Posted in: Movies, Recent Updates | Tagged: charlie cox, Comics, daredevil, entertainment, Kingpin, marvel, netflix, radar sense, tv

Watching Daredevil Ep 4 & 5 – No Radar Sense And Warring Morality

I talked about watching Netflix Daredevil episode 1 here and episodes 2 and 3 here.

"If he had an iron suit or a magic hammer maybe that would explain how he keeps handing your asses to you."

One surprising aspect of the new Daredevil series is exactly how much is told with subtitles. The Russian gang members, part of the Wilson Fisk's criminal empire talk to each other in Russian, subtitled for English and it's a choice that American audiences usually shy away from. This is one of those Netflix things that networks might not be able to stomach. And with the fourth episode we get a lot of that, as we learn abut the history of the two Russian brothers and the choices they have to make – which makes their actions in this series far more understandable. There's also plenty of Spanish as well, reflecting the wider cast of the show.

Matt Murdock is still stumbling around blindly, we the audience get to see the bigger picture far more than he does. The relationship between Matt and Claire deepens, they are more than just surgical buddies. But their actions in past episodes have impact in their lives, and Claire's is upended far more than Matt's. Because now not only has Page's life been put in danger, a kid kidnapped to summon the Daredevil, but now Claire is being used in a similar fashion. Matt may be trying to make a difference, but innocents are getting hurt in the backlash. And it's a pattern. He's going to have to deal with that. It's a little Women-in-Trunks-Of-Taxis but it does fit the pulp tradition.

We also get to know Fisk's right hand man Wesley, the Metatron to Fisk, as Daredevil unbalances the Russian operation. We get plenty of talking, understated threats and innuendo, as they both take a ride in the Exposition Cadillac. I get the feeling that there will be plenty of websites devoted to Wesley's understated, smart professional hotness…

Karen Page is extending her search for justice to Bill Urich. She will likely be the conduit for Urich's relationship with Murdock, with her youthful rage reigniting his own journalistic endeavour, as she begins to find herself out of her depth, investigating her old employers and her threatened life

We get more of a glimpse as we did in the second episode of Fisk's exploration of art, and romance, trying to carve out a space in his life to be a different person, but only in that position because of his hard work. And with the high class art dealer Vanessa in his gentle, but very firm sights… his wife in the comic books, so that give you a direction where this might be going. But she does get an idea of what and who this man is… and it's not good.

Which also culminates in the most viciously violent scene in this show so far – and that's saying something. It ends with the Kingpin, despite his attempts to be something, someone else, as an absolute cold hearted monster. The length and the severity will sicken all but the strongest stomachs. And frankly, no one should have a stomach that strong.

"What kind of gun is that you have in your purse?"

The fifth episode however, after destroying all possible empathy the audience could have for Fisk, begins to build it back up again. Not only do we find a new viewpoint from Vanessa that will paint her as an accomplice rather than some kept-in-the-dark innocent, but we see Fisk from his own perspective, doing what is necessary for what is good and right to happen, holding the big picture, with the "masked man" as someone who just gets in his way. "Rebuilding this city. Carving something beautiful out of the ugliness…. money and influence is not enough to usher change on such a scale, sometimes it requires force."

Pragmatically using the results of his rage from the last episode as a new way to attack Daredevil and turn the rest of the city against him. Though while he may lie to many others, to his peers in the network, and to Vanessa he is honest, the only people he behaves like this to. Something he seems to value in himself and others.

This runs parallel with Matt Murdock discovering how far and how long Fisk's interference goes into the police, and exactly what he can make the otherwise righteous do.

The traditional beats for this episode however is their first proper case, helping an elderly woman living in rent control against a landlord wanting to build condos and is taking away their facilities. And the landlord is repped by the legal firm they interned in and turned down jobs at. And specifically, a lawyer that Foggy dated. So it's nice, finally, for Foggy's romantic engagements to cause them problems. And gives us an excuse to see him in full Foggy lawyer action… and as a caring human being doing what he can to help those in need. He'd previously come off a bit of a dick, this is the issue where Karen, and the rest of us, see a little more of him. Just as Matt and Claire get closer, so Foggy starts to find an understanding, a sympatico, with Karen. It's a different relationship but one that could be a lot richer.

The show's titles show one way that Matt sees the world, as a series of three dimensional shapes emerging, including that of the traditional red Daredevil costume. But in the show, we get a different explanation. He can hear the way bones shift in a body, to diagnose breaks. There is no radar sense in this show it seems, instead Matt senses "balance, the direction, microchanges in air density, vibrations, blankets of temperature variations, mix all up with what I hear, all the fragments form a sort of impressionistic painting". And then we see it. "A world on fire." Matt Murdock is, very much so, experiencing hell all the time.

It's not the only visual tour de force in this episode. It also also features a scene that comes close to matching the climatic second episode fight scene. Set inside a parked car, with one man singing along to unheard East Asian music, the camera begins to swing around in a full circle, left to right, then right to left. And suddenly, standing still in the background is Daredevil. Until the camera swings round again and he is gone. And then he is on the Russians, ignored by the swinging camera which only captures his actions in passing… and this too has a rather climatic end.

Because now Daredevil has a reputation, one that he can begin to start to use to his advantage. However it is one that will ultimately doom him. And then we get a cliffhanger that it's hard to see a way out of.

Can I have a screener code for episode 6 please? Plese please please? Seriously, you can't do this to me…

Daredevil airs on Netflix in its entirety on April 10th,

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