Daredevil Season 1 Finale Breakdown

Let’s do this!

Episode 13 – “Daredevil”

Written and Directed by Steven S. DeKnight

Preeti: So ok! Episode 13!

Scott: I’ll be totally honest, I think I called every single thing that happens in this episode.

Preeti: You did??? I didn’t tooootally. I think I was just so emotional from losing Ben.

Scott: Yeah, it all felt very inevitable to me. But not in a bad way at all. It was actually really satisfying.

Preeti: Yeah, definitely not a bad thing. There is a major theme of inevitability in this episode.

Scott: Right. And I really liked that. Because all this season the legal and vigilante parts of Matt’s life have been really segregated. But the thing about Daredevil has always been that he fights them the bad guys in court first, and if that fails, THEN he fights them in the streets.

Preeti: (Despite how that is usually not the best decision he can make bc Matt Murdock: King of Bad Decisions)

Yeah, they’ve been very separate pieces of his lives, but the last few episodes in this season are leading to some sort of… I can’t think of the word, but something has to give. I think he has to figure out how to balance it.

(Not that he succeeded, but he made the first step in this season, I think)

Scott: Right. What I love about this finale is that he beats Kingpin legally but then Fisk gets out of it so THEN Daredevil goes after him in the streets.

Preeti: Oh man, yes.

Preeti: So ok, first of all, before we get into Fisk v Matt, I want to say I’m going to miss Ben Urich SO MUCH. I am seriously bummed that they killed him off, even though I get why they did it.

Scott: Oh man. Me too.

Preeti: I’m still so sad that he and Matt will never be buds.

Scott: I totally understand from a narrative perspective, it’s just frustrating because first and foremost: I love that character. I love him and Daredevil/Matt. And I love this actor playing him.

Preeti: Yes! All of the above.

Scott: But then there’s the added baggage of him being a black man in this new version.

Preeti: Yeeeaaahhh… They wrote out the two major minority characters on the good guy’s team which I don’t love.

Scott: AND the fact that him being killed has nothing to do with his comic counterpart
Like his white counterpart is hanging out in the Spider-Woman comic right now

(which is SO GOOD btw)

Preeti: (OMG SO GOOD)

Scott: But yeah, this guy’s gone, and that’s just… ugh. Frustrating.

Preeti: Yeah and since we know the MCU is all connected, Ben Urich is never going to be around? I feel like it’s a little short sighted to be honest. I mean, I’m glad that this means Karen’s going to get a meatier role but I hate that it’s at the expense of Ben.

Scott: But there was just NO ONE else they could have had Kingpin kill and it would have been any less problematic.

Preeti: Yeah. Agreed.

Scott: Which, I think is actually short sighted on their part. Because either they knew they were going to do this and they didn’t build in any other minority characters or they didn’t know beforehand and just realized that they’d written themselves into a corner.

Preeti: Well the thing about a Netflix show writing-wise, my guess is that because it’s all going up at one time, they’d have to have a season’s narrative in mind while writing.

Or maybe not? I just imagine it would be that way just because of the nature of the beast.

Scott: You’d think so, but they’re still not writing it all at the same time you know? I imagine it still works like any other show, just that production is completely finished before it goes out. More like a movie? But I don’t actually know.

Preeti: ALL SPECULATION FROM US, FOLKS

Scott: All I know is that Ben dying is understandable narratively, just INCREDIBLY unfortunate.

Preeti: Yes, I think we can all agree to that. But we’ll see how they handle such things NEXT SEASON.

Scott: YES!

(NOTE: Shortly after having this conversation, Preeti and I realized that they could have set up Matt’s priest to be killed by Kingpin and it would have had the same emotional effect without the added racial baggage. Plus, Wilson strangling a priest to death through a confessional would have been ICONIC. Ah, well…)

Preeti: So ok, let’s briefly talk about Foggy’s role in this episode because I really loved it.

Scott: Me, too.

Preeti: I loved that we get the glimpse of who he is going to be to Matt’s Daredevil bringing him back from the brink, and that little voice in his head that’s like, “heyyy buddy, let’s calm down for a second okay?”

(Apparently in my head Foggy is Michael Bluth to Matt’s Buster?)

Scott: Well, now I’m picturing Matt with a hook for a hand.

Preeti: HAHAHA! #sorrynotsorry

“And Matty, you can’t do that on the balcony, buddy?”
“Karen says it’s too windy.”

Scott: HAHAHA!

Preeti: Ok ok sorry so far off topic. LET’S GO BACK TO FISK V MATT

Scott: Let’s do it!

Preeti: Okay so Fisk is in the van and he’s telling this story and I know Paul and I kind of talked about this on the podcast, but I want it in writing because I spent the whole speech like, where is he going with this?

Scott: Oh yeah, me too. Definitely.

Preeti: And Fisk is talking about the Samaritan and the Priest and in that great way
of pushing words out of his mouth. And he says, “It means that I’m not the Samaritan. That I’m not the priest, or the Levite. That I am the ill intent who set upon the traveler on a road that he should not have been on.” and I lost my goddamn mind.

Scott: It’s an INCREDIBLE scene.

Preeti: I think it might be my favorite of the whole season.

Scott: It’s also thematically calling back the pilot because Matt brings up the Good Samaritan story in that first episode.

Preeti: Oh yeah! I’d completely forgotten!

Scott: And again, I’ve talked about color on this show and they doing something really interesting and (I assume) deliberate with color in that scene.

Preeti: It was too symbolic to not have been deliberate, I think.

Scott: From when the shit hits the fan and Wilson gets arrested to him telling the Samaritan story he’s wearing a blue suit under a black trench. Black and blue. Because his ego is bruised. But then, after the ill content turn and that guy kills everyone else in the van, he hops out of the van and he’s suddenly in ALL BLACK.

Preeti: YES THAT SHOT. When he gets out and is just standing on the edge of the truck
and imposing and more like Kingpin than ever before. Oof it’s such a strong shot.

Scott: Or his strut-walk down the street to the other truck! Just taking his sweet ass time
because he’s THE GODDAMN KINGPIN

Preeti: Yesssss! And all of a sudden they start shooting him in all these terrifying low angles. I loved how on point all the cinematography was on this show. Everything had a purpose.

Scott: Absolutely. This finale just felt like one long third Act.

Preeti: It totally did.

Scott: Before we get to the fight, we gotta talk about it. The suit.

(Also, GLADIATOR!)

Preeti: GLADIATOR! Awww Melvin. I was so excited to see Melvin, he’s one of my favs.

Scott: Melvin is suit-related. I love that they’re going backwards with Melvin’s story in this.

Preeti: Aw but I hope he doesn’t fall into a life of crime. I hope they just make him Matt’s bodyguard haha

Scott: He’s definitely going to fight Daredevil at some point. They have that set up. Matt’s going to fail to protect Melvin’s wife (wife? girlfriend? daughter? I couldn’t tell) and he’s gonna go full Gladiator on him.

Preeti: Yeah, but it’ll be one where Matt’s going to be like MELVIN NO YOU’RE BETTER THAN THIS and I will love it.

Scott: Exactly. It’ll be beautiful. All I could think though (because I don’t think he was ever that specific about who he was protecting) was that he was talking about his dog haha

Preeti: hahahaha oh my god

Scott: Which actually makes it SO MUCH SADDER/ADORABLER.

Preeti: MELVIN IS THE ADORABLEST DAREDEVIL FOE.

Preeti: ok so the suit

Scott: I love the set up for the suit. The way it all came together was really REALLY good
It made perfect sense

Preeti: It totally made sense, but the suit itself, I don’t know, I wanted more? I did … like it. And I love how creepy the eye part is.

Scott: I feel like it was supposed to be an early suit. I think it’ll evolve.

Preeti: Yeah, I’m hoping. It felt very “heroes first suit”. But hey, at least it wasn’t yellow!

Scott: I mean, he wasn’t Daredevil yet, he didn’t get the name until after the final fight
So I’m hoping they’ll add the DD on his chest next season.

Preeti: Ooooh yes! Maybe that’s what was missing! I kept being like, there is something about this suit that is not working for me.

Scott: Didn’t Melvin even say it wasn’t done yet?

Preeti: Oh, yeah! He did! Good ol’ Melvin!

Scott: So there you go. ROOM TO IMPROVE.

Preeti: Ok I take it all back! Hahaha

So Vanessa! VANESSA! She was such a pillar of quiet force in this episode.
When she’s left standing there after the police take him away, I saw the hint of the woman she becomes when she takes over for him, and then when she puts the ring on and gets on the helicopter I was like OH THERE YOU ARE MADAME.

Scott: OHHHH YEAH.

Scott: (side note: How amazing was Fisk’s proposal?)

Preeti: SO GOOD.

Scott: It almost brought me to tears which is INSANE. He’s the KINGPIN! WHY DO I WANT HIM TO BE HAPPY!?

Preeti: Ugh! Seriously, him screaming “YOU ARE MY HEART MY EVERYTHING”? I was like LET HIM GOOOO!! LET HIM BE WITH HERRRRR!!

Scott: I KNOW! Such a perfect moment. I can’t wait for more Vanessa. She’s SO good

Preeti: Seriously. I hope we get her scheming at least one interaction between her and Daredevil.

Scott: Not even scheming. Just coming to Daredevil and being like, “can you just.. not? I want to be with my husband. I promise I’ll get him out of your hair if you just let him go.”

Preeti: hahahahahahaha omg yes! I want that! I want that scene!

Preeti: So, final fight?

Scott: Let’s get this up front: the music was weird.

Preeti: So weird. So, so weird. It was a weird fight.

Scott: For some reason they thought Daredevil means rave music? I don’t get it.

Preeti: Yeah it was a weird off choice for a show that was so on the rest of the time.

Scott: They did techno music in the 2003 movie, too.

Preeti: Ugghhh let us not speak of such things. “The film that will not be named”.

Scott: It’s just weird! Why is Daredevil techno music?

Preeti: Matt’s really into the thumping base? And pacifiers?

(I’m basing this on the movie Go, I was not cool enough to actually go to raves.)

Scott: He had a Rave phase in college with Elektra.

Preeti: Foggy was not interested because he was too busy listening to Train.

Scott: All this and more in Daredevil Season 2!

Preeti: YES.Hahahaahaha!

Scott: #Ravedevil

Preeti: This final fight I think starts out so strong minus the music. Like, D’Onofrio is at his Kingpinniest. Pure rage. But then he sort of just throws a fit.

Scott: Like a baby.

Preeti: Like a big baby!

Scott: Yeah, here’s the thing: I haven’t been super into the manchild thing they’ve been doing with Kingpin.

Preeti: Yeahhhh… It works in small doses when it feels less like man baby and more like a sociopath who can’t control his emotions.

Scott: Yes, exactly! Because how else does this man-baby thing come to head other than with a tantrum?

Preeti: “THIS. CITY. DOESN’T. DESERVE. A. BETTER. TOMORROW.”

*HITS WITH STICKS*

“IT DESERVES. TO DROWN. IN ITS. FILTH.”

and matt going ah ow ah ow

“IT DESERVES PEOPLE LIKE MY FATHER. PEOPLE LIKE YOU.”

Wah wah wahhhh

Scott: Yeah… You know what doesn’t work? Talking in fights. It works in comics because you’re not actually hearing it. In reality, it comes off as really unnatural doesn’t actually make any logistical sense at all.

Preeti: Agreed. Monologuing never works in the middle of a fight.

Scott: So yeah, the fight isn’t the best. Well, actually, the SCENE isn’t the best. The fight is actually great. Daredevil in full form was really fun/satisfying to watch.

Preeti: Oh yeah, as soon as he starts wailing on him it gets so good. After the tantrum.

Scott: But what I loved most about it was the lead up to it all. Because you honestly and completely are rooting for both of them equally. Which is SO WEIRD. I didn’t know who I wanted to win that fight.

Preeti: I know! It’s SO WEIRD. They made us like Wilson and forgive him his craziness.

Scott: Like, I knew Matt would win, but I didn’t know if I actually wanted him to win.

Preeti: Agreed. But that’s why Daredevil is so great. It’s all gray. No black & white.

Scott: It actually makes the end of the fight kind of anticlimactic? It’s just like… Aaaaaand he won. The end.

Preeti: I’m not sure what else they could have done. I mean, he had to win.

Scott: Yeah I don’t know either. I don’t have a better idea. It just wasn’t that satisfying of a win.

Preeti: And I think the end isn’t the end. Wilson is staring at the wall in his cell and it feels like maybe he kind of did win in a way.

Scott: Yeah I loved everything after the fight too. Kingpin in all white for the first time in the series. I hope he comes out of prison next season in the white suits.

Preeti: Yes! I want to see D’Onofrio in that.

Scott: And I loved the scene with the Murdock trio putting up their sign. And seeing the press give Matt his name.

Preeti: Aww yeah that was cute.

Scott: But maaaaan. Karen needs to find out the truth in the first episode of season 2.

Preeti: Ugh. She better.

Scott: Because this is dumb and adding nothing to the show.

Preeti: I don’t want another GIRLS CAN’T KNOW TOO SCARY. And also I don’t want her and Matt to date on the show. If you can kill Ben Urich, you can make Matt and Karen not date.

Scott: Agreed completely. The secretary thing needs to stop too. I want her to become their investigator next season. They can get a temp as a secretary.

Preeti: Yessssssssssss.

Scott: Marvel has a lot of work to do to redeem themselves for what they let happen to Karen Page in the comics. She was less a “woman in a refrigerator” than she was a “woman in a punching bag”. It was baaaad.

Preeti: Yeeeahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Scott: This first season was a good start, but they’re not finished yet. Not by a longshot.

Preeti: Agreed, I’m so glad it got picked up for a second season.

Scott: ME TOO.

Preeti: AND maybe this means we get Jessica Jones crossover!!!!!

Scott: That would be GREAT!

OH! OH!!

Karen and Jessica team-up!

Jessica trains Karen to be an investigator!!!!

Preeti: YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

Scott: Alright so final thoughts on season one?

Preeti: EXCELLENT start to the marvel YES THEY DID CRUSH A GUY’S HEAD WITH A CAR DOOR universe. I can’t wait for season 2.

Scott: Hahaha AGREED

Preeti: Charlie Cox IS Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio IS Fisk.

Scott: YES

Preeti: (Sidenote: Charlie Cox got a subscription to Marvel Unlimited for being in the show and he’s been geeking out in interviews about all the stuff he’s reading and it is the CUTEST)

Scott: I saw that! He’s super cool. I love him.

Preeti: Me tooooo. Ok your turn!

Scott: Everything you said. This ended up being even better than the show I had in my head. There’s a lot of directions they could move into next season. And now that they’ve established Matt, I think they can turn their focus to his co-stars and really dig into Karen and Foggy as characters.

Preeti: And maybe some new ones *cough*ELEKTRA*cough*

Scott: YES. Without a doubt Elektra pleaseandthankyou.

Preeti: OMG what if they got like Summer Glau to be Elektra?

(I know we are sooo far ahead of ourselves with guessing at casting)

Scott: Hmmmm. I really want someone more ethnic than that.

Preeti: I’m so glad you said that hahaha BC YES

Scott: So excited though. SO EXCITED. MOAR DAREDEVIL!

Preeti: SO FRIGGIN EXCITED. ALL THE DAREDEVIL FOR US. THEY ARE GIVING US A GIFT. A GIFT OF ANGSTY BAD DECISION MAKING CHARMING AS ALL HELL MATT MURDOCK.

Scott: I hope Jessica Jones comes around sooner than December (which is the date I keep hearing rumored)

Preeti: ommmggg no that’s WAY TOO FAR. I need it in like September at the latest. Come on Netflix, you can do it. I have faith.

Scott: hahaha! Let’s get Jessica Jones in September and Luke Cage in January. YOU CAN DO IT. NETFLIX. Daredevil Season 2 in April again and Iron Fist next July. COME ON.

Preeti: hahaha YESSSSS! MORE DARDEVIL IN APRIL. BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR MEEEEE

Scott: See, Netflix? Now you have to do it. You don’t have a choice. Give us ALL OF THE MARVEL and ALL OF THE DAREDEVIL.

Well, that’s all for our discussion of the Daredevil season one finale. What were some of your favorite moments from season one? What are you hoping to see in season two? Sound off in the comments!
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