While Murdock, Foggy and Karen's mission becomes clearer, Fisk's world spins further out of control in his battle for Hell's Kitchen.While Murdock, Foggy and Karen's mission becomes clearer, Fisk's world spins further out of control in his battle for Hell's Kitchen.While Murdock, Foggy and Karen's mission becomes clearer, Fisk's world spins further out of control in his battle for Hell's Kitchen.
Featured reviews
Wilson
Respect. You gotta give it if you want it
Fisk's origins are shown in this episode as we see a stark contrast between his childhood and Matt's. The obvious comparison is there relationship to their respective fathers. Matt respected and loved his father through his belief and admiration of him. Fisk respected and loved his father through the fear and punishment that his father provoked. Seeing both of their fathers die was truly traumatic moments for both but more for Fisk, as he was the one to actually kill him. This shows greatly in the opening scene, as the white painting he bought is used to comfort him, like the drywall that he stared at to help comfort him as a child, him being alone in his apartment as well as seeing himself as the tortured little kid. It was also compelling to see Vanessa comfort Fisk when he tells her this story to the point where she understands and even sleeps with him.
Matt gets a great chance to expose Fisk as one of the cops that was shot, under the orders of Fisk, during the Russian bombing nights, had woken up. Unfortunately, the cop's partner had poisoned him so the cop had died, but Matt had gotten enough from the dying cop to at least drag Fisk from the shadows, with the help from Ben.
However, this is all thrown out the window as, most likely from the influence of Vanessa, Fisk publicly comes forward to help the city, making himself appear the savior so that anything Ben writes about him being a behind the scenes manipulator seems pointless. This changes thing for Matt and his crew as now they have to prove that this great man is evil and not just reveal him.
Another good part in this episode is Madame Gao meeting with Fisk. She clearly has true power that Nobu, Fisk and Owlsley sort of cower behind. Telling him that he has grown careless, mostly due to his love for Vanessa, engineered a tremendous response from Fisk.
+ Fisk's backstory and its contrast to Matt's + Fisk falling apart but building himself back up publicly + Matt gets closer yet farther + D' Onofrio's performance
Final Score: 9.1/10
A King is Born
The opening scene with the classical music mixed with the haunting images of young Wilson's bloody face along with Wilson's colorless life now was horrifying to watch. D'Onofrio's performance is growing on me as he is no longer a one note powerful businessman. He is a tortured soul that truly believes what he's doing is right. The scene in the episode with Mahoney and Fisk discussing how to take out his partner made it clear that Fisk would rather not do the dirty work, instead he wishes to brush the horrors of his youth onto other people. His father forced him to become a 'man' and beat another person up. In turn, he ended up killing his own father using that same rage. It almost felt like Fargo season 1 all over again with that hammer. So he forces Mahoney into injecting a poison into his own partners body to put him to rest and to get rid of any tracks that led Fisk to his murder. Then to see Fisk give the ending speech to 'save' the city, showed us that Fisk easily has the upperhand and it's going to take a whole lot to stop him.
Fisk is awkward and actually not the most powerful on the show. As you see by the last scene, there are others that are even pulling the strings behind him. So with an abuse scene and just an overall bloody and murderish episode, this didn't feel like Marvel at all. But I think the show is heading in the right direction. Hopefully soon we will finally get the meeting between Fisk and Murdock that we have all been waiting for.
+Fisk is humanized, sort of.
+Poetically tragic opening scene
+The trio catches up with each other
-The abuse tended to go a little far
8.3/10
Very Clever !
Story Telling At Its Finest
As stated by Mark Drufke in his review "A King is Born", the opening seen is horrifying to watch. Fisk viewing his bloodied child face instead of his own explains where he is trapped mentally, in a horrific memory of his childhood, when he murdered his father (covered powerfully, later in this episode where the reason with his obsession with his cuff links and for the painting he bought from Vanessa's art gallery becomes clear).
What took it to the next level for me was the imagery used to show Fisk's new sense of self, when after a moment of crisis, he bares his soul to Vanessa and she accepts him, offering absolution and support. The scene cuts away to the next morning when he wakes from his recurring nightmare. He begins to turn to the painting, stops and turns instead to Vanessa who is now in bed with him. Next his solitary dressing routine is altered by Vanessa's presence when she chooses his outfit, and very importantly a different pair of cuff links for Fisk to wear (watch the episode and you'll understand). When Fisk views himself in the mirror with Vanessa in the background, he sees himself as he is now rather than the bloody child, breaking his horrific cycle. I won't go into greater detail about what happens after but I get the sense that Fisk has turned a corner, dealing with his self-hatred and doubt, and with his new found sense of self, he will be an even more potent enemy and greater danger to Daredevil.
Story-telling at its finest. Truly 10/10
Did you know
- TriviaLeland Owlsley and Wilson Fisk have a meeting in Melvin Potter's workshop. During their discussion Owlsley can be seen getting his measurements done for a new green suit. This is a nod to the comics version of Owlsley, also known as the super villain/crime lord The Owl, who usually wears a green cape that lets him glide through the air.
- GoofsMatt is seen waking up on sheets that are clearly not silk but some sort of cotton judging by the wrinkles, yet he had told Stick that he has silk sheets as cotton feels like sandpaper on his skin.
- Quotes
Ben Urich: [a Typed Editorial Heard Read in Voice Over] 'You get what you deserve'. It's an old saying. One that survived the years, because it's true. For the most part. But not for everyone. Some get more than they deserve. Because they believe they aren't like everyone else. That the rules, the ones people like me and you, the people that work and struggle to live our lives, just live, don't apply to them. That they can do anything and live happily ever after, while the rest of us suffer. They do this from the shadows. Shadows that we cast. With our indifference. With a pervasive lack of interest in anything that doesn't directly affect us, we, in the here and now. Or maybe it's just the shadow of weariness. Of how tired we are, struggling to claw our way back to a middle class that no longer exist, because of those who take more than they deserve. And they keep taking, until all that's left for the rest of us is a memory of how it used to be before the corporations and the bottom line decided we didn't matter anymore. But we do. You and I, the people of this city we still matter. There's someone in Hell's Kitchen that doesn't share this belief. He's been among us for quite some time. You've never heard his name. You've never seen his face. He's stayed in the shadows. Because men like him, men that want to control our city, our lives, fear the light and what it reveals. This man must no longer be allowed to operate in the darkness. If he has nothing to hide, let him step forward.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Cloak & Dagger: Ghost Stories (2018)
Details
- Runtime
- 53m
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
- 16:9 HD