Marvel’s Daredevil was released on Netflix on Friday, April 10, and to the delight of many, was actually really good. That might come as a surprise for those who remember Daredevil’s last big deal: the dreadful movie and equally dreadful ‘Elektra’ spin-off.

This show, however, was great. It was dark, gritty, and had beautifully formed characters.

Set in an area of New York ravaged by Loki and his army in the first Avengers film, this show is about what happens when huge holes are left open.

The show follows Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), and his best friend Franklin “Foggy” Nelson (Elden Henson), two lawyers fresh out of law school and looking to make the world a better place. Though Matt is blind, he’s surprisingly able, and has a dark secret: in the night he masquerades as a crime-fighting masked vigilante.

Murdock gets caught up in an underground crime ring run by Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), who doesn’t yet take his comic name “Kingpin.”

I have few complaints, the most significant of which being the fact that punches were certainly pulled. There was a clear censoring of obscene language and despite the presence of a human trafficking organization in the show, there was no talk of the sexual side of that industry indeed there was almost no sex in the show.

Several things about the show impressed me. The first being the ability to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe without being wrapped up in that world. Next is the fact that it’s rather unpredictable; you aren’t sure what’s going to happen next, which things are arbitrary and which events will cause trouble later on in the story.

Third is the fact that “Daredevil” and “Kingpin” aren’t exactly in the show. The word “kingpin” is never used, and “Daredevil,” well… the final episode is titled “Daredevil.” But that’s it! Just the last episode! It’s an origin story that focuses on the origin of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, not Daredevil and the Kingpin, which I love.

Finally, the show is all about the juxtaposition of characters. The two sides of Murdock is the first. His lawyer side is committed to using the justice system to fight his battles, yet his vigilante side takes the law into his own hands, flagrantly violating his own tenets.

The second character parallel only shows up in the second half of the series, when the main villain is introduced. Not everyone sat down and watched the whole thing like me, so I will keep it spoiler free. In short, both Murdock and the big bad guy have to deal with their emotional ties getting wrapped up in their work, and having to decide whether it’s better to destroy relationships or endanger lives.

Fisk (D’Onofrio) is easily my favorite character. D’Onofrio performs wonderfully, commanding a presence that is unmatched, with a character who’s unpredictable and incredibly dangerous. The story focuses as much on Fisk’s character development as it does Murdock’s, giving Fisk a deep, detailed character who you want to root for.

In my mind, that’s what makes this show great. The goals of the hero and villain are the same (a better New York), the methods are very similar (use the law when possible, use violence when needed), and the only difference is that Murdock is one man who has just started and Fisk is controlling an empire on the brink of success.

When the labels of protagonist and antagonist are stripped away, you can see how incredibly similar Murdock and Fisk really are, and that makes Daredevil a beautifully tragic, dark, nuanced masterpiece, a perfect start to the Defenders series.