Episode 5 “In The Blood”
This episode was the start of my feelings towards Wilson Fiske, seeing him exposed and raw on his first date with Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) What struck me about this date was the usual tall and loud Fiske is dimmed down to a gentlemanly, respectable, doting human being that not only is the start of making him relatable but also establishing their relationship was one of the most touching and heart-warming moments of this dark and violent series. It’s here that we start to understand that Fiske just wants the best for Hell’s Kitchen, similarly to what Murdoch does, but he just goes about it in a different way and exercises control.
On the Daredevil side of things, Matt beats up on the Russians and once again receives medical treatment from Claire who is still reeling after the events of episode 2. Vladamir kidnaps Claire and Matt goes full Dark Knight with her rescue, taking out the thugs one by one in the dark, bullets flying, throwing his voice around the room, Claire laughing as he knocks them out one by one, it really was an odd thing to see after her complete collapse in episode 2 and flashes of it early in this episode.
Matt & Claire have an amazing chemistry which surprised me at first, because I thought the sparks would fly between Matt and the obvious choice Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) so it was good to see a different dynamic and someone who is not on screen a lot of the time and in Matt’s life at work as well (side note – I have not read the comics so I do not know how this relates to the comic book world).
By far the most shocking and eye opening part of this episode is the rise of KingPin and discovering just how psychotic and crazy this guy is. His date is cut short with Vanessa because of something the Russians do, so instead of talking about it rationally and finding out the problem he beats the guy to a pulp, places his head in the car door and smashes it back and forth until he is completely pulverised. It is the most shocking and confronting scene I have seen in a television show I am going to say, ever.
Episode 6 “World On Fire”
FINALLY after a short 3 episodes of lingering glances and quippy one liners, Matt and Claire finally take their relationship to the next level. The setting for the scene to happen is beautiful with Claire recovering in Matt’s apartment after the events of the last episode and he reveals his “world on fire” vision and his heightened senses. The scene is extremely beautiful and unravels Matt to be completely vulnerable, which after seeing this character as a hard-ass for the first few eps showed great contrast.
Karen & Foggy are helping Mrs Cardenas with her plumbing and heat problems in the apartment and are unknowingly thrust into a surprise dinner date by the interfering old bird. During the dinner they mainly talk about Matt’s blindness and an almost awkward kiss, fortunately before things get too weird, multiple explosions go off all around Hell’s Kitchen.
These explosions have been setup by Fiske to pit the Russians against Daredevil and setup the rest of the season’s story arc. The final scenes of the episode move onto the third couple of Vanessa and Fiske as he explains his motivation for doing what he is doing, and Vanessa proves herself to be stronger and more volatile than originally seen. If there was an episode that could be seen as season setup, it is definitely episode 5. 
Standing out as one of the strongest episode of the season, Daredevil has stood out amongst the rest due to its focus on relationships and substance over the style of some other Marvel offerings. On a side note as a D.C comics fanboy, this is the series that won me over to Marvel and has given me high hopes for AKA Jessica Jones and the hopeful season 2 of Ddaredevil.
Review by Alaisdair Dewar
