Nine episodes in, and Marvel’s Daredevil hits its seasonal climax. Almost everything the entire series has been building to comes to a head in “Speak Of The Devil.” It should feel rushed, and jarring but somehow it proves to be the best episode yet.
Staring at the climatic battle between Daredevil and red ninja Nobu was a fantastic way to sell some of the underlying tension for the hour. It built this idea of a climax at the end, and challenged the viewer to think of something bigger than that showdown. Well, holy shit. They topped it, not once, but twice, but more on that later.
The reoccurring scenes of Matt’s faith rely solely on the shoulders of the priest. The actor does a great job at being an impartial judge of character and a guide for a truly lost man. Their conversations become more enjoyable with every episode. Matt definitely overplayed his blindness upon meeting Ben Ulrich. He’s wandering around like a lost duckling, but makes his move on the “hearsay” call. He’s non-partially offering suggestions because he’s too busy thinking about new ways to play his friends into his game against Fisk.
Fisk’s powerplay at the end of the last episode was a great way to establish him as a new threat. His scenes with Nobu leave him a little speechless, it appears he’s in over his head. But much like Matt, he’ll play his friends into his own cause. He’s slowly ushering Nobu into a fight with Daredevil. The standout dramatic scene of the night was Matt and Venessa’s meeting. More of her character is revealed in these scenes. But, it almost doesn’t matter because the introduction of Fisk, and his first official meeting with Matt Murdock is menacing and pulse pounding. The white knuckles compliment the overplayed blindness. The two men standing on opposite sides of a dispute on the edge of tearing each other apart was a battle of wills not quite on display anywhere else in this show thus far.
The impact of Elena’s death felt a little soft compared to everything else. Her scenes have never been the most captivating in the series. In the context of the show, she will not be missed. But her death lured Daredevil into a epic fight scene.
The best fight scene in the show thus far, is followed up by an immediate and brutal showdown between Daredevil and Fisk. Let’s be clear, the rest of the episode was great, but those final 10 minutes are bonkers crazy town. Seeing Fisk allow Nobu to be burned alive is stunning. Fisk tramples over everyone who’s worked with him and takes no prisoners. He doesn’t even seem to mind the whole process. In fact he appears to relish it. So with only the dying light of Nobu’s flaming corpse lighting the scene, you’d think he’s done. He’s lived to fight another day. But, no. He kicks the absolute shit out of Daredevil.
The sheer brutality of Vincent D’onofio’s performance was something else. His constant throat shattering screams were a nice touch, if not a little overdone. But, the image of Daredevil being thrown through the table with Fisk’s plans stuck to his blood stained back was a powerful image of defeat. So much of this makes sense for Matt. He’s taken on much more than he can handle. In this moment he is broken.
Just when you think he couldn’t be more screwed, you have the final scene. Drunk, and a little disorderly Foggy stumbles upon Matt’s destroyed apartment. When Matt hits the floor, Foggy already knows what’s coming. But it’s a beautiful cliffhanger, because Foggy has had nothing to lose this entire season. He’s been entirely truthful and forthcoming with everyone. He’s never lost his way or devotion to his cause. This might change things, because he’s a lawyer and he values trust. It’s been reiterated several times throughout the series. This isn’t going to bode well for Matt and Foggy.