What I’m Watching: Daredevil

Daredevil: Season 1, Episode 7 “Stick” (B)

There’s something about a guest character that can reinvigorate and refocus a show so completely as he or she takes over an entire episode. Scott Glenn’s Stick did that and more as Stick, the blind instructor who taught Matt to be who he is and to use the abilities he lacked to his advantage. Meeting him mid-decapitation signaled that he wasn’t going to be the kind of ally Matt wanted, someone who would agree not to kill anyone while they were working together. Watching the two blind men fight was certainly enticing as they both employ skills that are pretty visually incredible, and both demonstrate such an expert mastering of their surroundings despite not being able to see. I learned more than I ever would have expected about a vanilla ice cream cone and all the things contained within it, and it’s a truly intriguing perspective on the more insignificant things in life. Stick’s talk of half-measures, reminiscent of “Breaking Bad” midway through its run, emphasized that Matt really has taken the unusual path by not using his talents to become a villain. It’s good to see that Karen is ready and willing to defend him while others such as Foggy want to punch him in the face, though she’ll get herself in more than enough trouble trying to straighten the spaghetti with Ben. I like how Ben has charted out crime in Hell’s Kitchen and cast Fisk as the king and Daredevil as the jack. On a lighter note, I love Karen’s hilariously uncensored language and enjoyed Foggy’s reference to Claire as “Hottie McBurnerphone.”