#dd s2

Of course, it also makes one wonder what would have to happen differently to get that outcome. I feel like the minimum things that would've made this happen is if:

Matt told Foggy and Karen about Elektra the moment she deposited that money in their bank account, instead of only telling Foggy after Elektra tampered with the medical examiner. This would put Foggy and Karen in a position to talk Matt out of going out to fight ninjas, and he commits himself to the Punisher trial full time.

After Fisk's initial defeat, Matt and Foggy sat down to have a serious discussion about Daredevil and what parts of that Foggy is and isn't okay with. (And for Foggy to maybe speak to some of the people Daredevil has saved from being mugged or assaulted or whatnot, so he can understand that Matt's night job is very important.) By doing this and being more supportive of Matt, Matt ends up being more willing to confide in things with Foggy, and in turn also tells Karen a lot sooner about Daredevil.

I think I'm kind of torn about this. It would certainly be better for the characters and their lives, but at the same time, then we wouldn't have the external and internal conflicts that lead to Matt's breaking-down and rebirth in season 3, which in my opinion is some of the best TV ever written. I don't think it would mean as much if he hadn't pushed his loved ones away and basically destroyed his entire life.

I definitely agree with your point about Matt doing the Punisher trial full-time. Obviously we needed to see Matt getting pulled apart by his two different worlds, so I understand why the ninja stuff was included--but at the same time, I feel like it was the weakest part of the show, and really took away from the Punisher stuff. That was the most compelling part of the season for me, and the ninja plot was so distracting. I think they should have balanced those things better, because it really felt out of character for Matt to be THAT bad at his job, lol.

on a personal level, I would love to have seen Matt reconcile with Karen and Foggy and keep things going at the firm, but I think ultimately his poor decision-making and his self-isolation is a part of his character that he had to grow from. Which is definitely the crux of season 3. So I think season 2's painful interpersonal relationships were necessary, from a storytelling perspective, to get the satisfying reconciliation we got at the end of season 3.

I think maybe if the Defenders spent more time focusing on Matt and Karen and Foggy reconciling it might have been better. I know they were already doing that a little bit, but more time spent on that would have made the lead up to the Midland Circle disaster a lot more meaningful.

I like the idea of Foggy and Karen speaking to people DD saved, so they can get a better idea of why DD is important. It could have been cool to see that in s3, maybe in the context of Karen writing articles about Midland Circle, and going on her obsessive search to find out if Matt is still alive (I know she does that with the girl at the hospital, but meeting her was coincidental. It would have been cool to see Karen seeking people out). I think that might have deepened the complexity and nuance of their feelings toward's Matt's night life.

It's definitely interesting to think about. Ultimately I agree that the relationships in s2 felt off--although I do think it was important for them to be apart by the end of it. But I think if we had seen Matt being vulnerable and honest with them (to an extent, at least, even if he doesn't fully reveal who he is) then the conflict would have been heightened at the end when everything falls to pieces.

“Oh, well he seems nice.”