Words cannot express how painful the wait for season two of "Daredevil" was for me. I woke up at three o’clock in the morning last year when the first season was released on Netflix, I clapped at the end of the tremendous hallway fight scene, and I couldn’t believe how involved I became in the conflict shared between Matthew Murdock and the villainous Wilson Fisk. It instantly placed itself onto my list of favorite shows of all time, right after "Breaking Bad" and "Game of Thrones" (and "Power Rangers", although my love for that has already been shared).

Well, the time has finally come for the second season. Without question, I binged on the show for nearly all of Friday and a good portion of Saturday (I'll need to say goodbye to good grades on any midterms I have this upcoming week). However, with another thirteen episodes now officially in the books, I must say that I cannot express the same kind of love I felt towards the first season for the second. While there were many positives, there just nearly weren’t as many as the first go-around.

I’ll start this off by talking about all the positives first. This season started off strong by introducing us to one of the new main characters added for the season: the beloved Marvel Comics anti-hero, the Punisher, played by "The Walking Dead" star, Jon Bernthal. Bernthal absolutely dominates in the hero, as he steals the show every single time he appears. The Punisher has always been known as a character with a messed up past and a violent agenda, and Bernthal captures that perfectly as he lets his aggression take the stage. I found myself wishing for him to come back on every single time the show switched focus to another character.

The majority of the actors from the first season are back for the second season, and they once again bring some of the best acting I’ve seen in any show. Charlie Cox is absolutely perfect in the titular role as he portrays a man who struggles over the consequences of being both a hero and a regular civilian. Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Henson both return in their respective roles as Karen Page and Franklin “Foggy” Nelson, who are given more limelight to progress within the roles of their characters and stand out on their own without Daredevil around. Rosario Dawson is also back in her limited role as Claire Temple, portraying the character in "Jessica Jones" as well. Despite the small amount of episodes she appears in, you still get the vibe that she has grown as a person and will most certainly be used extensively in the next Marvel Netflix program.

Another main positive is the dialogue, which seems to have been turned up a notch from last season’s tremendous lines. It seems as if all characters in the show are given at least one scene in which they truly become the star, and you can see their progression and what they truly stand for. Some of my favorite scenes in the latest season don’t feature any explosions or fighting, but instead are scenes in which two characters are at odds with each other using words alone. Bernthal shines once more in this regard, as he is given a monologue within the first four episodes that can become a true tearjerker and solidifies his place in the shoes of the Punisher. While I won’t say who, a familiar face from the first season returns and makes the hair on your arms stand up as he threatens Matt Murdock to a pulp later in the season. It’s truly a fascinating thing to hear and watch.

Of course, the violence seems to have gone up a notch as well. Two scenes come to mind. One features Daredevil in a scene highly reminiscent of the first season’s hallway fight scene (only this time, three minutes longer and “juiced” up) and another features the Punisher. Blood and gore is abound this season, and dead bodies drop by the dozens in seemingly every episode.

Now on to the negatives. This season of Daredevil introduces two mainstays: the Punisher, as already mentioned, and Elektra, portrayed by Élodie Yung. After Punisher’s arc in the story, Elektra is conveniently placed in with the sole purpose of moving the story forward in an unnatural way. From the point of her introduction, the show constantly switches between focusing on the Punisher and on Elektra, and it feels truly tiring after a while, especially as they choose to focus more on the lesser-interesting character towards the end of the show.

Elektra isn’t necessarily a bad character. She’s portrayed incredibly by Yung and proves herself to be a great clash of character to Daredevil himself. However, her portrayal is pale in comparison to Bernthal’s Punisher--more of a testament of how great he fits into that character's shoes. Throughout every episode that featured Elektra, I couldn’t help but wish it was the Punisher that took the show. Along with that, Elektra brought along a story with her that added mysticism and--get ready for this--an army of immortal ninjas that just feels so out of place. The season begins with the realism and darkness that came with the Punisher, and it suddenly transitions into an odd, seemingly Japanese folklore tale featuring an abnormal love story.

While I completely understand that the army of immortal ninjas--called the Hand in the show--is a direct adaptation from the "Daredevil" comics, it just does not blend well with what was already established. It would have been a much better fit if they were introduced much later on in the show--possibly in another season--where a big name such as Elektra would be given plenty of time to be developed and loved, rather than have to share the screen with another big name--the Punisher--who brings his own level of complexity as well.

Without giving away any spoilers, the season also ends with a clichéd climax that made me roll my eyes. It felt incredibly unfulfilling, and just made me think how much better it could have been. Were this season solely about the moral feud between the Punisher and Daredevil--a feud in which we wonder if malicious individuals should be given a second chance--this could have been a much better show. Instead, we are given thirteen episodes of too many characters fighting for the spotlight.

The second season of "Daredevil" is quite similar to what "Iron Man 2"was to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, in which they introduced a plethora of characters in hopes of expanding the universe rather than give Iron Man the focus that he deserves. You can tell the makers of "Daredevil" have big aspirations in mind for the future, as they aim to eventually make their own Netflix version of "The Avengers", bringing in Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and the yet-to-be-introduced Iron Fist together to make The Defenders. They fell into the sin of choosing to create a bigger universe quickly rather than playing the long game and focusing more on what made us love that first season of "Daredevil" so much--two characters at odds with their similar and yet oh-so-different moral views.

Regardless, "Daredevil" is still a great watch with plenty of intense action and dialogue that will drop your jaw. Just don’t get your expectations too high. Otherwise, you might get a bit more disappointed than you should--as was the case with me.