*Spoilers Ahead*
With just two episodes left in the season Daredevil unleashes it’s best episode yet by putting it’s spotlight on an unlikely character. Until now, Wesley has mainly been Wilson Fisk’s assistant and while Toby Leonard Moore has had a few moments to show his devotion to Fisk this episode makes it clear just how committed he is to the Kingpin’s cause.
Wesley mourns Vanessa, who has been put into a coma after the poisoning, with Wilson and the two share a great scene together where Fisk attempts to explain his gratitude to him. It feels genuine and humanizes both men. It also contrasts with Leland Owlsley who, despite a woman foaming at the mouth in front of him, is more concerned about whether he needs to be checked out.
Wesley eventually discovers, through Fisk’s mother, that Karen and Ben paid her a visit and now know what really happened to Fisk’s family. Seeing the grief that Vanessa’s situation has caused his employer, Wesley decides to take care of the situation himself and kidnaps Karen. The scene between the two of them is tense as Karen is berated and her loved ones threatened by Wesley in order to ensure her silence. Wesley even gets to deepen his character further by explaining that he actually could care less about Hell’s Kitchen. What Wesley cares about isn’t the city, it’s Wilson Fisk and his beliefs. Karen refuses to remain silent however, she’s been victimized too much and she isn’t going to let it happen again. Wesley underestimates her and it ultimately leads to his death as she manages to take the gun that he leaves on the table and put a bullet through him. Wesley’s death should have been obvious given how much focus he was getting but it still surprised me and the effects this will have on Fisk likely won’t be good for anyone.
Elsewhere, Matt, still reeling from his conversation with Foggy, gets back into his suit to hunt down Melvin Potter, the man who creates Fisk’s Kevlar-lined suits. The show even manages to twist expectations of this story by revealing Melvin to be an unbalanced man who does what Fisk says out of fear for his girlfriend. There was no need to expand upon Melvin, other than that we’ll most likely see him turn up again, if his comic book persona is any indication, but the writers did it anyway and ended up making a character where there could have easily been a cliche. Eventually, Melvin agrees to make Matt a suit with the agreement that he will take down Fisk.
Daredevil has spent a considerable amount of it’s time this season making it’s villains just as realistic as it’s heroes. This episode is a testament to that ideal and shows that even villains need a righteous cause to believe in. We’re surely heading towards an epic confrontation between Kingpin and Daredevil and in the end it’s going to all come down to who believes in their cause more.
Bits ‘n Pieces
- Turk Barrett gets to return this week to get beat up by Daredevil and give up Potter’s name. I’m personally hoping we’ll see more of him next season.
- Claire also gets to show up for a little bit, mainly to be written out of the story.
- We get a nice nod to Melvin Potter’s Gladiator persona when he starts throwing circular saws at Matt.
- “You were supposed to go away, Ms. Page. Fade back into…wherever people like you fade.”
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