Synopsis: In Gloves Off, Bullseye settles into a chilling new morning routine, while Fisk steps into the ring for a high-profile charity boxing match.
The Story
Picking the story up from last week, Daredevil and Page have gotten all the escaped prisoners to relative safety and begin recording interviews with them as a means of gathering evidence to help in their quest to legally remove Fisk from office. They also catch a break when the first officer from the Northern Star comes forward and records testimony that implicates Fisk in the smuggled arms. Meanwhile, Page compiles the various video testimonies onto an SD card and uses Angela’s social network to pass it on to BB Urich, with the handoff taking place just before BB attends the boxing match.
Meanwhile, Fisk is having a very bad day as he prepares for his big fight against the heavyweight boxing champion. His Red Hook warehouse has been compromised, and when he visits to inspect the damage, he has a tense meeting with Mr. Charles, who highlights the implications of the smuggled arms still being stored at the facility. Mr. Charles attempts to strong-arm Fisk, but Fisk’s bodyguard, Buck, swiftly handles the situation along with a few other loose ends.
Elsewhere, Bullseye has adopted a new morning routine, sending a clear message that he is still very much in play. He heads to a nearby diner for a milkshake breakfast, calls the police to report a supposed sighting of the Punisher, and then proceeds to kill every officer they send. This serves as a brutal warm-up for what’s to come, as Bullseye sets his sights on Fisk and Vanessa at the boxing match.
However, the event itself is a calculated ruse by Fisk, designed to lure both Bullseye and Daredevil out into the open. The plan unfolds with devastating consequences, culminating in a tragic outcome for Vanessa.
Acting
Vincent D’Onofrio puts in a solid shift this week as we see Fisk enduring what becomes his worst day in recent memory. It very much feels like his mayoralty is beginning to unravel. The scene with Mr Charles (Matthew Lillard) plays a key role in that, as does the re-emergence of Benjamin Poindexter, aka Bullseye (Wilson Bethel).
Overall
- Story9.7
- Acting10
- CGI & Stunts10
- Incidental Music9.6
I get why they did it, but I’m annoyed by Vanessa’s fate. We’ve already lost Thor’s Queen Frigga and Black Panther’s Queen Ramonda. These characters and their actors could carry stories in their own rights.
While I haven’t been watching the show maybe a way of ameliorating Vanessa’s death could be to debut the original Spider-Woman Valerie the librarian? And have her fight crime alongside Daredevil.
That would kind of take away from the identity of the show. When it was released on Netflix a few years back before the rights went back to Disney. The whole point of Daredevil, Like Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones was to present a more grounded version of the Marvel Universe with Street Level Heroes. Having Spiderwoman turn up in an episode would take away from that.