Things are never easy for poor Matt Murdock. Anyone who's followed the character throughout the years are well-aware of Marvel's refusal to just let the poor guy be happy for a bit, or even get a chance to rest. True to form, Kinbaku continues this trend as Matt, just hours after bringing down Frank Castle, is approached by troublesome ex-girlfriend Elektra, who wishes to hire him to for a case. Naturally, Matt wants nothing to do with her, and she storms off, though it's clear that won't last or hold.
Throughout the episode, we flash back to Matt and Elektra's whirlwind of a relationship during their respective college years. The scenes play up Elektra as a mischievous force in Matt's life, which clearly draws inspiration from how Frank Miller portrayed the character in the Man Without Fear series, and how she and Matt are clearly two broken people who try to complete each other. The difference being that Matt's issues (his need to do good, his conflicting views on how to do it) and Elektra's (her general sociopathic behavior) are far too different for them to ever really work as a couple, an idea represented well in two scenes, one where Matt refuses to kill his father's murderer at Elektra's urging, which ultimately brings an end to the relationship between the two, and the sex scene at Matt's old gym, which does a good job of showcasing the inevitable toxicity of the relationship.
Of course, the flashbacks wouldn't work as well without a look into Matt's current situation with Karen, and while I'm still a little bit against the pairing, the dates between the two are somewhat sweet and a nice offset to the grimness of the rest of the season thus far. Karen isn't just Matt's date for this episode though, and she begins working with Ellison (Ulrich's boss from the first season) to uncover why the DA wants Punisher's past buried. I, personally, think it's odd that Castle's short and simple origin is given a conspiracy angle, but it's still too early to really complain about it. Even Foggy gets a little to do, as he discovers an anti-vigilante suit in the works for not only the Punisher, but Daredevil and Jessica Jones(!) as well. I'm glad to see Foggy doing some real investigating and lawyer work, as it helps make him more than just the comic relief/conflicted best buddy of the show.
The main plotline of this episode is still all about Matt and Elektra, and Matt finds Elektra (and her company) embroiled in a plot apparently involving the Yakuza. When he attempts to confront her about it at her penthouse, she simply reveals that there's something larger at play, and tells Matt to suit up as Yakuza prepare to storm her penthouse, ending the episode on yet another (and arguably unnecessary) cliffhanger. Even without the Punisher, Daredevil hasn't skipped a beat, and it'll be interesting to see if the show can expand so large in scale without falling to pieces.
Score: 8/10
Notes:
*I say arguably because I really believe that episode could've ended in Matt and Elektra fighting the Yakuza thugs and still ended organically. Of course, it will make for an interesting opening in the next episode.
*I say arguably because I really believe that episode could've ended in Matt and Elektra fighting the Yakuza thugs and still ended organically. Of course, it will make for an interesting opening in the next episode.
*How is Jessica Jones a vigilante? Her vendetta against Kilgrave is likely the most superheroing she'll really be doing unless she crosses over into the Marvel cinematic universe at large. I thought the cameo was a little bit forced, but it felt nice to have a crossover between the two shows, given how little effort Jessica Jones put into universe mingling.
*Also, it's a real dick move of Elektra to steal Matt's suit. What if he had decided to go superheroing before going to see her?
*Turns out I was right about Finn Cooley. Rad.
*"Why is it gray?" "One of life's mysteries."
*I kind of wish they had gone full Miller with Elektra and given her that nonsensical 80's hair.
No comments:
Post a Comment