This episode seemed to be a departure from most of the season, but not necessarily in a bad way. Obviously, a few characters have plot armor, but a few things still felt a little over the top - mainly Fisk's assault on the bridge. I digress, so let's start back at the beginning.
Ben/Karen
The Ben Urich chapter of this show has ended, and the characters are saying goodbye, in the most coincidental gathering of people in New York City - hey, it's most of the cast! Ok, ok, that's going to happen in these kind of shows, I'll let it go. It was a nice funeral for Ben, with Foggy noticeably absent. Karen is terrified that Fisk will find out that she visited his mother with Ben, though he did do an ok job of covering for her, I just hope Fisk's mother doesn't say anything else about it.
Fisk/Owlsley
Wilson has been able to take Vanessa home from the hospital and he's a little worried there's some funky stuff going on in his business. Without Wesley around, he has no one to rely on for these things. He goes to visit Owlsley and doesn't get the answer he was looking for and it doesn't take much for him to figure out that Owlsley has been stealing from him.
TV Soup Podcast: Daredevil, "Daredevil" Review
Owlsley makes a really big mistake, telling Fisk that their real target was Vanessa. That's what we call a sensitive issue in Fisk's world. Even with the bargaining chip of Detective Hoffman in his pocket, he's unable to keep his mouth shut and Fisk shows him to the bottom of an elevator shaft.
Matt/Foggy
Matt and Foggy are finally talking again. Matt's rage is definitely getting the better of him. He wants to lash out at Fisk and everyone he works with, but really the whole thing is a bit quixotic. Matt is just one guy, and Foggy can only shout the truth back to him - you can only defeat him with the law.
They decide to move forward, and go see Sgt. Mahoney and pick his brain about Ben's death and what's going on with Fisk. They're really just in the right place-right time, as Matt is able to easily eavesdrop and finds out that Hoffman is still around.
Matt/Foggy/Karen
The band is back together, and Foggy is daydreaming about being a butcher again. Seems like this might be the kind of gig he'll retire to. Or maybe it's really corny foreshadowing for his nickname when he turns evil (now that would be a twist). Digging through Owlsley's records, they manage to find out where Hoffman likely is (and through a smooth move, Karen might be a little suspicious about the man in the mask's identity).
Man in the Mask
Matt manages to locate Hoffman just in time, of course. After a rather interesting conversation, Matt is his usual persuasive self. Hoffman (blood still covering his face) turns himself into Mahoney. They're finally able to get in a room with the right people who aren't bought by Fisk. Hoffman elaborates on the extent of the criminal enterprise and Matt and Karen are taking a mental victory lap. Cue the montage of bad guy after bad guy getting busted by the FBI (not Fisk's guys), and this is clearly the best work that the Mask has done.
Fisk goes down
All the missed connections in this show (who shot Wesley? who was the rat at the newspaper? etc) remind me of an unreliable narrator in books. It rewards someone who can watch everything in depth, because only the viewer (or reader) is able to put the entire correct story together. In a very dramatic arrest, complete with perp walk, Fisk is taken away. This leads to a fun little victory party for the crew at Nelson & Murdock.
You didn't think it would be that easy, did you? Fisk takes a moment to tell his captors a story from the bible. This is yet another way that the show has used religion to impress not faith upon people, but just examples of how to live their lives. It makes religion feel like a real part of the show, rather than some one-sided part of some aspects of the story. Fisk, like Jules in Pulp Fiction, mostly uses his bible story to deliver a badass line before the shit goes down. "I am the ill intent, who set upon the traveler on a road that she should not have been on."
Fisk gets away in a rather over the top fashion, of course. Why not just run away in the first place, if that's what you were going to do anyways? It's all over the news right away, so it's not like this is stealthy or anything,
Matt, knowing he needs a big upgrade, goes to Potter and gets his new threads. He's now got a proper superhero costume and some actual protection so he doesn't get the crap beat out of him all the time. Like any boy with a new toy, he's eager to try it out and goes Fisk hunting.
The final battle between Fisk and Matt is another in a long line of wonderfully choreographed fight sequences in this show, Matt had to finish off the fight with some sticks, a nice call back to his old buddy. Mahoney is the guy who shows up on the scene and he's able to take Fisk in and even gives Matt his nickname - Daredevil.
Parting Notes
- Foggy getting back with Marci? Go after Karen, dude!
- Does Karen, at the very end, know Matt's secret, or at least strongly suspect?
- Fisk gets to stare at a white wall again, this will definitely end well.
- The horns are too much, I agree with Foggy.