Daredevil S02 E07: Semper Fidelis

The trial of the People of New York v. Frank Castle is on, and we open the pre-credit sequence with jury selection. It's hard, because everyone has an opinion on Frank Castle, many of them both mirroring and polarizing my own, but as the judge so succinctly says, "This is New York, everyone has an opinion about everything." Let the trial begin.

So, courtroom drama. This is kinda what I have always hoped "Daredevil" would not be about. I know that lawyer shows are popular, always have been, but despite Matt Murdock's calling, this is a superhero show. I want to see superhero stuff. Yes, it is intriguing to put the Punisher on trial, but come on, less suits and more tights please.

I shouldn't really worry however, as the dry lawyer stuff is counterbalanced by Matt playing hooky with Elektra. As with their relationship a decade before, now she is still exerting a bad influence on our horned hero. What is done to the professor who translates the Roxxon ledger is not much better than what the bad guys might have done. Daredevil and Elektra might as well have been mob enforcers.

Later when they pursue a shipment learned of from the ledger, the violence is extreme. It is almost as if Daredevil doesn't care how he's hurting his opponents and that Elektra has forgotten her promise not to kill. I enjoyed the scar discussion and was glad it didn't go where I thought it would, you know, Jaws territory. It was actually more like foreplay with no pay off.

Of course Matt's late night shenanigans with Elektra make him late for the opening remarks in the Punisher trial. Foggy has to step in, and as Elden Henson has throughout this series, supports the more powerful players. Where's his Emmy? When Elektra doesn't like being sidelined by Matt's day job, she tampers with a witness, bringing the brewing hostility between Matt and Foggy to a head.

The fight between Foggy and Matt is intense, and has been simmering since this show started. Now it threatens Matt's relationship with Karen. Matt brings all this anger to Elektra as Daredevil, and to the pseudo-Yakuza. As if to divert our attention from the emotional drama going on, Daredevil and Elektra discover the Yakuza are guarding a hole, with no bottom. Cue end credits.

Not my favorite episode, more of a placeholder really, the bane of binge-watching, but at least the story moved, character was revealed, and significant stuff happened. I just wanted more from it.

Next: Guilty as Sin!

Daredevil S02 E02: Dogs to a Gunfight

In this season's first episode of "Daredevil," we were introduced to Grotto, the Dogs of Hell, and the Punisher, and it wasn't bad. We were left with quite a cliffhanger with Daredevil appearing to be shot by the Punisher and falling from a rooftop, but first I wanted to say a few words about the Dogs of Hell motorcycle club, who meet their demise at the hands of the Punisher late in this episode.

Did they seem familiar? Well, it's not what you're thinking, they're not from the comics... they're from the Marvel Television Universe, specifically the one outside Netflix. The Dogs of Hell, Nevada branch at least, first appeared in the "Yes Men" episode of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." They were the slaves of Lorelei when Asgard's Lady Sif came to Earth to retrieve the sorcerous super-villainess. One could hope the New York branch isn't quite as dumb, but one would be wrong.

The pre-credits scene opens on the aftermath of the still-as-yet-unnamed Punisher's rampage through Metro General Hospital. Metro General has been a centerpiece of the Marvel Netfilx Universe so far, and this sequence is proof positive that Claire Temple, Night Nurse, does in fact have days off. Elden Henson shows his acting chops once again here searching rooftops for his friend Matt, and oh, the panic and fear when he finds him.

Like I predicted, Daredevil's not dead, just shot in the head. That is one strong cowl Melvin Potter built for him back in season one. I love the bromance/friendship between Matt and Foggy as seen here, brothers, spouses, lovers, they are all of them, and it's beautiful. Henson is at his best here, both caring for and chastising his friend at once.

Here also is the determination that the as-yet-unnamed Punisher is something different, something dangerous, a beast unlike what Daredevil has faced before. They see it each from their own perspective, their own angle on what this monster could do to their lives. I like this.

Karen and Foggy, while Matt is on forced 'sick leave,' are at the police station trying to get Grotto, wonderfully played by McCaleb Burnett, into witness protection. Officer Mahoney, Foggy's pseudo contact from last season, while namedropping Detective Clemons from "Jessica Jones," tells them the police know who this one-man army is, and he's bad news. Not like Daredevil at all, he makes people think twice about the whole hero/vigilante thing.

In the witness protection process, Foggy and Karen come up against a new adversary, but a familiar face. Michelle Hurd plays District Attorney Samantha Reyes who previously and briefly clashed with Jeri Hogarth and Jessica Jones in the last episode of her series. Foggy stands up to her like a champ - he is on fire this episode - and easily would make that Hogarth serpent take notice.

The next scene shows us for the first time close up the man Reyes' associate says is called 'the Punisher.' At a pawn shop he buys a police monitor to pick up encrypted codes, an illegal if fair purchase, but when the slimy clerk tries to up-sell the Punisher a little girl, he gets a bit upset with an aluminum baseball bat. I get his motivation, but his methods are what put the Punisher in the villain book for me.

Meanwhile at home, Matt is learning that getting shot in the head has seriously messed up not only his radar sense, but also his hearing. Eventually it comes back, but by then he has a visit from Karen to deal with. She relays what they've learned of the Punisher and offers her thoughts, that without Daredevil opening the door to this vigilante game, there wouldn't be men like the Punisher.

Next stop is the workshop of the aforementioned Melvin Potter, who in the comics is the Daredevil villain, the Gladiator. I so desperately want to see him as Gladiator, one of my fave DD foes, but I do like the dynamic as established here in the Netflix series. Like a blue collar Alfred Pennyworth, Potter is DD's armorer and weapons master. We rarely see superhero/civilian relationships like this that aren't master/servant or hero worship driven, and I'd like to see more. And yes, even he is surprised Matt survived being shot in the head. He'll do his best to repair the cowl, but it should be replaced. Some not so subtle foreshadowing there methinks.

One thing that television and film adaptations of comics usually fail at is showing how certain powers work. This series is one of the exceptions. Last season we got a great description of how DD's radar sense works in "World on Fire," but here as civilian Matt tracks the Punisher from the Irish bar last episode all the way to his lair, we see it in action. No dialogue, no explanation, but perfect execution.

In the midst of a trap set by Reyes to capture the Punisher, with Grotto as bait, Daredevil gets his rematch with the killer. Not only do we get an idea how smart the Punisher is, but we also get to see DD's new billy club in action as he ricochets it like Captain America's shield. It's a 'rain' fight beneath a water tower riddled with bullets for a great effect. As expected, the cowl is not great protection when the Punisher cracks him in the head with his own billy club.

As the police close in, Daredevil's radar sense begins to fail and the Punisher moves in to finish him off. When the cops get there, they're both gone. Fade to black, cue credits.

I said last time I had great reservations about this season of "Daredevil" featuring the Punisher and the as-yet-unseen Elektra, but if this exceptional episode is any indication, this is going to rock. I really loved this one.

Next: New York's Finest!

Daredevil S02 E01: Bang

I jumped right from "Jessica Jones" into the second season of "Daredevil," so I was already not happy, and what I knew about season two from interviews at Biff Bam Pop! here and here, before I even watched it, made me less happy.

I am not a fan of the Punisher in any way. He is not a hero, he is a villain, and the folks who cheer him as the former irk me no end. And while I respect the storytelling, I'm not a Frank Miller Daredevil fan, and I couldn't care less about Elektra. That the second season would be focused on these two characters ticked me off, more because I wanted Gladiator and Stilt-Man, who had Easter eggs and hints in the first season, than because I'd already seen multiple cinematic versions of Elektra and the Punisher, and had been left unimpressed. Nevertheless bring it on. I liked Daredevil, I wanted more of him.

As we open on a diamond heist, I get more of him. In pursuit of ruthless thieves through the streets of Hell's Kitchen, largely unseen or off-camera, Daredevil picks them off one by one. As they're collected by the cops, our hero stands on a rooftop and allows just the slightest smile. Yeah, I want more of him. But I'm afraid that the two guest-stars, Elektra and the Punisher will overshadow him. I got my fingers crossed.

With Daredevil covered, next we renew our acquaintance with the Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson friendship/partnership. It seems to have survived the first season well, and the two actors Charlie Cox and Elden Henson still have great chemistry. As they walk to work, the conversation veers in and out of Foggy's dating exploits and Matt's night work seamlessly.

Because of the events of the first season, business is booming for Nelson and Murdock, Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page has her capable hands full. The problem is that they're broke, they may be genuinely helping people but the fact is you can't run a law firm on fruit, pastries, and good intentions.

We switch scenes to focus on the Irish mob in Hell's Kitchen. The man Nesbitt is a Garth Ennis creation from his Punisher comics, and let that set the tone for this season. It's not Daredevil and Punisher, it is specifically Frank Miller's Daredevil and Garth Ennis' Punisher. I am not looking forward to this at all. Could I just have season two of "Jessica Jones" now please? I'm sure it will hurt less...

Like Nesbitt, Grotto is also from the comics, but more in line with street thugs and rent-a-henchmen like Turk. Here, he's tending bar at a meeting of the Irish mob. Nesbitt is talking big and making plans. Now with the Kingpin, the Russians, and the Chinese out of the way - thanks to 'the Devil,' the Irish can take back Hell's Kitchen, after all, historically it was once theirs. Right when Nesbitt is about to end his speech with a bang, he does, literally.

Everyone does. A crazed but precise barrage of bullets spray the room, killing all within, except Grotto, hiding behind the bar. It's a complete massacre, except for poor Grotto. We all know it's the Punisher even though we don't see him. Grotto escapes only to show up at Josie's later, looking for, coincidentally or not, Nelson and Murdock. He wants witness protection immediately. In the middle of telling his tale, he collapses. Grotto was shot after all.

A little investigation, between Officer Brett Mahoney, Turk, and Sagittarius (could this be a possible reference to the criminal organization known as Zodiac?) from the Dogs of Hell (more about them later) yield that a new crew, paramilitary in nature, has come to Hell's Kitchen to fill the void left by Wilson Fisk. Further investigation by Daredevil reveals that it's not a group, but one very well-trained sociopathic individual, one I'm sure we'll find is called the Punisher.

Just like the Purple Man in early episodes of "Jessica Jones," he stays out of frame or in the shadows. That doesn't stop a rooftop battle between Daredevil and this Punisher, one that ends with a bang and our hero falling off the roof. My bet is that DD isn't dead, just a hunch. The show is called "Daredevil" after all.

Despite trepidations, I liked this episode. I like our three leads and their chemistry is intact from the first season. I have not minded the Punisher thus far, although we haven't seen much of him. There were things that I didn't understand like the thugs on the meat hooks (why not just kill them?) and Daredevil yelling when he should be trying to be stealthy, but I can look past those things.

All in all, good start, bring it on...

Next: Dogs to a Gunfight!

Daredevil S01 E13: Daredevil

We open this final episode of the first season of "Marvel's Daredevil" with the funeral of Ben Urich. His death last episode makes the bloody credits sequence all the more poignant. This was a shocking death as Ben is still alive and well in the comics. And if you don't cry when Karen meets Ben's wife, I just can't help you.

Later in this finale written and directed by Steven S. DeKnight, Fisk confronts Owlsley over recent events. He knows he was behind the poisoning. The Owl thinks he has leverage but Kingpin doesn't care, and throws him down an elevator shaft. I guess I was right about Owlsley's son quite possibly being the real Owl. And Fisk, wow, between Urich, Owlsley, and Vanessa, he's got quite a mommy complex.

On the positive side, it's good to see Charlie Cox and Elden Henson bringing that great chemistry they have back to Nelson and Murdock, and Deborah Ann Woll's Karen just completes that triangle. This works, I wish it didn't have to break before it works again. With most of the cops on the take, the FBI is brought into the equation, and in that way, the good guys win the way Matt wanted it - through the law. Even Senator Cherryh is brought in. Only Fisk remains, and thirty minutes in, they have him too.

It's nice that the good guys win, but where is the superhero action, and especially the kind of action that has highlighted this series from the beginning? DeKnight knows this kind of action even when he doesn't show it. One of the more intense fight scenes is shown only in the subtle reactions on the blood-spattered face of actor Daryl Edwards as crooked cop Hoffman. We see nothing, but we feel everything.

After Wilson Fisk, in custody, on his way to confinement, tells his two guards the story of The Good Samaritan, all hell breaks loose. Vincent D'Onofrio, channeling Samuel L. Jackson from Pulp Fiction, speculates on which character from the tale he is. He used to think he was The Good Samaritan, but now he feels he is the ill intent that befell the man. That's when the NYPD ambushes the FBI... and we find that the Kingpin owns people everywhere.

With a showdown approaching and armed men in the streets, Matt goes to retrieve his body armor finally from Melvin Potter. In payment, he promised to keep Melvin's Betsy safe from Fisk. I've a feeling this might not be a promise Matt can keep and we'll be seeing Gladiator in the future especially after getting a glimpse circular saw blueprints. Either way, finally, it's our hero as he's most recognizable.

I don't like the costume. After seeing the lycra outfit that is so flexible and easily movable in, this plated body armor looks bulky, fake, and distracting. I had trouble believing he could move well in it. I don't believe leather and metal can bend like that. And I would have liked some explanation of the billy club, what it does… and how he got so good with it. I know I'm the guy who always wants the superhero trappings, but here, after a dozen episodes in simpler more believable garb, I just don't buy it. I should like it, but I don't.

Fisk has an escape plan, and a countdown to a meetup with Vanessa where they'll leave the city together. I don't think Daredevil will let him get away that easily. The combat is intense, but I have to say I was distracted by the costume for much of it. Besides Fisk, there are happy endings all around yet no explanations of how the police force was cleaned up, if it was, or any of that mess. I guess we'll have to wait for season two, and perhaps Fisk's trial.

At this point all we really know about season two is that there is one, sometime in 2016, and that Elodie Yung will be playing Elektra, and Jon Bernthal, formerly of "The Walking Dead," will be playing the Punisher. As someone likes the Punisher even less than Daredevil, I don't care much about that last one. There have been rumors of Bullseye too, but I already saw that in the Ben Affleck film. Personally, if I get Gladiator and the Stilt-Man, as teased in this series, I'll be happy.

If the rest of these Netflix series are as good as "Daredevil," I will be very happy. I really really dug this. Highly recommended.

Daredevil S01 E10: Nelson v. Murdock

The best friend is usually the last one to know. In the comics it seems that friendships and relationships outside the superhero business are kept in the dark far longer than those in the business. Oh sure, there are exceptions, notably employment situations as with Alfred Pennyworth and Batman, but for the most part, for every Thomas Kalmaku and Happy Hogan, there are dozens of James Gordons, Jimmy Olsens, Harry Osborns, and Etta Candys. And then there's Foggy Nelson.

Now as I've said before, I'm not a big Daredevil fan and the gaps in my comics knowledge of the character are large, but to me the character of Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson seems much more soap opera than the usual early Stan Lee fare. While Foggy is Matt Murdock's best friend, his law partner, and at the best of times, his conscience - the early comics portray him as almost a nebbishy comic relief sidekick, more of a Doiby Dickles than a Rick Jones. He was forever caught in that humiliating love triangle with Matt and Karen Page when he hopelessly pined after her while she was always in love with Matt.

And like a 1950s Lois Lane, he stupidly fell for Matt's ruse of having a twin brother Mike, to help cover up his secret identity. As lame as that trick was, I did dig the homage made in this series when Matt tells Night Nurse to call him Mike. Let's not even get into Karen's character as she also fell for Mike Murdock, and hard. But even as a kid, I looked at Foggy and I would never hire Nelson and Murdock - what if you got the dim half?

As the years go by, Foggy continued to be portrayed as ineffectual, and certainly various comics creators put him through hell. Bad marriage, unemployment, an on again/off again friendship/partnership with Matt - none of these things helped to strengthen his character. It's a sad state of affairs that he actually learns Daredevil's secret identity along with the rest of the world when he is outted by the press. And then, Foggy doesn't even believe it until he finds a beaten and battered Matt in costume, just as he did in our last episode.

I think the real turnaround for Foggy Nelson was in the much-maligned 2003 movie, and his portrayal by future founding father of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jon Favreau. A more gregarious personality and snappy aware dialogue saved him and made cool. And it's this version that Elden Henson mines in his Netflix version. On an interesting sidenote, Favreau also invigorated the similarly hated Happy Hogan in the Iron Man franchise. If I had my way, he'd play Steve Trevor in the upcoming Wonder Woman movie the same way.

In the last moments of "Speak of the Devil," a drunken Foggy came across the horribly beaten Daredevil in Matt's apartment, and is shocked to find its Matt under the mask. Well, at least it's better than reading it in the newspaper. We open as Matt wakes up. Night Nurse has been and gone, and Foggy is understandably angry. "Are you even blind?" launches us into the credit sequence and an "Arrow" style flashback.

Then, they were college roommates, fast friends with common backgrounds, and for Foggy, someone to look up to, and the perfect wingman. It's easy to see how betrayed he feels. The noose tightens when Karen calls and Foggy is forced to do the thing he hates Matt for - lie to someone he cares about.

Meanwhile Madame Gao, who along with Owsley is now all that's left of Fisk's legion of doom, takes a park bench meeting with the Kingpin. She delivers a warning and poses a question. Nobu's clan, who we almost certainly know is The Hand, has a long memory and will be taking their vengeance on Fisk. That's one, but more directly, Gao wants to know when Fisk will turn on her. She says he must decide if he is a savior or an oppressor, for he cannot be both.

Ben gets the bad news about his wife's care and decides to pack it in, giving all his notes to Karen. Under the premise of finding a home for Ben's wife, she has him drive her to a place far away, where she knows Wilson Fisk's mother is. This was a bit weird to me. Why didn't she just tell him, and save them both a lot of time? Speaking of Fisk, his benefit goes very bad very quickly. Poisoned champagne, with more than a few casualties, including possibly Vanessa. Somebody is going to pay...

We are also given, through the flashbacks, the last few pieces of Daredevil's origin. I was left wondering just how good friends were Matt and Foggy. At least how good a friend was Matt, while he's been lying to him for years. I have to admit to liking secret identities done realistically for once. Foggy's reaction to the truth is exactly what it should have been. I just wonder where this leaves their friendship as Foggy tosses their new firm sign in the trash.

As scenes change to address each member of the cast, one can't help but remember the last filler episode "Cut Man," where Matt was also incapacitated. This is a trick that works perhaps once a season, more than that, especially in a series meant to be binge-watched, it's a cliche. As we speed toward a conclusion, this is a solid STOP sign as opposed to merely a speed bump. Much happens and there's lot of good stuff here, but the trick is old and we can see the man behind the curtain.

There are some interesting tidbits in this episode. In Ben's office, among the newspaper clippings on his wall are those about the 'Battle of New York' and the 'Harlem Terror,' referencing the Chitauri invasion and the Hulk's rampage in Harlem, both from the Avengers movies. And in one of Foggy's flashbacks there is a case involving Roxxon, the oil corporation featured in both Iron Man 3 and "Agent Carter," which is constantly on the side of evil in the comics.

Daredevil S01 E04: In the Blood

Daredevil has not been making friends with the Russians. This episode we get a bit of background on the Ranskahov brothers, Anatoly and Vladimir, who run the human trafficking (and apparently gypsy cabs as well) in Hell's Kitchen. Daredevil has been hitting them hard, but I think now, they hit back hard. For their sakes, let's hope they pick their targets carefully.

Previous threads from the personal war against the Russians haven't been forgotten. Claire Temple is still playing Night Nurse from hiding on her cat-sitting job, and doing impromptu therapy, both physical and emotional, with our hero. Again, character chemistry is the name of the game here at "Daredevil."

The brothers Ranskahov, even though gaining Prohaska's holdings from "Rabbit in a Snowstorm," are still coming up short for their employer. Wesley mocks them openly, expressing disappointment from Madame Gao in drugs and Mr. Nobu, who some on the interwebs has suggested is affiliated with The Hand. Wesley requires they solve their masked vigilante problem, after all, it's not like he's got an iron suit or a magic hammer. Nice. The brothers are less than accommodating, pushing their luck. This could be bad for them, and is.

In the background, Karen Page fills time continuing to beat that United Allied dead horse, and is trying to convince Ben Urich to take the case. And I know Foggy Nelson exists solely as comic relief, but here, in this excellent show, his brief appearance in this episode seems a real waste of Elden Henson, especially when we've seen how good he can be in this series. Actually in this case and this episode, it's also a waste of the actors playing Karen and Ben as well.

Vincent D'Onofrio is quite intriguing as the Kingpin. One watches him as one might a new baby in a non-baby-safe house, or a feral cat rescued from the rain to one's dry home. He is subtle and fidgety, like a shy schoolboy asking the art dealer Vanessa (in the comics, his wife) out to dinner, yet the whole time he carries an air of menace, as if ready to explode at any second.

At dinner, D'Onofrio reveals slowly more of his motive, his backstory, if you will. He is charming, but his facial reactions betray the opposite. If Vanessa had any sense, she would run, run and not look back. All this, Vincent D'Onofrio does almost wordlessly. His is a performance to watch, amongst many. Let me say right here, right now, if the Emmys ignore "Daredevil," we will know who the real criminals are.

As for the Russians? Do not mess with the Kingpin. Ever. We know the face of true evil when Wilson Fisk beats Anatoly to death in the episode's brutal last moments. One could assume the Russians will fall in line now.

And mainstream action? We already know this show has some of the best action scenes ever filmed for TV. The dark sequence where Daredevil saves Night Nurse, neither going under those names yet, is beautiful, the master stroke of geniuses who know what fight scenes and action should be about. Love it, and can't wait for more.

Daredevil S01 E02: Cut Man

This episode introduces us to Claire Temple AKA Night Nurse, which is a bit of an anomaly, because in the comics, they're two different people. Here in the series she's played by Rosario Dawson, one of my favorite actresses, because of her talent, her looks, and that rooftop dance sequence in Clerks II. Be still, my heart.

We open on a trail of blood leading to a dumpster, in which Daredevil lies close to death. A neighbor kid taking out the trash alerts Claire, who he knows is a nurse. They bring Matt to her apartment. He's been beaten, stabbed, and refuses to go to the hospital. Whoever did this will kill everyone to get to him. He drops back into unconsciousness, and flashback territory.

Flashbacks have been an interesting storytelling tool so far in "Daredevil." Much like "Arrow," though notably less obvious and with smoother segueways, they not only tell us about the past and Daredevil's origins, but also shed light on the present day circumstances and predicaments. This one has a pre-accident Matty sewing up his dad after a big fight he lost by knockout. We get a sense of the boy's life, and his relationship with his father

In the comics, Claire Temple is purely supporting cast. She was originally Dr. Bill Foster's ex-wife. He himself a support character for a long time before he eventually became Black Goliath, then Giant-Man, and then Goliath before being killed by Thor's clone in the superhero Civil War. Yeah, I know, more than you wanted to know. She also spent some time as the on-again off-again love interest of Power Man, and that might be the key comic connection here as the third Marvel Netflix series will be "Luke Cage."

Despite being pulled from obscurity and recently gaining popularity under the pen of writer Brian Michael Bendis as a supporting character to Doctor Strange and the New Avengers, Night Nurse has been around much longer than most folks think. Linda Carter who would someday actually use the codename Night Nurse first appeared in the pre-Marvel Atlas Comic titled appropriately enough Linda Carter, Student Nurse way back in 1961.

A decade later when Stan Lee wanted to introduce comics to interest girls specifically, in some cases created by women, he brought out The Cat, a super cool heroine who later spun off into two other super cool heroines, Tigra and Hellcat; Shanna the She-Devil, who would later partner with another Savage Land jungle hero, Ka-Zar; and Night Nurse. In this last one, he reintroduced Linda along with two colleagues in this tense drama, hospital-based with no apparent connection to Marvel's superhero universe. Sadly these comics didn't last long, but the characters were remembered and loved.

Bendis brought Linda Carter back in a 2004 Daredevil comic, where she had taken on the name Night Nurse. Now a doctor, and having been saved at some point by a superhero, she had decided to pay it forward, giving medical aid to superheroes who needed it. Her first few 21st century appearances involved heroes from the Marvel Netflix series - Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, so it's really no wonder the character has been included here. One might imagine the merging of Claire with Night Nurse could also be to avoid confusion with that other superhero actress Lynda Carter.

Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple is very much the Good Samaritan, almost a soulmate for the Nelson and Murdock law office. And she works well with Charlie Cox, all of the actors so far are perfect fits. The details she gets from the beaten Matt are sketchy and elusive, no matter how she tries to pry his secrets from him, yet she helps him. It's the right thing to do. I can't express how nice it is to see so many good characters in a grim and gritty superhero show. Claire gets her superhero wings in this episode.

Of all the good things I can say about this episode, it must be said, and it must be recognized - "Cut Man" is what would be considered on network a filler episode. The thrust of the story is simple, but surrounding it, and supporting it are character and plot bits, like the flashbacks mentioned above. We get to see what wonderful chemistry Elden Henson's Foggy and Deborah Ann Woll's Karen have. Both actors continue to impress.

Much of the support, the flashbacks, involve Matt's father's fight with the young Crusher Creel. It's a fight in which the elder Murdock is supposed to take a fall, but wins by knockout. It's his last. I imagine we will be seeing bits and pieces of the complete Daredevil origin in this way throughout the series. The father/son theme is strong as the kidnapping of a boy from his dad is the case that gets Matt beaten by the Russians to begin with.

Again there is that unbearable level of evil to the villains. Even the police have been infiltrated. The Russians and their human trafficking were among Daredevil's first targets. And of course at the end we are treated to another amazing fight scene, this time with a fixed camera in the confined space of a hallway, nice. I am loving this.