Some of Matt Murdock’s adventures obviously stand out more than others, and a fair share of them are completely forgettable, which means that there are several key moments that later writers like to return to. In that sense, many of the nods to past continuity we’ve seen during volumes 3 and 4 are in no way unique to this run. Stories involving Matt’s relationship with his father are common, as are mentions of Stick, all the heinous stuff that Bullseye has put Daredevil through over the years. While I’ve appreciated the specifics of how these recurring bits of continuity have been included (see the adorable scene of Matt’s childhood below, courtesy of Javier Rodríguez), let’s take a look at some things that I felt set this most recent era apart.

From Daredevil #2 (vol 3), by Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera

The Mike Murdock era, when Matt pretended to be his own made-up-on-the-spot identical twin – from Daredevil #25 through #41 (volume 1) – is regarded with an amused sense of disbelief by fans today. It’s the kind of story that seems like the complete opposite of what we associate with Daredevil today, which makes it difficult to address in any other way than through the use of clever Easter eggs. We’re not likely to see a scene in which Foggy questions Matt about the details of this particular ruse, because that would make it a little too real for comfort – as opposed to some kind of Silver Age hallucination – but it’s fun to play with. Even the very serious Netflix show did it (“Mike” was the name given to Matt by Claire, when he refused to give his real name), and during the Brubaker/Lark run, Matt used the name “Mike” to check in at the airport after breaking out of prison. Then again, his full name is Matthew Michael Murdock.

In the panel above, we see a different kind of jab at Mike Murdock, in the form of his hat and glasses. The same accessories appear in later issues as well, and it definitely put a smile on my face every time it did. It’s just a small detail that doesn’t really detract from the scene, but rewards longtime fans for their loyalty. Just as a good Easter egg should.

From Daredevil #17 (vol 3), by Mark Waid and Mike Allred

One aspect of the Silver Age madness that this run made sure to address more directly were the villains. Above, Matt fights Stilt-Man in a story set in the past, at a time when fighting Stilt-Man was a more regular occurrence. Of course, Daredevil also fought an upgraded Stilt-Man in the present alongside the Superior Spider-Man, but in both instances Mark Waid put an appropriate amount of distance between the goofier past and the more grounded present by the way Matt himself narrates the events. If you’re going to include something a little nuttier from the past, acknowledging the nuttiness of it all, in some way, is more or less required.

A different approach to using past villains, which used to great effect during this run, has been to dust them off and make them legitimate threats for the modern age. This will never work for Stilt-Man, who is inherently ill-conceived, but plenty of others have great potential for creepiness. Old Spider-Man villain the Spot has never been quite so disturbing (not to mention the similarly powered new character Coyote), and I loved the return of Klaw, who appeared in one single episode of Daredevil, decades ago. There was the update to Purple Man’s story (though he was always pretty disturbing), and many others. I thought this was a great way to use the past stories of not only this particular character, but the greater Marvel Universe.

From Daredevil #28 (vol 3), by Mark Waid and Javier Rodríguez

Another great use of the more obscure chapters of Daredevil history was the nod to Matt’s lecture at Carter College, about the legal implications of extra-terrestrial visitors to Earth (see below). Again, Matt treats the reminder with an appropriate amount horror, even commenting that he may not have been sober. The nod to past continuity is also wonderfully reflected by the art. For more on this, see my old post dealing with the same scene.

From Daredevil #30 (vol 3), by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

These are just a few examples of the many ways past continuity was treated, ever so lovingly, by the creators of volumes 3 and 4. What are your thoughts on this topic, and do you have a favorite little nugget that I didn’t mention here? Let the rest of us know in the comment section!

The post Daredevil volumes 3 and 4: Nods to continuity appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Daredevil volumes 3 and 4: The big issues
2. The end of an era for Daredevil
3. Daredevil #10 revisited

Right from the very first issue, when it was clear that the new era would set a lighter tone for Daredevil, Mark Waid made sure to remind us that Matt’s past issues were not all in the past. In fact, there were signs early on that Matt may have been putting on a front, for his own benefit as much as for those around him, as strongly hinted at below, in Daredevil #7 (vol 3).

From Daredevil #7 (vol 3), by Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera

Of course, Matt’s balancing act didn’t go unnoticed by Foggy, who had been suspicious since the very beginning. Not only that, when he suspects that Matt has lost his mind – due to the machinations of Coyote and his teleporting powers – it isn’t his first rodeo. Matt’s mental health issues go back decades of Daredevil history, and it is easy to forgive Foggy for not giving Matt the benefit of the doubt.

From Daredevil #16 (vol 3), by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

Fortunately, Matt and Foggy settle their differences, but just in time for Foggy to tell his friend that he may have cancer. Matt, of course, is with him when he finally gets the sad news.

From Daredevil #23 (vol 3), by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

I wish that the Foggy cancer storyline could have received a better resolution, as it was put on the back burner for most of volume four, and then finished up a bit too quickly at the end. However, it did spawn some very strong issues along the way, and a very sweet back-up story in Daredevil #26 (vol 3). And, the children’s drawings are spectacularly rendered by Chris Samnee.

From Daredevil #26 (vol 3), by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

Another story that garnered a lot of attention – and added a great chapter to Daredevil continuity – was the one that looked at the reason why Sister Maggie left Matt as an infant. The young Maggie’s struggle with post-partum depression was deeply moving, and put the spotlight on a common, but often neglected issue.

From Daredevil #7 (vol 4), by Mark Waid and Javier Rodríguez

After finding balance again after his move to San Francisco, Matt is once again shaken to the core by the influence of the Purple children who project all of their torment onto him, and remind him of his own. This amounted to a study of depression that struck a chord with a lot of people.

From Daredevil #10 (vol 4), by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

Personally, one of my favorite parts of this particular issue was the very end where Matt goes home and goes to bed. And this is where the reader initially thinks the issue ends. But, there’s more. A final page, following the letters’ page sees Matt finally reaching out, and we find out that Kirsten was there waiting for him all along.

From Daredevil #10 (vol 4), by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

Honorable mention

I thought I’d end with something that should no longer be a big issue, and give the creative team some major kudos for not treating it as such. Which kind of makes this an odd thing to put this list, but there it is. What am I talking about? Random characters who happen to be gay in roles that have nothing to do with them being gay. In Daredevil #2 (vol 3), we meet Matt’s professional acquaintance and his boyfriend, and in Daredevil #1 (vol 4), Matt saves a little girl who has two mothers, one of whom is the deputy mayor.

From Daredevil #2 (vol 3), by Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera

That’s it for now! Did I miss anything? Let us know in the comment section!

The post Daredevil volumes 3 and 4: The big issues appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Daredevil volumes 3 and 4: Nods to continuity
2. The end of an era for Daredevil
3. Daredevil #23 revisited

Of course, I also want to mention Peter Krause’s artwork on the Road Warrior digital comic, Matt Wilson’s excellent work as the colorist of the tail end of volume 4 (he opened with a big splash of purple, my favorite color…), and the always excellent Joe Caramagna whose letters made me take note of this craft in ways I hadn’t previously. Last, but certainly not least, we have the editorial team and the guest artists I didn’t get to already, but for fear of missing anyone, I’ll just extend a big, collective “thank you” to everyone who contributed to the success of the last four years.

This era of Daredevil has been unique in many ways, and as much as I’m looking forward to seeing what Charles Soule and Ron Garney have in store for us in a new Daredevil #1 later this year, I suspect I will always look back on these past few years with a huge sense of nostalgia. The Other Murdock Papers has been up and running for almost eight years, and volumes 3 and 4 have covered more than half of that timespan. I don’t know if I’d been as inspired to keep blogging if there hadn’t consistently been so much great new material to talk about.

I’m also grateful that I’ve been able to meet Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Paolo Rivera in person. I have nothing but great things to say about these guys, and how generous they’ve been with their time at conventions and in conversations online. (And the fact that I actually had a cameo appearance in an issue still inspires awe among my friends who don’t even read comics. It definitely ranks among the coolest things that has ever happened to me. Is that sad? Naw, I think it’s awesome.)

I initially figured I would write one post listing all the things that I’ve enjoyed about this run, but I quickly realized that would take much more than just one post if I wanted it to be exhaustive. So for the next couple of weeks, I’d like to return to each of the points below so I can delve into them a little deeper. Because there’s so much to say that doing it all at once would be overwhelming, and you guys would have to wait even longer for this already overdue back-from-hiatus post. What I will do is list each thing I wanted to get back to, and maybe you guys would even like to weigh in with your own examples in the comments.

1. The artwork

   

   I know, a discussion of the artwork alone could easily cover several posts, and if you’re itching to read something that has me gushing about the brilliance of Paolo Rivera and Chris Samnee, there are several older posts I could refer you to. I’ll put a list of recommended reading at the end of the post.

   In essence, though, what has really made the artwork stand out to me, in particularly during Samnee’s tenure, has been the complete merging of words and pictures. Of course, this is the kind of experience that comics, at its best, should always deliver, but few do it as smoothly and beautifully as we’ve seen over the last few years. Pick almost any Daredevil comic from this run, and you’d fairly easily be able to understand the story, including at least the gist of individual conversations, without even reading the words. It’s been visual story-telling at its finest, and has kept me coming back to reread every issue, just to enjoy all the little details.

2. The tone

   

   This is probably be the most controversial item on this list, as I know people disagree about what constitutes the perfect tone for this character. I know many people first started reading Daredevil with volume 3, and for them, this is “their” Daredevil. Many other fans view the Bendis run, for instance, as the quintessential Daredevil. Some of those fans have enjoyed the last few years as much as I have, and some have not. That’s fine. As a Daredevil completist, I don’t consider the tone of this run as extreme in any way. It’s had its lighter moments – much needed considering the dark era that preceded it – and it’s dealt with serious topics as well. True, the events of Daredevil #14 (vol 4) were too whimsical for me personally, and aside from several great moments (which I may return to), this final story arc has not been my cup of tea. However, this in no way lessens my profound enthusiasm for the vast majority of the issues that came before, and I feel that the tone has mostly been spot on. There are many different ways to write this character and still remain true to the core of who he is, and this creative team has done a better job of exploring Matt Murdock and his friends than most.

3. Perfect pacing and thrilling twists

   

   Over the last four years, buying an issue of Daredevil has almost guaranteed the reader good value for their hard-earned money. This is probably not the most exciting way to talk about a work of art, but with the relatively high cost of comics for the few minutes it takes to read each issue, it’s always appreciated when every single read is a satisfying read. While still mostly conforming to the modern format of stories that span several issue, each issue has stood well on its own.

   I’ve already mentioned the quality of the artwork, but here I also want to point out Mark Waid’s incredible talent for plotting a story and getting the pacing of it just right. He’s never been afraid to let a quiet moment take the time it needs, at the same time making sure that no single page is wasted. This makes the big reveals feel all the more gratifying, and the twists so much more shocking. See the panel above. ‘Nuff said.

4. The big issues

   

   I mentioned this briefly while talking about tone, but I think it needs its own heading (and subsequent post). This creative team is not the first to bring up Matt’s fragile mental health, but perhaps the first to attempt to explore it this fully. The examination of Daredevil’s depression has moved so many readers, including yours truly, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s actually saved lives. Add to that the story which dealt with Sister Maggie’s tragic reasons for leaving Matt as a baby, Foggy’s cancer and many other themes with real-world implications, and there’s been plenty of reason to stay invested in these stories.

5. Nods to continuity

   

   It’s always great when you can tell that the creative team are true fans of the character they’re working on, and can use the treasure trove that is fifty years of comic book history to ground the characters in that history and make nods to the greater Marvel Universe. On the other hand, you always want to make sure the stories don’t put up unnecessary barriers for new readers. Daredevil has struck the perfect balance, with plenty of nods to Daredevil history for the longtime fan to enjoy that don’t exclude newcomers. This run has also seen the use of old villains which have been dusted off and made more interesting, and threatening, in the process.

6. Matt Murdock, the blind guy

   

   This last item is probably not a surprise coming from me, but I know I’m far from the only one who has appreciated a serious and insightful handling of this topic. Mark Waid pretty much proves the observation I made long before 2011 that the creators who pay the most attention to properly exploring Daredevil’s senses tend to be the same ones who know how to handle the limitations of those senses. Really trying to get into Matt Murdock’s head will usually lead to insight into both of these inter-related domains, and I know Waid has spent a lot of time thinking about these issues.

   The way of visually depicting Matt’s radar sense during this run, introduced by Paolo Rivera, has also gone a long way to establish a new standard that works really well, and helps the reader better understand the difference between Matt Murdock’s “view” of the world, and the norm. I really hope that the incoming creative team will draw inspiration from these guys when it comes to this aspect of the character.

That’s it for now! As I mentioned, I will return to a deeper discussion of each of the items on the list, but please feel free to speak you mind on anything and everything related to the last four years in the comment section.

Thank you for reading and thank you to the Daredevil creative team for a spectacular four years!

List of recommended art posts:

• The philosophy of Paolo Rivera’s radar
• Thank you, Paolo!
• Interview with Chris Samnee! – The Other Murdock Papers Podcast #4
• 15 favorite Chris Samnee Daredevil moments
• Chris Samnee and Daredevil’s evolving radar

The post The end of an era for Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Daredevil volumes 3 and 4: Nods to continuity
2. Daredevil volumes 3 and 4: The big issues
3. Things that have me excited for the Daredevil relaunch – Part 1

Charles Soule and Ron Garney is the new Daredevil creative team

It’s been known for quite a while now that Mark Waid and Chris Samnee are leaving Daredevil at the end of the current arc, but it wasn’t until a few days ago that we learned who would be next in line to tackle the character. It’s now been officially announced that Charles Soule will step in as the new writer, with Ron Garney on art duties.

There was a lot of speculation at first who the new character appearing at Matt’s side on the cover of the October issue, but this and many other question were answered – sort of – in this new interview with A.V. Club, where Soule and Garney go into some detail about what’s next for the Man Without Fear. Obviously, if you don’t want any kind of spoilers, stay away. Feel free to discuss anything and everything in the comment section though!

Elodie Yung is Elektra!

Just yesterday, it was announced that Marvel and Netflix have found the actress who will portray Elektra in the next season of Daredevil, and she is French actress Elodie Yung. Without really knowing anything about her (though I did vaguely recognize her from something), she certainly looks the part! I’ve never been a huge fan of Elektra as a character – despite naming one of my cats after her – but I actually have a pretty good feeling about this. Oh, and there’s even some promotional Elektra themed art to go along with the announcement:

Season two of filming for Marvel’s Daredevil has begun

Speaking of season two, and as many of you might have seen already, set photos of Charlie Cox and Elden Henson have appeared online, courtesy of photographer Shelly Kay. You can see more of them on her Twitter timeline. It feels like yesterday that the first season premieres, and I can’t believe that next season is cooking as we speak. I can’t wait to see more glimpses of what’s coming up!

1st pics of the day. Filming #daredevilseason2 #CharlieCox @Daredevil Copyright: #shellykayphotography #eldenhenson pic.twitter.com/RXjCt5Hv54

— Shelly Kay (@ShellyKaynyc) July 6, 2015

tighter shot for ya. Copyright: #shellykayphotography #daredevilseason2 #CharlieCox #eldenhenson @Daredevil pic.twitter.com/GOpJfK4bgi

— Shelly Kay (@ShellyKaynyc) July 6, 2015

With this post, I’m going to switch to doing “reruns” for a few weeks. It may not look like it, but I’m actually quite busy with Daredevil these days as I’m finally making real progress on that Daredevil book I’ve been talking about for years. In order for me to focus on that project, I will switch to putting up a “new” featured post from the archives on the start page, rotating every couple of days. I will stay active on Twitter, and Facebook, and will do my best to cover any news that comes out!

The post Season 2 under way, Elektra casting news, and a new Daredevil creative team appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Marvel’s Daredevil is renewed for a second season!
2. Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix: News recap
3. News Roundup, October 19

The joke between Matt and Foggy about how Matt can always spot an attractive woman is one that the characters return more than once during the show. And, it’s also brought up in episode nine – Nelson vs. Murdock – where it’s clear that Foggy feels betrayed by the fact that Matt could tell when someone was attractive all along.

Here’s the thing though: Given Matt’s heightened senses, being able to judge a woman’s attractiveness (or a man’s for that matter) is a fairly modest ability. Much of what he’s probably doing, hardly even requires any heightened senses. Here’s how it all probably works.

No, Matt obviously doesn’t “see” an attractive woman the way Foggy does

Before moving on, let’s first establish that Matt Murdock doesn’t really “see” faces other than in the vaguest sense of the word. This is true of the comics, and it clearly appears to be true of the Netflix show as well. I wasn’t particularly happy with the “world on fire” effect, but it at least doesn’t overstate Matt’s ability to “see” anything in great detail.

This point is further underscored by such things as Matt asking Claire “You’re looking at me like I’m crazy, right?” when he tries to get off her couch in episode two. He can obviously detect larger movements like a nod or a turn of the head in some direction, but the more minute details of a person’s face – including facial expressions – elude him.

What about someone’s general body shape? This is obviously something he should be able to gauge pretty easily in his own peculiar way of seeing without really seeing. On the other hand, features like body weight and general fitness level is something ordinary blind people without heightened senses could also pick up on. The weight of someone’s step and their overall movement patterns and breathing can be heard or, in the case of the former, felt through vibrations in the floor.

Other cues that signal attractiveness

Even though Daredevil probably can’t get much information about facial expressions, he has other ways of knowing how and when people react to something. Relevant for our purposes here is his ability to detect changes in Foggy. If a woman comes into a room and Foggy finds her attractive, Matt could easily tell from Foggy’s heartbeat picking up, or his scent changing in some perceptible way. Even without heightened senses, he could probably also pick up on a certain nervousness in his friend’s voice or just his general behavior. It’s really not rocket science.

Physical attractiveness is also most likely correlated with certain behaviors on behalf of the attractive person in question. While there are obviously traditionally attractive people with low self-esteem, just as there are people who carry themselves with confidence despite not quite living up to our current standards of beauty, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that people who are generally perceived as attractive are, on average, probably more likely to act the part. Add to this the notion that confidence in itself makes people more attractive, and general behavior becomes an important proxy for attractiveness.

“Maybe I just like the sound of your voice”

The above is a direct quote from the scene in episode four where Matt swings by Claire’s apartment to have his wounds tended to. Voices are obviously a big thing to Matt, and they also happen to be a good indicator of – you guessed it – physical attractiveness. Yes, it actually turns out that people who are judged to be physically attractive are also more likely to have voices that are judged to be attractive (and you don’t even need heightened senses for this one). To quote the abstract of one study (emphasis mine):

“We investigated the relation between visual and vocal attractiveness in women as judged by men. We recorded 34 women speaking four vowels and measured the peak frequency, the first five harmonic frequencies, the first five formant frequencies and formant dispersion. The women were also photographed (head shot), several body measures were taken and their ages were recorded. The voices were played to male judges who were asked to assess the women’s age and vocal attractiveness from the recording. The men were then asked to assess the attractiveness of the photographs. Men were in strong agreement on which was an attractive voice and face; and women with attractive faces had attractive voices.”

–Sarah A. Collins & Caroline Missing (2003). Vocal and visual attractiveness are related in women. Animal Behaviour, 65, 997–1004.

The nose knows

Physical attractiveness is not only correlated with voice attractiveness, but scent as well. Here’s a quote from abstract of another research paper (again, emphasis mine):

“We compared ratings of body odour, attractiveness, and measurements of facial and body asymmetry of 16 male and 19 female subjects. Subjects wore a T-shirt for three consecutive nights under controlled conditions. Opposite-sex raters judged the odour of the T-shirts and another group evaluated portraits of the subjects for attractiveness. […] The results showed a significant positive correlation between facial attractiveness and sexiness of body odour for female subjects. We found positive relationships between body odour and attractiveness and negative ones between smell and body asymmetry for males only if female odour raters were in the most fertile phase of their menstrual cycle.

–A Rikowski and K Grammer (1999). Human body odour, symmetry and attractiveness. Proc Biol Sci. 266(1422), 869–874.

Matt’s sense of smell is woefully underrepresented in the comics, and I would argue that this goes for this show as well. But “realistically,” scent would probably be a major turn-on for a young man with a greatly enhanced sense of smell, and the sexiness of that scent apparently correlates with visual judgements of attractiveness.

Conclusion

So, in a nutshell, it is not at all strange that Matt would be able to judge physical attractiveness based on hearing, smell, people’s behaviors and whatever he can gather about someone’s overall body shape through his pseudo-visual abilities (which are probably mostly based on hearing in this show, but wouldn’t consciously register as sound). Even without his heightened senses, he wouldn’t be clueless about these things.

Does he “see” what Foggy sees? No, clearly not, but they can still find the same women attractive. They just arrive at their judgements by different means.

The post Why Matt Murdock can tell if someone is attractive, and it’s not even that weird appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “Nelson v. Murdock” – Episode #10 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Daredevil and the physiology of Superior Spider-Man
3. On comic book realism and Daredevil’s senses

While I’m not the biggest Punisher fan out there, I think the stories in which both The Punisher and Daredevil appear have tended to be very interesting, and it also – hopefully – means that season two will remain pretty grounded. What are your thoughts? Feel free to use this post for any and all comments you might have about the casting or anything else going into next season. It seems apt as we’re getting ready to round this up.

Recap

It’s Ben Urich’s funeral (I guess he was a Catholic too?) and his casket is being carried to the grave site. Present are Matt, Karen, Father Lantom and, of course, Ben’s wife Doris, along with Ben’s editor Ellison and a female employee from the paper. After the intro plays, we cut straight to after services have ended. Karen goes to talk to Ben’s wife, and the two do some bonding. Karen is feeling guilty, but Doris tells her how Ben felt about her and that he wasn’t the type to ever get pushed into something he didn’t want to do. Meanwhile, Matt and Father Lantom trade a few words before Karen comes by to pick him up. In his conversation with the priest, Matt is hard on himself for not stopping what happened to Ben.

When Matt and Karen get back to the office, Karen tells him that Ellison was among the attendees at the funeral. She seems conviced that he was taking bribes from Fisk, though Matt points out that there is no evidence to that effect. The conversation turns to Foggy, and Karen is very disappointed that he didn’t come. Matt tries to defend him, adding that what’s going on between the two of them is his fault. Karen is also worried that Fisk will find out that she was with Ben at the nursing home. Matt vows to keep her safe, and promises that everyone who’s in bed with Fisk will get what they deserve.

Vanessa is back with Wilson, still recovering. Fisk is reviewing some transactions that aren’t adding up, and he tells Vanessa he’ll have Leland take a look at them. Later that day, the two meet and Leland goes over the status quo and the necessity of finding something to replace the off the books revenue from the Gao’s heroin trade that went up in smoke. When Fisk asks about what happened to Gao, Owlsley tells him she’s gone, adding that she might not have been the ally they thought she was.

At this point, Fisk shows Owlsley the irregularities. When the latter tries to explain them away, Fisk notices that Owlsley’s hands are shaking, and that he’s sweating. Owlsley is forced to admit to something that is not the whole truth, and Fisk confronts him about Wesley and the poisoning and the benefit. When Fisk now learns that Vanessa was the target, he kills Owlsley by pushing him down a shaft, this despite Owlsley at first trying to use his leverage: He has Hoffman stashed away, as part of a scheme that depends on Owlsley checking in every twenty-four hours. When it’s all over, Fisk instructs his men to sweep the city and put a bullet in Hoffman’s head.

Matt is seen working out at Fogwell’s gym, punching the heavy bag, when Foggy enters. Matt briefly stops what he’s doing and the two talk about what Matt’s been up to, namely paying a (failed) visit to Ben’s editor. Matt then confronts Foggy about missing Ben’s funeral. Foggy says he was on the way way but got a call from Marci, who has been helping him copy files from Landman and Zack. This frustrates Matt who thinks it’s too dangerous; he is the one who needs to stop stop Fisk and doesn’t want anyone else getting hurt.

When Matt heads for the door, Foggy reminds him about the state he was in after the last time he went after Fisk, and that he might end up dead. When Matt doesn’t know what else to do, Foggy reminds him that they should be using the law, like Matt himself had told Foggy and Karen. When Foggy talks about a “we,” Matt says that he thought Nelson and Murdock were over. At this point, it’s clear that while Foggy was the one who came to Matt, he’s not sure they can move past what happened, and he says as much. Matt suggest that maybe, even if things are not as they were, they can find a way to move forward.

Said and done, the two go to talk to Brett Mahoney, bringing a new batch of cigars for his mother. Brett talks about how things are bad around the precinct and when Matt asks him to explain, Brett talks about his meeting with the man in the mask a few days ago and that what he said had got him thinking. Matt and Foggy tell him that they, and the man in the mask (obviously), were working with Ben Urich, and the three of them discuss the connection to Wilson Fisk. Foggy mentions Ben’s discovery about Fisks mom, and that that might have been what got Ben killed. When another couple of cops walk by, Matt overhears them talking about going to find Hoffman. When Brett walks off, Matt tells Foggy what he heard. They realize what this means. If they can get to him before Fisk, he could blow the whole thing wide open and expose Fisk.

Matt, Foggy and Karen are back at the office, just like in the good old days, looking into where Owlsley might be holding Hoffman by going over the documents Marci was able to get out of Landman and Zack. Karen is happy that they’re all together again, and Foggy comments that it’s “a start.” When Karen wonders about how Matt and Foggy found out about Owlsley holding Hoffman, they improvise a story about meeting with the man in the mask whom they met somewhere in some alley.

Next, Karen finds what the missing piece of the puzzle they’ve been looking for, a property that was removed from the records from one day to the next with no change in balance, an attempt to hide that it was taken off the list of prpoerty holdings. When Matt gets the address, he takes off under the pretense of wanting to bring the information to Brett Mahoney in person. Before he goes, Foggy stops him, realizing what he’s about to do. Matt says that this is where the law meets reality. If he doesn’t find Hoffman, Fisk wins.

Fisk gets a call about Hoffman’s whereabout and instructs the caller to send in a team. He smiles looking out his car window, safe in the knowledge that things will be taken care of. Next, we go to where Hoffman is being held. While his keepers are getting their takeout dinners, Fisk’s crooked cops arrive on the scene. Hoffman shuts his eyes in anticipation of the bullet that will surely pierce his skull at any second, but instead he can hear shots being fired in some other direction and the sound of fists pounding. He opens his eyes to find the man in the mask taking out each of the men who were coming to kill him. After it’s all over, Matt sits down and has a little chat with Hoffman. He instructs him to turn himself over to Brett Mahoney, and makes a very persuasive argument for why he should do exactly as he’s told (because having Matt stalking you is a very bad thing).

Hoffman is next seen walking into his old police station, saying that he needs to make a statement. This takes us to the scene where he’s giving his statement to people from what I presume is the U.S. Attorney’s office (or some similar agency). At his side are Nelson and Murdock representing him, with Karen cheering silently from the sidelines.

While Pavarotti sings in the background, a montage of different scenes play where people connected to Fisk finally get what’s coming to them. Turk is being chased by police, the dirty cops are weeded out, the woman at the paper (a certain M. Caldwell) is taken from her desk and arrested. Marci sees her boss being arrested in the parking garage at Landman and Zack, and finally, Randolph Cherryh is lead out of a building.

Vanessa watches everything unfold on TV. Fisk realizes that there’s nothing to prevent his arrest, but he’s got a plan and he needs Vanessa to do something for him. Before the police arrive, he’s got one last thing to show her: An engagement ring. Fisk is dragged away, arrested for racketeering. Outside, the press is waiting and Fisk is put in the back of a police van.
Matt, Foggy and Karen are having drinks at the office and celebrating. They make a toast to the ones they’ve lost, to Elena and Ben.

In the van, Fisk tells the story from the Bible, about the good Samaritan. He ends with the realization that he is not the Samaritan, or even the priest or the levite, but the one of “ill intent.” By the time Fisk finishes the story, there are other cars joining them and his van comes to a stop. It’s a rescue mission orchestrated by Fisk himself.

We go back to the office where out three friends at the law firm are receiving the news. Karen feels foolish for the way they believed that Fisk would go away that easily. They rush outside and as Karen is in a cab, she is reluctant to leave Matt behind. Foggy promises to get him a cab and runs after Matt, sending Karen on her way. Matt asks Foggy to trust that he knows what he’s doing and takes off in another cab.

One of the guards in Fisk’s van is in on the heist. The other isn’t and is shot when he tries to intervene and play hero. Finally free, Fisk steps out of the van and walks over to another truck and gives the men on the ground his orders.

Meanwhile, Matt has put on his black costume and goes to Melvin Potter’s shop to pick up his new and improved outfit. Next, Matt is up on a rooftop, in his new costume, listening for clues to Fisk’s whereabouts, and hearing something over the radio (either from the source, or from the receiving end; it’s a little unclear what’s going on here).

Fisk’s van is seen pulling into some kind of garage where he gets out and is transferred to another van. Next, Matt hears the broadcast coming from Fisk’s van and takes off. Fisk instructs Vanessa to leave without him if he’s not there in twenty minutes. It doesn’t take long before the transport is interrupted by Daredevil – yes, we can call him that now – who throws his billly club through the car window, causing it to swerve and topple over. Fisk emerges and Daredevil makes himself known. He’s shot at, but evades the bullets easily, and adds some billy club action to the mix. Finally, he and Fisk are alone. Fisk, cornered, gives a little speech about what he wanted to do for his city.

What follows next is a scene of hand to hand combat that sees both of them getting some very violent punches in until Fisk seems to be getting the better of Matt, furiously beating him over and over with a metal bar. In standard Murdock fashion, Matt gets back up and finishes the fight just in time for Brett Mahoney to show up. Matt lets Mahoney know that he’s the man in the mask whom he met before, and hands Fisk over to the law. Vanessa is still waiting when Frances announces that they have to go. Vanessa takes out the ring in her pocket and puts it on her finger before boarding the helicopter without her beloved Wilson.

Next day,outside their office, with Matt and Foggy at her side, Karen reads about “Daredevil” in the papers, and the three joke about it. Foggy finishes putting up the new sign outside their building and Matt runs his hand over it, joking about them being “avocados at law,” in reference to the scene from the law school flash back in episode ten. Foggy then says he’s about to go see Marci, whom he may or may not be getting back together with. They talk about Fisk and how it may be a year before he can be sentenced, though Matt assures them he’s where he belongs.

When Foggy leaves, and Karen announces that she and Matt should be getting back to work, Matt points out that there’s been something in her voice, and it’s still there despite Fisk being put away. Karens puts it down to the deaths of Ben and Elena, and everything else they’ve been through. Matt talks about them moving forward and offers Karen her hand. At this point, the entire scene screams of Karen realizing something (but I can’t quite figure out what and it drives me nuts!).

Next, we see Fisk in prison, wearing all white and staring up at a wall that looks very much like the one from the painting and his childhood. The scene looks like it’s taken straight from the comics. In the very final scene, we see Matt in his new Daredevil outfit, listening from a rooftop. When he hears a scream, he runs for it, and leaps from the building. And that’s the last we see of these guys until next season!

My thoughts

This final episode is by no means weak, but the rushed feeling of the last 20 minutes drags it down quite a bit and causes a dip in quality that places it in or near the bottom of the all of the episodes for me. It starts out strong, though, and contains some favorite scenes of mine (notably the “opera arrest montage”), but almost everything that happens after Matt puts on the costume is not as flawlessly executed as what we’ve come to expect from this show.

Right after finishing the season, I was actually a bit concerned that this would spell the end of the grounded Daredevil we had come to love, as things seemed to steer away from crime series with a superhero element into full superhero. Getting Matt into a proper superhero outfit should allow him to move a little differently, but I think the fighting style looks a little too different from what’ we’ve seen previously to work as a seamless transition from “The Man in the Mask.” The dialogue also suffers a bit in comparison to pretty much everything up to this point.

Speaking of the costume though (because I know a lot of you might be itching to talk about that), I’m actually mostly fine with it. It looks nice from most angles, though the mask is maybe a little on the heavy side. I will say this though: Considering that 1) people don’t look nearly as nice in spandex in real life as they do in comic books and 2) that having a more protective outfit makes A LOT of sense in the context of this show, and Matt’s repeated injuries, it is inevitable that the costume designers would have to go for something new. Is it as elegant as the classic red outfit? No, but I can’t really see that happening. It’s funny though how a lot of people who were complaining about the black costume probably grew to really like it by the very end. I know I’m one of them.

What I really like about this show, something which becomes clear in this final episode, is how Fisk’s eventual downfall isn’t only a result of Matt’s vigilante activities. Sure, there is a lot of information that he comes by as the Man in the Mask, but that’s far from the only source of intel. Karen and Ben started their digging early on in the show, and Foggy eventually got involved too, not to mention Marci who evidently got them the last piece of the puzzle that they needed to find Hoffman.

It is a sign of great respect for Matt’s professional life, and all the people in it, that both of Daredevil’s ways of operating were crucial parts to achieving the end goal. Certainly, only Daredevil could do what was needed when Fisk decided to escape police custody, but getting him that far took a lot of paper work. The complete Daredevil experience makes use of both sides of Matt’s life, and in that regard, this show definitely delivers.

Senses watch

I’m a little confused about what exactly Matt is hearing, and from where, when it comes to tracking Fisk down at the end. I’ve made my preferences known when it comes to Matt’s superhearing passing the line into something more akin to psychic awareness before so won’t starting beating that horse again, except to just mention that I find it hard to figure out what exactly is going on. Matt may actually be quite close to the source of these sounds.

The only other minor thing that stood out to me, for very different reasons, is when Matt goes to Melvin Potter’s shop to pick up his costume. When Melvin opens the box to show Matt, he makes no attempt to pretend to be looking at it, which I found to be a pretty interesting touch in its simplicity. In the comics, there are references here and there to Matt “faking” sightedness as Daredevil, where he reminds himself to act as if he can see, but here he seems unbothered by the notion that his behavior would strike someone else as unusual. On the other hand, it’s well inline with how he’s been conducting himself in costume througout the season. He doesn’t carry himself like an average blind man, of course, but neither does he appear to be navigating by sight.

(Accessible) gadget watch

Well, Matt is back in the office working which usually entails reading and/or computer work. Nothing new in that regard, except that I think this is the first time I’ve actually seen him use his computer keyboard for anything. But I guess that now that we’re at the end of the season, this would be where I give the handling of this area two big thumbs up. That’s not to say that I don’t want to see Matt do much more office (i.e. legal) work next season, in and out of court, but so far so good. If these guys want to keep the lights on, they should want that too.

Easter egg watch

we finally got our Stan Lee cameo, in the form of a picture hanging on the wall behind officer Mahoney when Hoffman comes in to turn himself over to the police. When Fisk switches vans, you can see the brand names Atreus Plastics and Summerville Department Stores printed on the sides of the cars. Both are (obscure) companies in the Marvel Universe. Read more at ComicBookMovie.com.

There’s also this very clear look at the Stilt-Man legs in Melvin Potter’s workshop:

Quotes

Father Lantom: “How are you holding up?”
Matt: “Like a good Catholic boy.”
Father Fantom: “That bad, huh?”

Foggy: “You go after him in the mask again, he might kill you. Or you might kill him, which would probably have the same effect on someone as Catholic as you are.”

Matt: “We? Thought Nelson and Murdock were over.”
Foggy: “There’s nothing I want more than to find a way back to where we were, but… I don’t know if we can.”
Matt: “No, we can’t. But maybe we can find a way to move forward, Foggy.”

Brett: “The way things are going around here, I’m thinking of taking an early pension. Move my mom somewhere warm.”
Foggy: “Be a shame. The only cop on the force we know for sure is honest.”
Brett: “Never see Serpico? Honest cops are usually the ones get shot in the face.”

Fisk: “It’s funny, isnt’ it, how even the best of men can be deceived by their true nature. It means that I’m not the Samaritan. That I’m not the priest, or the Levite. That I am the ill intent who set upon the traveler on a road that he should not have been on.”

Foggy: “I think the horns are a bit much.”

Star player

There were no obvious candidates in this episode, but I’m going to give the final honors to Foggy, for two reasons. First of all, despite missing Ben’s funeral, he was the bigger person in his and Matt’s relationship and sought out Matt first. Secondly, Foggy did so without any clear indication that he was ready to forgive his friend. This means that he was willing to set that aside for the sake of what was still going on with Fisk. In the comics, Matt and Foggy’s relationship has usually been on Matt’s terms, and I think Foggy is showing some real integrity here. I can’t wait to see where next season will take them, and am glad that this show found a way of letting Foggy in on Matt’s secret relatively early, without handwaving away the magnitude of the effect on their relationship.

The post Review: “Daredevil” – Episode 13 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “Speak of the Devil” – Episode #9 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “Shadows in the Glass” – Episode #8 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Review: “Condemned” – Episode #6 of Marvel’s Daredevil

Anyway, I’m looking to wrap up these episode reviews in the next few of days, along with a couple of other posts about various themes in the show, before taking some time off to work on that other Daredevil project I have cooking. While I’m busy with that, I’ll be spotlighting some of my more in-depth – and still relevant – posts from the archives (updated as needed, and with a new introduction) as featured posts on the start page, with a “new” one going up every couple of days, for the many who may be new to this site, and/or Daredevil.

For now, let’s have a look at the penultimate episode of season one. As always, I’m starting with a fairly detailed recap, but feel free to skip ahead to My thoughts if you don’t need your memory jogged (this post is pretty massive).

Recap

First up this episode, we meet Karen down by the river. She throws the gun she used to kill Wesley into the water, and then rushes home and goes straight for a bottle of liquor, collapsing on the floor of her kitchen as her legs fold under her. She takes a shower, trying to scrub herself clean after all that has happened; when she steps out, we see that she brought the bottle with her. In her sleep, Karen is haunted by a dream where she is visited by Wilson Fisk. In it, he appears to remind her of how difficult it is to take a life. He ends with a very chilling “But it gets easier, the more you do it,” which catapults Karen out of her dream and she wakes up gasping for air.

Karen goes to the office, and we see that it’s dark outside. She’s rattled, and looks nervously out the window when Foggy steps out of his office and startles her. He can tell she’s been drinking, and wonders about what happened after the two of them went their separate ways the night before. Foggy then apologizes for how what’s happening between him and Matt is affecting her, and then joke about how the two of them should give up drinking. Foggy is at the office because he needs to pick up some things, but he remains tightlipped about what lies ahead for Nelson & Murdock. He’s determined that he wants to keep digging into the Fisk situation, however, and asks Karen for the file they got from the “man in the mask”. This obviously leads the conversation in a new direction, and when Karen asks Foggy whether he no longer thinks the man in the mask is a terrorist, he answers that no, he doesn’t think so. He doesn’t know what he is. For those of us who know more about what Foggy has been up to lately than Karen does, it’s clear that Foggy is still trying to wrap his head around everything he’s learned about Matt.

Speaking of the proverbial devil, Matt shows up just as Foggy is heading out the door. They both stop, but say nothing to each other. When Foggy leaves, Matt closes the door behind him and Karen comments on the obvious tension between them. When Matt asks what Karen is doing there so late, she tells him she couldn’t sleep (a half-truth at least), and he notes that there is a lot of that going around.

Karen brings Matt a cup of coffee and tells him that Foggy blames himself for Elena. Matt says he shouldn’t, but when Karen points out that he should tell Foggy that, Matt says that it’s Foggy’s choice that they’re not speaking. Karen won’t let him off the hook so easily though, saying it’s only Foggy’s choice if Matt lets it be. When Karen then tells him that coming to work for them may have been a mistake – but that she still wants to stay – and that Matt and Foggy are the only good things in her life, Matt picks up on the fact that there may be something Karen’s not telling him.

Meanwhile, Fisk is waiting anxiously at the hospital, checking his phone and obviously worried about Wesley, when Vanessa wakes up. At least he has that going for him. He tells her what happened at the benefit and that he’s made arrangements for her to be taken out of the country. She doesn’t want to leave without him, and their conversation solidifies the relationship they now have. Vanessa is clearly willing to commit to Wilson, and accept everything that doing so entails. The two are interrupted by a knock on the door. In the hallway, Francis tells Fisk that Wesley’s been found.

Fisk arrives on the scene, and Owlsley joins him, asking Francis what happened. When Fisk learns that Francis let Wesley leave the hospital alone, he once again reveals his lack of anger management skills and starts beating on his new recruit. It is Owlsley who finally talks sense into him. Leland starts speculating on who’s behind Wesley’s murder as Fisk sits down next to his friend, touching him lovingly and kissing him on the forehead. Fisk then takes out Wesley’s phone and sees that the last call made was to Marlene Vistain, Fisk’s mother.

Ben is about to get into his car when he’s joined by “the man in the mask.” Matt wants information, and gives Ben a little packet of the heroin he got off the man who killed Elena. Ben says it’s called Steel Serpent on the streets, and Matt suspects Fisk may look to pick up the distribution now that the Russians are gone. When Matt asks Ben about the man at the top of the Chinese operation he learns that there is no man, but an unnamed woman. Matt mentions the blind man with a backpack in the back of the Russians’ car, in case there might be a connection, and Ben says he’s seen them around, adding that it would make sense since no one would look at a blind man twice. Ben gives Matt an address where he’s seen them, though only ever during the day. Matt promises to dress down.

Foggy meets with Marci at Josie’s. When Foggy tells Marci he needs her help, she admits she was hoping it was a bootie call. Foggy tells her about the connection he suspects between Fisk and Elena’s murder, and talks about everything else going on. At this point, Marci looks about ready to leave, for fear of the legal ramifications, with her firm representing Fisk, but ultimately agrees to look at the documents that Foggy’s brought.

Karen tracks down Ben and pressures him about getting the story out there. She says that she thinks they know that the two of them went to see Fisk’s mother. Ben lets her into his apartment and says that he’s been looking at a second source for the piece: A guy who used to know Rigoletto at the time of the death of Fisk’s father that he’s waiting to hear back from (we, of course, would know this source as the ex-mobster from episode three). Karen is impatient, anxious to get the story out there, and not satisfied with Ben’s approach. Ben then suggests she do it herself, and Karen’s shady past is alluded to once again. She thinks no one would believe her if they found out the same things Ben did. At this point, Ben promises to write it up and give it to his editor the next day.

Back at Josie’s, Marci’s interest is definitely piqued by what Foggy’s given her to look at. Foggy says that they turned up some of it working on the tenement case and that the rest of it came from “The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen”. When Foggy pressures her about whether nothing feels off about Fisk, we realize that there are probably quite a few bells going off in her head. Foggy knows there’s good in her and encourages her to take the chance to get her soul back.

Matt does some detective work in his civilian guise, at the address he got from Ben Urich. He is listening for the tap of a white cane (which is obviously a sound he’s well famliar with). It doesn’t take long before his ears pick up the telltale sound and he follows a woman walking past him down the street where she gets into a car that’s playing classical music. Matt ducks into an alley, tosses the cane (he must buy them in bulk…) and follows the sound of the car. Some serious parkouring across the rooftops ensues. At the car’s final destination, Matt hears the secret knock. Knowing that he now knows all he needs to, Matt smiles.

We get a brief glimpse of Ben popping into his office, before cutting to Fisk who has sent for his mother. They are riding in Fisk’s car together, and we learn that he has made arrangements to get her out of the country as well, though Marlene is clearly not amused by the prospect of leaving the retirement home. Fisk tries to ask what she remembers about what she and Wesley talked about, but she now seems confused. She remembers Wesley, but has forgotten their conversation. It appears that Karen’s secret is safe, for now.

Karen gets a phone call from Ben and learns that he hasn’t been able to check with his editor about the article since the latter is not at the office. The next person to call Karen is Matt who says that he’s going to need to take a day. While on the phone, he is seen tending to his wounds. He tells her he’s working on something, and then promises her that everything’s going to work out.

When Ben’s boss Ellison shows up at the office, he’s not impressed with the story (and that’s putting it mildly). Ben gives him a piece of his mind and gets himself suspended. Rather than holding his tongue and taking a step back, Ben asks how Ellison how much Fisk is paying him. This gets him fired.

Madame Gao is overseeing her blind workers who are silently keeping busy cutting and packing her heroin. The camera passes through the warehouse to the front door where Matt is about to enter via the magic knock (there isn’t enough secret knocks and handshakes these days). He takes down the guy at the door, plays a little trick on the other guard to get him out of the way as well and the walks into the large room. Matt has a “look” around and gradually realizes that all the workers are blind. Gao then spots Matt from the gallery and instructs her workers to attack.

Fisk is talking to Owlsley who suggests that the man in the mask may be behind the attacks at the benefit and Wesley, though Fisk is doubtful. Fisk tells Francis to double the offer on the streets and to keep doing it until someone talks. Next, Fisk gets a call, and takes off, leaving Owlsley wondering. And we, of course, are left wondering about Owlsley. He’s very suspicious, that guy…

Gao and her guards go looking for Matt. He jumps them first, avoiding their bullets, and knocks them out. He confronts Gao about her workers, saying that she blinded them. She denies it, saying that they blinded themselves. Matt is understandably incredulous as to why they would do that, and says as much, his voice laced with disgust. Madame Gao simply responds: “Because they have faith in something beyond the destructions of your world. You have taken that form them. Now, they will have nothing.” When Matt moves on her, Gao surprises him by delivering a very powerful blow to the stomach that sends him half across the floor, and leaves her nowhere to be found.

The warehouse is now on fire, and it’s spreading. Matt knocks down a guard, takes his machine gun and fires it at the water pipes above. He tells the guard to help the workers out and then takes off. Not far away, he’s cornered by Brett Mahoney who contronts him about Blake. Matt takes him out and tells him that Blake and Hoffman were dirty, and that he’s not the bad guy.

Gao meets with Owlsley, and speaks with him privately in English, saying that the need for illusion has passed. Hearing the sirens nearby, Owlsley asks her about it and she confirms that her heroin has gone up in flames, but that that was never her primary concern. Owlsley clearly has bigger things on his mind as well, worrying about what happens if Fisk finds out what they did, and Gao asks if he suspects something. Owlsley thinks not, but their line of conversation reveals that it was Vanessa they were after all along. When Owlsley asks Gao about Wesley, she vehemently denies having anything to do with it. Gao decides to return home, to a place considerably farther away than China (K’Un-Lun perhaps?)

Ben visits his wife again. He’s brought flowers and they joke about running off together. Doris can tell Ben has a story in him waiting to get out. Ben tells her about being fired from the paper, and she suggest he post the story online. Ben calls Karen on the phone to talk about what happened at the paper, and tells her he might start a blog, promising to send her the link when it’s up.

Matt tries to enter the office, only to find that the door is locked, and Karen lets him in. When he suggests she go home because it’s late she asks him whether this is what the three of them are now: People who don’t even talk to each other. Matt talks about what Stick told him about pushing people away (without actually mentioning Stick’s name). Next, Matt starts breaking under the burden of everything that’s happened and admits that he’s had an awful night. He says that he can’t go on alone, and the two hug.

Ben comes home, grabs a bottle of whiskey and sits down at his desk. when he starts typing, the camera moves to reveal Fisk in the background. Fisk starts talking and says that he’ll leave, but that he needs to have a conversation first, and starts by apologizing for thinking that Urich was past his prime. Fisk then confirms Ben’s suspicions by admitting that he has someone at the paper on his payroll, that he needed to take precautions after the Union Allied piece. Fisk then delivers a little sermon on the state of the Internet, an amusing one at that.

There is finally one last thing he needs to ask: Was Ben alone when he went to see Fisk’s mother? Ben says that he was (at which point everyone breathes a sigh of relief for Karen) though looks surprised when asked about Wesley. This confirms Fisk’s suspicion that someone else was behind his friend’s death, though tensions rise as Fisk again comes back to the subject of his mother. This is an unforgivable offense, and Fisk ends up strangling Ben to death, leaving him on the floor next to a shattered photograph of Ben and Doris.

My thoughts

Will we ever find out about the source of that special connection between Wilson Fisk and James Wesley? Is it too much to hope for just a brief flashback in season two, just so we can get one more look at the spectacular Toby Leonard Moore as Wesley and figure these guys out? Throughout the season, Wesley has demonstrated that his loyalty to Fisk goes beyond that of a trusted employee, and Fisk himself has spoken about Wesley as a friend. When he finds him dead, he is devastated, and he expresses his emotions in gentle touches. You really feel for both of them, which is kind of twisted considering what kind of monsters both of them can be. I guess that’s what this show does to you. (And we love it.)

Much has been said about the portrayal of women in this series. Many who have had negative things to say have made valid and interesting points, but I’ve ultimately tended not to agree with most of them. On the contrary, I think the female cast gives us a wide range of personality types with diverse backgrounds and motivations. I think both Karen and Claire have had interesting arcs that have defied easy categorization and revealed them to be multi-layered characters.

I’ve mentioned before that I think Wilson’s relationship with Vanessa has been fascinating, and Vanessa’s half of that relationship has been a very big piece of what has made the pair so compelling. On the one hand, she would be easy to dismiss as someone naive enough to be sucked into a world much darker than she realizes. Except, at no point is she presented that way. Her initial hesitation to get involved is very healthy, and that serves to make her decision to proceed all the more interesting.

In this episode, she shows that she is willing to remain by Wilson Fisk’s side, even after having suffered the consequences, and while that doesn’t exactly flatter her, it certainly underscores her standing as free agent who is making informed choices about her life. She is not arm candy for Wilson Fisk, and she never was.

This episode, we also get to see a new side of Foggy’s old flame Marci Stahl, who is quickly going from bitch to hero. And, she does so without losing the “bitch” side of her personality. I find it refreshing that she apparently says whatever is on her mind, that she enjoys going to Foggy for casual sex, and that she – if we go by the pattern dictated by traditional gender roles – is pretty much the “guy” in this relationship. There is nothing cookie cutter about her, and I really like that. This is a show that lets the nice guys act like jerks, and the villains (big and small) have redeeming qualities. There’s no black and white, and I find the female characters to be just as multi-dimensional as everyone else.

Relationships in general seems to be the overarching theme of this episode. The “break-up” between Matt and Foggy stretches on into a lengthy separation (at least by serialized entertainment standards), and Matt instead finds a new level of trust with Karen while reevaluating his old relationship with Stick. Sure, Matt long ago realized that Stick was a “dick,” to use Matt’s own words, but here he’s finally getting to the bottom of the ideas that were planted in his mind all those years ago. Matt doesn’t want a life that doesn’t have other people in it. He allows himself to feel it, and to say it out loud, thereby rejecting one of Stick’s most damaging teachings. Needing other people does not make you weak.

After the shocking death of Wesley last episode, I think we were equally shocked to see Ben Urich go this time around. Unlike Wesley, Ben is a popular supporting character in the comics (Wesley’s appearances have been minor), and has been a trusted confidante of Matt Murdock’s since the late 70s. I didn’t expect him to not survive the season, but at least he goes out on a high note. In this episode, we see him find some of the passion he used to have inside, even if it took Karen backing him into a corner to make it happen. He mouths off to his boss, probably saying things he’d been bottling up for a long time, and actually seems to find some amount of freedom in having cut the strings. He’s even ready to embrace the Internet by the time Fisk catches up with him.

Senses watch

There are three things I want to point out this time around. The first is the scene of Matt waiting on the sidewalk for one of Gao’s workers to show up. I like it. It has some of that attention to detail that we saw quite a lot of early in the series, with a series of nice sound and visual effects to alert us to what Matt is hearing.

When Matt admits to Foggy in episode nine that he can see “in a manner of speaking,” this, to me, comes across as a pretty reasonable thing to say. There are ways in which even real life echolocation, as used by blind experts, can be described as a kind of seeing, in that it parallels some of the functions of sight and is handled by the visual part of the brain. With hearing that is better, in every way imaginable, than that of any real human being, the experience would be even more “sight-like.” However, the way most of us would visually look for things, by scanning for and picking out details that are visually obvious, is hard to translate into a world of barely audible surfaces. This scene focuses very clearly on listening for a distinctive sound source, and gets to enthusiastic thumbs up from me.

I will admit though, that in my mind, the sound Matt is chasing once the woman gets into the car is the sound of the car engine and not the sound of classical music. Classical music doesn’t have much of a bass component (which would make it easier to escape through sealed doors), and once there’s some real distance between Matt and the car, the idea that he’s actually following the sound of the car is much easier for me to swallow, and even plausible. Overall, the scene is pretty cool, and looks perfect set to that particular music.

The third thing I wanted to mention is the scene where Matt enters Gao’s warehouse and realizes the workers are blind. I read somewhere that this was supposed to be one of the scenes where the “world on fire” effect was planned to be used. I’m very glad that it wasn’t (that effect just doesn’t work for me, and I’ll return to the reasons why – they may not the ones you think – in a future post) because I simply can’t imagine how they would do it without straying into the “too visual.” What I mean by that is that it would be hard to translate the things that I think Matt should be picking up on in this scene into something that would allow us viewers to, visually, reach the same conclusion. We don’t need to understand what he’s “seeing” (especially when it’s things he shouldn’t be “seeing” in the first place), we just need to understand what he’s doing with the information at his disposal.

His senses obviously shouldn’t be able to register anything in particular about the eyes of these people, or even the scars around the eyes. Going by the comic, or even this show, Matt should only have a very vague and rudimentary idea of people’s faces. However, sans special effects, my own pet theory for how Matt realizes that these people are blind is that they’re not looking at what they’re doing, which is revealed by the fact that they’re not moving their heads, and that the sound of their breathing is directed straight ahead. They are also obviously unaware of his presence, which is perhaps the biggest give-away to a guy who can easily register others’ reactions. Either way, I love that they’re showing Matt’s realization as gradual. Any sighted person would look at this scene and realize immediately what’s going on. Matt wouldn’t, and I like that he doesn’t. It works out well. I’m not so sure the “world on fire” effect could have done it justice.

(Accessible) gadget watch

None this issue, but I’m keeping this category here for every episode review anyway, just for the heck of it. And because these things are important.

Easter egg watch

There’s nothing really obvious happening in this area – at least not to me – but anyone acquainted with Karen’s history in the comics was bound to be reminded of it in the beginning of the episode, when she turns to hard liquor to drown her sorrows. There is also a very telling conversation between Karen and Foggy that suggests there may be much more to this story.

Foggy: “You and I should not drink.”
Karen: “I’m thinking about giving it up and moving on to the hard stuff.”
Foggy: “Narcotics? Deal me in.”
Karen: “You don’t seem like the type.”
Foggy: “Yeah, I smoked a doobie once, made me drool.”
Karen: “A doobie?”
Foggy: “Weed, pot, the Mary Jane. Whatever the kids are calling it these days.”
Karen: “I’m not sure that’s considered hard anymore, at least not according to Denver anyway.”

Quotes

Matt: “Karen, did something happen?”
Karen: “Yes. The world fell apart. Didn’t you notice?”

Vanessa: “Find who did this to us and make them understand.”
Wilson: “Understand what?”
Vanessa: “That they could never take you away from me.”
[…]
Wilson: “I’ll make them suffer for what they’ve done.”
Vanessa: “I expect nothing less.”

Ellison: “You sound like a whore.”
Ben: “Well, I learned how to be one from you.”

Madame Gao: “I will visit my homeland and reflect upon the future.”
Owlsley: “Home? China?”
Madame Gao: “It is a considerable distance farther.”

Karen: “You’re not alone Matt. You never were.”

Wilson Fisk: “This world around us is preoccupied with celebrity weddings and videos of cats.”

Wilson Fisk: “So I am not here to threaten you. I’m here to kill you.”

Star player

Several of our main characters have big moments this episode. Karen is just barely recovering from the events of last episode, Ben has a defining showdown with his boss, and decides to go his own way, before he ends up dead(!) at the hands of Wilson Fisk. Fisk himself is dealing with Wesley’s death and Vanessa’s first steps to recovery. Vanessa herself shows a more villainous side when she proclaims her loyalty to Fisk (se quotes above).

Despite the line-up of strong contenders, I’m still going to give the honors to Matt this episode. The reason is simple: While Matt has been going through a rough time for most of the season, the falling out with Foggy has brought him to a new low. The encounter with Madame Gao and her workers takes him to an even darker place. The discovery that Gao is using what amounts to slave labor to push heroin is heinous in and of itself, but that these people have been blinded in the process has to hit Matt in a place a bit more personal.

In the end, everything he’s been through up to this point breaks him. Fortunately, he has Karen there to console him. For someone as stubborn and “go it alone” as Matt Murdock, the realization that he wants and needs other people in his life is monumental. And it’s very brave of him to finally embrace it.

The post Review: “The Ones We Leave Behind” – Episode 12 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “The Path of the Righteous” – Episode 11 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “Shadows in the Glass” – Episode #8 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Review: “Condemned” – Episode #6 of Marvel’s Daredevil

Recap

This episode has an unusual opening with the focus initially being on an old cartoon playing on a television screen. We zoom out, and find a child watching it in a hospital waiting room. Next, Fisk and his entire entourage rush in, with Fisk carrying an unconscious Vanessa. It’s all very beautiful and dramatic. While the people on staff tend to Vanessa, Owlsley seems more worried about whether he needs to be checked out. Fisk is left behind in the waiting room when Vanessa is taken to the next room.

Karen knocks on the door to Matt’s apartment and he gets up slowly, still in bad shape after last episode’s brutal battle. When he finally opens, Karen is shocked to see him. When they get to talking, Karen is almost immediately suspicious of Matt’s version of the events, especially given the state of his apartment. Matt grabs a beer and Karen questions him about whether this had anything to do with Fisk.

Karen then tells Matt about what she found out about Fisk’s mother, and that Fisk killed his father. Matt chastises her for going to see her with Ben, without talking to him or Foggy first. Karen says that she tried, but that they weren’t picking up. Good point, Karen! Matt asks Karen to go to the office and tell Foggy what she’s found. He is also on the verge of asking her to tell him something else, but decides not to. Before leaving, Karen gives Matt a balloon, telling him that it’s got a monkey on it.

Foggy wakes up in Marci’s apartment when we see Karen calling him on the phone. Marci walks in the room and Foggy doesn’t answer the call. Marci is getting ready for work and the two exchange jabs. Foggy says he may never go back to work, at least not with Matt. Marci then jokingly expresses her lack of interest in their drama and leaves, asking him to lock the door on his way out.

Fisk is waiting helplessly at the hospital. Owlsley questions Wesley about how Fisk is going to run things in his current state, and Wesley looks genuinely offended by the topic of conversation. Owlsley keeps speculating about who was behind the attack, and complains (again) about his own near demise. Francis approaches and tells them that three of the others who were poisined have died. Next, Wesley asks Owlsley to speak with Gao and test the waters to see whether she was involved.

Claire is back tending to Matt’s wounds at his apartment. She tells him he shouldnt be moving and that he needs to rest. Matt offers Claire a drink before she leaves, but she declines. They talk about what could have been and how what Matt does is getting in the way of that. They both know he’s not going to stop. On her way out, she tells hims that she’s taking some time off and leaving town. She also gives him a warning about what always ends up happening to the saints and the martyrs. They end up bloody and alone.

Karen meets with Ben. He’s still angry with her for the way she decieved him. Karen says she needed him, but Ben feels betrayed and says that the one who really needs him is his wife. Karen is excited by what they found out and urges him to print it. Ben is doubtful that it will do any good, however. Ben then says they might not have to do anything, telling her that the suspected food poisoning at Fisk’s benefit was actually an attack, and that someone is trying to kill Fisk.

Fisk is waiting outside Vanessa’s room when Wesley joins him, comforting him. Fisk tells him what Gao had said about fate, and how he needed to choose paths. Fisk asks Wesley to make arrangements to send Vanessa away to safety if she pulls through. The doctor comes out to see them, and we realize it’s good news. Wesley smiles.

Matt is back in church. Father Lantom comes by and tells him he’s too late for morning services. Matt declines both confessions and coffee, and Father Lantom prods him about what happened after their last conversation. Matt asks him flat out if he knows what he does. Father Lantom replies he’s not an idiot, and that he’s got a pretty good idea. As to the how of it all, Matt simply says that it was an accident as a kid, one that he used to belive was God’s will. Matt asks why, if everyone was made for a purpose, did God put the devil in him. Father Lantom offers him some much-needed food for thought.

Matt is meditating in his apartment, but has a hard time calming his mind, flashing back to his fights with Nobu and Fisk. He gets up and goes to the chest that holds his suit, opening it. Next, he’s hunting down Turk, following him up to a roof top. Matt kicks away his gun and threatens him to not try anything with the other weapons he’s got tucked away. Matt wants information and keeps beating Turk a little more than he needs to. Matt wants to know where Fisk gets the body armor he wears. After a little more pressure is applied, Turk confesses that he might know a guy.

Back in the hospital, Fisk receives a phone call from his mother. He doesn’t answer and instead walks over to Vanessa’s bed, kissing her lightly on the forehead. He goes back into the hallway and asks Wesley to call his mother back and see what she needs. Owlsley comes by to ask about Vanessa’s condition. He tells Wesley that Gao didn’t give him much of anything, and then says that Fisk needs to get back to his business. Wesley sends him away and then calls Marlene who tells him she’s had a visitor. Oops!

Matt enters Melvin Potter’s workshop and takes his glove off to inspect the fabrics Potter has lying aorund. Potter enters, and notices someone has touched his things. When he discovers Matt, he tells him he shouldn’t be there and then attacks him. The two fight.

Wesley, still talking to Marlene, is now on his way out, and asks Francis for his gun and the keys to the car. Wesley wants everyone else to stay behind. Back in Potter’s workshop, the fighting continues until Matt finally subdues Melvin who starts crying, saying that Fisk is going to hurt Betsy, the woman who helps him when he gets confused. He says that Fisk forces him to work for him, or else he’ll hurt Betsy. Matt talks about how he wants to defeat Fisk and that he wants a suit; not like Mr. Fisk’s, but something very special: A symbol.

Karen finds Foggy drinking alone at Josie’s bar. She grabs a glass for herself and tells him he’s a dick for not answering her calls. He says he’s heard her messages but that what Karen has on Fisk won’t be enough. Karen asks about him and Matt, and Foggy says they’re going through a rouch patch. When asked, Foggy admits that he wants to talk, but that he can’t, and that it’s personal. Karen leaves and calls Matt on the phone, leaving a message asking them to get their shit together.
Next, she calls Ben. She tells him about Matt and Foggy and how everything is falling apart. She thanks him for being there for her and they agree to talk the next day. We see Ben looking at old photos and spotting one of Bill Fisk’s campaign signs in the background.

Just when she’s about to open her front door, Karen is attacked from behind. Meanwhile, Fisk talks to Vanessa who is still unconscious, about his childhood and his relationship with relgion, saying that he can’t pray for her. But, he can make a promise, to make the people who hurt her suffer.

Karen wakes up and gasps for air. She finds herself seated at a table in an empty room. Wesley approaches and sits down across from her. Wesley talks about how they initially dismissed her as a threat and made her the offer to buy her silence. She was supposed to go away. He takes out a gun and puts it on the table between them. Wesley tells her that he knows that she and Ben went to visit Fisk’s mother, also letting Karen know that he hasn’t told Fisk yet. Now he has a new offer to make: A job.

Francis offers Fisk something to eat, and the latter asks for Wesley. This is when he learns that Wesley has taken off to attend to something. What Wesley wants from Karen is to convince Ben Urich that everything is fine, and that Fisk is what the city needs. Next, she will have to spread the gospel. When Karen refuses, he tells her about everyone he is going to kill until he finally gets to her. When Wesley’s phone rings – it’s Fisk – he is momentarily distracted and Karen grabs the gun. When Wesley makes a move to get up, Karen shoots him multiple times. She grabs the gun, wipes off the table where she’s been sitting and escapes.

My thoughts

The Path of the Righteous has, in some ways, a certain middle of the arc feel to it. Matt is mostly out of commission, we check back in with Claire, and we spend maybe a little too much time on people waiting around in hospital corridors. Having said that, some very interesting things happen this episode. Right from the start, Karen shows that she’s the one to watch this episode. Matt’s casual lies are wearing thin, and she is sick of dealing with Matt and Foggy’s drama.

Matt also gets a visit from the other woman in his life, when Claire shows back up to check on his recovery. I’m glad they got this scene together, since it brings some much needed closure to the relationship. It also adds something to Claire’s character in that she is seen making some very level-headed decisions about what she wants in her life and who she’s ready to get involved with. And, she leaves Matt with a very ominous warning that sends him back to church.

Father Lantom makes another strong appearance this episode, in particular in how he allows Matt to reframe his way of thinking about the “devil inside”. The way these ideas tie into the making of the yet to be revealed costume is also interesting. Making the devil a symbol for something greater, a means to do good, becomes a powerful psychological tool for Matt.

Just as we’re getting to the end of the line for Wesley, his and Fisk’s relationship becomes even more interesting. In Wilson Fisk’s hour of need, Wesley really comes through for him. If it wasn’t already evident, this episode is where the two show how much they care about each other. And it’s the little things that show us they’re genuine, such as in the way Wesley smiles when he learns that Vanessa is about to pull through. Or, in the way Wesley is well acquainted with Fisk’s mother Marlene. What exactly is their history? Is it too much to hope for a flashback sequence in season two, just so we can figure these two out?

The last scene of this episode was probably one of the most shocking of the entire first season. Deborah Ann Woll and Toby Leonard Moore are fantastic in this incredibly tense scene. Karen’s split-second decision to grab the gun and gain the upper hand could have been undone by hesitation when Wesley tries to defend himself with a bluff – and he almost fools us – but Karen shows a level of cool and decisiveness that makes us see her in a new and different light. While I was sad to see Wesley go, as he’s been one of the most interesting characters of the show, this was an amazingly good way to end his story.

Who would have thought, going into this, that out of the Nelson & Murdock trio, Foggy would be the one having casual sex and Karen the one with her finger on the trigger? Defying all expectations is what this show does best.

Senses watch

I have nothing but good things to say about this episode. Nothing in the way Matt explores Melvin’s workshop sets off any bells for me, and the way Matt knows about the other weapons Turk is hiding on his body also check out, since the gun and knife would likely distinctive sounds rubbing against shoes, clothes and skin.

(Accessible) gadget watch

Matt does nothing but rest in his apartment, get his wounds tended to and then go beat up first Turk and then Melvin Potter. So, none.

Easter egg watch

We see Matt meditating. This isn’t exactly an Easter egg, but a very definite nod to his doing the same thing during the Bendis/Maleev run. Melvin Potter mentions Betsy, who is also a character in the comics. She starts out as Melvin’s therapist and the two later fall in love.

During their fight, Melvin throws saw blades at Matt, and if you freeze the frame (see below!) you can see that they are apparently made by Kaxton industries. In the comics, Kaxton Laboratories is the employer of Wilbur Day, better known as (the first) Stilt-Man. In Daredevil #8, by Stan Lee and Wally Wood, Mr. Day approaches Matt about suing Kaxton for stealing his invention.

Quotes

Karen: “What kind of car was is? Please tell me it was expensive and German.”
Matt: “Japanese.”
See what he did there?

Foggy: “Could you do it with your inside voice? Without speaking?”
Marci: “That’s a very asshole thing to say. I’m impressed.”
Foggy: “Sorry.”
Marci: “And now you ruined it.”

Claire: “You told me you were the man this city needs. I think that was only half-true. I think you’re also the man this city created. For better or worse.”
Matt: “I’m sorry you got pulled back into this.”
Claire: “At least I got to see you with your shirt off again. So hey, it’s not all bad.”

Father Lantom: “Maybe you’re being called to summon the better angels of your nature. Maybe that’s the struggle you’re feeling, deep within you.”
Matt: “And how do you know that the angels and the devil inside me aren’t the same thing?”
Father Lantom: “I don’t. But nothing drives people to church faster than the thought of the devil snapping at their heels. Maybe that was God’s plan all along? Why he created him, allowed him to fall from grace. To become a symbol to be feared, a warning to us all to tread the path of the righteous.”

Foggy: “We’re going through a rough patch.”
Karen: “I found the Nelson and Murdock sign in the trash.”
Foggy: “A very rough patch.”

Wesley: “Do you really think I would put a loaded gun on the table where you could reach it?”
Karen: “I don’t know. Do you really think this is the first time I’ve shot someone?”

Star player

Karen Page, hands down. She quickly sees through Matt’s story about a car accident (even though she obviously can’t guess what’s actually going on), makes peace with Ben Urich, gets on Foggy’s ass about skipping work and not answering her calls, and ends her evening by shooting Wesley in self-defense. After uttering an eerie line about her past. And, she is also the kind of person who is nice enough to buy a monkey balloon for a hurting friend. Sweet and badass at the same time, Karen just became much more interesting.

The post Review: “The Path of the Righteous” – Episode 11 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “Condemned” – Episode #6 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “In the Blood” – Episode #4 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Review: “Rabbit in a Snowstorm” – Episode #3 of Marvel’s Daredevil

Recap

Matt, badly injured, wakes up in his apartment. When he tries to sit up, Foggy appears and cuts him off. Angry and hurt by what he’s found out about his best friend, Foggy tells Matt that Claire stiched him up, after Matt had prevented him from calling 911. The entire scene is incredibly tense, and before we cut to the intro, Foggy asks: “Are you even really blind?” I’d probably be asking that too.

Next, we flash back to Matt and Foggy’s first meeting. Foggy is registering for his classes when Matt knocks on the door. They get introduced and we learn that Foggy recognizes Matt’s name and remembers hearing about what happened to him as a kid. Foggy clearly believes that, with Matt at his side, his prospects with the fairer sex will improve. Matt seems a little overwhelmed by Foggy’s direct approach, but is also grateful that Foggy doesn’t treat him differently than he would anyone else.

Back in Matt’s apartment in the present, the two talk about Matt’s powers, and how he kept them a secret all those years, from everyone. Foggy is mad that he told Claire, but Matt explains that he didn’t have a choice. Foggy then asks whether Matt shot the cops and blew up those buildings. Matt is visibly hurt by the question and starts crying, saying it was all Fisk. Karen then calls on Matt’s phone, and neither of them pick it up. When she next calls Foggy, Matt pleads with him not to tell her, and Foggy concocts a lie, saying Matt was in a car accident.

Fisk and Gao meet alone. Gao tells him the story about the snake who tried to bite an elephant, and was betrayed by its ambition. Fisk asks whether he is supposed to be the snake or the elephant in the story, and the conversation turns to Nobu. Fisk makes excuses for Nobu’s death by pointing out that he volunteered for the task. When the topic turns to the masked man, Fisk is forced to admit that he hasn’t found his body. Gao then wonders when Fisk’s ambition will turn to her. Fisk says she’s different from the others, in that she has his respect. Gao points out that Fisk used to be of a singular mind, but that he’s now pulled in two directions by the love in his life. Gao, now in English, says there is conflict within him, and she encourages him to choose sides, between savior and opressor. “Choose wisely or others shall choose for you.”

Ben is at his wife’s side at the hospital when she wakes up. They talk about his most recent story and their life together. After a long conversation, in the middle of a kiss, Doris’ mind seems to go blank and she is suddenly surprised to see him, which hits him hard. He is then called outside by the hospital administrator we know from earlier episodes. Ben gets negative news about the extension he had applied for and now has to explore other options for her care.

In Matt’s apartment, Foggy gets Matt’s gear out of the chest in the closet. When asked, Matt tells him that he ordered everything off the internet. Foggy then wonders about where Matt learned how to fight and Matt tells him about Stick. Foggy is understandably incredulous.

In another flashback scene, Matt and Foggy, are in their last semester of law school. They are walking along after a night of drinking. They joke about how Matt should study less, and Foggy study more. They talk about their future, and the Greek girl Matt dated briefly. When asked about whether or not he gets “the spins” when drinking alcohol, Matt comes very close to saying a little too much about his senses. They then talk about Matt’s first drink, his dad, and Foggy’s family coming to graduation. Foggy imagines a glorious future for them with big fancy offices, and they settle on the name “Nelson and Murdock.”

Ben is in his office, looking at folders about hospice care for his wife. Ellison offers him an editorial position for a different section of the newspaper, and mentions that it has better benefits. Ben says he’ll think about it. Next, Karen is entering the Nelson & Murdock offices, returning from a run to the county clerk’s office. She tries calling Foggy, recording a message saying it’s important, when Ben startles her by coming out of one of the side offices. He gives her his box of cards and newspaper clippings, and says that he’s taking time off to take care of his wife. Karen tells Ben about a nursing home she’s heard about upstate, and offers him to take a ride with her.

Owlsley chastises Fisk for Nobu being burned alive, as the two of them and Wesley get ready for an event. Fisk wants Owlsley to talk to Gao, to reassure her that everything is fine. Owlsley and Fisk then talk about Vanessa. Owlsley is quite up front about his concerns regarding the distractions in Fisk’s life.

Back in Matt’s apartment, Foggy gets a call from Mahoney, who says that the junkie who killed Elena has been found dead, taking a dive off a building. Foggy confronts Matt about it, and Matt denies having anything to do with it, saying that he’s never killed anyone. Matt admits that he wanted to kill Fisk, though, after what happened with Elena, and that he got hurt after going to the warehouse with the intention of killing him.

We flash back to the more recent past: Matt and Foggy’s internship at Landman and Zack. Seated at a large conference table as part of a legal team, their firm is looking to bring a countersuit against a man who’s developed a serious disease through his work at a Roxxon-owned plant, claiming that he had breached his contract by presumably disclosing trade secrets. During the hearing, Matt discovers that the man is telling the truth. Later, when Foggy has learned that they have been offered positions at the firm after their internship, Matt instead wants out. Foggy reluctantly agrees that Landman and Zack may not be the place for them after all.

Back in the present, Foggy is at the window of Matt’s apartment while Matt is resting on his couch. Matt confronts him about wanting to say something, because he can always tell when Foggy is about to. Foggy replies “I really don’t” and we cut to Ben and Karen who are taking a ride in Ben’s car. They talk about Doris, and how Karen hadn’t realized how bad things were. They talk about hard times and secrets, and we get further indications that Karen is hiding some pretty heavy things from her past (some of which Ben probably doesn’t know about, even after his previous background check on her). When they pull up to the retirement home, Ben realizes right away that it’s out of his price range, but Karen insists they take a look around. She is clearly up to something.

Back with Matt and Foggy, Foggy is now yelling at Matt (seemed like there was something he wanted to say, after all). He wants to know how Matt went from just having heightened senses to doing what he does now. Matt tells the story about how he used to listen to the sirens as a kid, and only later learned how many sirens there were. Shortly after they left Landman and Zack, Matt heard the cries of a girl who was being molested by her father. Matt tells Foggy he caught up with him one night and attacked him. We the cut to the scene of Matt jumping him, and punching him over and over until his fists are covered in blood. Foggy then confronts Matt about all the years he must have kept training, suggesting that there is more to it, that Matt maybe can’t stop himself. Matt then flat out admits that he doesn’t want to stop.

At the retirement home, Karen suggests they talk to one of the people who live their. Clearly, she has someone special in mind, and they enter the room of a Mrs. M. Vistain. Karen prods her about her past, with Ben growing increasingly uncomfortable. When Karen asks about her former husbands, specifically the first one, Mrs. Vistain starts talking and we realize that this is Wilson Fisk’s mother. And, she’s admitting to some pretty horrible things.

Wilson Fisk, with Vanessa at his side, gives a speech at a fundraising event for Fisk’s charity. Next, there is mingling and Wesley, Vanessa and Owlsley talk about politics when people suddenly drop all around them, foaming at the mouth. It doesn’t take long before Vanessa collapses as well with Fisk rushing to her aid. Owlsley, who has yet to take a sip out of his glass, drops it to the floor.

In Matt’s apartment, Foggy is still furious with Matt, saying that he’s going to get himself killed, or find himself in prison; that he and Karen are now a part of this, and that they never had any say in the matter. After delivering some hard truths about their relationship, Foggy walks out the door leaving Matt sobbing on the couch.

In a final flashback scene, we see Matt and Foggy in a bar. Judging by the cuts on Matt’s face, this takes place shortly after Matt’s first attack. Foggy has drawn a sign for their door on a bar napkin, hoping that Matt will be able to feel it. They speak jokingly about the commitments of going into business together and make a toast to their future. Finally, in the present, we see Foggy at the office, throwing the Nelson and Murdock sign into the garbage.

My thoughts

As mentioned at the beginning of the post, this is always a difficult episode for me to watch. On the one hand, I absolutely love that they decided to let Foggy in on Matt’s secret so early. In the timeline of this show, Matt’s vigilante activities go back just a few weeks. In the comic book universe, it took nearly 350 issues and thirty years before Foggy learned the truth, and he was far from the first person to do so. Considering how much this show is borrowing from the Bendis run – at least in tone and the overall look – it doesn’t surprise me though. Matt and Foggy are so much better together when Foggy knows about Matt’s abilities and secret life.

On the other hand, I have always been slightly uncomfortable with the level of pretense that goes into being Matt Murdock, and it’s one of those aspects of the character that I feel warrants a closer examination and explanation. My absolute favorite take on it, to date, is actually from the Waid/Samnee run where Matt explains to Foggy that he found it empowering to have a big secret like that. (See this page, from Daredevil #23, vol 3, and my post from last year “How Daredevil became Matt Murdock.”) There has to be more to it than Matt just finding it hard to explain, and I’m not sure this episode manages to deliver fully, even while covering a lot of ground.

Part of the problem is that much of the supposed explanations for everything Matt does is missing from this episode, which obviously takes place over the course of an entire day. There is always the risk of an episode like this one being weighed down by too much exposition, but I honestly would have wanted Matt to say something, “on camera,” about the ways in which his heightened senses don’t compensate and that he could never pretend to be sighted. Not only because so many people seem to not fully get this (in some interviews, Charlie Cox even appears to be in this group, though to his credit, he’s also said certain things that suggest otherwise), but because, to me, it’s basically the only thing that makes Matt’s charade forgivable.

Of course, the act of concealing his heightened senses, in and of itself, is only one part of the betrayal. The other is what it means when it comes to things like Foggy realizing that Matt has been able to tell every time he’s told a lie. It’s such a violation of your most private thoughts, even though Matt can’t really help knowing these things. Then there is, of course, the huge revelation of what Matt does as the “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.” Foggy is left not only wondering what Matt can do, but who he is and what he’s morally capable of. I really appreciate that Foggy argues his case like a lawyer here. They’re supposed to be going through the legal system, and what Matt is doing is so far outside of what they’re supposed to be about. You might question how Foggy would even suspect that Matt is guilty of everything he’s accused of – and Matt is clearly incredibly hurt by the question – but he’s now in the position of wondering whether anything he thought he knew about Matt Murdock is real.

The flashback sequences, though really wonderful, are also pretty hard for me to watch because I’m constantly reminded of Matt’s deceit. At the same time, they go a long way to smoothing things over for the viewer because while Matt is playing down his heightened senses – as he must, apparently – he’s probably sincere in every other respect. One way of thinking about it is that, to Matt, his “big lie” probably felt smaller around Foggy than it might have around other people, precisely because Foggy was always, from their very first meeting, willing to treat Matt’s blindness as nothing more than a minor physical trait with little bearing on his overall personality. So, when Foggy asks “Was anything ever real with us?” Matt probably genuinely feels that they were, at least in the ways that most mattered to him.

This episode, more than any other, also puts a spotlight on how there is more than one way to be a “good person.” Matt is both a scheming liar (there’s no denying it), and an idealist of the first order. Not only does he not hesitate to put himself in harm’s way to help others, he also feels very strongly that he can’t be in an environment that requires him to bargain with his conscience the way he did at Landman and Zack. Foggy, on the other hand, is more willing to let what is legal obscure what is moral (though he doesn’t have the benefit of a built-in lie detector). And he’s honest about wanting nice things. He doesn’t value money above all else, but worldly possessions are more important to him than they are to Matt. On the other hand, the emphasis here should be on the word “honest.” Foggy is genuine, he doesn’t pretend to be someone he’s not. He’s the kind of person Matt could probably read like an open book, even if he didn’t have heightened senses. Foggy is uncomplicated whereas Matt’s value system is so convoluted not even he knows how to navigate it.

One thing that this show has been masterful at is exploring the same themes from different angles. This is evident in how Matt’s life and motivations can be compared and contrasted with Fisk’s throughout the series. This episode is all about pretense and deception. We see Fisk and Gao forego Wesley’s company and speak directly with each other. As Gao points out, “the time for pretense is over.” At the same time, Karen doesn’t hesitate to use deception to trick Ben into going further down a road he was planning to get off. It is really a pretty heinous thing to do but, like Matt, she probably figures that her deception is serving a higher purpose. At the end of the day, this episode is as much about the lies we tell ourselves as it is about the lies we tell others.

Senses watch

There’s quite a bit this episode, as Matt has to explain his powers to Foggy. As mentioned, much of the actual explaining presumably take place between scenes though, much to my dismay. Matt lists the various ways in which he just “knows things,” and I was okay with them the second time I saw the episode, even though the bit about how he could tell Foggy had eaten onions two days ago only actually makes sense to me because he knows Foggy well. People don’t all metabolize things the same way, after all, and it seems the quantity would also be a variable factor. But it’s a minor quibble.

I had more issues with his hearing the girl who was being molested “down the block.” There are ways I can imagine this that feel more or less okay, but Matt’s ability to hear things over very great distances – or worse, through several walls or floors – will always be my biggest sensory pet peeve, here as well as in the comic. There’s heightened senses, and there’s Superman. Or psychic abilities. They shouldn’t be the same thing, but that’s a personal preference that not everybody shares obviously.

Matt pointing out that he has to concentrate to hear who Foggy is talking to on the phone was interesting though. This is in line with the comics, in the sense that Matt has rarely (outside of maybe the Bendis run), been imagined as anything but human when it comes to simple things like allocating attention. Attention is a finite resource and is also a logical prerequisite for a person’s ability to concentrate. Concentrating on one thing pretty much presupposes that there are other things going on that you’re not concentrating on. Daredevil analyzing a scene has usually been about him mentally picking it apart in a mostly sequential fashion, not unlike what a normal person would do, just using other kinds of cues.

(Accessible) gadget watch

Well, we get another phone call, this time from Karen, announced for both Matt and Foggy to hear. And there’s more braille reading. Again, not exactly a gadget. I will say this though: Matt has already read more braille in this show than in every issue of Daredevil combined.

Easter egg watch

This episode has the Easter egg that had almost every die-hard Daredevil fan oohing, with the mention of the “Greek girl” Matt dated in college (and who apparently was in his Spanish class). This is obviously a reference to Elektra.

During their internship at Landman and Zack, Matt and Foggy work with a team of lawyers representing Marvel’s well-known evil corporation Roxxon.

At Fisk’s benefit gala, Owsley mentions senator a “van Lunt and his crackpot astrologer.” Aside from advising senator Cherryh on his senate campaign, van Lunt apparently owns the building they’re in. In the 616 universe, Cornelius van Lunt is better known under his Taurus identity, as one of the leaders of the Zodiac criminal empire.

Quotes

Foggy: “Come on! You got your peepers knocked out, saving that old dude.”
Matt: “They didn’t get knocked out.”
Foggy: “Good. ‘Cause that would be… a little freaky. No offense!”

Foggy: “Me and you, Marverick and Goose. No secrets.”
Matt: “Goose died. And, he was married.”

Foggy: “A blind, old man taught you the ancient ways of martial arts? Isn’t that the plot to Kung Fu?”

Foggy: “Murdock and Nelson, attorneys at law!”
Matt: “Nelson and Murdock. It sounds better.”
Foggy: “You think?”
Matt: “Yeah, trust me. I can’t see worth shit, but my hearing’s spectacular.”

Wesley: “You weren’t particularly fond of Nobu. You thought he was unsettling, as I recall.”
Owlsley: “I find you unsettling half the time. See me lighting a match?”

Matt: “Sometimes the law isn’t enough.”

Foggy: “With you as my partner, there’s no telling when I’m going to be able to afford a real meal again.”

Karen: “We all have things we hold onto for ourselves, that we don’t want anyone to know.”
Ben: “But there’s always someone who does, sooner or later.”

Matt: “Sounds like we’re getting married.”
Foggy: “This is way more important than a civil union. We’re going to be business partners! We’ll share everything with each other; our thoughts, our dreams, bills, crushing debt.”

Foggy: “Misspelling Hanukkah is a mistake, attempted murder is a little something else.”

Star player

Foggy Nelson, hands down. This is the episode where you’re really rooting for Foggy. We love Matt, flaws and all, but Foggy really has every right to be as angry as he is. For me, the thing that best defines Foggy as a character here is this exchange:

Foggy: “I wouldn’t have kept this from you Matt. Not from you.”
Matt: “You don’t know that, you don’t know that.”
Foggy: “Yeah. I do.”

I really believe that Foggy means this. Matt may be the idealist of the two of them, but Foggy is more genuine as a person in that what you see is what you get kind of way.

The post Review: “Nelson v. Murdock” – Episode #10 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “Shadows in the Glass” – Episode #8 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “Stick” – Episode #7 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Review: “Condemned” – Episode #6 of Marvel’s Daredevil

Recap

This episode is told mostly in long flashbacks, with a few sneak peaks into the “future” of the here and now, until we catch up to that same “here and now” and the story unfolds from that point for the last ten minutes or so. For our first scene, that means that we begin near the end, chronologically speaking, with Matt in the middle of a brutal fight with Nobu, who has swapped his business attire for something red. As in the red of a ninja outfit. All we know at this point is that Matt is not doing well, struggling against his most challenging adversary yet, in what appears to be an abandoned warehouse.

After the intro sequence plays, we cut to the morning of the day before (though you’d have to watch the entire episode to see how the whole timeline is set up). Matt is sitting on the bench outside church when Father Lantom comes walking along. Matt declines the offer of confession, but decides to take the priest up on his previous offer of a latte. Matt obviously has things weighing on his mind and is interested in Father Lantom’s thoughts on the devil. The priest then tells him about his views on the topic while he was in seminary and how he, after his work during the genocide in Rwanda, came to believe that the devil does – to answer Matt’s question – walk among us, taking many forms.

Ben visits Karen and Foggy at the office, and they talk about the new developments in the wake of Fisk’s big announcement whereby he successfully managed to get out in front of the bad news they might have been able to use against him. Matt walks in and he and Ben are formally introduced. Ben mentions all the material that the man in the mask brought to him, and that he is on their side in trying to expose Fisk. None of it is of the kind that would hold up in court, or for publication, and all four try to put the pieces together, based on what they know about Leland Owlsley, James Wesley, Confederated Global (which is where Fisk gets most of his reported income), Westmeyer-Holt Contracting, and Armand Tully.

Down at the docks, Fisk and Wesley discuss Fisk’s approval ratings, and a breakfast invitation from senator Cherryh’s office. They move on to Hoffman, who was supposed to give a follow-up statement following Blake’s death, but never showed up for it. Wesley assures Fisk that they will find him. They also note that the man in the mask has been less active recently, but Fisk reasons that he may just be choosing his targets more carefully. Then, Nobu shows up, and he’s not happy with the real estate deal he’s struck with Fisk. Nobu wants a particular city block. This would involve a transfer of ownership of Elena’s building from Tully to Fisk, and Wesley is concerned about negative publicity. Fisk complies, and in return asks for Nobu’s help in dealing with the man in the mask. Nobu says he knows someone with skills to match. Nobu, too, notes that their adversary has become cautious. Fisk suggests going the emotional route, and you just know that’s going to be bad news.

We’re back with Matt, Foggy and Karen in the office. Matt appears to have trouble concentrating on work (hey, that insane stack of brailled pages isn’t going to read itself, buddy) while Karen and Foggy talk about Armand Tully in the front office. Foggy mentions that he’s talked to Marci and learned that it turns out that Tully really is on an island, one he bought with the money Confederated Global is paying for all of his real estate holdings. Karen notes that that would tie Fisk directly to the tenement case, but Foggy then says that the deal, according to the records, only went through earlier that day. Matt, who has now joined the others, explains to Karen that everything that happened up until Fisk was the owner on record would fall on Tully. And, Foggy adds that they can’t get to Tully because he can’t be extradited from the island he’s on. Next, Elena drops by and tells them that Tully has doubled his offer, and that some of the neighbors are thinking of taking it. Matt thinks that maybe she should, but Foggy and Karen want her to stay and fight, to which Elena happily agrees. After she leaves, the group goes back to strategizing, and Matt decides to go after Fisk from another angle: Vanessa.

Matt shows up at the art gallery and scans the surroundings, spotting the guards at the various doors, and hearing the clink of weapons on at least one of them. When Vanessa approaches, she and Matt introduce themselves, and he jokingly mentions his reasons for looking into buying some art. The two go on to have a flirtatious conversation about art, and Vanessa shows him one of her favorites. Matt asks her to describe it to him, before launching into his new line of questioning: Does she have a man in her life, and what might he like? At that very moment, Fisk himself walks through the door, and Matt has a very immediate and visceral reaction to him. When the two are introduced and throughout their conversation, Matt is struggling to control his anger, though he does a good enough job of it not to be rousing too much suspicion. He reminds Fisk they probably shouldn’t be talking when they’re on opposite sides of a case, and makes an excuse to leave.

Rather than go back to the office, Matt stops by his church. He finds Father Lantom in one of the pews, and sits down just behind him. Lantom asks about how Matt knew he was there, and Matt jokingly asks whether he’d like “the short answer or the long one.” Father Lantom admits that he was worried Matt might have gone out and done something stupid after their talk earlier, and Matt talks about how his meeting with Vanessa, “the one close to the devil,” has affected him. It is clear that a sense of desperation has driven Matt to return to church. He is very conflicted about his feelings about Fisk, and his next course of action. Lantom picks up on this inner conflict, sets him straight, and gives him another perspective from which to look at his actions.

The next morning, Matt goes back to the office, and meets Karen at her desk. Karen and Foggy tell him that they managed to identify the men who attacked her outside Elena’s apartment, by looking at the photos on their contractor’s licenses. It turns out that they work for Westmeyer-Holt Contracting. Matt is hopeful about the connection to Fisk, but Foggy has already heard from Ben’s sources that the two men have disappeared, just like Hoffman. To get them all in a better mood, Foggy shows Matt the sign he got for the office. As Matt and Foggy turn around, Karen gets a very ominous phone call.

The trio is next seen at the morgue, where Elena’s body is uncovered. Matt asks Detective Mahoney how it happened, and learns that the neighbors saw a junkie flee the scene with her purse, and that she died of multiple stab wounds. A sobbing Karen hugs Foggy while Matt squeezes his cane so hard his knuckles turn white.

Back to the future: i.e Nobu and Matt, still in the middle of their fight in the warehouse. This is where the scene really gets bloody. Matt ends up with really bad stab wounds and the hook on Nobu’s weapon cuts into him, dragging him along the floor.

A few hours earlier, the three friends are having drinks at Josie’s to drown their sorrows after Elena’s death. Foggy talks about how Marci had mentioned a criminal element in Elena’s building, but Matt doesn’t think it was a coincidence the way she died, and suggests that Fisk was involved. Next, Fisk is on TV, talking about Mrs. Cardenas’ death which happened in a building he now owns. Foggy gets a call from the funeral home and leaves Matt and Karen at the table. Karen says she hopes the mask gets to Fisk. Matt asks Karen whether she is religious (she’s not) and when she asks him the same thing, he tells her that he’s Catholic, though he says its gives him no comfort on a day like the one they’ve had. Matt excuses himself and goes home.

Back in his apartment, Matt gets his suit out of the chest in his wardrobe. On top of it are his father’s things, and Matt touches his father’s robe affectionately before crossing himself and getting the suit out. Next, we see Matt beat up no fewer than three thugs, looking for information about who killed Elena. The second guy spills small packets of drugs on the street, which gives Matt a further clue to show to the third guy who finally tells him where he can find the guy who (apparently) sells them.

Next, Matt finds himself in a filthy apartment where two guys are shooting up. He recognizes the scent of the same drugs that lead thim there, and then finds a wad of cash in the main suspect’s jacket. Matt then “looks” around the room and finds Elena’s bag under a sofa cushion. (It appears that he’s sniffing the room. If that’s the case, then two big thumbs up for appropriate use of heightened senses. If he is actually supposed to find that purse by any other means, don’t tell me because that would make me cry.) Demanding to know where he got the purse, Matt roughs up the junkie who finally tells him the address of the warehouse where “they” took him. Who else smells a massive set-up?

Matt goes to the warehouse and finds a table covered with large documents, they’re plans and city maps. He removes his glove and skims the papers when he is interrupted by a nearby heartbeat. Nobu approaches. Matt recognizes him as the one who was at the docks with the boy (in episode seven). They have a little chat about Stick, “the war,” and Fisk. Matt says he came for Fisk, Nobu says he’ll have to settle for him, and that is how the fight begins.

Matt and Karen are still drinking, and they’re both in terrible shape. Karen things they should go home, but Foggy is devastated. He feels guilty about advising Elena not to take the money. He thinks about the lofty ideas that inspired him and Matt to do what they do, and how that all seems like bullshit now. Karen does her best to comfort him.

We’re back to as “current time” as it gets, with Matt being dragged along the floor with a hook in his stomach. He makes a last push for it and kicks Nobu against the gasoline from the canisters that were punctured at an earlier point during the fight. Matt throws one of his billy clubs into a light fixture and the sparks that come raining down set Nobu on fire.

This is when Fisk comes in the room, flanked by Wesley and new recruit Francis. Fisk thanks him for taking out Nobu, and admits that he baited the hook with Elena to lure Matt out. Matt says he’s going to kill Fisk and the two do a little hand to hand combat. Matt is not fairing well against his massive opponent. When Wesley is asked to take Matt out, he hears the gun being cocked and raised and defends himself with a well-aimed throw of his billy club, before taking a dive through the window and landing in the water below.

Foggy is at Matt’s door, saying that they need to keep the fight going and asking for Matt to let him in. When he hears a sound from inside, he rushes to the roof and goes in through the other door, worried about what might have happened to Matt. This is when Matt stumbles in and collapses on the floor. Foggy then realizes that the man in the mask is none other than his best friend. And that’s what I call a cliff-hanger!

My thoughts

This is a very strong episode overall, with lots of shocking developments. There’s the final scene where Foggy finds out about Matt’s secret life – more on that in the review of next episode, obviously – Matt’s first meeting with Fisk (and their first fight!), Mrs. Cardenas’ shocking death and that amazing gallery scene with Vanessa. Oh, and Matt almost getting hacked to bits by Nobu.

If you go to the bottom of the post and look at the quotes, you’re going to find that half of them are from the conversation between Matt and Vanessa at the gallery. It’s no wonder. They have fantastic chemistry, and it’s one of relatively few scenes in this series that’s actually funny for more than a couple of seconds. Not in a way that’s over the top or reeks of anyone trying to hard, but in that awkward and very human way.

We all know Matt is there to learn whatever he can about Vanessa’s connection to Fisk, just so that he can learn more about Fisk. That’s his only reason. He has no real interest in (visual) art, though the explanation he comes up with – that’ it’s for the benefit of his guests – is perfectly reasonable. He switches on the charm, Vanessa responds by even more charming, and the two have the ball rolling. This, they have in common. Much of the humor comes from their different perspectives though.

Vanessa sincerely loves her art. Matt, on the other hand, is not going to pretend that this will somehow translate into a profound experience for him. When he dead-pans “Sight helps” there’s an element of bullshit cutting that I find to be pretty funny. Vanessa then makes it funnier by not really taking in what he’s saying, but still being self-aware enough to joke that her next line can, in fact, be used as a “line.” And, after all that talk about how intimate it is to experience art through someone else’s eyes, she shows him a painting and seems to completely forget that he can’t see it. He actually has to ask. Everything that’s great about this scene comes down to great scripting, and even greater timing.

The flirting continues when the subject turns to Fisk, and when the man himself appears, the scene continues to be absolutely fantastic, but for very different reasons. When Vanessa announces that the man in her life has just arrived, Matt’s world stops. The camera does that fantastic spin around the room, so that we catch Fisk the same time Matt does. It marks a great shift in tone, and Charlie Cox does a stellar job of appearing overcome with rage and being civil, though not exactly cordial, at the same time. We’ve been building up to this moment for a long time now, so you can really see the sparks flying between these two. This is the moment Fisk becomes more than just a voice to Matt.

All of this does a number on Matt, who seeks out Father Lantom for the second time. This makes Lantom the most critical player in the entire episode, in some ways (more on this below). It only makes sense that there’s a physical beating to match. The scenes where Matt is slashed, cut and gutted by Nobu remain difficult to watch even after my many repeat viewings, and the punches from Fisk are equally painful. And then the fact that Matt now knows that Elena died to get to him? It’s awful stuff. Good awful, but still.

My only issue, in terms of how the episode is written is that Nobu perhaps comes off a little too much like a stereotypical ninja. I would have liked a little more depth to him here. He has lines like: “You are a worthy opponent. It is an honor to claim your life.” Nuff’ said.

Senses watch

For the most part, I really liked what I saw this episode. Looking at the gallery scene, you can tell that the subtle effects (such as the sound of a gun against a holster) are back, and it has that perfect mix of fantastic but not overblown that this show, at its best, has given us.

There are three scenes that are worth commenting on, though. The first is when Matt beats up the junkie who killed Elena and finds her purse under a sofa cushion. Matt appears to be sniffing right before he does this, which I think is great because that’s the only way he could have logically found that purse. I actually happen to think that the sense of smell is generally underused in Daredevil – the comic and this show – which I think has a lot to do with people’s strange detachment to this sense in real life. This scene uses smell to great effect.

Then there’s the scene where Matt meets Nobu, and Nobu remarks that Matt didn’t detect him at first. Matt responds that Nobu had slowed his heart rate and lowered his body temperature to escape detection. The bit with the body temperature doesn’t exactly make me jump for joy, but I guess we can crack that up ninja logic?

We’ve talked about the part where Matt runs his fingers over the building plans before. It appears that print reading by touch has been retired for this show, and nothing in this scene actually invalidates that assumption. Feeling the raised lines (that, they would have to be, even if they are just barely there) of what is essentially a line drawing doesn’t equal the print touch speed reading of the sixties.

(Accessible) gadget watch

Nothing much this episode. Matt’s phone rings again, in its regular chatty manner. Then there’s lots of braille reading on Matt’s desk, but that isn’t actually a “gadget.” That’s pretty much it.

Easter egg watch

Fisk mentions breakfast with a senator Cherryh, and we also get to meet him in person later in the series. Randolph Cherryh also appears briefly in the comics as a corrupt politician with ties in the Kingpin. His first appearance was in Daredevil #177.

And, of course, pretty much everything about Nobu screams of the Hand, but you didn’t need me to tell you that. One final little thing, that isn’t actually an Easter egg, but a heart-breaking nod to Jack Murdock from earlier in the season. Below are the keepsakes Matt keeps in his chest. Aside from the robe, there’s a faded photo of Matt and his father taken at Fogwell’s gym and a braille alphabet card with what looks like blood on it.

Quotes

Foggy: “Somebody knows something. It’s just a matter of asking the right people the right questions in the right tone of voice.”

Ben: “Maybe he knows there are some roads you can’t come back from.”

Matt: “I’m told by my guest my apartment is a bit stark. I thought maybe some art would warm it up.”
Vanessa: “I’m going to go out on a limb and assume these guests were women.”
Matt: “Well, I’m not trying to impress the pizza guy.”

Vanessa: “You don’t need sight to appreciate art, but you do need honesty.”
Matt: “Sight helps.”

Vanessa: “There’s something very intimate about experiencing art through someone else’s eyes. It’s a good line by the way, you should use it.”
Matt: “I might.”

Father Lantom: “There’s a wide gulf between inaction and murder, Matthew. Another man’s evil does not make you good.”

Father Lantom: “Are you struggling with the fact that you don’t want to kill this man, but have to? Or, that you don’t have to kill him, but want to?”

Matt: “I’ve hurt a lot of people tonight, to get what I need to know. The asshole who killed Mrs. Cardenas shoots up at this address, likes cheap menthols, thinks it covers the stench of his rotting teeth. It doesn’t.”

Star player

Well, considering that he pretty much saves Matt’s soul this episode, this award goes to Father Lantom. He is the perfect conversational partner for Matt, he takes Matt’s ideas and turns them on their head, asks the hard questions, and offers another way to look at things. Matt is stuck in his mindset, and needs someone who can challenge that. At this point in his journey, Lantom is that person. I like this character a lot. As an agnostic who have always felt that Daredevil’s Catholicism has been overstated, I could not be happier about how religion is used in this series. That’s saying something.

The post Review: “Speak of the Devil” – Episode #9 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “Shadows in the Glass” – Episode #8 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “In the Blood” – Episode #4 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Review: “Rabbit in a Snowstorm” – Episode #3 of Marvel’s Daredevil

This post actually marks my 750th since starting this blog. Of course, this has nothing to do with the review, but I’m quite happy to celebrate an anniversary of sorts with an episode I really enjoyed. Moving on!

Recap

Wilson Fisk wakes up from a bad dream, in cold sweat. He sits up and looks at his newly purchased painting, before getting up and, very methodically, making breakfast. It’s an omelette topped with chopped chives, and if you’re the least bit hungry watching this, you’re going to want one too. Next, Fisk picks ut a suit from his nearly all-black wardrobe and puts on his father’s cufflinks. When he turns around, he catches the mirror image of himself as a boy, sprayed with generous amounts of blood. This episode sure knows how to grab the viewer right from the start.

In contrast to Fisk’s pristine penthouse, Matt’s apartment is still a mess. His morning routine looks considerably less appealing, and Matt looks very tired and demoralized by past events. At the office, Karen and Foggy discuss their recent activities and are worried about what Matt would say if he knew. (In the interest of honesty, Foggy also admits he doesn’t like Karen’s coffee.) Matt shows up, catching the end of their conversation, and confronts them. Karen has to admit they’re still investigating Union Allied. Matt is not happy and interrogates the two of them, berating them for putting themselves in danger. He says that they have to stop sneaking around and that they should use the legal system instead, though in doing so he agrees to help.

Fisk and Wesley meet with Nobu. Nobu is not happy that Black Sky is dead, and accuses Fisk of not keeping up his end of the bargain. Fisk defends himself by pointing out that he did everything asked of him, that is make sure that there were no police at the docks or along the intended transit route.

Next, we flash back to what looks like mid-70s New York. A young Wilson Fisk is helping his dad make signs for his city concil campaign. His mother is worrying about the overdue bills. It takes all of two seconds for the viewer to realize that Bill Fisk is the bully of the family, just from how he speaks to his family and young Wilson’s apprehensive behavior around his father. Bill’s big plan is to secure a position on the city council so that some of that money pouring into the pockets of corrupt politicians can be his.

In the present day, Fisk is on the phone with Vanessa when Wesley calls to tell him that detective Blake just woke up from his coma. They worry about what he might say, considering he’s probably not too happy that he was shot. They decide they need Blake taken out, but are having logistical issues (only two of the cops guarding Blake’s door at the hospital are “theirs”) and decide to try to reach out to Blake’s partner Hoffman.

At Nelson & Murdock, Matt, Foggy and Karen are doing research on the connections of the various suspicious companies we’ve already been acquainted with. Karen then alerts them to the news reported by the Bulletin that Detective Blake has regained consciousness. Matt’s interest is certainly piqued.

Meanwhile, Fisk sits down with Hoffman. The latter is reluctant to do what they’re asking since he and Blake are apparently childhood friends. Fisk tells Hoffman that he was not happy that Blake had failed to report that the addresses for the Russian-controlled locations that were bombed had been compromised. With enough pressure applied, Hoffman shows up at the hospital. He gets through security at the door by hiding a syringe in a meatball sandwich. Hoffman apologizes to Blake before emptying the contents of the syringe into his partner’s arm. Blake wakes up, and Matt arrives on the scene through the window (presumably), and grabs Hoffman from behind. He jams the door shut and convinces Blake, who is dying, to give up whatever information he can before it’s too late. When the door is finally breached, Matt has already escaped.

Next, we see Leland Owlsley and Wilson Fisk at Melvin Potter’s shop, where Owlsley is getting fitted for a new suit. He is worried that the masked man will come after him again and speaks to Fisk in his usual tone of disrespect. Wesley shows up to tell them what happened at the hospital, and Owlsley continues with the sarcasm. (Along with previous such behavior, it’s clear that Leland Owlsley is of some importance to Fisk, or he’d never get away with that kind of insubordination.)

We check back in with young Wilson, who is being comforted by his mother with some Zuppa Inglese. Wilson has been in a fight with another boy who had been knocking down Bill’s signs, and he’s got a cut on his lip. Bills tells him to get his coat and they go looking for Bernie, the local bully. They threaten him and Bill beats him up, inviting Wilson to join him and instructs him to kick the man on the ground, over and over, harder and harder.

Present-day Fisk wakes up again, and the scene from the beginning of the episode repeats itself, until the phone rings; it’s Wesley informing him that Gao has reached out to him and wants to talk to Fisk. Fisk asks Wesley to be there before she arrives. Next, Fisk pours tea for Madame Gao, who now switches to English and suggests that Fisk is also able to speak her language. Wilson answers in Mandarin and Wesley looks exasperated (as he should!). Fisk, when prompted, also admits that he speaks Japanese. They talk about Nobu, and Gao mentions that Leland is also displeased. Gao has harsh words for Fisk, accusing him of being sloppy and emotional. Gao leaves, after threatening to deal directly with the others if Fisk doesn’t get his house in order. After she leaves, he tips the table over in rage, and screams at Wesley to get out.

On our next visit to Wilson’s childhood, we see Bill Fisk force his son to think about what kind of man he wants to be while staring into the wall, uncannily and not coincidentally similar to the painting his adult self bought from Vanessa. Bill says he has to go take care of something, and his wife Marlene is immediately on his case about the money he owes to Rigoletto. When she confronts him, he beats her to a pulp with his belt while Wilson listens.

Back in the present, Wesley arrives to tell Wilson that he called for Vanessa, who enters. Fisk asks her to leave, but she stays, asking him what’s on his mind. He admits that he’s afraid of how she would look at him if she knew. With this, we cut back to the domestic abuse in the past. We see young Wilson get off his chair, and grab a hammer. When he asks his father to stop, Bill laughs it off and turns back around. Wilson then hits him in the back of the head and doesn’t stop until his father is dead and he is covered in blood. His mother comforts him and instructs him to get the saw so that they can get rid of the body. Very creepy stuff.

Grown-up Wilson continues the story about how he and his mother carried their father, one piece at a time, in bags down to the river, every day for a week. Since everyone knew Bill owed money to Rigoletto, no one got suspicious when he simply disappeared. Later, Wilson was sent to live with relatives. Next, Fisk shares his present woes, about the people looking to bring him down, and Vanessa encourages him to stand his ground.

Ben Urich is walking in the rain back to his car, talking to his boss Ellison on the phone about some story Ben doesn’t want to do. When he bends down for his keys, Matt in the mask shows up and announces that they need to talk. Matt says that he wants to expose the man responsible for everything going on, and gives Ben the names Wilson Fisk, and Leland Owlsley. Matt talks about Blake and Hoffman, and how he got the information. Ben is skeptical of the lack of real sources and corroborating evidence but asks Matt to tell him everything he knows.

Next time Wilson Fisk wakes up, Vanessa is next to him in bed. This morning, he cooks for two. The scene is set to sound of Ben’s voice narrating the story he is working on, about Wilson Fisk – the man who lives in the shadows, taking more than he deserves. Vanessa further injects herself into Wilson’s life by picking out a different suit (medium gray as opposed to black) and another pair of cufflinks for him. We cut to Ben writing his story, but realize it’s all in vain when Fisk goes public on TV.

We cut to the live scene of Wilson in front of television cameras, surrounded by his closest allies. He is taking a stand against the devil of Hell’s Kitchen, against crime and corruption. In turn, we see Matt listen to the story on his laptop in his apartment, Foggy catching it on TV at the store, and Karen doing the same in the office. We then go back to Ben who erases his story from his computer. Finally, we see Matt, outraged, send his computer flying into the wall of his kitchen. (Not sure he could actually afford that.)

My thoughts

Okay, first thing: I want Wilson Fisk’s apartment. It’s a bit on the sterile side, but man, what a view! And the walk-in closet is great too. I have to give serious props to the set designers here. Everything around Fisk is one reason this is one of the best-looking episodes in an overall fantastic-looking TV show.

The next scene gives us a short glimpse of Matt’s morning routine in his busted up apartment. It’s hard to not see many of the contrasts and parallels between the two men throughout this episode (including childhood alcohol consumption!). They are both at a low point, Fisk’s plans continue to unravel during the course of the episode, while Matt is dealing with his recent encounter with Stick and his masked alter ego still being the prime suspect in some pretty heinous crimes.

Matt takes his lousy mood with him to the office, where he’s not happy to learn about Karen and Foggy’s most recent shenanigans. I’m actually a little surprised to see Foggy, in particular, being so receptive to Matt assuming a leadership position in this situation. He talks to them like a parent. I can certainly see Matt’s position. He’s been badly burned in the last two episodes so when he says he wants to take the legal route, you almost believe him. Still, Foggy and Karen wouldn’t know where he’s coming from.

Meanwhile, there are other relationships being fleshed out this episode. There’s a whole new level to Wesley’s dedication to Wilson Fisk when you contrast it with everyone else around him, who seem ready to bolt. Wesley is loyal in a way that is very intriguing to me, and this is a great episode for him all around. (And, of course, the look on his face when he realizes that Fisk speaks Mandarin is priceless.)

This is also the episode where Vanessa really takes the plunge and fully accepts Fisk and his world. Her very real compassion for Wilson is clearly communicated and the way her being in his life changes it, is incredibly well done. She gets him into a different suit, and picks out new cufflinks for him to mark the next step on his journey. He is no longer alone, and that’s bound to change him.

When I first learned how big a part of this series Wilson Fisk would be, my reaction was lukewarm. I had nothing against Fisk, per se, but I was worried the main character would be toned down too much. Not only has that turned out not to be the case, this show has really made me invested in Fisk’s story. This is easily one of my favorite issues of the entire show, and a lot of it rides not only on the better than average esthetics and pacing, but on the flashback scenes to the life of young Wilson Fisk. They are nothing short of amazing, and it’s impossible not to care about this child who got dealt a rough hand. At least he had a decent mother who cared for him, and, well, helped him dispose of his father’s dead body. “Get the saw” is one of the most chilling lines of the entire series, in my mind.

The end of the episode is also incredibly strong. When Wilson Fisk is at his weakest, he decides to raise the stakes and go public, pitting himself against crime and corruption, aiming to become a beacon of light for his community. If Matt started this episode at an all time low, that’s nothing compared to how he ends it.

Senses watch

Nothing to report this issue, since there’s not really that much for Matt to do.

(Accessible) gadget watch

Well, we get a better look at, and listen to, Matt’s talking alarm clock. If you want your own talking alarm clock just like it – “as seen on Marvel’s Daredevil!” – you can get one right here. For a very reasonable $20.

There’s also a closer look at the braille display that connects to Matt’s computer. It’s apparently a 24 cell VarioConnect (kudos to @kevstanley66 on Twitter for catching that). While we’re on the topic, I have to say that I always figured that Matt would be the type who prefers a braille display compared to using just a screen reader – which is more common – for the simple reason that he wouldn’t want to burden his ears more than necessary, and likes to stay alert. This is clearly the better way to do office work while leaving his ears unoccupied to listen for criminal activity.

Easter egg watch

There were a few Easter eggs this issue. The most obvious one is the look inside Melvin Potter’s workshop which features both a gladiator poster on the wall and what looks like Stilt-Man’s legs in the background. While getting fitted for his suit (green!), Owlsley also talks about his son “Lee,” which may be short for Leland. This has led some to speculate that this Owlsley is not meant to be the Owl, but his father.

There’s also a lot of talk of Rigoletto, the crime boss we heard about in episodes one and three. Here, he’s the one Bill Fisk borrows money from to fund his political campaign. Rigoletto was the Kingpin’s predecessor in The Man Without Fear as well.

Quotes

Foggy: “Guy’s like a bat! Not blind like a… You know, with the hearing.”
Matt: “Bats aren’t blind, Foggy.”
Foggy: “They’re not?”
Matt: “It’s a myth.”

Fisk: “But if Detective Blake chooses to speak out of turn, the result would be unpleasant for you; and for me.”
Hoffman: “Out of turn? You shot him!”
Wesley: “Technically, we paid someone else to shoot him.”

Owlsley: “That’s great. That’s wonderful. So, we have no idea what they guy you had shot might have said to the whack job you had framed for it.”

Bill Fisk: “You’re my son. You should be a king, not some fat little pussy.”

Marlene Fisk: “Get the saw.”

Wilson Fisk: “It’s why I still wear these, to remind myself that I’m not cruel for the sake of cruelty. That I’m not my father! That I’m not a monster! Am I?”

Matt: “I’m not a killer. I keep telling people that.”
Ben: “But that could change, couldn’t it?”

Star player

Wilson Fisk! This is Wilson’s episode and not only is Vincent D’Onofrio absolutely amazing, the child actor who plays young Wilson, Cole Jensen, is one of the best I’ve ever seen. I want to hug him, and tell him everything is going to be okay. Which wouldn’t be the truth, but oh well. I like that Wilson Fisk showed no obvious psychopathic tendencies as a child. If he had grown up in another family, things would have turned out very differently for him.

The post Review: “Shadows in the Glass” – Episode #8 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “The Path of the Righteous” – Episode 11 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “World on Fire” – Episode #5 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Review: “In the Blood” – Episode #4 of Marvel’s Daredevil

Somewhere in Japan, presumably, a man is running from someone who’s chasing him. He grabs a gun and fires it into an elevator at his unseen opponent, only to find it empty when it opens. A man, whom we later learn is Stick, appears out of nowhere and threatens the man’s life with a sword – after first chopping off his hand – and asks for something called Black Sky. He learns that it’s heading for New York, and kills the man.

At the office, Foggy reads about the “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen” and the three friends discuss the new “terrorist” on the scene. Karen takes a more defensive stance, whereas Foggy is convinced he’s bad news. While his friends talk, Matt is reading and tries to stay out of the conversation before being forced to admit that he thinks the man in the mask deserves a good defense and shouldn’t be tried and convicted in the press.

They change the subject and joke about getting a company softball team together. Foggy tries to hit on Karen before she leaves. When she’s out the door, Foggy tells Matt that Karen has mace on her keychain. Foggy worries that there are things she’s not telling them. They change the topic again and Foggy asks about the new girl Matt’s been seeing – i.e. Claire – and Matt tells him it didn’t work out. When Foggy takes off, Matt stays behind to work. We learn that he’s actually reading up on Leland Owlsley.

Owlsley is meeting with Nobu in a parking garage. They’re discussing the cargo Nobu has coming in to New York and Leland attempts some light scheming of his own in light of what happened to the Russians. When the Japanese leave, Matt arrives on the scene and tries to get information out of Owlsley, specifically about the man he works for. When Matt hears Stick arrive, he’s temporarily distracted and Owlsley gets him with his stun gun. Stick mocks him and we cut back to Matt as a young boy. He is struggling with his heightened senses in the orphanage where he grew up after Jack’s death when Stick arrives and immediately tests his skills by throwing him a keychain which Matt catches.

In another scene, Matt and Stick sit in the park eating ice cream. Stick lays down the law, and asks about Matt’s background and special gifts. He tells him that he will train him. They practice sensing things in the park and we see Matt keep the ice cream wrapper. He finally asks about how Stick found him and gets some very vague answers in return.

Back in the present, Matt recognizes his old master. He’s obviously not particularly happy to have him back, and we already get the sense that things did not end well between them. It is clear, though, that Stick knows the trouble Matt is in. Meanwhile, Karen and Ben Urich discuss their respective findings in a car outside of town. Ben tells her about what he’s found, including the Yakuza, and the bombings. Karen is surprised to learn that he thinks it may all be connected to Union Allied. Ben is clearly concerned about Karen being involved and, when asked, thinks she should be wary of the man in the mask.

Matt brings Stick back to his place. Stick chastises him about his apartment, his job, his silk sheets. They obviously have very different opinions about what constitutes the right way to live. Stick wants Matt to cut himself free from all the comforts, and his friends. Matt refuses. Stick is being a complete asshole and when he badmouths Jack, Matt grabs him. We immediately flash back to a training session with Stick and young Matt. Matt is struggling and ends up crying about how his dad’s death was his fault. He’s met with some very tough love on Stick’s end.

We’re back in the present. Matt calls Stick a dick. Stick grabs some beer. Matt asks what he’s doing there and Stick tells him he’s there for “the war.” Stick tells him about Nobu, and what’s on the ship that’s coming in, saying it’s a weapon called Black Sky. Stick wants Matt’s help, but is reluctant to word it that way, which amuses Matt. Stick then gets on Matt’s case about his reluctance to kill, calling what he’s doing “half-measures.”

Karen is at Elena Cardenas’ place, dropping off groceries. When Mrs. Cardenas offers her money, Karen refuses and says that she’ll accept information instead. Karen tells Mrs. Cardenas that she’s trying to find a connection between a construction company and the workmen who came to the apartment and didn’t finish the job. When Karen leaves, two men matching the description of the workers stalk Karen and pull her into an alley. She does a half-decent job of defending herself when Foggy arrives on the scene with a baseball bat. Karen is upset that he’s been following her.

Matt and Stick arrive at the docks where they gauge the situation. While Matt goes closer, Stick takes out a bow. He clearly has an agenda that he’s not informed Matt about. When they open up a large shipping container, there’s a child inside who is chained. Matt hears Stick draw his bow, and deflects the arrow. After taking out the guys who remain, Matt scans for Stick and realizes he’s gone.

We flash back to young Matt again, training with Stick and clearly improving. Stick talks about the next step in their training when Matt takes out a bracelet he’s made for Stick. The old man takes it and crumples it right in front of him before declaring that Matt’s training is over. This is the last Matt will see of him for the next two decades.

Back in Matt’s apartment in the present, Matt comes home to find Stick already there. He feels decieved, Stick had promised not to kill anyone. After Matt learns that Stick went after “Black Sky” and killed him, the two have a very violent fight that ends with Matt’s apartment looking like a warzone and Matt telling Stock to “get out of my city.”

Karen brings Foggy to Ben’s office to show him what Ben has been working on. Ben is annoyed, but Karen assures him that Foggy can be trusted. They look at the connections and add the man in the black mask to the board.

Matt is cleaning things off the floor of his apartment when his fingers find the bracelet that he had given Stick all those years ago. Stick had kept it. In the final scene, we see Stick reporting to a large man who can only be seen from the back. This man, Stone, presumably, is asking whether Matt will be ready when the doors open.

My thoughts

Aside from some sensory grievances (see below), this was a really good episode. You can probably tell from the number of quotes that it was, at the very least, quite quotable. Things get interesting right from the start with the introduction of Stick, and I also really enjoyed the conversation between Foggy, Matt and Karen in the beginning of the episode.

What really stand out to me though, is the conflict between Matt and Stick, which is handled perfectly. While I don’t think anyone would describe the comic book version of Stick as particularly likable, it’s too easy to see him as a heroic figure. In my mind, the guy was always a bit of an asshole, and he proves it here.

It’s heartbreaking to see young Matt so hungry for a father figure, only to see Stick turn his back on him. Sure, the fact that he kept the ice cream wrapper bracelet all those years shows us that he does have a soul, but he’s mostly just using Matt for his own purposes. You really cheer for grown up Matt when he shows Stick that he’s proud of his accomplishments and that he made it through without him. And, that he doesn’t want to give up his friends, his job or his furniture(!) to join Stick’s crusade.

Karen and Ben also advance their relationship this episode. There are scenes later in the series where I think their story drags on a little too much, but it’s nicely handled here. Foggy is also brought into the loop and, again, gets to play the hero by protecting Karen. We love her for making it clear that she can take care of herself, but Foggy demonstrates a great deal of courage himself.

All in all, this episode was bound to be special for anyone familiar with the Daredevil comic book, and I think they found a nice balance between the new and the old. And Scott Glenn is an absolutely perfect casting choice as Stick.

Senses watch

I mentioned in my previous review that this and the last episode contained most of the scenes from the entire show that bothered me the most. I’m not going to get into a complete rant over this. I just want to point out the following:

1. When Matt and Stick sit on a bench, Matt points out that the skin on the woman passing by is “too hot.” I’m going to assume that he’s picking that up by smelling a little bit of extra sweat because the whole sensing something marginally hotter than yourself from that distance is complete BS. I tend to think the idea that this can be done must come from getting infrared photography somehow mixed up with how we sense heat through the skin. This is probably its own post, so I may return to it.

   Another things that drives me nuts – and this happens in the comics too – is when there’s a presumption of too much random knowledge. Stick mentions milk from three different dairies. Has he been to every dairy in the region to sample their milk and catalogue the characteristics of each? If the answer to that is no, this is just silly.

2. Apparently, Stick can rub his fingers together and determine that Matt has silk sheets. What the bloody *beep*?

3. Last, but certainly not least: At the docks, Matt knows that the guns below are MP7s with supressors. How the hell does he know that??? Did he listen to one being assembled? (Again, this is early in his career so why he would know a great deal about different types of guns is doubtful in itself, and it’s not as if he can become acquainted with them through Google image search.) If no, then I don’t get how he can determine anything of that nature from that distance. This is bullshit. Pardon my French. The scene would have been fine without this details so there’s not even a point to it.

(Accessible) gadget watch

None, except that Matt reads a lot of braille in this episode (and he does it really fast). Through captions, we can see what Matt is reading about. It’s not the tenement case but about Leland Owlsley. It’s probably convenient to be able to sneak things like that past Foggy and Karen.

Easter egg watch

Stick asks the nun at Matt’s orphanage: “What about the mother? Is she dead.” The nun answers “No, well that’s another story.” And yes, it most certainly is.

The scene at the very end when Stick is talking to Stone (as confirmed by the end credits), looks almost exactly like the one from The Man Without Fear that it’s clearly based on. The dynamics between the two is different, as is the context. In the Netflix show, the conversation about Matt takes place when he’s an adult and there’s less emphasis on Matt being the “chosen one.”

Another interesting thing is that we see Sting use a bow and arrow in this episode. There is none of that in his training sessions with Matt, but in the comics, Matt learns to use a bow as well.

Oh, and one last thing: All Marvel Cinematic Universe phase two movies feature someone’s hand or arm being chopped off, apparently as a Star Wars tribute. Here, it’s happening again at the beginning of the episode!

Quotes

Foggy: “Terrorists have causes. They claim responsibility. Al-Qaeda wanted the world to know exactly what kind of assholes they were. This guy? Not a peep.”

Foggy: “When are we getting a company team together?”
Karen: “We have three employees.”
Matt: “At least two of them aren’t blind.”

Matt: “Everyone has secrets, Foggy.”
Foggy: “I don’t. I’d like some.”

Ben: “In my experience, there are no heroes. No villains. Just people with different agendas.”

Stick: “Women are a distraction. Like furniture, apartments.”

Stick: “Maybe your old man fought for you, or maybe he did it for himself.”

Matt: “I’ve learned a lot since you’ve been gone.”
Stick: “Like what?”
Matt: “You’re a dick.”
Stick: “That’s true.”

Stick: “I needed a soldier, you wanted a father.”
Matt: “Well, I guess we’re both disappointed then.”

Star player

It’s going to have to be Matt again, and for a very specific reason: His standing up to Stick. Way to go Matt!

The post Review: “Stick” – Episode #7 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “Condemned” – Episode #6 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “In the Blood” – Episode #4 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Review: “Rabbit in a Snowstorm” – Episode #3 of Marvel’s Daredevil

Recap

We pick up right where we left off in the last episode. Matt, with his hands in the air is cornered by police. He gets down on his knees and they cuff him. When he hears them talking about killing Vladimir, as they had been instructed, he pulls out his mad ninja moves, using only his head and feet to fight. When everyone is down, he gets the keys from one of the cops and uncuffs himself. He takes Vladimir with him and escapes before any of the cops come to.

Ben Urich is looking at his chart of playing cards and news clippings in his office. At the top, there’s a king of diamonds with a question mark on it. Next, the office comes alive when they hear the news about the explosions in Hell’s Kitchen. When Ben hears the list of addresses that were hit, he realizes the one thing they have in common is that they’re controlled by the Russians, and gets going.

Wesley and Fisk are in a car (it’s always a car with them…) when they learn that Vladimir got away alive. This is a big problem for both of them. Aside from this being a problem in itself, Fisk is worried that Gao will be disappointed, especially after the help she’s provided. Meanwhile, Blake and Hoffman arrive at one of the Russians’ sites to do a little cleanup. They’re trying to pressure one guy, on the verge of death under a slab of concrete, into telling them where Vladimir is. When he doesn’t know, they shoot him, and ask the others to do the same if they find anyone alive.

Matt carries Vladimir into an abandoned warehouse, and puts him on the ground. They have a conversation about everything that’s been going in, with Matt telling him that he did not kill his brother Anatoly, and that he’s not with Fisk.

Meanwhile, Foggy and Karen arrive at the hospital with Mrs. Cardenas, who is bleeding from a cut on her head. In a nice little twist, Claire is the one who takes care of her. Karen and Foggy catch the action on TV and decide to call Matt. Foggy only then realizes that he’s badly hurt and bleeding under his jacket.

Claire’s boss, whom we’ve already seen Ben talk to about his wife in previous episodes, finds her back at work. She is busy with patients when Matt calls and asks Claire to help him save Vladimir because he needs the intel. She asks what’s around him that they can use and Matt somehow magically knows exactly what’s in the room with him (groan). He cauterizes the wound with a flare from a roadside emergency kit while Vladimir screams in pain.

A police officer approaches Matt and Vladimir’s location and calls it in. Matt jumps him and starts asking questions about his loyalities. He realizes the cop, who only has two months on the job, is clean by listening to his heartbeat. Matt tells him to call back and say it was a false alarm, but the young cop (bravely) does the very opposite, which makes a bad situation worse for Matt. As police cars approach, Ben Urich soon arrives on the scene and tries to get a statement from the very uncooperative officers Blake and Hoffman.

Back in the car with Wesley and Fisk, the two men talk about the man in the mask showing up and holding a young cop hostage. They worry about Ben Urich, whom they’ve learned is now on the scene and Fisk shows just how deep and widespread his connections are when we learn that he has the power to orchestrate media attention on what is about to happen next.

Matt ties up the cop he’s holding hostage and comments on the situation outside for the benefit of Vladimir who has regained consciousness. Vladimir is wondering about what Matt did to him and Matt keeps prodding Vladimir for more on Fisk and his connections. It becomes painfully obvious to Vladimir that Matt has only the vaguest of clues about the bigger game going on and proceeds to give Matt… nothing! Because he headbuts him! The two then fight and fall through the floor where they pass out.

Back outside, we check in with Ben Urich before cutting to Foggy and Karen in the hospital. Foggy has been admitted and Karen is unsuccessfully trying to get a hold of Matt. Foggy plays down his own concerns about his friend until Karen leaves and he is the one pleading with Matt’s answering machine. As we’re about to learn, Matt is not in great shape, though he regains consciousness and gets to his knees. He listens and hears Vladimir’s heart start to give out and frantically does chest compressions until Vladimir comes back.

Before quickly checking in with Ben Urich, who is still circling the scene, we see Wesley pick up a walkie-talkie that will put Fisk in direct contact with the building Matt is in. Next, Matt listens near a window and then notices sounds coming through a grate in the floor, a potential way to escape! Before he can try to get out, Matt’s attention is grabbed by Fisk’s voice coming through the police officer’s walkie-talkie who fell down the hole with them when the floor gave out. The two talk. This is all good stuff.

In the distance, a police sniper is taking aim. While the conversation between Matt and Wilson Fisk continues, the sniper is asked to fire. He aims for Ben Urich (or does he?) but hits Blake instead. Two other police officers are shot as well and panic erupts. Matt is distraught and throws the walkie-talkie in frustration.

At the hospital, Claire and the others see footage of the man in the mask on the news. Matt is trying to get the grate to budge when he gets a call from Claire telling him about what’s being said about him. Matt realizes that the police is closing in and worries that things might go the wrong way. He tells Claire to take care of herself. He finally gets the help he needs from Vladmir who tells him “this is not how I die.” The two of them together are strong enough to escape into the tunnel system below.

Moments later, police arrive where they left the hostage, Officer Sullivan. They kill him with a knife, but only after first reporting his death over the radio which means that Sullivan knows he’s about to die. This is seriously twisted stuff. Meanwhile, Matt and Vladimir have made it into the tunnel system. The police catch up but Matt fights them off. Vladimir then grabs a machine gun and surprises Matt by not shooting him. The gun is for whoever is on their way, as the Russian decides to stay behind. Before Matt goes, Vladimir gives him the name Leland Owlsley, Fisk’s money man. Matt takes off through a side door and as he exits the tunnel system, he can hear gun fire behind him.

My thoughts

In many ways, this is one of the strongest episodes of the bunch. It gives us a lot of expertly paced tension, and features the first meeting – sort of – between Matt and Wilson Fisk. There is also the very interesting dynamic between Matt and Vladimir, the latter showing us much more of himself than what you’d get from a one-note villain. Across town, Foggy and Karen get to be heroes as they rush the injured Mrs. Cardenas to the hospital, with Foggy not even noticing his own injury until they’ve made it there safely.

This episode is the one that really raises the stakes for Matt. Not only is he nearly arrested, his actions (though he’s obviously innocent of the bombings) leads to his antics being splattered all over the news. He has to go harder than he probably prefers on an innocent young cop – who later ends up dead, though Matt is probably unaware of it – and get into the metaphorical bed with the same man who was behind the awful things that happened to Claire just two episodes ago.

On top of this, he has a very frustrating conversation with Fisk that does nothing for Matt except remind him of the dubious nature of his own activities and how badly he’s lacking any sort of bigger plan. Vladimir laughs at Matt’s cluelessness and a reporter like Ben Urich clearly has a much better picture of what’s really going on and how all the different players are connected than Matt does, as evidenced by his big board of playing cards. This is definitely the episode where the shit hits the fan, big time.

For all its many qualities, this was also the first episode where I found myself seriously annoyed with the portrayal of Matt’s senses. I know many of you reacted to the same scene of Matt in the warehouse talking to Claire on the phone where he goes through a list of things he can detect in the room:

“Half a box of nails, broken glass, wood, duct tape, old road side emergency kit, a lot of plastic sheeting.”
“The kit, are there any flares in it?”
“Yeah, two.”

To be clear, I easily buy the broken glass (he’s probably stepped in some and the windows are not what they should be), the wood (wood-smelling rubble?), and the plastic sheeting (it probably has a distinctive smell, there’s probably some flapping in the wind happening and it obviously reflects the sounds in the room differently than a solid wall or windows would). I will even buy the duct tape, which may also have a distinct smell. The half a box of nails though? How would he know that’s nails as opposed to screws or washers or whatever else from clear across the room? And the two flares? Does one flare have one specific unit of scent or something? It almost reminds me of the very first issue of Daredevil where it’s said that Matt can tell how many bullets are in a gun by its weight, as if there was only one kind of gun.

The annoying part of this scene is that it would have been so very easy to make it better. If Matt had simply gotten up and walked around the room for a bit, just a couple of steps, it would have seemed so much more plausible. The thing to remember is that in the Netflix take on the character, he has no separate radar sense, so it’s up to the creators to make sure that his other four senses can actually do their job. If he got up and walked around, he would move through the ambient sound field and be able to get more detail, and he’d also be making sound to better be able to “see” with. That he’s just staying still and concentrating isn’t working for me at all here. It’s a shame.

Senses watch

See above. Generally though, I think this episode lost its way in this respect. Earlier episodes had done a pretty good job of communicating what Matt’s senses detect and how he becomes aware of things happening around him. This episode is much less ambitious that way. To be clear, if Matt had actually had a traditional (separate) radar sense, like in most takes on the character in the comic, the scene I mentioned above would bother me much less, but since there is no separate radar sense in this show, it leaves much to be explained.

This episode and the next one account for about 90 percent of my senses-related grievances for this entire show, which means that I’m very happy overall, but there’s really no excuse for this level of laziness when it would be so very easy to fix it (again, see above). Seriously Marvel and Netflix, you can do better than this. On a more positive note, the way he hears the sound coming through the grate in the floor is a really good use of his senses.

(Accessible) gadget watch

Well, he spends the entire episode in an abandoned warehouse, so none. Kudos to the show though for using a walkie-talkie that’s simple enough that it makes perfect sense that he would be able to use it as is (just a few obvious buttons, no crazy complicated interface with a bunch of labels).

Easter egg watch

Well, there’s been a lot of talk about the sniper on the roof having playing cards in his bag, which may or may not be a nod to Bullseye. It’s hard to say just how much we should read into this. Maybe they’re just toying with us. Then again, that’s the sole purpose of most Easter eggs so I’m not complaining.

Quotes

Wilson Fisk (in response to Wesley): “Letting the police do their jobs. That’s what I pay them for, isn’t it?”

Matt (to Vladmir): “That sounds pretty bad, but I don’t speak asshole.”

Claire: “It’s not as easy as it looks in the movies, you know.”
Matt: “I don’t really go to the movies. I like records though.”

Foggy: “A helluva first date, huh?”
Karen: “I’ve… actually had worse.”

Fisk: “You’ve been asking about me. I thought it was time we spoke.”
Matt: “Say your name.”
Fisk: “You first.”
Matt: …
Fisk: “That’s what I thought. You and I have a lot in common.”
Matt: “We’re nothing alike.”

Star player

This is a big episode for Matt, so I’m going to have to go with our main character for this one. This episode showed him completely out of his depth in many ways, and it’s the first time he really comes face to face with the consequences of the high-stakes game he’s playing. This episode forces him to think about his methods and his endgame in new ways which makes for very interesting viewing.

The post Review: “Condemned” – Episode #6 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “The Path of the Righteous” – Episode 11 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “World on Fire” – Episode #5 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Review: “In the Blood” – Episode #4 of Marvel’s Daredevil

Recap

The episode begins on a somber note as Claire has a moment alone in Matt’s bathroom, obviously affected by the traumatic events of last episode. While she takes a shower, Matt cooks breakfast for her and then the two sit down together so that he can examine her injuries. She prods him for more details about how he does the things he does, and he explains (sort of…) how his senses work and the concept of his perceptions as a “world on fire” is introduced (more on this in a separate post). Matt kisses her, and invites her to stay so he can keep her safe, before heading off to work.

Wesley enters Vladimir’s lair (hey, I like the word “lair”). Vladimir is on the phone and understandably worried about his brother. Wesley plays it cool, relying on his ice cold acting chops to pretend as if he has no idea what happened to Anatoly. Next, an associate comes in, informing Vladimir that they’ve found Anatoly’s body, which is brought in. On his brother’s body, Vladimir finds a piece of black fabric, obviously planted there to implicate “the man in the mask.”

In a garage, where Anatoly’s brain matter is being rinsed off Fisk’s car with a hose (isn’t that nice?), Fisk and Wesley meet with Madame Gao, Nobu and Leland Owlsley. They are not happy when they learn that Fisk has killed Anatoly over a “personal matter,” as it risks their operation. This is a great scene for Leland Owlsley who has a couple of really funny lines, and shows a rather shocking lack of respect for Fisk. He must really be essential to Fisk’s operation, or it’s difficult to see why he’d be allowed to keep his own head.

Next, we see one of Madame Gao’s blind workers riding in the back seat of a car. When the car stops and the two Russians in the front seat get out and enter a nearby building, Matt shows up in his black costume. When the Russians come back out he jumps them. More follow, and they shoot the guy in the back seat. The entire scene is really well choreographed and filmed, and this is definitely one of the more interesting fight scenes in the show, though it’s been getting much less buzz than the fight scene from episode two. When Matt starts pressuring one of the Russians for information on Vladimir, he learns that they think he killed his brother. The police show up and Matt escapes.

At the office, presumably the next morning, Karen and Foggy wrestle with their new office equipment when Matt shows up. Soon thereafter, they get a new client in the form of a Mrs. Cardenas who wants their help in fighting her very fishy landlord, a certain Mr. Tully. Karen and Matt show off their Spanish skills, and when Mrs. Cardenas leaves, Matt offers to go down to the precinct to get some of the paperwork and he suggests Foggy go meet with opposing counsel. To Foggy’s chagrin, Mr. Tully is represented by Landman & Zack, the firm where he and Matt used to intern and are now reviled after turning down the offer to stay. Matt then suggests that Foggy bring Karen with him.

Matt goes to the police station and talks to Sergeant Mahoney about getting whatever records might be available connected to Mrs. Cardenas’ case. While he sits down to wait, he overhears the two crooked cops Blake and Hoffman (whom we remember fondly from episode one) interrogate the Russian they brought in the previous evening, incidentally the same guy Matt tried to pressure into giving up Vladimir. After the suspect says he’s willing to give up Wilson Fisk in exchange for a deal, Blake and Hoffman stage an attack against them so that they can kill him in “self-defense.” Matt listens in shock, but is too late to realize just how bad things are about to go to be able to do anything about it. Shots are fired and the whole station gets up to respond.

Karen and Foggy arrive at Landman & Zack where they have a meeting in the lobby with Foggy’s ex-girlfriend Marci Stahl, who is now part of the team of lawyers representing Tully. Her conversation with Foggy is quite entertaining and a gets some good character development out of Foggy.

In a car somewhere (it’s always in a car, isn’t it) Wesley and Fisk discuss the situation with Blake and Hoffman, and their chatty-now-dead suspect. Wesley assures Fisk that internal affairs will take care of it, and that no one else heard what was being said in that room. Little do they know.

Foggy and Karen show up at Mrs. Cardenas place where they offer to help her with some repairs.
Detective Blake is attacked outside the precinct by Matt in the mask who confronts him about what was said in that interrogation room. Matt lets him go after he reveals that he doesn’t know where Vladimir is. Blake laughs at him when it becomes clear that Matt doesn’t know how it’s all connected. Blake’s phone buzzes and Matt picks it up before leaving the scene.

We’re on another date with Wilson Fisk and Vanessa, privately this time. She’s hesitant but willing to give him another shot. He promises to always be honest with her. Elsewhere, Vladimir is cleaning up his brother’s body when Turk stops by. Turk tells him about a car that came in covered in blood and brains, saying it belonged to some big white guy, then suggests that Fisk and the masked man are tight. Vladimir then offers one million to whoever can find Fisk and Turk takes off. At Mrs. Cardenas apartment, Foggy is done fixing the sink. She invites Foggy and Karen to stay for dinner, and the two call it a date.

At Matt’s place, Claire helps him check the phone he found. She finds four addresses in a text message, one of which fits the location of Troika restaurant where Matt went in the second episode. Matt concludes that the addresses are a list of locations where the Russians are. Matt and Claire have a frank discussion about what he does and his methods. After the intimate scene they had earlier in the episode, this appears to spell the beginning of the end for the two of them.

Back at Wilson and Vanessa’s their date is going well. She talks openly about one of her past lovers. Fisk talks about his plans for the city. Vanessa has brought a gun and Wilson confronts her about it. She reveals that she knows he’s a dangerous man, but hands over her gun.

We quickly check in with Vladimir, still hovering over his brother’s body, who has been alerted to Fisk’s whereabouts, and see Matt in the mask listening above, before cutting to Karen and Foggy having dinner at Mrs. Cardenas apartment. Foggy is sharing stories about his and Matt’s college days. Foggy and Karen get into a weird discussion about blind face touching (I can imagine a lot of blind people squirming at this scene…).

We next cut to one of Madame Gao’s workers who is seen going to one of the Russians’ warehouses where people are clearly getting ready for war. Matt shows up at the scene and takes out the men in front. That’s when Madame Gao’s messenger turns into a suicide bomber. Matt is caught in the blast outside the building and so are Karen and Foggy, still at Mrs. Cardenas’ apartment where Foggy has his hands on Karen’s face.

On their date, Wilson and Vanessa watch the destruction outside their window. Fisk tells her that the targets of the attacks are the same group who took the young boy from his father (at the end of the first episode). The two leave together, Vanessa obviously happy to step onboard the Fisk train. Matt regains consciouness outside the blown-up warehouse. As he gets up, he hears the name Vladimir being spoken nearby.

Turk is taking a ride with Wesley (again with the doing business in cars), and we learn that Turk was playing the Russians all along, with Fisk’s side pulling the strings and directing his actions. Matt catches up to Vladimir and starts pounding some Russian ass just in time for the cops to show up. The episode ends with Matt standing with his back against the cops and his hands in the air.

My thoughts

This was a very eventful episode and when I watched it again for this review, I ended up with screen shots of many more scenes than I would ever have room for in one post. The first scene with Matt and Claire is steaming hot, and it’s heartbreaking to see where they end up at the end of the episode. One thing that it’s interesting about when Claire, later, confronts Matt about what he’d said about hurting people because he enjoys it, is the contrast with Wilson Fisk who, on his date with Vanessa, claims the very opposite for his own motives:

“I have done things that I’m not proud of, Vanessa. I have hurt people, and I’m going to hurt more. It’s impossible to avoid for what I’m trying to do. But I take no pleasure in it. In… cruelty.”

While I’m not crazy about the character of Mrs. Cardenas – she’s sweet but seems like a bit of a caricature to me – I like what getting involved in her case does for Foggy’s character. Foggy’s meeting with his ex-girlfriend Marci Stahl also helps move Foggy along his path to enlightenment where he is reminded of the points Matt has been trying to make about what they should and shouldn’t be doing. He may long for elevators and free bagels, but he’s got a big heart, and this is becoming clearer even to himself.

This episode marks the big turning point in Vanessa’s relationship with Wilson Fisk. On the one hand, she proves herself to be resourceful enough to bring protection to her date with this “dangerous man.” On the other hand, she clearly knows he’s dangerous. By the end of the evening, as the two of them watch Hell’s Kitchen go up in flames, she’s clearly committed herself to his plans. It may be because part of her is afraid, and she believes what he says about there being no safer place than at his side, but a big part of her is clearly sympathetic to what he’s doing. Or maybe she’s just sympathetic to him. A small but crucial difference if we are to understand all the women who write letters to incarcerated serial killers. Either way, all of D’Onofrio’s and Zurer’s scenes together are absolutely riveting to me. I never thought I’d get so invested in the villain side of things, but that obviously says a lot about the quality of this series.

I also want to mention the other ways in which so much of what happens on this show is just downright creepy. The scene with the crooked cops staging an assassination of a prisoner is deeply disturbing in the way that just sends a jolt through your system. Then there are Madame Gao’s blind drug workers who also make appearances this episode. One of them is killed getting in the way of a bullet aimed for Matt – and we never really learn how Matt feels about this – and another is used to carry out a suicide mission. Regardless of whether the bomber is doing this willingly or is coerced into doing it, the whole thing is chilling.

Senses watch

I’ve mentioned the “world on fire” effect already, and that it will be the topic of a separate post, so I won’t go into the details of it here, except to say that there are a couple of things about it that I like, and a long list of things about it that I don’t. I wish they had left it out completely or done something very different to this.

There is another couple of nuggets in this issue that I do want to mention, though. One is the sound and visual effects when Matt examines Claire’s injuries the morning after her kidnapping. It’s a neat way to show us what Matt hears and what he’s concentrating on. He also doesn’t do anything that strains credulity to the point of breaking. The other scene is I really like is Matt listening in on the interrogation going on in a nearby room at the police station.

I’ve mentioned in the past that, in my mind, Matt Murdock’s least realistic power is his ability to hear things over very great distances or through too many walls or floors. I’m generally pretty accepting of these kinds of scenes anyway, because strict “realism” is difficult, and probably not even desirable, to impose on a fictional superhero, but there have been cases that I think go unnecessarily far.

One such example is when Matt hears the White Tiger, Hector Ayala, cry in the basement of a building, many floors below, in the “Trial of the Century” story arc, by Brian Michael Bendis. Sounds lose energy when they come into contact with surfaces that absorb some of the sound, so I’m just going to have to assume Matt heard Hector’s crying through the ventilation system or something. However, the scene at the police station is fantastic enough to be cool, but not so exaggerated as to be completely absurd. They way it’s shot is very cool as well, where Matt realizes too late what’s about to happen and everything around hims slows down.

(Accessible) gadget watch

None, except human text message checker Claire. Joking aside, this is one of the reasons it makes sense for this character in particular to have a trusted – and sighted! – confidante. These kinds of moments are not uncommon in the comic either these days, but for decades writers seemed to make sure to not put Daredevil into any situation where something he couldn’t sense would end up being a key piece of the plot.

Another little detail is all the different ways Matt has marked his jars to tell them apart, clearly visible in the kitchen scene. You might argue that having a killer nose would be helpful in this regard, but I can still see enough of a point in this practice to not reduce to just being “for show.”

Easter egg watch

Some people have pointed out that the poster seen in the area where Matt is sitting at the police station might be alluding to Marvel’s Civil War event (soon the focal point of a movie near you, i.e. Captain America: Civil War). The poster reads: “You don’t have to reveal your identity to help stop violent crime.”

On her date with Wilson Fisk, Vanessa talks about a prince she used to date who wore white suits and ascot ties, which is what Wilson Fisk is often seen wearing in the comics.

Quotes

Claire: “Lawyer by day, vigilante by night. How does that work?”
Matt: “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

Matt: ” I wear a mask and beat on people. I doesn’t exactly mesh with police policy.”

Fisk (about the Russians): “They were too unpredictable.”
Leland Owlsley: “This from a guy taking heads off with a car door?”

Karen: “It feels like a place in a movie where you buy a clone. Or maybe a robot baby. Or a clone of a robot baby.”

Claire: “I just don’t think I can let myself fall in love with someone who is so damn close to becoming what he hates.”

Star player

Hm, this is getting harder and harder, especially in an episode where everyone had some strong scenes. Can I give it to Claire again? I think I will, for her willingness to actually call Matt out and decide for herself that he’s about to cross a line to a place where she doesn’t want to follow. You have to respect that.

The post Review: “World on Fire” – Episode #5 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “In the Blood” – Episode #4 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “Rabbit in a Snowstorm” – Episode #3 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Review: “Into the Ring” – Episode #1 of Marvel’s Daredevil

For now, let’s look at the episode “In the Blood.” Which incidentally features a lot of blood for us to “be in,” though the title of the episode obviously refers to something Wilson Fisk says on his date with Vanessa. But I’m getting ahead of myself!

Recap

Our story begins in what looks to be a strong contender for “worst place on Earth,” namely “Utkin prison, Siberia.” Eight years ago, the Russian brothers Vladimir and Anatoly Ranskahov, whom we were introduced to in the first issue, were imprisoned here until they were able to escape to freedom using broken off pieces of ribs from a dead cell mate. It doesn’t get much grittier than this. Before escaping, they make plans to go to America, rather than return to Moscow. In the present day, we see Anatoly escape through a back door, with Matt looming above, having tossed another one of his gang through a window. They probably should have gone back to Moscow.

In the next scene, Matt is being stiched up by Claire who is still hiding at her friend’s place where she is cat-sitting a cat she’s allergic to. There is mild flirting going on. Matt, obviously pleased with their arrangement – though not necessarily with the fact hat he’s put her in harms way – hands Claire a phone for her to put her number into so that he can reach her more easily the next time he’s in trouble.

In another part of town, Wesley walks into Veles Taxi where he has a serious talk with Vladimir and Anatoly, about the “man in black” and the brothers’ general ineptitude. Other Marvel characters are alluded to (see the Easter egg section!), in a scene that became popular from the first moment we saw it in the trailers. The brothers have a difficult decision to make with regard to how to proceed with Fisk.

We next cut to Karen who is meeting with Ben Urich at a diner. Not only is the meeting quite frustrating for Karen, who is discouraged by Ben from moving forward, she also becomes aware of all the other people who have died in the wake of what happened to her and what she uncovered. Both her former boss, and the two men who tried to attack her have turned up dead. Ben also hints at the things he’s uncovered about Karen’s past.

The man Matt tossed into a dumpster in the second episode gets a visit in the hospital from Vladimir and Anatoly who wake him up with a shot of adrenaline. This is how they learn about Claire, and where to look for her, something they hope will lead them to the man in the mask. Next, two other Russians show up in Claire’s apartment where Santino spots them. Unfortunately, they see him too.

Wesley and Fisk are out for a drive in his car, where the “masked idiot” is now a topic of conversation. Fisk has other things on his mind as well. When the car stops, he asks to go alone, and enters Vanessa’s gallery. The two have a conversation that ends with Wilson Fisk asking her for a date. Vanessa accepts.

Claire, still at her friend’s apartment gets suspicious when she hears noises in the building and takes out her phone to call Matt. She relaxes when she realizes it’s just a neighbor. Or is it?

Meanwhile, Matt and Foggy leave the police station and walk down the street discussing the choices they’ve made. Foggy misses free bagels and elevators – and even longs for a fax machine – while Matt reminds him of the bigger picture. Just as Foggy is about to get in a cab, Matt gets a call from Claire who is screaming on the other end. Matt runs to get to her, but is too late. Before Claire’s kidnappers take off, Matt catches the name Santino.

We next find Karen at an auction where Union Allied office supplies are being sold off. She is surprised to see Ben Urich show up. He instructs her to keep bidding and buy something while keeping track of some of the others in the crowd. It looks as if they are both still on the case Karen was told to walk away from and that Ben appeared to show no interest in pursuing.

Things are not looking great for Claire. The Russians arrive at Veles Taxi with her kicking and screaming in the trunk. She puts up a mean fight. Matt has made it to Claire’s own building where he finds Santino who who confesses that he revealed Claires’ new location after they threatened him and his family. Matt asks him for any details he might remember, and gets a very hot tip. Santino saw the Russians push Claire into a cab owned by Veles Taxi, and Matt immediately knows where to go next. Wilson and Vanessa are seen having a much better evening, enjoying dinner together.

Claire has been beaten, but is still putting up a fight. She is asked to reveal Matt’s name, but obviously cannot, as he hasn’t told her. When the lights suddenly go out, Claire knows that they have company and starts laughing. Under the cover of near darkness, Matt starts taking out the bad guys. With just one guy left standing, Claire helps out with a baseball bat before the two of them embrace.

Karen meets up with Ben again and tells him about what happened at the auction. Ben reveals that he didn’t go there looking for her, and that that he was there becuase he was still interested in the story. Ben lays down the rules for them going forward, and urges her to take the deal with Union Allied.

Vladimir and Anatoly show back up at Veles Taxi and find their men beaten. Realizing that they clearly do need help on their end, Anatoly decides to take Fisk up on his offer and goes to see him. Wilson and Vanessa are having what seems like an excellent time on their date when Anatoly shows up and causes a bit of a scene. His timing could have been better, and we already sense that this was a terrible decision. Fisk asks Wesley to put Anatoly in a car.

Back at the office, Karen sheepishly admits to Foggy that she bought a bunch of office supplies. Foggy doesn’t seem to mind one bit. Back at his place, Matt patches Claire up. He finally tells her his real name. Meanwhile, Vanessa and Wilson say their awkward good-byes outside her building. Vanessa is clearly having second thoughts about him, and Fisk is growing desperate.

Anatoly, who thinks he’s just out for a ride in Fisk’s car, has a talk with Wesley about “the man in black” before they come to a stop. Fisk then reaches in and drags the Russian out, beating him to a pulp before decapitating him with a car door. It’s a gory affair. It’s always a good thing to have a trusted associate who can hand you a handkerchief to wipe the blood off your face when you’ve killed someone. Fisk walks off with ominous music pounding in the background.

My thoughts

This was another really strong episode, that stands out to me mostly because of the many strong individual scenes and moments. This is the first episode where we get to spend any real time with Wilson Fisk, and there’s such an interesting contrast between the gentle giant we see courting a woman, and the beast who shows up at the end. Vincent D’Onofrio himself has talked of his character as “a child and a monster,” and both make an appearance in this episode.

The scene of Wilson and Vanessa in the gallery is worth pointing out for several reasons. D’Onofrio and Ayelet Zurer have fantastic on-screen chemistry, which is a must if we are to find the two of them at all convincing as a couple. They perform a kind of dance that is impossible to take your eyes off. Then there’s the contrast between her wearing all white, and him in all black, against the backdrop of a pice of artwork that looks like it’s on fire. Gorgeous stuff.

At the same time, another relationship, that between Matt and Claire, is in the same awkward phase, though their scenes together are not brightly lit, but play out mostly in the dark, framed by pain and violence. They’re (presumably) the good guys, but while Wilson and Vanessa drink expensive wine, Matt and Claire get to tend to the other’s physical and emotional wounds. There is still some charm in their scenes together though, and just enough light to not leave us wallowing in misery.

We learn some interesting things about Karen this episode. Or, rather, we have Ben allude to the existence of a backstory that is sure to get us speculating, considering the many twists and turns Karen’s story took in the comics. It adds quite a bit of spice to her character, even though her scenes with Ben drag on for just a little too long.

I have to admit, though, that I love Foggy’s reaction to Karen coming back to the office with a fax machine. He should be livid considering that Karen bough the equipment for very scarce company money, but he isn’t. In his previous conversation with Matt, before the latter is called across away on vigilante duty, it was Matt who had to urge Foggy to remember the big picture, and not dwell on what they left behind. Perhaps a silly fax machine is a reminder to Foggy that he may be on the right path after all, running a business with Matt, and now Karen. It’s a very sweet character moment for both Foggy and Karen.

Finally, this review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning that final, very violent scene, in which Wilson Fisk butchers Anatoly. It is extreme, and I am certainly sympathetic to anyone who thinks they may have taken it too far. It is also, however, incredibly effective in establishing Fisk as a very dangerous man, and a real threat to everyone who crosses him.

Last episode, we saw a man kill himself for fear of what might happen if Fisk got his hands on him. Leading up to that, he’d been established as someone whose very name could not be mentioned. In that context, we needed something out of the ordinary in terms of brutality to make sense of the things leading up to it. The fact that he goes to these lengths because he was embarrassed on a date makes him all the more interesting. It also brings home the point that one of the things he and Matt have in common is that they may be their own greatest enemies.

Senses watch

Not as many obvious auditory cues as in previous episodes, but it’s interesting to see Matt use a classic trick from the comics when he turns out the lights in the taxi garage, thus gaining more of an advantage on his enemies. Other than that, we are actually presented with a situation in which Matt’s own senses fail him. He goes after Claire, he catches snippets of a conversation, but actually fails to keep up and loses the trail. Not surprising considering he doesn’t have super speed, but a sobering reminder that Matt Murdock is neither Thor nor Iron Man.

(Accessible) gadget watch

Nothing to report except maybe Matt’s new phone, which has only one number saved after Claire puts hers in. This obviously keeps things simple for Matt, who would be a fool for bringing his smart phone along while fighting crime.

Easter egg watch

Wesley’s mention of “an iron suit or a magic hammer” is clearly a nod to Iron Man and Thor, and a not so subtle reminded that we’re watching a show which takes place in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Near the end of the episode, there is also mention of a (Melvin) Potter – Wilson Fisk doesn’t mention a first name – who can be called upon to get Fisk a new suit. Melvin Potter is better known as The Gladiator, and a well-known character in the Daredevil comic.

Quotes

Wesley: “If he had an iron suit or a magic hammer, maybe that would explain why you keep getting your asses handed to you.”

Wilson Fisk: “A woman who can be bought isn’t worth having.”

Claire: “You want to know his name? Ask him yourself.”

Star player

I’m going to have to go with Claire. I know some have made the point that Claire being victimized paints a less than positive image of the female characters of this show. Does this mean that there is never an appropriate in-story reason for a woman to fall victim to someone physically stronger, and later be rescued by a man without the story being deemed demeaning to women? I don’t really buy that. More importantly, Claire is a freaking rock star. She kicks, she screams, she fights, and she gets to swing a baseball bat. She’s as much a hero as any of us could ever hope to be in a similar situation.

The post Review: “In the Blood” – Episode #4 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “Rabbit in a Snowstorm” – Episode #3 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “Cut Man” – Episode #2 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Review: “Into the Ring” – Episode #1 of Marvel’s Daredevil

Recap

It all starts with a man walking into into a bowling alley, and what comes next is no joke. Under the pretense of just looking to bowl a few rounds with a Mr. Prohaszka (a name we remember from the conference of villains up on the roof in episode one), our outwardly friendly newcomer provokes Mr. Prohaszka and his men into a huge fight that ends with assassination by bowling ball. This after the gun the mysterious stranger had purchased from Turk (revealed to us in a quick flashback to 36 hours earlier) jams up. After the dust settles, he hides the gun in a pinball machine and gets into position for the police to come in and arrest him, following the phone call from the frantic young girl at the desk.

After the theme plays, we find Matt sitting outside his church, looking every bit as uncomfortable as you might imagine considering what his body went through in the very recent past. Father Lantom shows up, recognizes him as “Jack Murdock’s kid” (and as the same man whose confession he heard in episode one) and offers him a cup of coffee. Matt declines and gets up to go to work.

Next up, we get out first look at Ben Urich, played by Vondie Curtis-Hall, who is meeting up with an old mobster, Silvio, who is looking to leave town and move to Florida. Ben tries to get information from him, as he quite clearly has in the past, but Silvio speaks mostly in riddles, though he does inform Ben that Rigoletto (whose territory was recently claimed by Wesley’s “employer,” as we recall from episode one) is dead, as opposed to “retired.” There’s a real sense that the streets are getting meaner.

We switch to Karen who is sitting at her desk in the office reading some clearly disturbing mail when Foggy shows up, hung over. The two debate getting a sign on the door when Matt walks in. Matt looks like he’s had a good beating (which we know he has), and Foggy pesters him about getting a dog before they are interrupted by the more important fact that someone is knocking on the door. Enter Wesley! In the next scene, Wesley states his case in the Nelson & Murdock conference room, and explains that he’s looking to put them on retainer. Matt is very skeptical of their new potential client while Foggy tries to smooth things over. When Wesley makes a reference to Karen’s case, they know he’s up to no good. Still, they take Wesley up on his offer to review one of their cases.

Curious, Matt goes after Wesley when he leaves – much to Foggy’s dismay – and overhears him talking to Fisk as he gets into his car. After Wesley takes off, Matt notices that he’s bleeding through his shirt. Meanwhile, Foggy interviews Mr. Healy whom we first met in the first scene. Foggy is very uncomfortable around his new client who appears chillingly calculating and is ready to decline representing him when Matt finally shows up (wearing a different shirt!) and suprises Foggy by quite enthusiastically arguing that they take the case.

We briefly cut back to Ben Urich, now at work, and on the phone with an insurance company. After he hangs up, Ben goes on to have a very depressing conversation with his boss Ellison who would rather see Ben devoting himself to things that sell. Stories about organized crime presumably do not. We now go back to the conversation between Matt, Foggy and Mr. Healy, and see Matt go into full interrogation mode, hoping that attorney-client privilege will make his client forthcoming enough to give them information on Wesley. Foggy takes Matt aside and tries to convince him that they shouldn’t take the case. No such luck, Matt’s interest has clearly been piqued by where this all might lead. Speaking of Wesley, in the next scene we see him swing by the bowling alley to pick up the gun that Healy left under the pinball machine.

When the two law partners get back to their office, Foggy unsurprisingly has some things to say about Matt’s complete change of heart regarding the case. Matt apologizes and the two agree to make future decisions together. They then start planning the case, only to realize that Karen is not at her desk. It turns out that Karen, in response to the letter she received earlier in the episode, has a meeting with her old employer who is looking to offer her money in exchange for her further silence on the topic.

And, we’re back to Ben Urich who is having a conversation with the manager at the hospital where his wife is hospitalized. She agrees to do what she can regarding the situation with Ben’s insurance policy, and Ben stops by to see his wife who is sleeping. Back at the office, Matt and Foggy are struggling with poor wifi while doing research for their case. Foggy is finally able to find what they need for their defense.

Next we see the case go to court, and Foggy making the opening argument. When Foggy goes to sit down, Matt catches something off with the heartbeat of one of the jurors, which he connects with Wesley entering the room, as indicated by the tick of his watch. In the next scene, we see the juror meet with the man who threatened her. He is reminding her to do her part as instructed before being attacked by Matt in his black mask. The bad guy reveals what he has on the juror, but claims to not know the name of the person he is working for. Matt instructs him to tell the woman to excuse herself, and then get out of town.

In the next scene, right before Matt gets ready to give his closing argument, we see the juror who was tampered with be excused from jury duty and replaced. Next, it’s showtime for Matt who listens closely to the people in front of him to detect whether anything is off about them. When prompted by the judge, he starts talking, focusing mainly on the difference between legal matters and morality.

Next up, we see Leland Owlsley and Wesley in a car together. Owlsley is concerned about the messes they’ve created. When he asks to see Fisk, Wesley informs him that he’s busy looking at art for his penthouse, which gets an exasperated reaction from Owlsley. In another part of town, Karen goes to see Mrs. Fisher, the wife of the man who died in her apartment. Mrs. Fisher is moving out and tells Karen that she’s already signed the papers from Union Allied. At this point, it’s clear that Karen is not ready to give up and we next see her visiting Ben Urich at his office, telling him that there may be more to the story about Union Allied.

We return to the courtroom, where the jury is back. Matt quickly realizes that someone else on the jury has been tampered with. He correctly predicts that they jury have been unable to reach a verdict and Healy is released. Matt, in his vigilante outfit, waits for Healy after dark, and the two have a long fight. Healy finally gives up the name “Wilson Fisk” and then kills himself by jamming his head into a metal spike, for fear of what will happen to him and his loved ones.

In an upscale gallery displaying abstract art, Vanessa approaches Wilson Fisk who is looking at a painting of gradations of white. She strikes up a conversation about art, and Fisk admits that the white painting makes him feel alone. It’s an interesting first scene for Fisk.

My thoughts

There is much to love about this episode as well. We see the “proto-Daredevil” action take a back seat – it’s safe to say Matt needs a rest after the previous episode – and more focus on the legal side of things. At the same time, new characters are brought into the story, such as Ben Urich and the much anticipated Wilson Fisk.

The first scene keeps things as violent as ever though, as the character John Healy is sent to take out Mr. Prohaszka, under the pretense of wanting to join him for a couple of rounds of bowling. Things get messy when his gun jams up, and he has to resort to breaking bones and crushing the man’s skull with a bowling ball. Will I ever be able to go bowling again without thinking of this scene? Doubtful. It’s a good thing I don’t go bowling very often. What really gets me about this scene though, aside from the graphic images of blood spatter and bones protruding through skin, is the cold and matter-of-fact demeanor of the attacker. As we’re about to see, it gets even worse.

Ben Urich has a strong and interesting opening scene talking to an old mobster looking to leave town. Their conversation reminds us of a bygone era where even the bad guys had some kind of standards. The new threat in town – Daredevil fans will know him by the name of Wilson Fisk – appears to operate on a completely different and more brutal level. Ben Urich is a journalist who’s been on the job for a long time, and has built a network of informants along the way, and this scene does a fine job of showing us that. In later scenes, when he clashes with his boss about what should and shouldn’t go in the paper, you can sense that the old-fashioned way of doing things, by digging deep and methodically to build a story, has gone out of style. While the scenes with Ben’s wife Doris, and her caretakers, help round him out as a person and give him more of a backstory, they tend to drag on a little too long. This is really my only gripe as far as this episode is concerned.

While I found no obvious Easter eggs in this episode, the interplay between Matt and Foggy feels like something straight out of the comics. By this I mean specifically Matt’s erratic behavior. He changes his mind about taking the case, and doesn’t tell Foggy why, and he randomly takes off when they’re about to go interview their client. Of course, we as the viewers know why Matt is behaving the way he does, but Foggy doesn’t, and this was pretty much what their routine looked like for the three decades that passed before Foggy found out Matt’s secret.

Another classic Matt Murdock trait that really gets him in trouble this episode is his hubris. We saw him get in over his head last episode, and here he does it again in legal matters. Matt has always had a tendency to overestimate his ability to consider every variable and control many of the things that later turn out to be outside of his control. Sure, he can handle one juror who’s been tampered with, but is genuinely shocked when things don’t turn out the way he’d planned. As much as I felt his horror at this realization, there’s no denying that he at this stage in his legal and extracurricular “careers” approaches things with a certain naiveté.

Speaking of Matt and Foggy’s case, their client is amazingly creepy all the way through this episode. After killing a man with his bare hands, he is shown trying to subtly threaten and manipulate his lawyers, safe in the knowledge that he cannot be touched. It’s easy to see why Foggy, initially happy to do almost anything for a much needed paycheck, feels uncomfortable enough to want to back out completely when he realizes what kind of monster he’s dealing with. What is interesting though is that this guy, whose mere presence is extremely threatening, is reduced to a quivering mess at the thought of what Fisk might do to him and those he cares about. He decides that killing himself in this unimaginably brutal way is a better way to go than what might happen to him in Fisk’s hands. This goes a long way to establishing our main villain as a major threat who will stop at absolutely nothing to exercise his power.

This in turn provides such an interesting contrast to the setting in which Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk finally appears. He is decorating his penthouse and is looking for artwork. He probably didn’t expect to find love. I loved this scene. Vanessa, played by the stunning Ayelet Zurer, doesn’t shy away from the silent and mysterious giant of a man in her gallery, and overwhelms him with her presence. She displays both a profound love of art and the ability to not take things too seriously, and it’s easy to see why Wilson would fall for her immediately, despite his best efforts. The scene is not only well-written and well-acted but a complete joy to look at.

Senses watch

I really liked the way Matt’s senses were used in this episode. There’s the ominous tick of Wesley’s watch that becomes Matt’s go-to signal for detecting his presence and, by extension, his witness tampering. There’s a lot of sensing the heartbeats of the jurors, and generally sizing them up. It feels very much like something Matt would do in the comics. I also want to point out the, once again, fantastic sound effects in the final fight scene, where Matt hears the bucket and, what I think is a metal bar, being picked up.

(Accessible) gadget watch

While he doesn’t use it (yet), Matt has a braille display hooked up to his computer. The actual web surfing is left to Foggy in this scene though.

Easter egg watch

There’s nothing in particular that stands out to me this issue. Did you notice anything I missed?

Quotes

Silvio: “Used to be, if you killed a man, you sent his wife flowers. Now they just send his wife with him.”

Ben: “There used to be a time when the people in this building wrote the hell out of the news.”

Matt: “Are you at all afraid of what would happen if we lose this case, Mr. Healy?”
Healy: “No. Are you?”

Foggy: “For the record, this is the first time you’ve ever said I was right. I hate it.”

Star player

I think I’m going to go with Wilson Fisk. Not the man himself so much as the vast empire he’s building. We only see Fisk in the flesh in the very last scene, but his influence is all over this episode. It’s in John Healy’s heinous first act, in Wesley’s ability to clean up his mess through the manipulation of the legal system, and finally in Healy’s intense fear in the moments before his death. The idea that there is a new order to things is also emphasized by Silvio, the mobster looking to get out of town. There is tension building in the episode and Fisk is at the root of all of it.

The post Review: “Rabbit in a Snowstorm” – Episode #3 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “Cut Man” – Episode #2 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Review: “Into the Ring” – Episode #1 of Marvel’s Daredevil
3. 10 favorite things about Marvel’s Daredevil

So, what does this mean? Well, it seems that it’s still early in the game. Season one show runner Steven DeKnight will not return for a second season due to other commitments, but from what he’s said on Twitter it seems that ideas around the broader strokes of a second season are cooking as we speak.

I can give no spoilers for Season 2! Although what I've heard about it is crazy cool! #AskDeKnight https://t.co/DkzWB8Pvst

— Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) April 22, 2015

The new show runners will be Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez, both of whom also worked on this first season, and the next season should come to Netflix next year. Going by what Charlie Cox said in an interview with Empireonline.com, the schedule should look about the same as it did for the first season, with the filming happening during the last half of this year, and an air date next spring.

When time allows, I’ll have much more to say on this topic! In the mean time, I’ll get back to my single episode reviews tomorrow. Before I go, though, I just wanted to give you a head’s up on the news from the actual comic book side of things. There’s a preview of Daredevil #15 up here, an unlettered preview of next month’s Daredevil #15.1 here, and a look at the July solicitations, which include Daredevil #17, here. It has also been confirmed that Daredevil #18 will be Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s final issue on the book.

One more thing: Thank you so much to everyone who has commented on the site over the last couple of weeks! Especially to all of you first-time commenters! Replying to all of your comments individually is another things that’s high up on my to do list for the weekend, but I apologize for the delay. It’s a busy, busy time to be a Daredevil fan!

The post Marvel’s Daredevil is renewed for a second season! appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Countdown to Daredevil on Netflix: Cinematic influences
2. Thoughts on the Empire Magazine story from the set of Daredevil
3. Eisner Awards for Daredevil!

Recap

Things start off in a back alley where Matt is found in a dumpster by a teenage boy. Right after the intro plays, we see the boy call a woman over to the dumpster where he found Matt and the two carry him up to her apartment where she examines him. He regains consciousness just in time to prevent her from calling 911. He stubbornly tries to stumble out the door when he collapses on the floor.

We see a flashback to young Matt, still sighted, who watches his father’s boxing match on TV. When the match ends, we see him listening to other people in the building while waiting for his dad to come home. When Jack finally arrives, Matt stiches him up. Matt is worried about rent, but Jack has brought home money despite losing. Those of us who know what this means probably cry a little on the inside.

While Matt is unconscious on the floor of his good samaritan’s apartment, Karen and Foggy spend a late night at the office. Foggy is in a good mood, but Karen is sticking around because she’s reluctant to go home, and the two decide to go out. Next, Matt wakes up on the couch, disoriented and freaked out. He and the woman get acquainted, and we learn that her name is Claire. He is more secretive and refuses to give his name. When she decides to call him “Mike,” us hardcore fans are smiling wide.

Matt dozes off and has another flashback to waking up in the hospital right after his accident as a child. He’s frantic and screams that he can’t see and that “everything is so loud,” before Jack calms him down. It’s all very heartbreaking and also gives us a wonderful segue to a scene taking place in the present, where grown-up Matt is on Claire’s couch straining to breathe because his lung has collapsed. Claire lets the air out of his chest with her mad E.R. nurse skills. Claire is (justifiably) concerned about what will happen if Matt dies on her couch. Matt convinces her to keep his secret by letting her know what happened with the young boy who was kidnapped by the Russians in order to set a trap for him. Next, Matt detects a man in the building going door to door.

At this point, we see another flashback to young Matt, newly blinded, studying at Fogwell’s gym while his dad is working out. Matt shows his father the finer points of braille when Jack is called over by Sweeney and Silke who are looking to fix a match between him and “Crusher” Creel. Matt listens in on their conversation and, again, it’s heartbreaking.

Back in Claire’s apartment, Matt raids her kitchen drawers for a knife while they prepare for the man who will be at the door. Matt hides while Claire opens it. After he leaves, Matt immediately realizes that the man, who is posing as a cop, didn’t belive her story of not having seen anything suspicious. Matt grabs a fire extinguisher, and goes out to the staircase. He drops it on the man who is now heard speaking Russian on the phone.

We now meet Karen and Foggy again and see them entering Josie’s bar. The two have drinks together and they find an eel in the bottle! Karen talks about her feelings in the wake of everything that happened to her, and the two have a nice scene together that sheds new light on both of their characters. Just a short distance away, Matt and Claire are now on the roof where the Russian they took out is tied up. Things are about to get ugly, and Claire is wondering what exactly she is getting herself into.

Before getting on with the story in the present day, we see another flashback to young Matt reading Thurgood Marshall. Jack shows him his new silk robe and Matt runs his fingers over the emboidered letters on the back. Next, we see Jack on the phone at the gym making arrangements for Matt after deciding to not throw the match against Creel.

In the present day, Karen and Foggy, both drunk, are now at Matt’s apartment trying to get him to come out. The only person they manage to wake is Matt’s neighbor (I don’t know who this Fran person is, and she doesn’t have a single line, but I kind of want to see more of her), and they go for a walk instead, while Foggy seems to be enteretaining the notion that they should kill another two hours waiting for the fish market to open.

We again cut to the roof of Claire’s building where their prisoner has woken up. Claire has covered her face, and the duo looks pretty spooky at this point. Matt questions him about the kidnapped boy, and Claire instructs Matt to cut into the trigeminal nerve to torture him. This is an interesting twist, but given the kind of scum we’re dealing with, you can certainly see where she’s coming from. He tells Matt what he needs to know, but Matt still throws him off the side of the building and into the dumpster below. He then tells Claire to get herself to safety. Fortunately, she is catsitting for a friend who is out of town.

Another flashback sees Jack Murdock walk to the ring while Matt listens at home. Jack wins his fight, and runs out to the locker room where he can hear the audience cheering him on. Then there’s a gunshot. It wakes up Matt who runs to the site where he kneels over his father’s dead body. Finally, in the present day, we see where the kidnapped boy is kept, his captors keeping busy in various rooms down the hall. Before long, Matt shows up and all hell breaks loose. In a long and very physical fight scene, he takes out one bad guy after another before getting the missing boy. Nice scene, nice segue. Fathers and sons and all of that.

My thoughts

A big part of me actually likes the first episode better than the second. It might be the slightly bigger cast of characters in play, the fact that it’s all new and exciting, or that we get to see a slightly bigger range out of Matt Murdock. There’s also another part of me who thinks that first part is crazy. Because, technically, the second episode has a better idea of what it’s trying to be, and all the little pieces seem to fit together just a little bit better. Considering how much I loved the first episode, it’s really amazing that what comes next is able to match this and, in many ways, elevate the story even more.

This time around, we find Matt in a dumpster. This is really pretty significant in how it completely breaks the superhero mold. When was the last time we saw MCU Captain America in a dumpster? Never, that’s when. On the other hand, Matt getting severly injured while performing his Daredevil duties is certainly not unheard of. Even during the supposedly dark and gritty Miller era, we saw Matt fighting crime with his leg in a cast and using a crutch. Still, it certainly shows that the creators are not afraid to show Matt fail, and fail miserably. Anyone who was looking for a hero who can overpower any number of attackers without so much as a bruise can look elsewhere.

It is this simple fact that creates the need and room for a character like Claire Temple, the off-duty nurse who, with the help of the neighbor who found him, pulls Matt out of the dumpster and to safety on her couch. I like her no-nonsense approach and courage to bend the rules for a man in need, and the fact that very little seems to faze her. When she realizes that the man on her couch is the vigilante she’s heard stories about, and that he’s blind, you still get the sense that she’s seen weirder things.

Despite the dire circumstances, there’s humor in their scenes together. Matt tries to find the front door and instead goes into Claire’s kitchen, Claire makes disparaging remarks about his costume, he jokes about his religion. In fact, even the part where he drops a fire extinguisher on the bad bad guy is just a little bit funny in its own way. This is what happens when our comic book heroes come crashing into the lives of real people. Violence is sure to follow, but there’s a fair share of absurdity as well.

Another thing that’s handled masterfully in this episode are the flashback sequences. They blend in perfectly with what’s happening in the present day, and as such, feel relevant rather than like pieces of disjointed backstory. This is where we get a really good look at Jack Murdock, and it breaks your heart when you know how things must end. I very much appreciated that they scrapped the enforcer-for-the-mob backstory that Jack got saddled with at some point in the comics, and went for a cleaner, more noble approach. There are also no signs that Jack was ever violent with Matt, and with everything that happened to Matt, starting with his accident, you just need for there to have been some light in his life. There’s a scene where Jack is approached by Silke and Sweeney, and one of them says that he’s still young enough to have another kid – as if Matt were now somehow a waste – where you see Jack’s eyes light up with indignation. It’s the little things like that that make his performance so great.

While Matt is in the throes of agony on Claire’s couch, Foggy and Karen spend an evening together out on the town, in scenes which go a long way to adding more to their respective characters. Foggy shows his caring side when he demonstrates his ties to Hell’s Kitchen, and a vast knowledge of the regular clientele at Josie’s bar. Karen, meanwhile, is justifiable reluctant to return home to the apartment where her co-worker was murdered, but shows a more carefree side here. From looking at these scenes, you know this isn’t just Matt’s show. He has other people in his life that matter, and whose stories matter.

Much has been said about the shocking nature of the torture (that is what it is) that Matt and Claire’s prisoner is subjected to in this episode. And yes, it is shocking. On the other hand, Matt and Claire are in the fortunate situation – rare as it is in real life – of knowing what kind of man they are dealing with. It’s not just Matt’s senses that can detect his lies, he actually admits to being complicit in the kidnapping of a young boy whose life is in danger. What happens to him is certainly not something that would find support in the Geneva convention, but we are dealing with very human characters who are feeling a very human level of desperation over the plight of an innocent young victim. Matt doesn’t hesitate to do what he feels needs to be done, but what’s interesting is how readily Claire seems to take to his brutal methods, even assisting him in the finer points of human anatomy.

The final fight scene is, in the preferred vocabulary of our time, “epic.” What I love about it is how rough it is. While Matt remains impressive every step of the way, he’s more boxer than ballerina, and he pummels the baddies as much as he delivers clean punches. That little step off the wall toward the end is amazing in its simplicity, and I love that you can see him straining to catch his breath and get a moment’s rest whenever he can. He lost his own father to violence, and there is no mistaking the drive to make sure that the little boy he saves at the end of the episode will see a happier end to his story and be united with his dad. It’s raw and moving, and an amazing way to end an overall strong episode.

Senses watch

Aside from Matt generally kicking ass in that last scene, we see him detecting the suspicious Russian guy posing as a cop going around the building, and then determining whether or not he’s still unconscious after they bring him up the roof. When I first saw one of the previews where Rosario Dawson’s Claire is referencing what just happened in her apartment, I groaned. She talks about Matt being able to smell people through walls and I immediately had a flashback to Matt smelling the saline solution in the eyes of the reporters standing outside his apartment through the wall early in the Bendis run. However, when you look at what actually happens (taking into account the general layout of Claire’s building), this use of Matt’s heightened senses is reasonably modest.

No, you can’t smell cologne through walls, but you can smell it through cracks in the door or other openings that will let air through. This is how I can easily smell the culinary exploits of one of my neighbors. And, with the open layout of Claire’s building, it’s highly plausible that Matt would hear him going door to door, especially in the context of the guy having heightened senses. That being the characters shtick and all.

(Accessible) gadget watch

None to report this time around since Matt spends the entire episode in either a dumpster, on a couch, a roof, or in a basement punching bad guys. Unless Claire Temple counts as a gadget for checking the bad guy’s cell phone. Sadly, the bad guy’s cell phone was broken. This is where torture comes in handy.

Easter egg watch

Claire picks the nickname “Mike” for Matt after he refuses to give her name. As any semi-serious Daredevil fan will know, Michael is Matt’s middle name, and “Mike Murdock” was the identical twin Matt made up to take care of a secret identity snafu way back in Daredevil #25 (vol 1). Search for “Mike Murdock” in the search box, and you’ll find plenty to read about him right here on this site.

Quotes

Matt: “You’re looking at me like I’m crazy, right?”
Claire: “It seems the appropriate response.”
Matt: “There are some things I haven’t told you about me, Claire.”
Claire: “You haven’t told me anything about you. All I know is, you’re very good at taking a beating.”

Karen: “I don’t see the city anymore. All that I see are its dark corners.”

Young Matt: “We’re Murdocks. We get hit a lot. […] But we get up. Right, dad? We always get up.”

Matt: “I need you to know why I’m hurting you. It’s not just the boy. I’m doing this ’cause I enjoy it.”

Star player

For the first episode, this “award” went to Matt’s intellect. If I had to pick just one thing this time around, I suppose it would have to be Matt’s resilience. Or his fists. Honestly though, I think I’m going to have to give major kudos to everyday hero Claire Temple and really-coming-into-his-own Foggy Nelson who is able to put a smile on Karen’s face. Despite all the horrors she’s been through.

The post Review: “Cut Man” – Episode #2 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. Review: “Into the Ring” – Episode #1 of Marvel’s Daredevil
2. 10 favorite things about Marvel’s Daredevil
3. Marvel’s Daredevil: First thoughts

Recap

The very first scene of the season goes straight to the origin and young Matt Murdock’s fateful accident. We see it first from Jack Murdock’s perspective as he rushes toward the accident scene up ahead. Moments later, Matt’s world goes black, and the rest, as they say, is history. Next, we jump ahead to the present day and Matt talking to a priest, Father Lantom, about his father and makes ominous mentions about what he’s about to do. This takes us to Matt’s first scene in action, interrupting a shady transaction of kidnapped women for hard cash, where he ends up taking out – among others – classic Daredevil thug Turk Barret. This all ends with the intro being played for the first time.

Next, we get our first look at the Matt and Foggy dynamic when Foggy gets Matt out of the bed for their appointment with the real estate agent. On the way, Foggy checks in with a childhood “frenemy” who is also a cop, and bribes him. Matt does that thing Matt does around the real estate agent while Foggy rolls his eyes at the whole thing. Despite the place going for what Foggy considers to be “pre-incident” prices, the two decide to move in.

We make our first acquaintance with Karen Page in a shocking scene that sees her leaning over a dead body, covered in blood, with the murder weapon in her hand. Things do not look good for Karen. Fortunately, the bribe to the cop pays off, and while the two law partners are in the middle of unpacking, they get a head’s up on Karen’s situation, and go to see her in jail. This scene is bound to become a classic.

It’s at this point we get out first look at Wilson Fisk’s right hand man Wesley, though he’s not named at this point. Wesley has come to threaten a certain Mr. Farnum (see Easter eggs below) to coax him into doing killing Karen Page in her cell. Before that happens, though, we see Matt and Foggy discuss Karen’s case. After Karen skillfully overpowers her attacker and lives to tell about it, Matt and Foggy know something is fishy about the whole thing and secure Karen’s release. They bring her back to their office where Karen gives a statement. Although she doesn’t know who is trying to kill her, she does now why she’s been made a target.

To keep her safe, Matt arranges for her to sleep at his place where the two have a heart to heart. The only problem is that Karen is lying about the whereabouts of the file that got her in trouble to begin with and sneaks out in the middle of the night to retrieve a USB drive from her apartment. Matt follows and, in his “masked man” outfit, is able to catch the attacker sent for Karen. They go on to have a brutal, yet riveting, fight on the street below after they both fall through a window. Matt has a flashback to his childhood and finds the strength to keep fighting. The bad guy is subdued and dumped outside the office of New York Bulletin with the incriminating USB drive stuck to his chest.

Next, we make our first real acquaintance with the bad guys of this show. Wilson Fisk is still laying low, but Wesley shows up (late) to a meeting between an international cast of characters that includes two scarred Russians, a silent (but certainly deadly) Japanese gentleman, and an enigmatic Chinese woman. Oh, and Leland Owlsley, the guy with an eye for the financial bottom line. Meanwhile, Matt and Foggy are having a much better time with Karen who has cooked what looks like lasagne for her two knights in shining armor.

The episode ends with Matt going a round against a punching bag at Fogwell’s gym while we catch a glimpse of the horrible fates which befell Mr. Farnum and Karen’s attacker Mr. Rance. Madam Gao is  seen running some kind of drug operation staffed by all blind people, while the Japanese are looking at plans of Hell’s Kitchen, and Turk is receiving a arms shipment. Finally, a young boy is kidnapped by the Russians, and we zoom up to Matt listening from  a roof top in the distance.

My thoughts

First off, that first scene is like a bowling ball to the stomach. It’s hard for me to imagine what you’d make of this scene if you weren’t at all familiar with the character, but for those of us who know exactly where things are headed, it’s intense. Seeing Matt’s accident – which has already happened at this point – from Jack’s point of view brings a sense of urgency to it as he runs toward his son. When we get to Matt’s perspective, we see the chemicals gradually eat away at his vision as he desperately looks up at his father. This is grueling to watch, but it’s a heck of a way to make sure everyone is paying attention.

Next, we get our first look at Charlie Cox as Matt in a scene that put all of my doubts to rest. The tears, the emotion in his voice, the whole bit. It works. And we also get a nice slice of backstory out of the way before cutting to the action and a human trafficking transaction that needs some timely interruption. I was surprised to see Turk, who in the comics is certainly not innocent but not quite as heartless as he is here, show absolutely no mercy for the women who are treated as nothing more than cattle. That sets the tone for this show right from the start. Fortunately, we get some levity right after the intro segment with a spot-on interaction between Matt and Foggy.

I can see why Elden Henson’s interpretation of Foggy has divided some fans. There are so many different takes on Foggy to choose from, depending on what chapter of comic book history you look at, and I’m sure everyone has a favorite. For me, he pretty much nails it. And, he also gets some alone time with Brett Mahoney, a police officer who serves as a way to get close to the more interesting cases. Foggy is, at heart, a really nice guy and that shows. But he’s also less of an idealist than Matt is, and I think this and other scenes in this episode do a fine job of showcasing the differences between them.

The scene that sees Karen’s first meeting with Matt and Foggy is bound to be a classic. The dialogue is witty without going over the top, and Deborah Ann Woll looks absolutely awful. And I mean that in the best way possible. Anyone who is sick of female characters in movies waking up with a perfectly made up face, is bound to love the look of her red and puffy eyes. Karen has had one insanely shitty day, and it shows. I know some have been critical of making a victim of the single prominent female character introduced thus far. While I can see their point, sort of, I think it’s important to remember that Karen was not targeted at random, but because she actually acted when she came across something that didn’t add up. Later, she successfully overcomes her attacker in jail, and then go back to her apartment knowing that she’s putting herself at risk. She is far from a classic damsel in distress.

The scene where Matt takes Karen back to her apartment is breathtaking. The huge billboard outside Matt’s window doesn’t just explain why he was able to get such a large apartment in New York (yes, it’s big even by “post-incident” Hell’s Kitchen standards), but it also makes the scene visually interesting. I find Matt and Karen’s little heart to heart interesting, yet a little puzzling. Matt actually admitting that there are things he misses being able to see is rare – though not unheard of – in the comics. Which makes me wonder about his sincerity, although the mention of seeing the sky may actually be a nod to the opening page of The Man Without Fear #1 that sees young Matt Murdock stare up at the night sky.

What about the villains? Well, Wilson Fisk is nowhere to be seen, but his right-hand man is all kinds of awesome. I had a feeling just from seeing the trailer that Toby Leonard Moore would put in a star performance as Wesley, and it’s evident right from the start that he is a force to be reckoned with. The rest of the baddies make a very diverse and international crew, and I like that this gives us a sense of a wider stage beyond Hell’s Kitchen. Leland Owlsley’s business focus is also quite amusing and his musings do a nice job of tying this story to everything else that’s been going on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

All in all, a very strong opening that introduces us to most of the more prominent players. On a scale of one to ten, this is easily an 8.5.

Senses watch

There’s a clear connection between the sound effects and where objects land, which establishes how Matt can quickly find just what he needs. The scene with Karen provides the first heartbeat scene. Later he catches her lying. This is conveyed to the audience by using a sound effect that distorts the sound of her voice. In the knife fight scene, we hear the knife slicing through the air, and the (brilliant) clink of the chain against a metal staircase. The episode ends with a slice of classic Daredevil as Matt listens for trouble in his neighborhood. I will obviously return to the finer details of this in a later post.

(Accessible) gadget watch

Matt’s phone speaks Foggy’s name. Cool touch. Necessary, of course, but there’s too little of this stuff in the comics. Also, the recording equipment used to take Karen’s statement has braille labels on it.

Easter egg watch

There are many obvious nods to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they have been mentioned by others elsewhere. Personally, I cooed with delight to realize that Mr. Farnum is a definite nod to Frank Farnum, the manager of the building that housed Nelson & Murdock’s first offices back when the title was still in its teens. Frank Farnum was also the supervillain (or let’s just make it “villain”) the Masked Marauder whose weapon of choice was a blinding ray. Daredevil sure ran into his fair share of villains whose shtick was to blind people. Go figure.

Quotes

Karen: “So how long have you been practicing law?”
Matt: “What time is it?”
Foggy: “It’s 12.22 am.”
Matt: “About seven hours.”

Wesley: “We don’t say his name”

Owlsley: “Heroes and their consequences are why we have our current opportunities.”

Star player

Matt’s intellect. Right from the very first episode, it’s clear that Matt relies as much on his intellect as on his enhanced abilities. I like this. A lot.

The post Review: “Into the Ring” – Episode #1 of Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. 10 favorite things about Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Marvel’s Daredevil: First thoughts
3. Countdown to Marvel’s Daredevil: Foggy and Karen

Father Lantom

This may be a surprise coming from me, but I really loved the relationship between Matt and his priest in this show. I’ve always felt that Matt’s Catholicism has been exaggerated when the character has been discussed outside of the comics. Going just by the publication record, you can easily plow through a stretch of twenty-thirty issues and see no overt references to religion at all. Being an agnostic myself, I’ve also never really had much invested in this aspect of the character.

However, the way religion is used in this show feels very appropriate, fits the character well, and is not over the top. Father Lantom, played by Peter McRobbie, provides sagely advice and allows Matt to reason his way through his own conflicted emotions, which is vital to Matt Murdock’s character arc in this show. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of him, which is really saying something coming from me.

The senses

Here’s another shocker for those who may have followed my initial reactions to the show. The first time through, I ended up getting really hung up on four-five different scenes where I felt that Matt’s senses where portrayed in that magical and nearly transcendental way I remember so well from the Bendis/Maleev run (and was basically the only thing I didn’t like about that run). Those scenes – which include Matt “remote-sensing” a little too much while preparing to provide first aid to Vladimir in “Condemned”, and sensing the silencers on the guns at the dock in “Stick” – still annoy me when I see them. And, “the world on fire” is perhaps the least intuitive rendition of Matt’s perceptions I’ve ever seen (considering many people’s inability to differentiate the literal from the figurative, I would have preferred that the creators had simply left that out).

However, the second time around, I realized that not only did almost every other scene depicting Matt sensing something not rub me the wrong way, but were actually really good, and very much in line with how I would want to see the things translated to a live action medium. All taken together, when you average things out, this series probably provides the most satisfactory interpretation of Daredevil’s senses ever, compared to any individual run on the comic. Go figure.

I’ll have reason to return to this in a separate post – if you’re new to this blog, analyzing Daredevil’s senses through the lens of biophysics and neuroscience has been a pet research project of mine for years – but all I can say right now is: My bad. I take it back. 98% of it anyway.

The bad guys going down set to Puccini

It’s true that the would-be Daredevil of this show operates on a small scale, but the scene in the final episode that sees the rotten pillars of the community tumbling down to the sound of Nessun Dorma from Puccini’s Turandot (as performed by none other than Pavarotti), hints at the larger stage his adversaries call home. From small-time crooks, like Turk Barret (played by the inimitable Rob Morgan), to politicians and executives. It’s also a nice nod to the last scene in the first episode where we see the many dead left in the wake of Fisk’s killing spree to tuck away some loose ends.

The costume

Much has been said about the black costume, but I have to say that, when you see it in action, it’s pretty spot on. The static images we were first presented with didn’t do it justice. The in-story joke about it being a work in process also helps put things in a humorous light. Considering this is what a blind guy bought off the Internet, literally sight unseen, it’s not bad. Not bad at all.

What about the final costume? I think that works pretty well too. There is no way you could make the comic book version of the red suit look good on an actual person, so it was a logical decision to try to avoid that, and it makes sense to try to go for something more armored.

My only concern going forward, is that going “full superhero” might lead to a less grounded fighting style and a more lax relationship with the laws of gravity. We’re already seeing signs of this in the way Daredevil jumps from a building at the end in a way he wouldn’t have wearing the previous costume. Be wary of this, all you lovely people in charge.

The courtroom speech

My dad used to teach public speaking and classical rhetoric and has a big collection of old speeches from movies, many of them from courtroom scenes. As I was listening to Matt’s closing argument in the court case from “Rabbit in a Snow Storm,” I was thinking that this would be a great addition to the collection. The way Matt tries to balance legal correctness to defend his client, as he knows he must, with a silent plea for the jury to go against him is brilliantly executed and speaks volumes about the character.

This entire episode is great, if incredibly gory, and the shot of Matt’s face when he takes off his glasses, realizing that his efforts to “untamper” with a tampered jury were for naught, is what dreams are made of. Seriously.

The buddy system

Thus far, I’ve had little to say about Claire Temple and her role as Matt’s nurse, confidante and love interest, but there’s no denying that she has a very important role in Matt’s journey, and Rosario Dawson is fantastic in the role. She’s a great example of an everyday hero, and the decision to include her – or someone like her – was absolutely necessary with the kind of “grounded” appeal that the creators are going for.

Matt needs someone to patch him up, if he’s going to be hurt as badly as he is, and he needs someone to talk to. And, it also helps to have someone who can check the messages on the cell phones he picks off the bad guys.

Claire is mostly a no-show in the later half of the series, but I get the sense that if we get a second season, Foggy will be able to fill the role of confidante and cell phone checker. Despite the new costume, he’ll probably still need someone to patch him up though. Hopefully, Claire will still be around for that.

Madam Gao

Madame Gao is easily one of the creepiest characters of the entire show. She’s like a psycho Chinese grandmother who dispenses wisdom when she’s not busy pushing heroin with the help of her blind minions.

I’m pretty much convinced that we’re going to see her pop up again in Iron Fist, if not before that, since she clearly ties into that world. And I’d bet that her real home is none other than K’un-Lun.

The city

This show is set in New York and actually filmed on location. This makes a huge difference to the authenticity and feel of the show. We also see a city populated with real people, and the diverse cast of characters help add to that real New York feel. Did I mention I love New York? Because I do, it’s one of my favorite cities in the world. Even when it’s steeped in violence the way it is in Marvel’s Daredevil.

All the Easter eggs

Many others have already made lists of all the little Easter eggs in the show, and I won’t do a full investigation myself. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed all the ones I noticed, from obvious shout-outs to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to the subtle ones you have to be a hardcore Daredevil fan to notice.

I loved the way Claire comes up with the name “Mike” for Matt (Michael is Matt’s middle name, which is probably why he thought of the name Mike when he had to invent a fiction twin on the spot, way back in Daredevil #25), and I’ve seen way too many Easter egg posts leave out the name Farnum.

In this show, Mr. Farnum is the prison guard who owes a debt to the old mob boss Rigolette and is then tasked with killing Karen in her cell. In the comics, he is the building manager of the office building that housed Nelson & Murdock’s first office. Oh, and he’s also the villain Masked Maruder. Because, why not.

That fight scene (and others like it)

Much has been said about the fight scene a the end of “Cut Man,” usually by people who are considerably better than I am at gauging the quality of fight scenes. All I can say is that I agree that it’s brilliant. And there are other fight scenes as well that really break the mold, such as the 360 degree shot of Matt fighting outside a cab.

What I love about the fight scenes is how physical they are. They’re elegant, but never appear overly choreographed, and they really take a toll on the main character. How often do you see the hero wait to take a few breaths before continuing with the punches? Rarely. Then again, this is a rare gem of a show.

The post 10 more favorite things about Marvel’s Daredevil appeared first on The Other Murdock Papers.

Related posts:

1. 10 favorite things about Marvel’s Daredevil
2. Marvel’s Daredevil: First thoughts
3. Countdown to Marvel’s Daredevil: The unbridled excitement post