Ron Does Stuff

The previous episode really shook me a bit with its ending but it did keep me on the edge of my seat and curious about what’s going to happen next. Which we’re going to find out in this episode!

This new episode starts on a pretty sobering note, with Matt collecting the things left behind by Hector Ayala now that he’s dead. It’s quickly followed by a heartbreaking scene where Hector Ayala’s niece rails against the police and also puts in little jabs at Matt because Matt did indirectly get him killed. We even got the kid swearing!

Elsewhere in the city, down in the subway, we get a glimpse of a new villain. Or at least I am thinking the person is a villain! I know some of the YouTube channels already named who this character is but I am an old person and have already forgotten who he is. I think he’s a newer character too because I don’t remember him from the comics either.

Meanwhile, Daniel and BB are in a bar and partying and we get a glimpse into Daniel’s thoughts. Seems like he isn’t an incel after all, or at least he follows Fisk because he does genuinely think that Fisk will be good for the city and not in a MAGA kind of way. Or at least from how I understand American politics at the moment. I could be misinterpreting!

The next morning, Matt gets a call to handle a freebie case, which I don’t know if it means pro bono. The whole conversation before it was also unintelligible to me because I don’t understand legalese so I don’t know if Matt’s firm is cash-strapped or not but if we’re taking the cues from the comics the firm probably is cash-strapped.

Fisk isn’t cash-strapped but he is stuck at marriage counseling and having to hear Vanessa talk about her affair with Adam, who apparently has great hands. She was really hurt by Fisk’s leaving and we even get to hear why it hurt her so bad. But what we don’t get to know is what happened to the mysterious Adam and what Fisk did to him, because apparently the two were able to meet each other and have a “clarifying” discussion.

Over at Matt’s part of the city, he’s taken on a case involving someone stealing caramel corn from a bodega and again…I don’t understand the discussion or its connection to this episode’s plot. But it does mention Skrulls, which I guess is a nod to Secret Invasion, which I haven’t watched yet.

I thought it was just a moment to show the Murdock charm, because he does manage to charm his way into getting his client just 10 days in jail, but it was so Matt could run into Powell again and have him angrily whisper his suspicions about Powell’s involvement in Hector Ayala’s dead. I don’t think that’s a good idea, Matt! Especially when the two of you are in the middle of a crowd!

At Red Hook, Fisk continues to play at mayor, trying to enact radical change but finding himself hemmed by bureaucracy. Seeing as I’ve spent more than a decade now under the rule of not just one but two populist leaders — who are also fascists — the similarities they share with Fisk are not fun. And I still don’t know what exactly Fisk is planning.

Back with Matt’s client, I appreciate that they’re trying to delve into the problems of person of color because I do have to admit that what I remember of the Netflix shows was pretty white. Now, where does this fit in the show’s greater narrative? I don’t know yet but I am curious!

The next scene with Fisk listening to schoolchildren singing “We Built This City” by Starship was so intentionally awkward that I couldn’t bear to watch it. Daniel showing the veteran political operative BB’s blog post alleging Fisk is a union buster was actually a blessing.

But the Latvians singing the same song in Latvian? That was hilarious. I laughed my head off.

Fisk is furious and demands the head of the leaker and Daniel, to his eternal credit, owns up to his mistake and thanks to a speech emphasizing his loyalty to Fisk, he gets to keep his life and his job. Of course, Vanessa’s betrayal plays heavily into this decision as well.

Later that night, Matt visits the location where Hector Ayala was murdered and recovers the bullet that killed him. He then heads to Frank Castle, who almost murders him with an axe. Let me just say here that I’ve never been interested in Punisher as a character but I became interested because of Jon Bernthal if you know what I mean.

And of course, the confrontation is intense and I love that the endpoint of it is that these two strong men aren’t dealing with their emotions and their grief and their guilt. Fucking cry for once! It’ll do you good!

That confrontation also leads Matt to finally face the devil — his Daredevil masks. He hasn’t fully given it up, after all. And we also find out what Adam’s fate is: he’s locked up in Fisk’s custom prison cell.