Thus far, Daredevil has gotten off to a ridiculously good start. The first two episodes of the series have yet to let down on any aspects. Marvel clearly knows what they are doing, but Daredevil has given fans a realistic look at the world and show us that the MCU isn’t rainbows and butterflies with the good guys easily saving the day. We’ve seen Matt be found nearly dead in a dumpster, but he recognizes the need to keep pursuing this task.
Episode 3, titled “Rabbit in a Snowstorm,” opens up with a pretty mysterious bowling alley scene. One guy, later revealed as John Healy, ends up killing three men because they won’t include him in their private game (and by kill, I mean he smashes the group leader’s head in with a bowling ball). I thought this was an awesome, yet brutal, scene. It’s what I love about the show; I like that Daredevil isn’t afraid to be so graphic.
Matt and Foggy are approached to work the case and be Healy’s defense team. After a bunch of flip-flopping from Matt, they accept the case because it’s too much money to turn down. Matt definitely pushes the boundaries of what is appropriate to say to his client; even when they first meet with Wesley, Matt is firm with him. I like that Matt has to learn how to balance Daredevil’s feelings with his own. Even Foggy begins to question Matt’s changing judgment. It was really great to witness Matt outside of the suit for so long in this episode and watch him be a lawyer.
We are introduced to Ben Urich; he meets with a friend to get inside information about the recent crime in Hell’s Kitchen. Ben is a well-known comic character that appears in both Daredevil and Spider-Man comics as a Daily Bugle writer. I’m so excited that Ben is in the show; he’s a good character to include in this. Sadly, Ben isn’t at the Bugle in Daredevil, and at his current paper his boss turns down his crime idea because it’s not a “sexy” fluff piece. I like Ben’s story so far; he has the problem with his wife, he’s not making enough money, but he does the right thing and stays true to himself.
The shock factor of Karen’s eventful first two episodes has worn off. I don’t dislike her plot, but it has slowed down immensely. I definitely want to see how her story plays out because she’s digging deeper and has only scratched the surface of everything. Karen is a good character and has already grown over Daredevil‘s first three hours; she’s already trying to get closer to the people who tried to have her killed. Her and Ben seem like they will be a good combination going forward, but otherwise, I wasn’t a huge fan of her plot in this episode. It just felt anticlimactic compared to the court case Foggy and Matt are dealing with.
Matt gives a Don Draper-esque courtroom speech that is amazing; seriously, Charlie Cox’s delivery in the scene is phenomenal. Matt talks about morality and facts but presents it in such a believable way. He drops one quick and subtle line about Healy possibly facing justice if he walks free. Healy goes free for now, but Matt immediately suits up and goes to give him proper judgement. The fight between them is good, and Healy is actually able to defend himself and give Matt a challenge. Matt eventually wins and forces Fisk’s name out of Healy. Apparently giving out his name is the worse kind of betrayal, and Healy decides to kill himself by slamming his head onto a spike. Another shockingly brutal death in the series.
At the end of the episode, we finally get introduced to the Kingpin, aka Wilson Fisk. I liked the build-up to this point and the huge mystery surrounding him; it gives you a sense for how untouchable his character is. I really loved how Daredevil has been building his reveal from the bottom up, just like a police mystery where they don’t know who is at the top leading it all. D’Onofrio looks amazing, and I can’t wait to see him more as the show goes on. This first glimpse of him was good, but now I’m just dying for more.
I enjoyed this episode of Daredevil and thought that it continued the series nicely. It wasn’t as standout of an episode as the show’s first two, but it still delivered some well-planned and well-written scenes for the characters. As I said, I loved Matt’s courtroom speech, and seeing him succeed in real life compared to under the mask. It’s great to officially have Fisk in the show, and I’m hoping that we see both characters build into their final forms of “Daredevil” and “Kingpin” throughout the rest of the season.
[Photo via Netlfix]
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