‘Daredevil’ season 2, episode 8 review: Stick, Wilson Fisk and is Karen done with Matt?
There has been a lot jammed into this season of “Daredevil”, but this episode is going to give us even more since we are going to have an appearance from Stick and from Wilson Fisk. We started out really enjoying this season, but since episode 5 it’s been becoming muddied with too many stories and too many characters. Let’s see if they can reign this in a bit with this episode.
There were some interesting fight scenes to start off this episode and we saw Matt’s “no kill rule” end with Elektra getting stabbed and Matt backed into a corner. So who shows up to save the day? It’s Stick! After Stick saves Elektra (because you knew he was going to), he reveals that he knows Elektra from years back much to Matt’s surprise. So how do they know each other?
Stick explains what this mysterious “war” is that he’s been waxing on about for two seasons saying that it all revolves around a powerful group that found the secret to immortality – they call themselves The Hand. Their goal is to get their hands on a weapon called the Black Sky, and made enemies as time went on, including a boy names Chaste who grew his own army to destroy them. Matt figures out that Stick is the boy that grew into the Chaste and Elektra works for Stick (which gives some sort of explanation as to why Stick randomly showed up at the fight).
Matt confronts Elektra asking if he was a mission when they met and she tells him he was. Stick wanted Matt back, so he trained her to get Matt’s trust and to push him into killing. Matt pleads to Elektra to leave Stick and fight the war with Matt his way, without killing. Elektra tells Stick that she no longer wants to work with him and that she’s joining Matt. Stick says that once her secret comes out, Matt won’t want her on his side anymore and she throws Stick out. Her promise not to kill again doesn’t last more then a few minutes as she kills a ninja right in front of Matt in his apartment.
After Matt and Foggy’s fight, Matt doesn’t show up to court and Foggy is left to try to defend Frank all on his own. On the stand is Frank’s old Colonel who talks about the honorable deeds he did while in military service and Foggy also has a doctor explain that the gunshot wound Frank suffered is what has caused Frank to relive his traumatic experience over and over again. He also says that because Frank suffers from EED (extreme emotional disturbance), that no crime is premeditated, but more so a crime of passion.
Karen pushes for Frank to take the stand and he agrees. Foggy wants Matt to be the one to question Frank, and even though Karen thinks Foggy is better (and more dedicated) to this case. Karen heads over to Matt’s house and she walks into Matt’s bedroom to find Elektra in his bed. Things look bad and she’s not willing to hear Matt out. Instead she tells him that he needs to be in court to question Frank and ends their relationship.
The next day Matt shows up in court to question Frank and he hears a cop walking Frank to the stand say “think about what you want”. Matt asks Frank to tell the court about the day his family was killed, but he gets quiet. Frank undoes everything Matt and Foggy set up in court by saying he’s not crazy, he doesn’t need help, he’s guilty and that he would do it all again making that cop quite happy – what did this cop offer Frank? He is working for Wilson Fisk and he has an offer for Frank.
We were insanely excited to see Wilson Fisk back since he is one of our all time favorite TV villains, and Frank’s day in court was very entertaining, but our problem with this episode is the same problem we’ve had all season – we just don’t like the Elektra story and we don’t buy into Matt destroying his friendship with Foggy, his relationship with Karen and burning his law firm to the ground for Elektra. Also, the obscene amount of ninjas was a bit much, especially since ninjas are supposed to be stealthy and these were basically dancing in the streets for all to see. Episode grade: C+
Are you enjoying this season of “Daredevil” so far? Leave us a comment in the box below and share your opinion.