Daredevil - S1E10 - Nelson v. Murdock
Previously on Daredevil, ‘Speak of the Devil’
“We’re gonna be the best damn avocados this city’s ever seen.”
‘Nelson v. Murdock’ resumes immediately after last episode’s world-shattering cliffhanger. Matt awakens bloodied, bruised, and unmasked in Foggy’s apartment and must deal with the consequences of his actions in the harsh light of day. Apparently, Claire paid the two a visit while Matt was unconscious and patched him up before going along her merry way. Nevertheless, Foggy is pissed. The revelation that The Masked Vigilante of Hell’s Kitchen is his best friend is a complete betrayal of his trust.
The episode spends most of its time cutting back and forth to the early years of Matt and Foggy’s friendship beginning in their freshman year of college. The bit of world-building the showrunners establish is great:
Foggy sports long unkempt hair and a goatee, slow internet connection, and Train’s ‘Drops of Jupiter’ is playing in the background of their dorm. Their initial meeting is quite charming what with Foggy wondering if he’s being tactless about Matt’s blindness. His honest way of treating Matt endears him to his new roommate and future partner, and we see the groundwork to their friendship laid before us.
It’s great that Foggy gets a lot of spotlight in this episode. He’s always been a foil to Matt’s character and his cheerful personality has always shone brightly in a violent and gritty world such as Daredevil‘s. Their shared childhood growing up in Hell’s Kitchen aside, Foggy has a led a completely different life, free from the tragedies that have plagued both Matt and Wilson’s pasts. I mean, his mother wanted him to become a butcher for crying out loud! Showcasing Matt and Foggy’s friendship only deepens the pain of the eroded trust between the two. The fact that Foggy later trashes the newly minted Nelson & Murdock plaque is all the more heart-wrenching in light of everything that’s happened.
“Man cannot be both savior and oppressor.”
All is not running smoothly in Wilson’s camp as well. He’s dealing with a lot of pressure in what’s left of his Criminal Cabal what with Madame Gao and Owlsley vocalizing their distaste for Vanessa. Despite their varied approaches to broach the subject with Fisk, one thing is clear: his new girlfriend is a liability, a distraction from his missions, and she has got to go.
It’s important to note the parallels between Matt and Wilson this episode as important members of their inner circle have lost faith in them respectively.
Wilson’s storyline this episode takes a decidedly more tragic turn when people at his fundraiser gala start dropping dead after drinking poisoned champagne. Among these victims is Vanessa, who starts foaming at the mouth before collapsing in Wilson’s arms. As the episode comes to a close, we’re all left wondering: With Matt recovering in Foggy’s apartment, who else is out to get Fisk?
Side Notes:
- Fisk’s terrible Chinese accent really took me out of the moment in the conversation he was having with Madame Gao. E for Effort, though.
- The introduction of Ben’s sick wife Doris shows us what’s really at stake here for him and further delves into the character’s motivations.
- Did it feel a bit duplicitous of Karen to fool Ben into accompanying her to that nursing home as a ruse to unveil her discovery of Wilson Fisk’s mother?
- It’s pretty safe to assume Madame Gao poisoned Vanessa right?
- I guess Foggy’s prediction that Punjabi would be the most sought-after language to learn in the future didn’t turn out the way he expected.
- Did we just get hints at the existence of Elektra in the MCU? This is awesome.
