*Spoilers Ahead*
Wilson Fisk is not well. Truthfully, he’s never been well and we finally get to find out what shaped him into the man he currently is. It turns out, much as Matt was shaped by his father, Wilson was as well.
Fisk’s father, Bill, is abusive to both Wilson and his mother and eventually blames them for his failed attempt to get on the city council. Like Jack Murdock, Bill Fisk is a man struggling to make ends meet and desperate to prove himself. Unlike Jack, though, Bill seems to resent his son or at least resents how his son currently is. He wants to build a king out of Wilson and by the end of this episode the path there is a little more clear.
We follow Fisk for much of this episode and it gives D’Onofrio a chance to really dig into the role. We see the repetitiveness of Kingpin’s morning. Waking up from nightmares about his past, he stares at the painting he bought from Vanessa before making himself breakfast and wearing the same suit with the same cufflinks. Wilson’s life is one with the illusion of choice, he has many different cufflinks to pick from but he always chooses his father’s.
To make matters more stressful for him, his associates are not happy with the way things have been going now that Daredevil is hot on the trail of them. Wilson appears to be losing control and even he worries that this might be the case. He’s able to regain his confidence, as well as break out of the monotony of his morning routine, when Vanessa pays him a visit. He finally has clarity, the nightmares are still there but at least he has someone to comfort him now.
He’s also finally able to confide in someone about his past. After being forced to look at the wall as he listens to Bill beat his mother, Wilson finally strikes back. He kills his father, the scene itself is brutal and his mother’s reaction stings even more. “Get the saw.” The scene is an effective closer to the flashbacks, we don’t need to see anymore of Wilson’s past, we already saw the moment of transformation. Much like Matt being blinded, Wilson Fisk is different after this. He becomes blind emotionally and only until he met Vanessa was he able to bring those emotions out.
Elsewhere, Matt is brought into the Union Allied story when he overhears Foggy and Karen talking about it. He plans on helping them but only wants it done legally. Matt seems uneasy with his friends getting drawn into Fisk’s machinations and it seems a bit hypocritical of Matt to tell his friends to abide by the law when he clearly doesn’t.
Matt also finds out about Ben Urich and pays him a visit as Daredevil to give him info on Wilson Fisk. Urich is unsure about taking the info from a man who just got pinned with murdering cops but he takes the hunch. Fisk proves to be one step ahead however.
He holds a press conference to reveal his plans to improve Hell’s Kitchen and gets a hero’s welcome. The Kingpin is finally born, Fisk is no longer in the shadows but with the spotlight now on him does it become easier or harder to take him down?
Bits ‘n Pieces
- Did that morning montage set to classical music give anybody else some Hannibal flashbacks? Maybe I’m just ready for that show to come back.
- I’m really enjoying the dynamic between Wilson and Wesley. They seem to have an actual fondness for each other that is lacking in a lot of “crime boss and his assistant” pairings.
- Madame Gao gets some time to shine this week and I’m under the distinct impression that she is definitely going to reappear somewhere past this season.
- “How much are each of those years worth to you? In round figures?”
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