Given the state of Hells Kitchen’s Police department, Karen made the wise decision to chuck Wesley’s gun into the river. For someone that may or may not have shot someone before, she’s clearly haunted by the act and terrified of the repercussions. Afraid to be alone, she reaches out to Foggy and Matt for support, but they’re still embroiled in their own quarrel to realize her turmoil. She presses Ben to get their story out, warning that she thinks they know they visited her mother. Many of us were probably yelling at the screen, wanting Karen to tell Ben definitively what happened. As morning breaks, Vanessa wakes and promptly calms a worried Fisk, who’s ready to whisk her out of the country for safety’s sake. He’s pulled away from her bedside to discover Wesley’s body, construing it as a continuation of Venessa’s poisoning. While gathering the details of Wesley’s actions, he reminds us that underneath his stylish Kevlar suits is an animal, as he pummels Francis with punches so laden with bass that they can almost be felt by the viewer.
Matt’s finally well enough – ok, not really well enough, but able – to venture out into the city and continue unraveling Fisk’s operation. With Ben’s assistance he goes after Gao’s heroin, hoping to hurt Fisk’s bank account and clean up his streets to boot. Next to Stone’s appearance, Madam Gao’s is perhaps the next biggest morsel in this series is Gao in this episode. After sending Daredevil sliding across a warehouse floor with a single punch, she informs Leland that she’s returning home which is “considerably further” than China. Presumably she’s another element in the impending war Stick mentioned to Matt. It’s another example of how Marvel tempers their audience. It’s a tactic they borrow from their comics, as the epilogues will typically foreshadow impending conflicts. A magical element is coming to the Marvel Universe, and the powers that be are getting us ready.
This episode’s opening foreshadows its tragic end. Fisk’s quiet patience to wait for Ben highlights his cunning tactics. He’s just about to expose the Kingpin (have we ever heard them utter this phrase?) but the timing was too perfect. We knew a major death was coming, in a show like this when good things are happening to good people, you just know tragedy is about to strike. The tragedy is a beautifully crafted example of a marriage, love expressed through a deep friendship, where the Urich’s truly know one another. All this sentiment solidified that Ben was clearly on the chopping block. However, we’ve seen our protagonists nearly die multiple times. Even though it’s stupid to think, there were moments where I thought the titular character (that’s Daredevil) might not make it. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. As his boots ceased to wiggle with life, Ben’s murder did another thing. It alienated the viewers from liking Wilson. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still fascinated by him but I’m not nearly as sympathetic to him as I was after he killed Anatoly.
All in all, I’m just ready for this effing suit!
