cousin. A strong and intelligent superhero in a hoodie! 13 episodes, all named after Gang Starr songs. Some parts are difficult to watch, especially in the 1st episode.

Now I'm looking forward to Iron Fist.