Daredevil Month: World On Fire

The episode opens with Claire looking at herself in the mirror as she gets ready to take a shower. After she showers, she asks Matt about his job. It’s also shown that his superhearing is so good, he can hear the hairline fracture in Claire’s back. He further explains his supersensory powers. It boils down to being hyperaware of everything. Then Claire asks him what he actually sees and he says “a world on fire.” He asks her to stay with him until the threat is removed. This is the first time we see Matt and Claire kissing. Matt plans to figure out how to get to Fisk and Claire mentions Vladimir.

The scene cuts to Vladimir who is calling his brother, but getting no answer. Wesley even comes in, asking about where Anatoly is, even though we know that he already knows. One of Vladimir’s men comes in, leading him to Anatoly’s dead body, pinning the murder on Daredevil.

Over in a garage, Fisk’s henchmen are cleaning out his car. Fisk actually meets Madame Gao, Nobu, and Leland Owlsley in person, which probably means serious business is about to go down. They plan to take down the Russians and Daredevil by pitting them against each other.

Meanwhile, the Russians are driving around with one of Madame Gao’s men, asking him if he knows anything about Daredevil. Except the mook is blind and doesn’t see Daredevil closing in on the car. I love the way that the camera plays tricks  on the audience here. But again, I love shots where the camera pans around in a circle. Of course, a fight breaks out and the mook gets killed in the crossfire. Daredevil attacks the Russian mooks and one of them reveals that everyone thinks he killed Anatoly. The police come in way too quickly and Daredevil  makes a run for it.

At the Murdock and Nelson offices, Karen tries to make copies, but the machine she’s using is older than Google. The firm gets a client, Mrs. Cardenas, who was referred to them by Bess Mahoney, the mother of the cop that Nelson bribes. She lives in a rent-controlled apartment. Armand Tully, the landlord, wants to convert the apartments to condos and wants to evict all of the residents. Conditions are getting worse, but police won’t get involved because it’s a city issues. But Mrs. Cardenas isn’t looking for better payment. She and the other residents just want to stay home. Tully’s lawyers, however, are their old internship. Foggy is drafted to go and Murdock suggests to take Karen with him.

Murdock stops by the police station to get information on Mrs. Cardenas’s complaints. He also overhears an interrogation about the events that took place in the alley the previous night. Vladimir’s mook is being interrogated and drops the name of Wilson Fisk in exchange for a deal. Unfortunately, one of the cops is on Fisk’s pay. The mook gets shot and the police run to figure out what happened.

Karen and Nelson arrive at the Landman and Zack law offices. A woman named Marci comes in and lays down what’s gonna happen. Oh yeah. She’s a total bit-ca. Of course, Nelson is ready with a burn for her. They also have “exes” written all over each other, given how Marci called him “Foggy bear.” Karen and Foggy arrive in Mrs. Cardenas’s apartment and they decide to help her and her neighbors with all the apartment repairs.

Out in another alley, Daredevil asks the cop about the guy he interrogated. Daredevil takes advantage of the rumors and asks the cop about the Russian’s connection with Fisk.

Inside a limo, Fisk and Wesley discuss Vladimir and it seems like he’s on his way to another date with Vanessa. He meets with Vanessa in another restaurant. Wilson confesses to her that he doesn’t get out much and doesn’t like people who ask questions but he’s willing to be honest with Vanessa. The two of them sit down for dinner.

Back in Vladimir’s place, Vladimir cleans up Anatoly’s wounds, showing a close up of the lack of head. It’s a greuling shot. One of his mooks comes in and assumes that Daredevil and Fisk are working together.

Foggy and Karen work on Mrs. Cardenas’s sink and have dinner with her. And like any old lady, she compliments the two of them on being such a lovely couple. Over in Matt’s apartment, Claire reads a burner phone that has a lists of locations. Before he went off, Claire asks him not to push things too far. Matt says “I need to be the man this city needs.” Oh honey dear, stop stealing from “The Dark Knight!” However, Claire reminds him that those who fight monsters end up turning into one and he breaks things off.

Meanwhile, Fisk and Vanessa talk about relationship history. No surprise to anyone, Vanessa is an experienced woman compared to the inexperienced Fisk. He talks to Vanessa about his dream of rebuilding the city. She takes a note of his cufflinks, which he always looks at with affection, like a token. He asks her about the gun in her purse. It turns out that she has some idea about his real life and she wants in. She gives him the gun in her purse, all the while, the maitre’d watches.

Daredevil listens in on Vladimir’s conversation with his mook,  getting a call from the maitre’d. He heads off to an alley where the Russians take in one of Madame Gao’s men as a hostage. Inside, Vladimir’s men prepare for an all-out war, but Madame Gao’s mook blasts them out.

Karen and Foggy continue on their date and Karen asks about Marci. Foggy doesn’t really know. He envies Matt’s dating life and he has ideas of what people look like. Karen asks Foggy to touch her face, to try and experience what Matt does. Unfortunately, their date gets interrupted by a nearby blast. It turns out these explosions are happening all around Hell’s Kitchen. Vanessa and Fisk watch the fires from across the river. He justifies his actions, saying it’s part of making the city a better place. He asks the maitre’d and it turns out that the maitre’d made the call on Fisk’s behalf and not the Russian’s.

Daredevil hears Sergei calling for Vladimir and the two of them are seen walking out of the remnants of the warehouse. Vladimir’s mook is counting his money from selling himself out to Fisk. Vladimir and Sergei are limping down a backlot, where Daredevil confronts them. And again, the police arrive way too soon. The episode ends on a cliffhanger.

This episode is starting to imply that Fisk and Daredevil are not all that different. They both want to make the city a better place and they’re both dangerous and brutal. I hope we’ll see what separates Daredevil from Fisk in later episodes.