They say you only get one chance at a first impression. So being the first episode of a new show means Daredevil needed to get off to a good start.
“Into the Ring” shows the key events of Daredevil’s beginnings. We see Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson set up their law firm. They discover their first client, Karen Page – who is literally caught red-handed with a knife next to a dead body. She insists that she is being framed. By day, Foggy and Murdock try to defend Page legally, but by night, Murdock turns to vigilante justice as Daredevil. Through flashbacks, we see the early days of how Murdock lost his sight in an accident while trying to rescue someone.
The first few moments of this show alone create a great impression as the show begins with a stark and dramatic moment of a young Matt Murdock losing his sight. This followed by a scene of Murdock in confessional. The next scene is of Murdock in action against a group of thugs. All of this happens before the opening credits roll.
There is action, but most of the episode relies on story-building and drama. From that perspective, the episode works. While Kingpin is never seen – only briefly heard – in this episode, his presence is still felt by how intensely everyone in this episode fears him and how even his lackeys have power over people.
Additionally, the heroes’ relationships are established greatly too. We see how cheap Nelson and Murdock’s situations are – their office is cheap with no furniture and a hand-written sign. In these early episodes, Daredevils costume is just a cheap black costume that looks like he bought in a store. While much of the episode is mostly serious, there is some comic relief as Matt and Foggy joke about how little experience they have. This is not just comic relief for the sake of comic relief, it helps establish the type of rapport these two long time friends have.
Naturally, we see Daredevil in action. Despite Daredevil wearing all black, the hoods wearing mostly black and the scenes taking place at night, everything is visible – which is good because these are some great fight scenes. Overall, “Into the Ring” is an excellent example of how to do a series premiere. Every major character and situation is established with just enough suspense to create excitement for future episodes.
Leave a Reply