*Spoilers Ahead*
The first two episodes of Daredevil have been focused on setting up the vigilante night life of Matt Murdock, which has left little time for any glimpse into his law practice. This episode decides to shine the spotlight specifically on that aspect.
Matt and Foggy get their first real client this week, as in one they don’t plan on giving a job to, when Wilson Fisk’s assistant strolls into their offices and gives them the case of Fisk’s hitman, John Healy. Healy, as seen in the brutal opening, took out one of Fisk’s rivals with a bowling ball and is now claiming self defense. Foggy is immediately drawn to the case due to the huge check that is given to the firm. Meanwhile, Matt senses (pun very much intended) something is up and takes the case in an attempt to find out more.
The law proceedings themselves aren’t very interesting but they provide a chance for Matt’s dual personas to clash when he discovers that one of the jurors may have been threatened by Fisk’s men. As Daredevil, he manages to get the juror replaced only to discover, once it’s too late, that there was more than one juror being blackmailed. It helps that Matt is also shown to be an incredibly gifted lawyer. He has a natural charisma to him and clearly understands the law that he fights to uphold, even as he breaks it most every night. That’s what makes Healy gaining his freedom dig into Matt. On one side, Matt simply did the job he was paid to do and on the other, he can’t sit by and let this man get away.
That’s what leads to Daredevil’s confrontation with the hitman who, after a lengthy battle, finally gives him the name he’s been searching for. Wilson Fisk turns out to a far more threatening figure than Matt could have anticipated though as Healy chooses suicide by fence spike than whatever horror the soon-to-be Kingpin would put upon him. The show has done a stellar job setting up just how terrifying Fisk is and how wide his influence reaches.
Elsewhere, Karen is being given a large sum of money by Union Allied under the agreement that she never speak about the incident again. This upsets Karen since they clearly had a hand to play in her co-worker’s death as well as her own attempted murder. She eventually crosses paths with Ben Urich, Marvel’s go-to journalist.
Urich, played by Vondie Curtis-Hall, is the man who broke the story about Union Allied at the end of the first episode. He enjoys uncovering the secrets hidden in the city and dealing in stories that have real consequences. His boss is much more interested in having him write about subways. The dynamic between Urich and his boss isn’t exactly original but it helps to set up why he’ll eventually agree to help Karen. In addition to work troubles, Urich is also taking care of his ailing wife, who has been in the hospital too long for the insurance to continue to cover her. By the end, Urich manages to feel like a character we can get behind, a man seeking the truth who is undoubtedly going to be drawn into the terrible plans that Fisk has for Hell’s Kitchen. I enjoy that the show also gives Karen a continued stake in the show’s overall story and isn’t content to let her be just the secretary for the boys.
And then, Wilson Fisk appears. His debut is a masterclass in defying expectations. After all of this buildup we see him, not as the criminal mastermind or as the brutal mob boss but as the man at the art gallery commenting on the feeling of despair and loneliness that a particular painting brings him. It’s an understated affair and yet, Vincent D’Onofrio makes an instant impression and signals that Fisk is more than your average villain.
Finally, the set-up is over, Daredevil knows who exactly he’s dealing with. The question going forward is whether or not he can handle the lengths Fisk will go, especially now that someone knows his name.
Bits ‘n Pieces
- It was awesome to see recurring Daredevil baddie, Turk Barrett, giving a gun to Healy. Also, turns out Barrett was the leader of the sex traffickers that Daredevil beat up in the first episode.
- Matt did a poor job at planning on how to explain the shiner he has around one of his eyes. He somehow did an even worse job of actually explaining.
- Okay, the suicide scene was brutal and crazy and you need to see it to believe it actually happened.
- “Used to be if you killed a man you’d send his wife flowers, now they just send his wife with him.”
- “For the record: this is the first time you ever said I was right. I hate it.”
If you’d like to give me feedback or just chat about Daredevil you can email me at theSuperAlbino@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter @JesseSwanson