Episode 4 – Blind Justice
In this episode we see more of the turmoils between our protagonists and the inevitability that they will return to their former lives. No matter how hard they try Matt Murdock will always be Daredevil and Wilson Fisk will always be Kingpin. In an imperfect world and systems they will inevitably try to solve issues in their lives using their old ways when their outward personas are blocked by the system.
Vanessa’s affair with Adam presents one of these test for Fisk, can he bear to let Adam get away with his transgression truly putting his pride aside and learn forgiveness for the first time. We see a deeper view into the issues that brought Vanessa and Fisk to therapy. Vanessa felt left behind when Fisk left, reminding her of the time when her father left her family to drink and gamble. She had lost respect for her mother because she let it happen and she felt like she had let herself into the same situation. To compensate for her guilt she reached out to Adam, a sensitive artist who was outside Fisk’s business and crime connections.
During their therapy session Fisk comes out and claims he had a “clarifying dialogue” where he explained to Adam how he felt about Vanessa. They both tell Heather that neither knows the whereabouts of Adam. We do find out at the end of the episode that Fisk has him locked in a cell and is unsure of what he should do with him. Fisk claims he has changed but will he actually let Adam live, this is anybody’s guess.
It is painfully obvious in Vanessa and Fisk’s session that the main question is whether Fisk would ever hurt Vanessa. It was a line he would never cross in the past, Vanessa had always been his weakness but she was never his enemy. Heather makes a point of keeping Vanessa behind while Fisk waits outside so she can ask her if she feels safe in her marriage. Vanessa assures her that Fisk would never harm her. We’ve never been shown any reason she should feel this way but she later admits that she is not sure she should feel safe which is reinforced by the image of Adam in the cage, a strong reminder that Fisk is a still a dangerous and vindictive man.
Seeing Fisk running the city as mayor seems a little anticlimactic but we do get the sense something big is going to happen in Red Hook, even going back as far as Foggy’s death and we get to see Fisk’s plan to revitalize the wharf area. In Kingpin fashion he wants it all done immediately but he is reminded that it isn’t that simple. He is confronted by the many layers of bureaucracy and red tape that will threaten to stop his plan. He eventually asks the question of what needs to get started and Sheila gives him the answer he needs, he is almost gleeful to be able to start and respect the process. We are then treated to several mayoral stops to one to a middle school where the student sing songs (primarily We Built This City) for him (somehow he keeps from falling asleep but is really not thrilled to be here). They finish the their song and Fisk hastily makes ready to leave before they can sing anymore songs to him while profusely complementing them on their singing. We next find Fisk at an event for the Latvian consulate where he gets serenaded to an identical song as the one from the middle schoolers, just in Latvian. It emphasizes how Fisk is barely tolerating the humdrum of being Mayor and how it could make him slip back to his old ways. While at the consulate, Sheila and Daniel see a viral news report on Fisk’s plans to handle a city garbage strike and stymie the union. They take Fisk aside and tell him they are canceling the rest of his schedule because of the news which upsets him because he was going to get his Red Hook project started as one of those stops.
He goes against his usual instincts when Daniel who made a serious mistake and while out on the town with BB, lets Fisk’s plans for handling the garbage strike leak earning him the name of “Mayor Garbage” and slamming him as a union buster, that goes viral. Daniel admits to Sheila that he was the leak and she says to keep it to himself and let her take the fall.
Fisk brings his entire staff into his office and reads them the riot act, threatening dire consequences for the culprit. At this point, ignoring Sheila’s advice, Daniel admits to the mistake and professes to Fisk his undying faith. Fisk is moved by his speech along with his courage and loyalty lets him keep his job but makes it clear that this is the one and only chance he gets.
I truthfully have to admit watching Fisk’s team discuss permitting and seeing him get serenaded by the people of the city was really not very interesting (if amusing in some parts) but it advanced the story and played well off of Matt’s gradual slide back to becoming Daredevil. In what should have been a win for his Matt persona he proved he could deliver justice and protect the innocent without Daredevil but with the subsequent murder of the White Tiger Matt doubts his moral justice. We especially see this when Matt runs into Hector’s niece Angela (who will probably take up the mantle of the White Tiger) who is very upset that the crooked cops will get away with the murder of her uncle.
While sitting on his rooftop and mentally processing his failure of Hector, Matt is given he next case of the week concerning a man named Leroy Bradford who is charged with petty larceny for stealing Fiddle Faddle popcorn from a bodega. It is pretty obvious that he committed the crime, they have video, witnesses and his previous criminal record all pointing right at him. Leroy doesn’t want to do any jail time and is quite adamant about with Matt as he goes off to negotiate with the DA on the case.
After going back and forth with the DA Matt is able to get her down to Ten days in jail for the crime and Matt walks away once again feeling he has brought his client the best justice based on the circumstances. Matt is very upset when he informs Leroy of the deal and he rejects it. The episode is actually bringing home the fact that last time Leroy was sent to jail he missed a checkin for his SSI which got cut forcing him to steal the Fiddle Faddle because he had less money to live on. We are shown that the system is more concerned with locking up poor people instead of helping them escape the issues that led them to commit crimes to survive in the first place. It is quite ironic that it will cost the city more money to lock him up than the cost of the Fiddle Faddle.
Matt bumps into Powell again in the courthouse where we see the inevitable physicality between the two. While Powell has Matt pinned against the wall, Matt listens to his heartbeat and asks hime about the murder of Hector, from the sound of his heart Matt can tell he had nothing to do with the murder.
We see Matt meeting with his team to discuss Hector and their efforts to find details on how and who murdered him. Feeling frustrated with their lack of progress he goes to the crime scene himself and is able to locate the shell casing that has a punisher logo on it. This forces Matt to seek out another vigilante who is an expert on the failures of the system, this is none other than Frank Castle also known as the Punisher. We are treated here to a great performance by Jon Bernthal who fully embodies the Punisher character.
Matt find him in his underground hideout with a collection of weapons that would make some national militaries envious. Matt goes all high and mighty on Frank telling him once again how he actually uses his powers for good and not pure vengeance. Frank remembers the Daredevil he met in the past, who had a very dangerous side that was only a short ways from getting loose. We see the scene get edgy when Frank brings up Foggy and Matt loses his cool and smacks Frank proving him right. Matt then begins to confront the fact that although he keeps winning in court he keeps losing to the system and his friends are paying for it, Daredevil is going to have to bring about another form of justice!
Conclusion
We are treated to everyones favorite marauder in Frank Castle and we are further treated to seeing the inevitable collision of the returns of Daredevil and Kingpin to the streets of New York City. Overall I have to give it a 7 out of 10 with some of the Fisk scenes being a bit slow and below average but overall teh show accomplished a lot with showing us how having Kingpin and Daredevil in the same orbit with each other forces them to bring out their alter egos no matter how much they want to turn the page on their past violence. Both seemed to be in control of their paths until until they got near each other.
Im thinking episode 5 will see one or both cross the lines of their new personalities and return to their old ways.
