The thing I like most about Daredevil is that it doesn’t hold back. Five episodes in and we’re just as gritty, sexual, dark and fun as we were in episode one – possibly even moreso.
Although this wasn’t the sole focus of the episode, I couldn’t help but fixate on the growing relationship between Matt and Claire and what a damn relationship it is. Truly, chemistry between Charlie Cox and Rosario Dawson continues to astound me. It defines the show, in a way, and has the Marvel touch of two people who just work together, whose relationship doesn’t feel forced. We tend to take that for granted in today’s television shows, but specifically in the Marvel world. When the two have it out over how Claire can’t fall in love with Charlie because of the nature of his work and the person he’s becoming by focusing so much on his quest, it hits you where it hurts. I love that we get these emotions.
There’s a decent amount of action and exposition in this episode, which is a nice balance after episode four’s overly action filled hour. We get the small moments of Karen and Foggy (who are building up chemistry of their own in a great way), the bonding with Claire, and of course, the conflict with Kingpin. While Claire tells Matt she heard a name – Vladimir — Kingpin holds a meeting of his own. The intensity between these characters is what cements this show more than anything else, with a less competent cast, Daredevil wouldn’t be nearly as interesting. And Vincent D’Onofrio is absolutely nailing it with this role, bringing his manipulative, quiet attitude to a character that really is so much rooted in his emotions. But the fight scenes continue to be brutal and real, the violence continues to be gritty and dark, and it really adds to the whole atmosphere of the show as a whole. Blow up a whole apartment? Almost kill people? It happens, and it happens in a way that makes you realize you’re not watching a PG show.
Charlie takes a meeting at the office with a client who is overly upset about her building being turned into condominiums. Foggy attempts to reason with her and you can almost see good guy Charlie trying to control himself. He’s a vigilante at its finest, a superhero that you want to be – the person that will fight for good and wants to help everyone, but genuinely cares about the well-being of the people in his life and doesn’t do it for selfish reasons. But I also love what the show is doing in terms of focusing on Charlie’s as it relate to how heightened they are. When he’s listening to the interrogation at jail, we’re drawn in by Matt’s emotions, even though there’s not a lot of focus on Charlie’s face. But we see his reaction when the gunshot happens, when the attack comes, and in that moment, we get so much from his character.
And Foggy. Can we get a moment of applause for Foggy? When he’s standing up for himself, we really see his character start to shine. Even Karen is impressed. He’s been a real standout in the past few episodes and he’s starting to stand on his own two feet, and I guarantee by the end he’ll be more fully fleshed out than some people are in 22 episodes of television.
In the first half of its run, Daredevil has cemented itself as one of Marvel’s biggest hits – visually, storytelling wise, and character wise. And we’re only getting started.
