The Man in the Box

Not quite as good as the previous episode - it lacks any truly ferocious action sequences - but still very good. The world is chaotic, the sub-plots are numerous, the actors all putting in good work here. Just what we want to see...

If you were going to jump off this train, I think this is the place to do it.

"Man in the Box" opens with the city on a manhunt for the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), who we last saw escaped from maximum security and a near execution orchestrated by the Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio). Now it seems like he's out for revenge, although Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) doesn't buy it, as the random and seemingly indiscriminate violence throughout the episode isn't really his M.O. In the B story, Dardevil (Charlie Cox) attempts to figure out what weird plans the Hand or whoever has in store for a series of individuals it seemed to have been bleeding last episode - literally. He gets him to his former would-be paramour Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) at the hospital where she works, but that only heightens the mystery - and worse. Will Daredevil figure out what's going on in Hell's Kitchen? And will Karen save the Punisher from a city that's against him? That's the episode.

And for me it was a disappointing one, because besides copious uses of the word "shit" (which sticks out like a sore thumb for me when there's no other profanity), I thought the action sequences - particularly in the battle at the end between Elektra (Elodie Yung) and a mysterious opponent played by Gilles Marini - were poorly shot, and thus clearly choreographed and boring. I found this particularly noticeable when compared to the exceptional directing of the previous episode, and the science fiction-esque ending put the stamp on my feeling that this series may have run its course. I think it's worth watching because it moves the story along, but between all these and a somewhat embarrassing scene between Daredevil and the Kingpin early on, it makes me nervous for Daredevil's television future. Hoping it pulls back together before this season is done, because any more of this will have me wishing it was me that was blind.

It can only be said about this series that it is a masterpiece. The design of this series is excellent. This episode was also one of the best episodes.

We have come to a point in this season in which Hell's Kitchen is in the midst of absolute chaos. The Hand is taking over, Frank is out of prison, Foggy is hospitalized, the law firm is in shambles, and really nobody knows who to trust. This section of New York City has earned its Devilish name for the wrong reasons and at this point in time, there doesn't seem to be much hope.

In large part, this was an action-less episode, but it didn't feel any less eventful. Matt, Karen, and Foggy attended Reyes' mandatory meeting to talk about Frank's escape, which ended in some serious bloodshed. Of course, we don't really see who's behind the shooting, but I think we are supposed to infer that it's the Blacksmith? Especially since Frank gave himself up to Karen and saved her from the later shooting. If there was a positive that came from the shooting, it was Reyes admitting to her mistake at the "Sting" and confirming that the Blacksmith is still a lingering threat.

Speaking of threats, how fun was it seeing Matt go visit Fisk in jail and them share various threats back and forth? Despite Fisk not having a physical presence for most of the season, you got the sense that the ramifications of last year were still weighing on Matt and everyone else involved, so it was nice seeing that come to a forefront this week. It also seemed to foreshadow potential story lines next season with all of the dialogue between them.

The other major arc from this episode came by the victims of the Hand's experiments and their "recovery" in the hospital. Rosario Dawson reprised her role once again as she took care of the patients before they went crazy and killed people as they looked expressionless during the final moments of the episode. Quite the grim ending to a very ominous episode to begin with.

+Fisk/Murdock meeting

+Ominous tone

+Reyes takes the heat

8.3/10

I've been noticing this entire year how the fight scenes haven't been on par with the first season. As another reviewer mentioned, it doesn't look seamless like it did in season 1. What happened? How amazing the fights looked, and how different from any other show I've seen, just went away. Different directors? I don't know. But this and many other season 2 episodes look amateurish compared to last season. What a bummer. The story still has me excited to see where it's going, but for me this whole season is a let down from the previous one.