Daredevil SN1 EP8 – ‘ Shadows in the Glass ‘

After a few high-octane, high-stakes episodes, Daredevil was due for a slower episode. It’s just good-storytelling. Pretending for a second Daredevil season 1 were a 13-hour action movie, people need a break from action. Even in movies like Die Hard and Speed, there are breaks in the action. This episode is largely an origin story for Wilson Fisk. Kingpin has proven to be such an engaging, dynamic character that he can carry an episode that’s a little lighter on action.

We learn about Fisk’s past in this episode. His father was a wannabe politician who was also abusive toward his son and his wife. The scenes of the abuse are uncomfortable, but in a way that works. After all, this is a touchy subject so if it were anything but uncomfortable, the people behind the scenes wouldn’t be doing their jobs. The scenes with the young Fisk are effective in explaining Fisk’s psychology. His dad was violent but had a unique honor system – he was running for mayor because he wanted to do what was right for the city, he wants his son to stand up for himself. However, he takes his ideals a little too far in the wrong direction. He even goes out of his way to rough up someone for bullying his son. And that is fascinating because that is the kind of man Wilson Fisk grew up to be. He wants to save Hell’s Kitchen, but he does so with violence. After all, the young Wilson had to overcome his father’s violence WITH violence.

The psychology in the episode is also fascinating because in most other media, someone who stood up to an abusive father and overcame them would be a hero. And that’s part of the brilliance – Fisk finally comes out to the open and presents himself as the hero. He presents himself as a hero who is trying to save the city from the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. We already know how dangerous and violent Kingpin is, but this adds an extra layer to the character – he does these things but now has the trust of the city. Vincent D’Onofrio’s acting is brilliant as he plays someone still coping with the mental scars of his past. Even though he is not the focus, Murcock/The Devil still has a role in this episode. His scenes are exciting, but Kingpin is the real star of this episode.

Overall, despite being a little slower and light on action, this is an engaging episode from a psychological perspective. We delve deeper into the biggest villain of the series, learn a little more about why he is the way he is and just how much power he has.

Daredevil SN1 EP7 – ‘Stick’

After the ante was raised in the last few episodes, Daredevil still has some high standards to live up to. The opening scene affirms that this show is still not pulling its punching. A Japanese gangster is running frantically only to be confronted by a man with a sword. The man unapologetically cuts off the hoodlum’s arm before interrogating him. Even after acquiring the info he needs, the man with the sword murders the Japanese gangster. This man, as the name implies, is Stick. Much of the episode is centered around him and shines some light on Daredevil’s origins.

Admittedly, I know little about Stick’s personality in the comics, but what works about this interpretation is how real this character seems. We’ve seen trainer characters before – there have been characters who are kind of gruff and bust the heroes’ chops and there are mystical characters who know these ancient fighting moves. Stick is a good balance between these common tropes. He shows off some great fighting skills, but he has a real world attitude – he jokes around with Matt (usually at Matt’s expense) and likes to kick back beers. He has a unique world philosophy where he feels his and Matt’s blindness are gifts because it gives them an experience of the world that most people don’t have, but at the same time has a bitter attitude that demonstrates how the world has hardened him. Veteran actor Sam Sheppard dons the role and his gruff, no-nonsense attitude makes this character feel like a genuine human.

Stick is not the only character who is fleshed out. This episode delves into Murdock’s origins. We learn how Stick trained Matt to hone his techniques – he does not just taste vanilla. He tastes the beans, the chemicals and what was on the hands of the man who scooped it. Stick and Daredevil are on the trail of Japanese gangster. There is a unique contrast in philosophy. Stick has been hardened to believe that killing is the only way while Murdock is violent but believes there are limits. The two have some impressive fight scenes. These are cleverly contrasted with scenes of Stick training a young Murdock. We see Stick capture Murdock in a hold then that is cut to Stick holding a young Matt in the same hold, where they discuss philosophy, which cuts back to Matt and Stick fighting in the present.

The fighting scenes are again intense. In the early scenes, we see Matt having a hard time holding his own against the more experienced Stick while later they know each other so well that they can match each other. The writers knew what cards to play – when Stick confronts the thug, it is appropriately violent. However, even though there are scenes where a young Matt is smacked around by Stick, it never feels excessive or made me squeemish. While continuity is present, this episode actually works as a good standalone story and an excellent origin tale.

Daredevil SN1 Ep6 – ‘Condemned’

After the titanic cliffhanger from the previous, some serious cards were laid on the table. Naturally, those cards were played immediately. Picking up immediately where “World on Fire” left off, every character is scrambling to deal with the aftermath of the bombings. Daredevil has fought off the police and has kidnapped one of Fisk’s hoods. Claire is coping with the many people who have flooded the hospital in light of the violence. Foggy and Karen are tending to Foggy’s wounds while Fisk admires his handywork.

As that synopsis implies, this is the most action-heavy episode so far. This is noteworthy for being the first time Matt spends the entire episode in costume. There is action, with Matt having to fight off police under Fisk’s take or those who just get in his way. Much of the episode is spent with Daredevil trying to probe information from the thug he kidnapped. This is not as easy as it sounds. The thug is wounded and Daredevil has to call on Claire to figure out how to heal him, even using a flair to cauterize a wound. This hood does not go down without a fight – literally. There is an intense fight scene between Matt and the hood.

This is a great game of mental chess between the two. Knowing the police are on the trail and the violence is still occurring, there is an underlying feeling that something can go wrong at any moment. This episode also features the first encounter between Murdock and Fisk. It is only a walkie-talkie conversation, but it is effective. The characters learn about each other and their conversation reveals the similarities and differences in their personalities. This is a good scene as it gives a taste of these two meeting, but whets our appetites for more. Even though he spends most of the time riding in a limo, once again Fisk’s presence is engaging. Knowing how violent and aggressive he can be, it is unnerving watching how calm he is during this entire ordeal. The scenes with Foggy, Karen and Claire help give this episode a little breathing room so it’s not non-stop action. Overall “Condemned” ups the ante with a stellar episode that will leave viewers on the edge of their seat.

Daredevil SN1 EP5 – ‘ World On Fire ‘

This episode works by lulling the viewer into a false sense of security. It starts out like a day at the office for these characters. Foggy and Nelson take on a new client. Fisk and Vanessa have another dinner date. Matt and Claire conflict over their ideologies.

Even before the big action happens, this episode works. Naturally the dialogue scenes flesh out characters. We learn about Fisk’s unique honor system and bizarre but sincere affection for Vanessa. There is a great scene where Matt reveals how he uses his senses to “see” – as the title implies, he is able to build pictures in his mind that resemble fire. These scenes also effectively show the unusual comparisons and contrasts between Daredevil and Kingpin. Both are men who genuinely believe what they are doing, and both are willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals.

These calms scenes are good, but they last long enough to lure us into thinking things will be normal – a few scenes with Daredevil in action and all. Then, Fisk’s plan goes into action and parts of Hell’s Kitchen begin going boom. Suddenly all these characters we’ve recognized either for the last few episodes or just this episode – are in real jeopardy. As everyone is scrambling to either figure out what is going on or simply survive, Daredevil springs into action. After trying to fight the real villains, Daredevil is cornered by the police. Every episode in the first season has been excellent, but this is the episode that works as a great turning point. Action scenes and romance/dialogue scenes are used to pace this episode and build suspense.

Daredevil SN1 EP4 – ‘In The Blood’

Up to this point, we’ve only received descriptions of the Kingpin with him only fully appearing for a single shot in the previous episode. So how does he behave in this episode? The first time we see him, he asks Vanessa – the art dealer out on a date. If this were any other show, we can imagine how he’d behave, she’d say no and he’d start acting intimidating.

Daredevil is a show that takes things in a different direction. Fisk asks her out, she says no and he apologizes, backing away. Vanessa eventually relents to go out with Fisk after he says one of my favorite quotes (“A woman who can be bought is not worth having”). Much of the episode is spent showing the date between Vanessa and Fisk. We see some unique shades to his character. It’s almost unnerving as we expect this character go violent at any second.

He is polite to Vanessa, but he is also surprisingly awkward, often not making eye contact when he talks to her or other characters. Despite his love of culture, Fisk does show his viscous side by the end of the episode. We learn all the talk characters have made for him was not in vain as he murders a henchman – quite gruesomely – for “embarrassing him” in front of Vanessa.

Daredevil himself is in action, rescuing Claire. This is exciting, but the highlight is a more intimate scene where Claire and Matt talk about how long Matt can handle taking these licks, and Matt reveals his secret identity to Claire. There are also b-plots about Foggy wanting to expand the office (with a fax machine – it sounds silly but it fits his character so it works) and Urich being on the case. It’s little new, but everything done right. Overall, this was a solid episode that is most memorable for fleshing out Kingpin’s character.

Daredevil SN1 EP3 – ‘Rabbit In A Snowstorm

The episode begins with a brutal fight at a bowling alley. The perpetrator wants a lawyer. The lawyers he seeks out are none other than Nelson and Murdock. This episode establishes how Foggy and Murdock’s relationship works and the tough decisions they face. They are offered a fortune to represent an obviously guilty client. So they can represent him and make a lot of moolah. At first they argue before they agree to take the case.

This episode also establishes a little more on how Daredevil operates. He uses information he learns in court to gain information from street thugs through vigilantism. Daredevil is in action twice – once is just a standard interrogation. Next is an intense fight where we see how brutal Daredevil can be – even outright threatening to murder someone.

Ben Urich is introduced in this episode. We learn about his personality. He is a run-down newspaper writer who is trying to uncover all the crime in Hell’s Kitchen. Urich works for peanuts, but is determined. One of his co-workers informs him that blog writers and people who work for cheap sites are making a fortune. I can not verify that claim.

The most important part of this episode is the first physical appearance of the Kingpin. The buildup is superb. He’s already been discussed and we’ve heard his voice in the first two episodes. However, in this episode, we see the true reach of Fisk’s power as the bowling alley murder commits suicide – rather violently – because that is preferable to facing Kingpin’s wrath for revealing his name. After all that, we only see Fisk at a museum, mesmerized by a painting. He starts to talking to the museum owner about how he likes the painting. This is a good introduction as it feels like a comic. Often comics will introduce a character this way – panels showing their dialogue with one panel revealing the character. Plus, this is good suspense because the calm way he is introduced contrasts with the violent descriptions we have gotten. It gives some dimension to the character and builds suspense, making us wonder what he is capable of.

Overall, this is another satisfying episode – even though it’s a little more dialogue heavy, the dialogue is good and helps establish the personality of the characters. The action was solid and we are fully introduced to a key character.

Devil and Spider and Kingpin, Oh My! – Whispers of a Most EPIC Crossover

The Kingpin of Crime.

The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

All three of these fantastic, iconic characters might converge into one, amazing storyline. Nothing has been confirmed by ‘the superpowers that be’, but both Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox (the incredibly actors who play Kingpin and Daredevil, respectively, in Netflix’s original show) have expressed vocal and enthusiastic interest in pairing with (or against) our favorite web-slinger.

For those not in the know (and if you’re not, shame on you), Kingpin is one of Spider-Man’s most iconic and frequent villains. And, in his own way, one of the most dangerous. Kingpin is a criminal genius, and always has contingency plans upon backup plans upon master plans, all of them revolving around either furthering his underground empire, or squashing Spider-Man like a bug (pun intended). Pair that with Kingpin’s unnatural strength and utterly ruthless character, and you have one incredibly formidable villain – one that has frequently beaten Spider-Man, in fact.

On a different note, Daredevil and Spider-Man actually team up quite a lot in the comics. They frequently have each other’s backs. Charlie Cox himself pointed out that, in one particularly memorable occasion, Matt Murdock had to defend Daredevil. So Spider-Man put on Daredevil’s costume so that Matt could defend him without revealing his identity.

I’m extremely partial to the idea of Daredevil and Spider-Man pairing up, because they’re basically two sides of the same coin.

Although he is a devout Catholic, Matt Murdock is dark and jaded, because he’s had to fight for every inch against a world that continues to either try and break him, or underestimate him. He constantly hears the suffering of his city – the gritty and the bloody and the horrifying – and it has forced him to, in his own way, become like that. Yes, Hell’s Kitchen needs Daredevil. But it also made him.

On the flip side, Peter Parker (while a Christian) is a devout scientist. He’s a boy genius, who life went far too quickly from dodging bullies and hopeless crushes to dodging bullets and crushing villains. Although his origin story started with death (his Uncle Ben), Peter took a terrible situation and turned it around in the only way he knew how – by using his situation to better the lives of those around him. We all know his famous quote, but we very rarely understand how much he sacrifices for it. He may mask it all with quick comebacks and witty humor, but Spider-Man has lost much – his uncle, his girlfriend, his best friend, his aunt – all in the name of “with great power comes great responsibility”.

Spider-Man and Daredevil both care about the little guy, the every-man (and woman). While the Avengers and Doctor Strange and the Fantastic Four all deal with world-ending and extraterrestrial dangers (sometimes of their own making), they pay very little attention to what happens below skyscraper-level. While they might believe that the suffering of the few outweighs the loss of the many, to Daredevil and Spider-Man, that is never an acceptable solution or compromise.

That’s why, although they might have occasional team-ups with the Avengers, Daredevil and Spider-Man will always work better as vigilantes, as solo acts who occasionally ‘help a brother out’.

Anyway, to bring it all in – I’m 100% behind these two worlds converging. With the end of season 2 of Daredevil featuring the Kingpin rebuilding his criminal empire from prison, there’s a very real chance that he could escape in time to torment Spider-Man. And where Kingpin goes, you better believe Daredevil will follow.

So let’s cross our fingers, knock on wood, and pray to the gods of geekdom that these two worlds and mediums collide. It promises to be nothing short of fantastic – and would open a huge range of possibilities, crossover-wise, between the television and film worlds.

The 2017 film is to be called Spider-Man: Homecoming (and don’t worry, it won’t be another origin story).

So come on, Marvel – bring it home.

Daredevil SN1 EP2 – ‘Cut Man’

After a fight, Daredevil is found in a dumpster by Claire, a nurse who takes him in. Daredevil is mum about his personal details, but informs Claire on his battles with the kidnappers and how he needs to rescue the kidnapped child. Meanwhile, there are flashbacks about Matt dealing with his father being hired to take a dive by mafia. Elsewhere, Karen and Foggy are having a night of bar hopping.

Much of this episode is slower, but effective nonetheless. The scenes between Claire and Matt are good at building suspense and establishing the character. Introducing a new character is good way of being a third person perspective to introduce Matt’s powers as we see him hone his incredible hearing skills. We also learn about Claire and she is a good character. She’s caring but no-nonsense as she wants to learn about Matt. She also holds her own when dealing with the criminals.

The flashback scenes between Matt and his father. Matt’s father shows some tenderness when helping Matt with his blindness. He is also faced with conflict when presented with the choice of taking a dive. He wants to set an example for his song, but he knows the mafia won’t take kindly to that. He eventually stands by his guns and it costs him. With a little character development, we feel the pain at his death. The B-plot of Karen and Foggy hanging out may sound like filler, but it does help flesh out Foggy’s character as a goofball.

While most of this episode is an effective character building episode, there is one terrific fight scene when Daredevil confronts the kidnappers. The fight is successful in its bare bones approach. Rather than a big sprawling fight, this is a fight that takes place in an enclosed hallway. The fight is brutal. Daredevil does not just dispatch these guys with no effort, he has to wail hits just to knock out one guy. Also the whole fight is done in one take (or at least appears that way). This works because the raw technique makes us feel more absorbed in the fight.

Overall, this was another great episode. It was set up to establish characters and have an intense fight scene. “Cut Man” succeeded in both.

Daredevil SN1 EP1 – ‘Into the Ring’

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.

ABC’s ‘Agents of SHIELD’ To Get “Edgier” For Season 4

ABC’s fall line-up revealed that their seminal Marvel-show Agents of SHIELD, will move to a later time slot at in an effort to be in lieu with Netflix‘s darker comic-book offerings.

Speaking with the press, ABC President Channing Dungey explained the move in order “to go a little bit edgier, go a little darker and take some risks.“

Although Agents of SHIELD has found its audience. The show has never been the ratings success that ABC hoped for back in 2013. Debuting with an 8pm time slot, the show was soon moved to 9 before ultimately finding itself at 10pm for season 4, effectively losing the kids market.

The channel is in no doubt seeking a new audience in leaning towards the dark side. But a change in tone would put Agents of SHIELD in step with Netflix’s already mature superhero shows like Daredevil, Jessica Jones and their upcoming Luke Cage and Iron Fist ventures.

With regards to future of Marvel television on ABC, Dungey revealed that “We are in extensive conversations with Marvel. I had a really long talk with Dan Buckley from Marvel last week. We’re very excited about a few things we have in development. We think there’s a long future ahead and excited to explore it together.”

Specifics aren’t clear as to what exactly ABC have planned. But even with the throughly popular Agent Carter receiving its marching orders last week, it seems that the network are still committed to producing Marvel centric shows on their programming for the foreseeable future.

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