Though entertaining, the second season is fractured and unfocused compared to Season 1. The law firm of Nelson and Murdock starts collapsing in the first episode and is finally put out of its misery after lingering entirely too long. This binding agent for the main three characters makes their storylines shatter. Added into the mix is Punisher, who is effectively given a very full origin story. Oh, and there is Elektra too.
The season opens with a massacre of Irish thugs targeted by the Punisher. Though he talks a lot about 'one shot, one kill' later in the season, he proves to be extremely sloppy here and up to his eventual arrest. He doesn't come across as a military man, more like a loose cannon. Once arrested with a big assist from Daredevil, his storyline branches out to be independent from Daredevil. We are left to follow Karen Page, the secretary, as she has repeated encounters with the Punisher and determines why he is who he is. Punisher and Daredevil become entirely independent storylines that are only occasionally forced together in order to avoid total incoherence.
Foggy Nelson, who was the light-hearted comic relief of season 1, has become a constant scold for Matt Murdock/Daredevil. The two seem incapable of having an amicable conversation after the season opener. Thus, very like Karen, Foggy has a somewhat independent and mostly irrelevant storyline. He is put in the hospital prior to a ninja attack on that hospital just so he isn't completely absent. However, sitting in the dark and wondering what's happening on the next floor is hardly worth including. With how things concluded, it would be logical to eliminate Foggy from the show with only occasional guest appearances.
The Elektra-Daredevil romance is full of wild swings. There is Matt demanding that Elektra leave and never come back, Matt rescuing her and asking her to stay with him, Matt banishing her because she likes killing people too much, Elektra threatening to kill him if he gets in her way, Matt offering to follow her out of the city so they can live happily ever after. It was too much over too short a number of episodes. However, the fact that Elektra knows that Matt is Daredevil allows him a degree of openness that he doesn't have in other relationships, notably the nascent one with Karen.
Wilson Fisk returns in a brief number of episodes coincident with Punisher's incarceration. This was one of the more enjoyable bits that showed Fisk earning his 'Kingpin' moniker and demonstrating his ability to takeover whatever organization that happens to be at hand. That he makes use of Punisher - despite the fact that Punisher is his natural enemy - was great. This short return of Fisk showed just how empty the current crop of villains were.
Though the season is erratic and disjointed, there is a lot of philosophy offered. Despite resorting to vigilantism, Daredevil has a high opinion of the law. Unlike cops and prosecutors, his keen senses allow him to know who is guilty and who isn't. Those who slip through the justice system will not escape without a visit from Daredevil. Stick, Elektra, and Punisher all look at his methods as half-measures. They all want the permanent solution of killing criminals. Even Daredevil's victims tell him that they will be back on the streets in a week. Sadly, the series repeatedly proves Punisher to be correct. The series needs to introduce a thug who is reformed to put a win in Daredevil's column.
Though not as good as the first season, it places a lot of foundation for some great future storytelling. Punisher will have his own Netflix series, Elektra is prepared for a return, and Kingpin is still influencing events despite his imprisonment. Daredevil finally has his special club to go with his Daredevil armor/costume.
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