Daredevil is a Netflix exclusive television series set in the Earth-11584 continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is the second such show, following 2014's Luke Cage, and is the second iteration of the comic book character of the same name (following the 2003 movie starring Ben Affleck.) The series stars Charlie Cox as the title character, with Vincent D'Onofrio portraying his arch rival the Kingpin. Unlike other characters in the MCU, there have been only a few references to Daredevil existing in this continuity.
Synopsis
In his own hometown of Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood in Manhattan, blind lawyer Matt Murdock is attempting to make his own way both as an attorney for hire, and as a masked vigilante at night, all in an attempt to bring down the so-called Kingpin of crime, who has taken over the various underworld factions and is consolidating his power. Together with the aides of his civilian partners Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, Murdock's attempts to balance the devils and angels in all of us will dangerously make him walk the line between hero, and villain.
Episode List
Episode 1. Opening Bell
We open at night near the docks in lower Manhattan, where a ship is unloading women off and into transports on the street. The women are barely clothed, obviously cold, and frightened, forced into the transports by gunpoint. We see several armed thugs herding them around like cattle, each speaking of moving the women for someone named Nobu. Suddenly there is a commotion near the ship, and two of the guards go to check it out. They are quickly taken out by a shadowy figure dressed in black. The other guards hurry the remainder of the women onto the trucks and check out where their compatriots are, only to be taken out as well. The hooded figure approaches the last crook, who drops his gun in fear and tries to run away, only to be taken out by a billy club thrown right at his head. The man opens the doors to the trucks and speaks to the women in Mandarin, saying that they should get to a nearby halfway house that can get them in contact with their embassy in New York, before disappearing back into the night as the Daredevil title sequence plays.
We see a flashback sequence with a young Matt Murdock, watching his father fight on tape delay on television, holding a bag of ice over his busted lip. Jack Murdock comes up behind him and turns off the TV just as he is knocked down. Jack tells Matt this is why he shouldn't be fighting, Murdocks always take a punch but can't always fight back. Matt says he just wants to be like his Dad, but Jack replies that Matt should want to be better than him, smarter than him, with a better career than him. He asks Matt what started the fight, and the younger Murdock says it was the rumor that some kids were insulting him and the fact that his family is divorced. Jack says not to let the world get him down, it's been tough for them, but things are going to turn around soon. We cut back to present day, where Matt Murdock wakes up in his bed, his eyes glazed over as opposed to the youthful gaze he once had. He slowly starts his day with a cup of coffee and a newspaper, wincing at his injured ribs which were hurt in the fight the night before. He eventually leaves the apartment, meeting up at a small office that reads Murdock and Nelson. There, we meet Matt's law partner, Foggy Nelson, and the two go over their lack of cases since setting up shop just a few weeks prior. Matt insists they can make a difference in this down and out neighborhood, but Nelson is more skeptical, saying optimism doesn't ever pay the bills.
In a nearby high-rise, we see Karen Page walking in a hurried fashion to her desk, a folder of paperwork in her hands. She walks around a corner and accidentally bumps into an older gentleman from behind. She at first apologizes profusely, before seeing that she bumped into the boss of the firm, Leland Owlsley. She then apologizes even more, much to Owlsley's amusement, before he helps pick up her papers and sends her on her way. As she walks away, his smile turns to a scowl and he turns back to the Japanese man he was talking to just outside his office. He tells him he'll meet with the group later that evening at the worksite, and not to darken his doorstep in his legitimate business again. We follow Leland into his office, where he picks up a phone and speaks with a man named Fisk, requiring his presence at a meeting that evening. In her own office, we see Karen look through the paperwork she had in her hands, going over some plans for a building nearby. She looks at a business card that reads Ben Urich on the outside, and then slams both the folder and the card into her purse before leaving.
At a local bar in Hell's Kitchen, Matt and Foggy are sharing a drink together, talking about their time in law school together. Foggy mentions his family, having grown up in an affluent area of New York City. He tells Matt that he often doesn't speak of his father, which Matt responds by saying his father died when he was a kid, nothing more than that. Matt takes a drink of his beer and the camera cuts back to a gym where a young Matt is watching his father train. He is approached by a woman who identifies herself as his mother, and Matt virtually ignores her, intent on watching Jack Murdock in the ring. Jack sees this and comes over, getting into an argument with the woman. She says that Matt doesn't need to be seeing Jack get his brains beat in all the time, which Jack says he has to train to make ends meat. She threatens to have the courts take Matt away from him altogether, which causes Jack to relent a bit and allow her to take Matt away. The scene cuts back to Matt in the bar, a look of daydreaming clear on his face. Foggy sees a woman walk into the bar and goes over to talk to her, and we see it was Karen Page from before. She doesn't show much interest in the drunken Nelson, but does finally accept their business card as a way to chase them off. Matt seems to notice something wrong with her, but says nothing.
In an empty building front high above Hell's Kitchen, Leland Owlsley appears with a couple of goons as protection. They are approached by a Japanese man named Nobu, as well as an elderly Chinese woman whom they address as Gao. They converse amongst themselves as best they can, Owlsley complaining about the cold and the fact that nobody else there speaks English. They are suddenly greeted by a man named Wesley, who apologizes for Mr. Fisk not being able to attend. Owlsley is incensed, annoyed by Fisk'd duplicity, but Wesley insists that Mr. Fisk had other pressing matters to attend to. They discuss their current operations, centered around gaining control of the drug trade throughout New York and continuing to muscle the old Manfredi crime family out of place. Nobu, through an interpreter, mentions that one of his trafficking shipments was hit by some masked vigilante, which gets Gao's attention briefly, but they quickly dismiss it as a one time thing. Wesley asks if Owlsley has found any information concerning where the leaks of their organization is coming from, and Owlsley says that he has a few possible candidates that will be tied up soon.
Meanwhile, Matt is patrolling the rooftops of the city, near some apartments. He hears a commotion in one of them and he rushes inside to find three men attempting to attack Karen Page. He beats them down, nearly throwing one out of a window, and they escape before they can Matt can interrogate any of them. Karen thanks him for his efforts and asks him not to leave, but Matt says he has other places to be and other people to protect. He tells her to call a friendly lawyer if she needs one, and Matt leaves just as quickly as he came in. Karen looks into her purse and finds the business card of Nelson and Murdock, staring at it as the episode ends.
Episode 2. Feeling Out
We open in the newsroom of the New York Herald, seeing a man furiously typing away on his computer, a cigarette puffing in his mouth. The phone rings next to his desk, causing him to hit a button and answer "Urich." The voice on the other line, which we recognize as Wesley from before, speaks quickly about rescheduling a meeting between his client Mr. Fisk and Urich that was supposed to happen the next day. Urich complains that this is the third time Fisk has canceled on him, but Wesley insists that it's nothing personal, merely a reflection of Mr. Fisk's busy schedule. Urich tells him to get back with him with a proper date and hangs up. He gets another phone call almost immediately, and we hear it's Karen Page. Urich stops his typing and turns on a recorder, especially after she says that she is fearful for her life. She asks Ben if she should get legal representation, and Urich says that lawyers always complicate things, it's best to go on her own, but to do what she feels comfortable with. Page doesn't respond for a moment, before agreeing with Ben. Ben again presses her that it may be time to meet face to face, but Karen isn't so sure. She thinks that Owlsley might be on to her leaking to the press about shoddy construction and bad finance rackets in Hell's Kitchen, but Ben tells her to stay strong. He perks up again when she mentions something about a devil nearby, but just as quickly the interest passes.
The next morning in a church, Matt Murdock is confessing his sins with Father Lantom. Matt asks if the good man who goes to war can ever truly be saved. The Father replies that he has never seen himself as the purveyor of God's forgiveness, rather the shepherd that leads men towards salvation. He says the shepherd must be conscious of the whole flock, even the noblest sheep who sometimes goes astray. He can't and doesn't approve of Matt's methods, but says that sometimes even the angels need a sharp sword, and thus he can't sit in judgement either. As Murdock is leaving the church, he gets a call on his cellphone from Foggy, telling him that the girl from the previous night is in their office, and to hightail it over there as soon as possible. Murdock walks in on Page and Nelson, apologizing for his tardiness. Page explains that for the last three years she has worked for a financial company run by financeer Leland Owlsley. The name immediately perks up Murdock and Nelson, with each saying the Owlsley was rumored to be linked to Silvermane but it could never be proven. Page nods her head, saying that she's been trying to find a link herself after she saw something...something she couldn't quite explain. Matt tries to press her on it, but she says that she can't go into greater detail. She admits she's been feeding information to Ben Urich, and that she might finally have something that can bring Owlsley and his new partner down, if she can get it published soon. Urich is still tied up with this Kingpin nonsense, which Nelson dismisses as fantasy, the very notion of one guy controlling all the crime in New York. Karen agrees to go to work for them now, having quit her job with Owlsley and having all the data she needs, just waiting for the opportune time. She also agrees to take a job as their secretary, for the time being.
In their office, Matt and Foggy discuss her motives and what information she might have, Foggy saying that this could make their career not just as attorneys, but as a name to be reckoned with. Matt is far more interested in the "myths" of the Kingpin of crime she mentioned, wondering if Owlsley could have started working for him. Matt thinks back to his childhood, seeing his father work in a boxing ring through a window, having snuck away from his mother. He sees a group of men approaching his father, handing him some money and a note. Jack nods his head disappointingly. The following night, Matt is listening to his father's fight on a transistor radio, hearing his father doing well, right up until the fifth round, when he loses by knockout. Matt stares blankly at the wall, as we cut back to the present day and Matt staring blankly at the chair Foggy has vacated. Matt mutters to himself that everything can be connected, no matter how much you don't want to believe it.
In a upscale garden, Owlsley and Wesley are walking along until they meet Madame Gao. Leland apologizes for not speaking Chinese, but Gao responds in English, saying that she can speak it when she wants to. She explains that a new shipment of resources is coming into Manhattan, something that their mutual friend would find very interesting. Wesley makes note of it, while Owlsley simply asks why its worth the expense, to which Gao replies that life is always worth any expense, particularly, extending it. Wesley walks away and gets on his phone, calling his boss. We cut to an office building in Hell's Kitchen, overlooking much of the city, and the camera pans up to see Wilson Fisk smoking a cigar, speaking on speaker phone. He tells Wesley to make sure the shipment is well protected, as it is vital to their plans in the future. When Wesley asks if Leland needs to know, Fisk merely replies that all Owlsley is good for is keeping the money train rolling. He hangs up the phone and turns around, seeing his wife staring at him. She asks him what that was all about, to which Wilson replies, living forever.
Episode 3. Stick and Move
We open on a flashback of the young Matt Murdock, a few years beyond what we had seen before. The blinded youth is stumbling through a back alleyway, tears leaking from his eyes, glazed over from an accident months prior. Matt trips on a garbage can land and finds himself face down in the gutter, before another man helps him to his feet. He asks the youngster if he has any place to go, and Matt stubbornly shakes his head. The man repeats the question, telling Matt he'll have to speak an answer. Matt asks why that is and the man says it's because he's like him...blind. He calls himself Stick, and he invites Matt in out of the rain. We cut back to the modern day, where rain is falling outside Matt's apartment. He slowly stumbles in from the night, beaten up and bloodied. He removes the black hood protecting his identity and places the billy clubs in a lockbox underneath a table. He stops when he hears something on the other side of the room, and then laughs to himself. He calls out, "Hello old man." The camera cuts back and sees an aged Stick, standing on the other side of the room.
In another part of town, Leland Owlsley is working late when he is approached by Wesley on behalf of Wilson Fisk. Owlsley scoffs at Wilson "being late again" but Wesley reminds the financeer that he is just here to do the books, not necessarily do all the heavy lifting. After all, it was Fisk's work that covered up Owlsley's money laundering connections to the Manfredi family and chased Silvermane all the way to Harlem and Queens and out of Hell's Kitchen. Leland again scoffs, sarcastically replying about how magnanimous it was for Fisk to put all his competition out of business and then find it in his generous heart to let little old me get a job working for him. "Humanitarian of the Year." Wesley gets down to business, wanting to discuss the importation of certain artifacts from East Asia that they will need in the future. Leland says the import licenses are all in place and the contracts signed. The bad part is bringing these items along with a shipment of human trafficking is dangerous business. Wesley wonders how Leland knew about that, considering the cover story was supposed to be drugs as a throw off from the feds. Leland replies it's always his business to know these things, and not to leave him out of the loop again.
Back in Matt's apartment, Stick explains to Matt that he has come back to New York for a specific reason. Matt says he's not sure he wants to know the reason why Stick is here, given the argument between the two of them the last time they talked. Stick shrugs it off as ancient history, but that he's been sent to New York specifically because of the Hand. Matt repeats he doesn't want to know, and that he isn't interested in whatever war Stick is trying to fight. All he's interested in is protecting the streets of Hell's Kitchen as best he can. Stick laughs, saying that their two goals aren't mutually exclusive; fighting the Hand and fighting injustice in Hell's Kitchen are the same thing. Matt replies that the enemy of my enemy doesn't make him my friend. Stick laughs again, saying Matt remembered well. We get intercut scenes of Stick training Matt how to move and dodge, hand to hand fighting, and how to utilize his enhanced senses to a greater degree. We also hear Matt's narration about being trained to be a weapon, something that he never wanted to be; a soldier in a war he never asked to fight. We cut back to the present day, and Stick moves to leave the apartment, telling Matt he'll be in touch. Murdock replies to empty space that he hopes not, for all their sake.
The next morning at Nelson and Murdock, Foggy and Karen ask Matt if he is alright, given that he seems to be zoned out while their preparing briefs for a rudimentary assault case. Matt admits that he didn't get much sleep the night before. He says he's just going to take a walk for a bit and he leaves the office, thoughts to himself. We cut back to the argument he had mentioned before, about Stick wanting Matt to leave for a place called K'un-Lun to receive even more training to fight the Hand, while Matt says he wants to pursue a law degree to fight justice in the courtroom. His thoughts are interrupted when he hears a group of vehicles heading to a warehouse he knows is abandoned. Donning a ski mask from the trash can nearby and tossing his jacket on the ground, Matt moves closer and hears the men speaking in Japanese, talking about preparing the warehouse for the shipment tonight. He is caught eavesdropping on the men though, and nearly captured by the martial arts experts. He fights most of them off, helped by the fact that Stick comes in and joins him in the fight. After all of them are defeated, Matt returns to the alleyway and grabs his coat. Stick says he's going to need better equipment to fight the Hand tonight, and Matt asks how Stick knows he'll be there. Stick just laughs and walks off. Matt heads back to Nelson and Murdock, a bit winded, but ready to continue their case preperations, though mindful of what Stick had said.
Episode 4. Caught Cold
In Court, we catch up with Nelson and Murdock as they defend a man who had been charged with assault of a police officer. Murdock cross-examines the prosecution's key witness, one of the police captains who had been present when the alleged assault had taken place. Matt asks the officer more details about the day in question and how the assault was to have taken place, before a change in the man's heartbeat clues him in that he is lying. Murdock asks if his defendant had any connection to the ongoing investigations concerning the heroin trade in China town, or perhaps if he had been an informant in the recent reopened case of the murder of industrialist Wendell Rand. The policeman doesn't know how Murdock found out about all of this, but promises that the defendant's involvement in any investigation doesn't play anything into this proseuction. A few more prodding questions from Murdock causes the policeman to openly admit his complicity in framing the man for assault. The prosecution motions for a recess to "reasses" their options.
Later in the day, with the prosecution having dropped the charges against their client, Matt and Foggy are celebrating at a bar with Karen Page, when the conversation turns back to her testifying against Owlsley. Page says that she has another angle she wants to try with the testimony: the court of public opinion. She needs Owlsley to be brought down publicly, considering that he appears to be linked to some high profile criminal elements, even if the evidenciary links are tenuous at best. Foggy is redicent, but Matt sees the potential in the idea, especially since she's apparently been feeding information to Ben Urich all along. Matt asks to meet Urich himself, and Page says she'll do what she can. Matt suddenly gets a phone call on his cellphone, and he goes to the restroom to answer it. On the other line is Stick, asking him to meet him at a neutral location before they go to hunt the Hand this evening; that Stick has some protective measures to give him. Matt says that he doesn't need any help and will meet him in at the docks at the previously agreed upon time.
Later that night, Ben Urich slowly walks down the street, heading for the subway train to his apartment. He gets the feeling that he is being followed, so he speeds up and slows down at strange intervals, trying to lose his pursuers. Eventually he gets cornered in an alleyway by several black-clad Hand members who tell Urich in Japanese to give up the stories of the goings on in Hell's Kitchen. Urich, unable to understand them, tries to explain that he doesn't know what they want as he doesn't have any money. Nobu shows up, translating the Japanese for them, saying that people get hurt when they don't follow the instructions of The Hand. Urich nods his head, wondering if that's just a fancy name for a new Triad gang, explaining that when he gets threats that just tells him he's close to breaking the story. Nobu smirks and then backhands Urich, before taking his laptop out of his bag and smashing it on the ground as the other members of the Hand beat down Urich with nunchucks. Nobu calls them off before Urich is killed, telling him that there is no Hand. There is no Kingpin. Anything other than that gets printed, and there will soon be no Ben Urich, before disappearing from the scene. Urich lifts himself to his feet, bloody lip and busted up arm, and smirks to himself after spitting out a broken tooth.
Down at the docks, Matt and Stick meet up as planned and scope out the warehouse where a shipment is coming in. They see more of the Asian prostitutes being smuggled into the warehouse and waiting vans, while also seeing a bunch of other artifacts entering the building as well. After some cold banter between the two, they don masks and ambush the Hand who are unloading the boxes. In the course of the fight, we get a close up of Matt as he fights with several of the goons, and intersperse flashbacks of him punching a bag as a child, his father catching him and telling him not to become a bum fighter like himself. We flashback to present day, hearing younger Matt in voiceover saying again and again he wants to be a great fighter like his dad, and here his dad say that fighting isn't ever great, because something can always go wrong. Suddenly there's gunfire from the distance, and Matt gets grazed in the shoulder. Before too long however, the two men take out the members of the Hand and free the women from the vans before they depart. Stick also takes special interest in some of the artifacts in one of the cases, taking some of it with him. He again offers Matt some of that protective gear from before, and Matt says he'll think about it.
In another part of town much later, Leland Owlsley is crunching some numbers in his study when he gets a phone call from Wilson Fisk. At first Owlsley is honored that Fisk elected to call him directly, but it quickly gets to the point. Fisk demands to know what happened at the docks. When Owlsley points out that Nobu and Gao were in charge of the shipments, Fisk says that they will be held to account at a later date. Right now there are things that need to be addressed immediately and Owlsley is in the best position to find out more. Fisk says he had Nobu take care of Owlsley's Urich problem, and now Owlsley's going to repair the favor by taking care of these two masked men that Nobu is having a problem with...
Episode 5. Neutral Corner
We open in a mechanic's garage somewhere in the city, and we see a man named Melvin Potter working on some kind of metal harness shaped like a spinal cord. A bell rings and he breaks from his work. He leaves the shop and goes to the front, a normal storefront, asking what's wrong with the customer's car. We see Leland Owlsley, along with James Wesley at his side. Owlsley says he's not interested in getting his car fixed, but he is interested in some of Melvin's more esoteric merchandise. Potter says he isn't certain what he means, but then Owlsley asks if he's into any kind of import parts. Potter instantly relaxes and invites Owlsley and Wesley into the back, asking them exactly what they are after. Owlsley explains they need armor for some ninja friends of theirs, nothing too serious or high tech, but enough to keep them protected from a couple of hopped up locals. Potter says he can probably accomodate them.
Elsewhere, Karen Page and Foggy Nelson are sitting down to a lunch at the offices of Murdock and Nelson, of course sans Matt Murdock who hasn't come into the office that morning. The two get to know each other a bit better, with Nelson clearly showing interest in Page from a romantic perspective. The two are interrupted when Matt slowly comes in, complaining about a rough night and lack of sleep. Foggy makes a comment that it seems to be a growing occurence for Matt, but Murdock simply shrugs it off. The three begin going over the evidence that Karen Page has, saying that Ben Urich seems to have stop publishing columns in the Herald the last couple of days. Karen says she hasn't called Urich in a while, and plans to call him later that night to schedule a meeting in the future. Matt nods his head and seems to make note that he has an afternoon appointment to keep as well.
Elsewhere, Madame Gao is overseeing the offload of the remnants of the shipment that was hit by Stick and Matt the night before. Nobu enters in and the two have a conversation in Japanese, as Gao complains that some of the "substance" that they needed for their mission is missing. Nobu explains that the two masked men must of taken some of the substance, and wonders aloud if they know exactly what it is for. Gao reminds him that the only people who would know of that are members of the Iron Fist order, and Kun-Lun hasn't grown wise to their plans yet, so far as they know. When Nobu explains that there may be bigger problems with their friend in China on that front, Gao merely dismisses him as a fool who thinks that the beasts can be controlled like that. They resolve to find these two n'er-do-wells and to undo them; in the meantime it is business as usual until the rest of the substance and artifacts are returned to them.
In Melvin Potter's shop, we see him working on a car when he is approached by Stick...as well as a disguised Matt Murdock. Stick asks for the import parts, just as Owlsley had done, and Potter leads them into his back room. He shows the two some of the armor he is working on, and Matt asks off-handedly if he can design it as a Devil. Potter raises an eyebrow to this, and slowly admits he can. He does ask exactly what this is for, but Stick is reluctant to say, only saying that there are forces in Hell's Kitchen that need to be undone. One of the workers in Potter's shop overhears this and pulls Melvin aside. He says that word on the street is that drug and trafficking shipments are being thwarted in Hell's Kitchen by a masked man, and this might be the guy. He tells Melvin that if they turn him over to Kingpin...which causes Potter to stop him dead in his tracks. He calls this shop a Neutral Corner. Potter returns to Stick and says he'll draw up some ideas...but that he wants a down payment in advance. Stick shakes his head, and says that blueprints come first. Potter just smiles, and says we'll see.
That night, as Fisk is sitting down to dinner with his wife, Wesley walks in and tries to update him on the situation with Gao and Nobu, as well as Owlsley. Fisk chastises him for interrupting his quality time with his wife, and Vanessa Fisk merely just smirks from behind her wine glass before saying that business can come first. She leaves the room briefly as Wesley gets a phone call. When he hangs up, he informs Fisk that they've found the leaker of Owlsley's information due to bugging the phone of Ben Urich. He announces it's an old secretary of Owlsley's. They had suspected her but couldn't prove it. Now...Fisk nods his head and says to simply take care of the whole thing.
Episode 6. Standing Eight Count
We open on a flashback, seeing a young Matt Murdock as he slowly walks towards his mom's house on the upper east side of Manhattan, a backpack slung over his shoulder. A car pulls along side him and Matt's eyes light up before darkening just as quickly as he sees his father looking at him, offering him a ride. Inside the car, the two chat briefly, but it is obvious that something is bothering Matt. His father asks him what's wrong, and Matt bluntly asks him if he is on the take fixing fights. Jack doesn't know how to answer, at first thinking to bluster his way through, but he quickly gives that up when he realizes Matt doesn't believe him. Jack confesses that at times he has done that, but only to make enough money for them to live off of, so Matt can get a better education and have the opportunities he never did. Matt doesn't say anything, and Jack says that if he can avoid it, he won't take a dive again, so long as Matt keeps up the good schoolwork. Jack lets Matt off at his mother's house, telling him he'll pick him up for the weekend in the morning. Matt just smiles an empty smile at him, but Jack seems to have a resolved look on his face as we cut back to the present. A grown Matt Murdock is entering a court room for a pre-trial hearing for another client. Foggy tells him that they need to just take a deal, but Matt's reply is to never take a dive if you can avoid it.
Back at Leland Owlsley's financial firm, we see Leland working on certain property deals for himself as Nobu and his associates come walking in. Owlsley hangs up the phone and demands to know exactly why Nobu has ignored his demand not to enter his place of business like this again, which causes Madame Gao to appear from behind Nobu. She explains, speaking in perfect English, that they have found the source of the leaks in his organization, but that to prevent future leaks from coming forward they need to "beef up his security." Owlsley scoffs at this idea, and says that maybe he should just shut off the money faucet, and see how far a hungry dog will work when they know no food is incoming. Gao suggests that this would not be a good idea, but Owlsley replies that getting involved with the lot of them wasn't a good idea, that Fisk and he should have just tried to consolidate power themselves without the help of the Hand. Nobu tells him not to use their name in public, which Owlsley replies that they're showing up with ninjas in broad daylight, the cat would be out of that bag pretty quickly. Gao interjects and says that this isn't all about consolidation of power; that's just part of the equation. She explains that they need to find the two men who interrupted their shipment before the next one arrives in a few days, and she hopes that maybe Owlsley might have some leads. Owlsley replies he's not a private investigator, he doesn't use them after the last one turned out to be an alcoholic bust. But he does concede that maybe they can set up a trap for them.
Matt is seen walking into the offices of Nelson and Murdock with Foggy close behind him, the latter unable to believe that Matt managed to get the guy off with all charges dismissed yet again. Foggy asks how Matt knows that all their clients are innocent, and Matt simply chimes in its because all the guilty ones can afford people more experienced than them. Foggy smirks and goes into his office, approached by Karen. Karen informs them concerning their other issues that she has spoken with Ben Urich, and that he has agreed to meet them over dinner at his apartment tonight. Matt says that tonight isn't really a good night, but Foggy volunteers to join in provided that they are having something other than ramen, since that's mostly what he can afford these days. Matt tells Foggy to take copious notes before leaving to meet with someone else to "work on another case." As soon as he leaves the office, though. his friendly smile turns serious as he heads down an alleyway. He calls out to Stick, saying that he could smell him from a mile away. Stick emerges from the shadows and tells Matt that they have a bigger find than he could have ever hoped; one of the keys to defeating the Hand once and for all. Matt replies he's not interested in that, he just wants to shut down the receiving end of the drug and human trafficking on this end, and needs to figure out how all this ties to Kingpin, whom he knows is more than a myth. Stick replies that it might just all tie together, but Matt might want to keep an eye on his friends if the Hand gets wise to their methods, before emerging back into the shadows again.
That night, Foggy and Karen Page come over to the home of Ben Urich, and over dinner the three discuss Urich's stories and the expose of Leland Owlsley. Urich admits that he is being pressured over other stories involving the Kingpin and a group called the Hand, but that the two stories may only be ancillarily connected. He says he has kept a backup hard drive back at work with all of the data that Page has provided, and as soon as he corroborates a few more witnesses, he'll turn it over to the cops along with the story published in the Herald. Foggy asks about the Kingpin, who Urich thinks it might be, but before Ben can answer the windows to his apartment break in and several members of the Hand come rushing in, led by Nobu. They corner the three in the dining room, Nobu explaining that Urich should have heeded his advice, and that maybe only the girl would have died then. He also thanks Urich for telling them where his hidden hard drive was. However, before the members of the Hand can attack, Daredevil arrives and takes out the goons. Nobu and Daredevil fight briefly before Nobu attempts to exit. Matt tells the three to call the cops, disguising his voice so he can't be recognized, before going after Nobu. Urich is merely left in a stunned state along with Karen as Foggy calls 911.
On the rooftops, Daredevil chases Nobu until cornerning him on the rooftop of a free clinic. Nobu pulls a sword out of nowhere and starts using it to try and decapitate Daredevil, who fights back with his billy clubs. At one point, Daredevil seems defeated and is badly wounded by Nobu's blade. However, ignoring the advice of his father from his youth, Daredevil takes a dive to make Nobu think he has won, only for Daredevil to catch him off guard and trip him up, accidentally sending Nobu over the edge of the building and into a dumpster to his death. Daredevil unsteadily climbs down the fire escape to retrieve the body, but collapses nearby due to blood loss. However, we soon see the visage of Claire Temple emerging from the clinic, bringing Daredevil inside as the episode ends.
Episode 7. Tale of the Tape
We open on a flashback of young Matt at school, walking along the playground alone. He is accosted by several bullies who insult him, the fact that he's a "bookworm" and his divorced family. Matt tries to take his father's advice to heart, not to fight back, even when punched, but when one of the bullies calls his dad a mob thug, Matt's temper snaps and he tackles the kid to the ground, causing the other bullies to slink back. Matt punches the guy out, breaking his jaw until teacher's can pull him off kicking and screaming. Cut to Matt walking home with his father, having been suspended by the school. His father asks him what the hell he was thinking, and Matt doesn't answer. They stop at a small laundromat, as Matt's father tells him to wait here while he "tends to some business" inside. Matt does so, looking around at the people walking down the street. He notices an old man reading the paper crossing the street, about to be hit by a car. Without thinking, Matt runs into the street and pushes the old man out of the way. The car nudges against Matt and knocks him to the ground on the side, but the sudden stop causes the truck behind the car to stop suddenly as well, losing its cargo of chemicals it was carrying. The barrels dump over as the truck nearly jackknifes, one of them falling near Matt. The volatile mixtures explodes, forcing Matt over to the side across the street. His father rushes out of the laundromat holding a wad of bills, before running over to Matt when he sees the commotion. Matt, nearly unconscious, tries to open his eyes and sees his father over him, before the burning sensation returns to his eyes and everything goes black.
In present day, Matt wakes up in unfamiliar surroundings, as he can't seem to find recognize the scents and sounds of the area around him. He is troubled to find that the mask he was wearing around his face is missing, exposing his identity. He turns when Claire Temple walks into the room, explaining that she needed to remove the mask to treat his wounds, but that he can put it on again if he wishes, handing him the mask. Matt quickly ties it back around his face, saying she shouldn't have ever removed it and to forget this ever happened. He tries to leave but the pain in his ribs quickly changes his mind, and Claire points out that it's lucky he landed near her clinic tonight; if she hadn't been helping out here from her normal job he'd probably be dead by now. Matt replies that he has survived worse in the past, and Claire doubts that. It's not like he had unbreakable skin, like some other people she knows. She does ask how he sees if he is blind, but Matt doesn't reply, instead allowing Claire to go back to work stitching him up as he drifts off to sleep. We see some of Matt's dreams, vague images of waking up in the hospital unable to see, his mind overcome with the lack of sight and the overwhelming input from his other senses, in particular his sense of hearing. We also see his father's reaction in hindsight, tortured over what had happened on his watch.
Elsewhere, in a factory where heroin and other drugs are being packaged in an assembly line by several Chinese workers, we see Madame Gao standing on a catwalk overlooking the process. She is approached by Wilson Fisk, who walks in with Wesley by his side. She says that Fisk is taking a risk being here, his public image keeps his company afloat as a front for her business. Fisk says that this was important. He leads her into the office where two of his men open up a body bag, revealing Nobu's dead body. Gao seems unfazed by this, and says that she will simply bring him to the ritual room for the process. Fisk implies that he was under the impression there wasn't much of the substance left, but Gao replies that there is enough for this. Fisk then asks if Nobu succeeded in his mission, which Gao doesn't answer right away, merely saying that they are "looking into it."
Back in the clinic, Matt wakes up again to find Claire checking his pulse after injecting him with some painkillers. Sensing that he is awake, Claire says that he is suffering for some broken ribs and several nasty cuts she stitched up, but other then the painkillers there's not much more she can do for him. She also says that the morning staff of the clinic will be here in an hour, and they really need to get out of here before there's an explanation to be made. Matt nods and struggles back to his feet, before he hears a noise outside. He tells Claire to keep her head down as he peeks out the window, seeing some of Nobu's men poking around in the trash cans, possibly looking for their fallen leader. Matt says it's men that worked for the guy who did this to him, and if they want to get out of here he has to take them out. Claire protests, saying that he's not up for such a task, but Matt simply replies that he could always take a punch. He jumps out of the open window, landing on one of the guys backs and knocking him out. The other two goons take swings at him and Matt fights them and through the pain, the fight scenes again cutting back to a past fight with Jack Murdock against a nameless opponent. This time, we also see a young blinded Matt Murdock in the stands, cheering on his father as Jack manages a win this time. He smiles, but we also see a shadowed man in a suit, grumbling to himself as the ref holds Jack's hand high in the air. Back in present day, Daredevil has beaten the goons and Claire exits the clinic. She looks him over again, and Matt thanks her for her help before jumping up a fire escape, still in pain but trying his best to hide it, leaving Claire to shake her head.
Back in Gao's factory, we are in a darkened room as we see several members of the Hand standing over Nobu's broken body as it is placed in a steel sarcophagus. Gao gently grinds a powdered substance in a crucible before adding in a viscous liquid. She pours the liquid down the dead man's throat and begins to chant in an unknown language. Fisk stands off to the side, simply watching somewhat in awe at the process, as a light shines from the sarcophagus. When the light clears, Fisk sees Nobu standing up, still with some scars, but alive and well. Fisk smiles to himself, muttering this is worth the investment, before calling Wesley and telling him to redouble their efforts at finding the substance that was stolen from them..
Episode 8. Pull Your Punches
We open on a flashback of young Matt, sitting at his kitchen table reading in Braille, having picked up the skill quickly after his accident. Jack sits across the room, watching him silently, a tear slowly streaming down his face over his son's struggles. Matt calls out to him, saying he doesn't need to sit in the corner crying. Jack laughs and asks how he can see better blind than he could before, and Matt just smirks without cluing him into the truth. Jack says that it's pretty good how Matt has been doing in the month since his accident. He hopes that some of the experimental surgeries he's hearing about from the Rand Corporation might help him see in the future, but Matt tells him not to get his hopes up. He's learning to adapt, and the only real regret he has is that he won't see his Dad fight anymore. Matt asks Jack if he remembers his promise not to throw fights anymore, and Jack walks over, grabbing his son by the hand and once again promising to fight as hard as he can in every match he has. He also makes Matt promise to give this new school his mother found for him a fair shake, even if it means they can't be together as much as they would like.
Back in the present day, Matt walks into his office late again, pretending not to notice the looks Foggy and Karen give him as he walks in. He asks how the interview with Urich went the night before, and Foggy says that there interview was interrupted by a bunch of ninjas and a guy in a mask. Matt acts surprised, and asks if they called the police, but Karen said there would be no need at this point, as the masked man and the ninjas ran out of their quickly, but not before destroying most of the data she had gotten from Owlsley's company connecting him to the rackets in Hell's Kitchen. Urich told them he can still run with the data that he has, but their case has become somewhat more hectic. Matt offers his legal advice: stay out of everything. He says from the sound of this they are way over their heads and they are just going to get killed. Foggy is taken aback, asking how Matt can think such a thing, but Matt insists without detailing anymore before going into his office and shutting the door. Foggy tells Karen to wait there and keep Urich busy if he happens to call, before heading into the office after Matt.
In Matt's office, Foggy demands to know what has been going on with Matt lately, as he's been acting far more distant and moody than usual. Matt says he's just been having trouble sleeping lately and that he has a lot on his mind, joking that maybe he needs to go to confessional more often. Foggy says that Matt does that regularly enough, and says he is worried about his friend. Matt seems to want to say something briefly, but decides against it and promises that he will try and do better in the future. Foggy jokes that he'll hold Matt to that, and we see a brief flashback again of Matt cheering on his father at one of his matches, despite being unable to see the victory, as Jack's hand is raised in victory again. We also see the shadowy figure from before, angered by Murdock's victory. Elsewhere, inside Melvin Potter's shop, Leland Owlsley comes by to pick up a suit for himself with some "added modifications." Potter says that the modifications that Owlsley demanded will cost extra and he needs another day to finish the parts. Owlsley complains but eventually agrees to it. As Leland is leaving, he is surreptitiously approached by the mechanic from Potter's shop from a previous episode, who tells him he might know who is behind their trafficking issues. The mechanic says it's a blind guy and some other masked dude, and that the Blind guy is named Stick. Leland nods his head and tells the mechanic to go back inside, he'll send him his reward, only for Potter to catch the mechanic and lay him out on the ground for violating Neutral Ground. However, the damage done, Leland pulls out his phone and contacts Madame Gao, saying that they might have there problems solved.
More to Come...
Episode 9. Flash Knockdown
Synopsis Coming Soon
Episode 10. Cut Man
Synopsis Coming Soon
Episode 11. Carrying the Opposition
Synopsis Coming Soon
Episode 12. Going the Distance
Synopsis Coming Soon
Cast List
- Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil- A blind lawyer by day who uses superhuman senses gained from a childhood accident to fight crime in Hell's Kitchen at night.
- Skylar Gaertner plays a young version of Matt Murdock in various flashback scenes.
- Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page- The secretary and receptionist for Murdock and Nelson, who finds herself victimized by white collar crime.
- Elden Henson as Franklin "Foggy" Nelson- The best friend and law partner of Matt Murdock who is looking to make his name on the legal profession.
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk- A wealthy citizen of Hell's Kitchen who is also the alleged Kingpin of Crime, seeking to consolidate power of the New York underworld under his rule.
- Peter Shinkoda as Kagenobu Yoshioka- A leader of a mysterious group known as The Hand, which acts as mercenaries for the equally mysterious Madame Gao.
- Joe Pantoliano as Ben Urich- A reporter for the Daily Bugle, who is looking to expose the story of the Kingpin of crime. Pantoliano reprises his role from the 2003 Daredevil film, but the two characters are unrelated in universe.
- Scott Glenn as Stick- A mysterious warrior who trains Matt as a young man in ninjitsu fighting styles.
- Matt Gerald as Melvin Potter- An underground tailor and armorer who is available to make anything for anyone, for a price.
- Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple- A nurse living in Harlem who Matt comes across one night, seeking help for his wounds.
- Bob Gunton as Leland Owlsey- A wealthy financeer who acts as the moneyman behind Fisk's criminal enterprise and a low level crime boss himself.
- Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Fisk- The wife of Wilson Fisk, who is either complicit or ignorant of her husband's dealings.
- Wai Ching Ho as Madame Gao- The mysterious woman behind the heroin smuggling operation in Chinatown, among other nefarious dealings.
- Toby Leonard Moore as James Wesley- The loyal assistant and foot soldier of Wilson Fisk's criminal enterprise.
- Peter McRobbie as Father Lantom- A parish priest in Hell's Kitchen, to whom Matt confesses his sins regularly.
- Connor Trinneer as "Battlin" Jack Murdock- A local journeyman fighter and the father of Matt Murdock. Seen only in flashback.
Reception
Coming Soon...