The romance angle between Matt and Claire has been the weakest part of this entire series. Thankfully, we see it draw to a close here as she leaves with parting words, some advice for body armor, and a promise to be there when Matt really needs her. Seeing as Claire Temple is originally a Luke Cage character, I’m sure she’ll pop up sooner rather than later.
My favorite supporting character so far is Father Lantom, the priest to whom Matt confesses to and returns to for guidance. You see how the symbol of Daredevil becomes formed in Matt’s mind, and how he struggles with who he has to become and how to live with his thoughts and actions. Father Lantom hypothesizes that maybe the devil was god’s plan to scare us into “treading the path of the righteous”.
This episode really feels like a breather, both emotionally and plot-wise, which I think we all needed. The only real bit of action is the scene between Matt and Fisk’s tailor, Melvin Potter (who is Gladiator in the comics). The miracle tailor who works with Kevlar puts quite the beating on poor old Matt, but once he’s beaten, he breaks down to reveal he was coerced to work for Fisk all this time. Taking pity on the simple-minded man, Matt promises to protect Betsy, the woman Melvin cares about, and in return, if Melvin can make him something (THE SUIT!!!!!). God, I really hope that Matt can keep his promise.
Fisk spends his time at Vanessa’s bedside, seeing to her recovery. You can see the rage only barely kept in line by concern for his beloved. Wesley, as Fisk’s only true friend, sees this, and tries to find ways to give Fisk time to grieve. At this point, I think we all suspect that Owlsley is the snitch, and I hope he gets what’s coming to him.
Wesley, stupidly, goes to try to tie up the loose end that is Fisk’s mother BY HIMSELF. I cannot believe such an amazing character meets such a whimpering death. Death by accident, death by carelessness, worst of all, death by Karen, UGH. At least Wesley stayed true to his character, trying a bluff till the very end. He will be missed.
Wesley’s death is a huge game changer for the series. I felt that he held Wilson in check from his worst impulses, and genuinely tried to help his employer. With Wesley and Vanessa out of commission for the foreseeable future, we’re going to see the animal cut loose. A man with nothing to lose and nothing to hold him back is someone who should be feared. More and more, it seems like Fisk is the one with nothing to lose, and Matt is poised to lose everything.
