What I’m Watching: Daredevil

Daredevil: Season 1, Episode 8 “Shadows in the Glass” (B)

Now we’re getting somewhere. Matt is finally brought in to the loop regarding Karen and Foggy’s extracurricular activities investigating Union Allied, and he advocates legal measures rather than anything drastic expressly because he is already covering that approach with his masked alternate identity. It’s not going entirely well, of course, since he once again shows up at the perfect moment to be framed for the murder of a police officer, as Detective Blake’s partner administers a fatal syringe to him at Fisk’s bidding. Introducing himself to Ben seemed like a positive step, and Ben was all set to write the most damning article possible, exposing Fisk as someone who purported to be saving the city yet who remained shady and anonymous. The editing of that final scene was extremely well-done, as Fisk announced on TV that he was pledging aid to Hell’s Kitchen and to fighting the “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen,” nervously but proudly saying his own name to the world, which was enough to get Ben to delete his entire article. Fisk’s past was a rough one to be sure, and it didn’t take long for him to go to bullied teenager to murderous son, killing his father, played by Domenick Lombardozzi, when he went after his mother. Vanessa is certainly an ally for Fisk, which makes him all the more dangerous because he can now share his life with someone. I go back and forth on Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance, which I usually find to be magnificently unhinged and over the top.