Broken and with his faith shaken after the events concluding Defenders, Matt "Daredevil" Murdock returns, and has a ways to go before he's back on his feet. In a burning opening, we learn Daredevil was left drowning after the building collapse in Defenders, and after bumping around some rubble, is sucked out a drainage pipe. Though heavily injured, Matt then drags himself out in the open, where a cab driver finds him the next morning. When the man investigates, Matt pulls him close and whispers to get Father Lantom from Clinton Church. With Matt going in and out of consciousness at the church, Sister Maggie wants to report him to the police, in spite of Lantom pointing out that he's a vigilante. She calls them, but hangs up when Lantom tells her it's Matt Murdock. Matt hallucinates about his final moments with Elektra, then finally wakes up weeks later, somewhat healed, with the nuns calling for Maggie and urging him to stay in bed. Asking about Elektra, Matt realizes his right ear is damaged and tries to stand despite Maggie's warnings, and collapses. As she tends to him, he has a moment just like when he lost his eyesight as a kid, realizing that with his hearing impaired, he can't "see" like usual. Matt later inspects his injuries, noticing his failing senses, especially when he doesn't notice Lantom entering the room. Matt thanks him and Lantom replies that the nuns know who he is, but Maggie swore them to secrecy, then offers to talk when Matt obviously doesn't wan Communion. To Lantom's surprise, Matt tells him about Elektra, and how she was at the building despite them going to her funeral, but the priest says no one else walked out of the building. He suggests a confession and Eucharist, but Matt turns him away, so Lantom points out that, even being the most rational priest there, he believes Matt's survival was a miracle. Turning away, Matt says their conversations always go with Lantom explaining what he knows about God when Matt has questions, and bitterly requests that they not do so. Lantom gives in, leaving with a caring pat on the shoulder. Sometime later, a two orphans look in on Matt, wondering if he's dead and getting a scare when he reacts as one tries to touch him. He explains that, like them, he grew up in the church, and claims "life" happened to him to explain his injuries just before Maggie comes in and shoos the boys away to class. When Matt brings up their fear of the nun, Maggie points out she also scared him when he was a child, and moves to change his gauze. As she does so, she notes he was angry even as a kid and, now knowing he's the "Devil of Hell's Kitchen," she does the typical thing and asks if he was faking his blindness. He tries to be sassy but she asks if it's not a fair question, so he explains what happened during the accident, and claims his Daredevil days are over since his hindered senses and condition have left him unable to even get to the bathroom. Maggie explains that his hip and spine are injured, and while he might not be able to be extreme anymore, he'll recover, and she moves on to how he needs to go eventually. She asks if there's anyone she could call for him to stay with, and Matt replies that he has no one. Over at Matt's apartment, Karen shows up, hoping he'll answer when she knocks. When he doesn't, she goes inside and picks up his mail before checking the heat. She thinks back to the time Matt revealed his secret to her, in the current time finding his chest still empty. Continuing to flash back, she then remembers when Matt fully explained his abilities and promised to never lie to her again. She is interrupted when Foggy arrives, confused on how she is there and why she's not packing up; she reveals she isn't talking to the landlord about letting the place go and is paying Matt's bills. Karen wants Foggy's help to stop the landlord from evicting Matt, so he sits her down and points out that, as a reporter, she should be able to look at the facts and understand their friend is gone. Noting that it's the first time he's said it aloud, Foggy reveals his guilt as a result of having brought Matt his suit, wishing he'd brought him sweatpants instead, though Karen reminds him that Matt would've found a way to get the suit no matter what. Karen explains that she knows it's irrational, but just has a feeling that Matt's still out there, and Foggy finally agrees to split Matt's bills between the two of them. Back at the church, Lantom and Maggie lead Matt to another area to stay, and with the sound muffled, Matt explains that it won't matter the area is musty; he can't smell anything anyway. Matt is surprised to hear Arabic music coming from the chapel above. Lantom explains that a nearby mosque had a pipe burst, and they were taken in, and Hell's Kitchen cares for its own. When Maggie says the area could get noisy because it's also the laundry room, Matt sarcastically replies that he can "turn a deaf ear to it," so she points out there's a bright side to everything. Matt requests to stay up for a time, again shutting down an offer to talk, and Maggie takes him to his bed and shows him a button he can use to call for them. When she sarcastically says they'd come running as they "have nothing better to do," he makes a callous remark about it being very "Christian" of them, and she makes a dig at him by saying he might not have any friends due to him being angry, sarcastic, and stubborn. He tells her about Stick's philosophy that attachments would make him weak, and when she retorts that the old man just needed to get laid, Matt chuckles, but says he was right. He finds some books nearby; Maggie found his old Braille bible set, saying she senses things are complicated between him and God. Matt says it's the opposite: they finally understand each other. Despite Maggie knowing the story, he tells of God's perfect servant, Job, who obeyed God's every command, only to be repaid with the deaths of his children, burning of his land, and lashings, yet still wouldn't curse God. Matt concludes that Job was a wimp, and he, like Job, had been willingly suffering, believing himself to be God's soldier. Now, however, he is what he does in the dark and bleeds for himself. Maggie simply removes her cross necklace and hands it to him; he tosses it to his bed, claiming she didn't listen. She says she heard everything and states that, while he hates God, it's not a mutual feeling, but Matt says he doesn't hate God; he's just seen who he truly is. Revealing that he indeed had friends, Matt says he cares about people and is proving it by letting them believe he's gone, as he's realized he's not Job, and would rather "die as the Devil than live as Matt Murdock." In prison, meanwhile, Wilson Fisk is still living a cushy life as he prepares himself a fancy meal with classical music, and silences some noisy inmates with a single shout. He pushes his food away when Ben Donovan and Nicholas Lee (Stephen Rowe) arrive, informing him that it's going to be difficult to get Fisk's beloved Vanessa back in the country, as the government plans to charge her as an accessory to his crimes; if she is found or returns to the U.S., she'll be prosecuted and go to prison. Clearly upset, Fisk simply sends the men away, and we transition back to Matt at the church, trying to adjust to his new condition by testing his radar sense on the states in the room. He soon stumbles over a bench, and Maggie finds himself righting himself on the floor, offering him a drink to open his sinuses and some pills. While thankful, he explains he can only taste blood and ash, and he takes a crack at the "modern medicine" of pills and alcohol. She points out that he could get "modern medicine" by leaving. Matt tells her his hearing isn't returning, so she urges patience, pointing out that everything would be swollen after what he went through, and he could also just try getting his head out of his butt. Maggie sarcastically says she thinks he's a hero, feeling sorry for himself in a basement when there's orphans nearby, some disabled and worse off than he was, still pushing forward. As he stands, annoyed, she says he, on the other hand, has his looks, degree, and friends, and is "bravely giving up," so he snaps that while he's thankful, he doesn't want her assuming she knows him and his life. Noting her decades as a nun, she says she knows self-pity when she hears it and brings up how his dad was famous around there with how he never gave up in fights, no matter how often he fell. Matt finds himself unable to sleep, and after noticing a siren in the distance, crosses the room to get a drink. He notices a teapot-shaped object, however, and fills it with water to try clearing out his nose; when he does so, he immediately spurts blood from his stopped-up nose and mouth. He immediately notices a rumbling, feeling a train's vibrations at different intensities as he touches things, with them at their strongest when he touches the ground. Removing his shoes, Matt is able to swiftly maneuver through the room, and sets about training himself again with things he founds around the room. He even creates a punching bag from the laundry, hurting his back when he attempts a kick. When Maggie finds him practicing, he demonstrates his returned senses by telling her about the trains and identifying food she brought him. Though he disagrees with the idea, Lantom gives in to Matt's desire to prove himself with a boxing match, bringing in a boxer (Evan Dane Taylor) sworn to secrecy. Maggie wants him to wear a helmet, but Matt begs her to allow him to not use it, claiming he needs all of his senses unhindered if he wants this to work. The man is hesitant to fight a blind guy at first, and though he gets some meek punches in, Matt is able to get the upper hand and beat him before Lantom calls time. While the man is surprised how hard Matt hits, Maggie tends to the blind man, noting how amazing it is to see what he can do. He says he feels like he's underwater, but doesn't want to stop. The man is more willing this time, and despite Matt getting in some good punches, his opponent gets a clean blow to his right ear, immediately disorientating him. As Matt struggles to stay in it, the man fires away some rapid punches, and the Devil of Hell's Kitchen quickly takes a fall. The depressed Matt then talks with Sister Maggie for a time, and the episode reaches its end after he decides to venture out in a new version of his old "Man in Black" costume and we meet the struggling FBI agent Rahul "Ray" Nadeem (Jay Ali) getting an opportunity with Fisk. Along with being the fist Marvel show on Netflix, Daredevil is certainly one of the best, and this season start is a perfect return for the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.
Daredevil has had issues before with wondering if he should continue as Daredevil, especially when he was going for a relationship with Karen. Now after what he experienced with the Defenders, he's reached hi slowest point, especially with his senses so hindered. Having him say he "can't see" is an excellent way of showing that what he's going through is essentially the same as what he experienced when he was first blinded as a kid. He's so accustomed to using each of his senses to get around that he is suddenly actually in the dark like people assume he would be. Along with being a test of Mat's resilience, this is also a way of getting back to his roots and making him rebuild who he is from the ground up. While he'll most likely fix his ear issue with time, for now he's having to at least get used to his new condition, and change both how he fights and what he is able to do. Charlie Cox continues to impress as Daredevil, showcasing the hero's cynical sarcasm while making it clear that his situation has left him feeling hopeless and lost. Religion is a big part of Matt Murdock's identity, and Matt's situation and surroundings have left him surrounded by religion as he's questioning his faith. I think it's say even the most faithful people have had their doubts in life, and Matt's continued pain and difficulties in life despite working so hard to help others have left him especially broken. It was interesting to see that taking Maggie was right in a way; Matt really was stopped up and he was able to improve his condition immediately after trying. While the moment he clears up his sinuses is gross, it makes sense given what he went through and explains why everything tasted like blood and ash to him. It was good to also see what was going on for Karen and Foggy, since a big point with Matt's survival being that he's keeping himself hidden to protect them. While he's obviously trying to keep them safe, he is an important part of both of their lives, and it's obvious that, although her feeling is right, Karen is still in the denial aspect of her grieving process while Foggy is trying to move on. Each of them clearly has their own way of handling it, and Karen thinking back to when Matt promised to never lie to her again will likely become a point of antagonism between them when he does inevitably return. As Matt slowly makes his recovery, we also see things cooking for Fisk, figuratively and literally as he tries to do something to protect Vanessa. Like we saw when he encountered the Punisher, Fisk has managed to gain complete control in the prison, shown here when he gives a single shout and silences everyone. Despite his emotions occasionally getting the best of him, Fisk is a very calculated man, and D'Onofrio gives an excellent performance to match Cox's Daredevil. Obviously Fisk is going to get out and become a big problem again, and anyone who looked around online as the season was coming out knows we'll soon see the entrance of Bullseye. With this in mind and sides gearing up to return to the fold, I'm excited to see what happens as Daredevil recovers, Fisk gets out, and Bullseye enters the scene.
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AuthorI love the entertainment side of things. Video games, tv shows, superheroes and movies are my passion and I'd love to get the news out for things I enjoy. My contact page has links to my social media, so if you enjoy what I have to say, likes, shares, comments, and follows are always greatly appreciated! Archives
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