Zack and I are slowly closing in the finale of Daredevil. It’s hard to really judge the quality of the story until I know where it’s going, though I have found this season to be as addictive as the previous one. Hopefully, before this post goes up, I can close out Matt Murdock’s second season as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

As I watch, I struggle to understand how the character lives his life. Push aside the fact that he’s blind (except not really) and that the show is fiction; I just do not understand the double life aspect of his world. The idea of being one thing in the eyes of the public and then maintaining a full second life in private sounds not only exhausting, but impossible. To its credit, the show makes it clear that the second life takes its toll, leaving lasting scars that you wear for the rest of your life. For Matt, wearing spandex and punching people is worth that price. But for others, that passion takes the form of a project. A calling. That thing your job is paying for, a pit stop on your way to what you truly want to do. Maybe it’s start a family. Writing a book. Or maybe it’s actually being a super hero yourself. Whatever it is, it’s tough to do well and still do your job. But somehow, Matt seems to have found a way (at least where I am in the series).

So I wonder how I could too?

Again, let’s reiterate that Daredevil’s life is one of fiction, written by whatever lucky bastard’s been hired to take him on at the moment, and some of those moments can be less realistic than a blind super hero with super senses. There’s actually a huge stretch of print where Matt Murdock pretended to be his identical twin, Mike Murdock, who was fully capable of seeing. That happened! And there were no repercussions! Can you imagine trying that shit in real life?!

Maybe this is why the Marvel characters have hit such a stride recently compared to the DC heroes (though I’m aware that shitting on those movies is the “cool thing” to do, that train seems a bit crowded at the moment, so I’ll wait for the next one). The Marvel supers are much truer avatars for ourselves, struggling to find that balance between their responsibilities and their true selves. What they can stand, what they’re capable of. What they can’t do, and what they must. It must be nice to have such clear sight lines on your problems and goals, and a face to punch to move them forward. To have an inevitable third-act final battle for all the marbles that comes with an explosive RSVP you can’t miss.

And that’s where I am now, in both the series and in life. I am grappling with the responsibilities of Unlife and what it entails, between writing, manageing, blogging, social media… -ing, I guess. This is not a complaint; I’m shining the Bat Signal, or whatever Daredevil has (The Braille Symbol?) in hopes of finding someone out there who knows how it’s done. Is it really just fiction? Or are they really showing us that there is hope? That we can save the day, be the hero, and have it all? Can we be the savior that takes on all those great responsibilities? Or maybe all we can do is set aside our fear, step into the lion’s den, and hope for the best.

As much as I’m enjoying the new season, I don’t think this show is going to tell me. I’ll just have to see for myself.