Luke Owen reviews the fourth episode of Daredevil…
With the reveal of Wilson Fisk at the end of the last episode, it’s about time we got to know this chap a little bit better. Thankfully, “In the Blood” gives us exactly that – and so much more.
But while the episode is really the first steps into understanding who Fisk is, “In the Blood”, it’s also about the history and relationship of the Russian brothers Vladamir and Anatoly. They’ve been in the show since episode one, and have had more screentime than Fisk’s other associates like Madam Gau, Nobu and The Owl, but this is the first time we’re really getting into the meat and bones of them as characters. We see them at the start of the episode held up in a prison in Siberia and their plans to move to New York and “rule like kings”, and this is really the message of the episode: they’re brothers in arms up until the very end. They also show some great character as they are berated by the always-awesome Wesley about not taking care of the Man in Black and their insubordination of saying Wilson Fisk’s name out loud – something that will come back to haunt them.
And, yes, the references to “iron suits” and “magic hammers” were a little more on the nose than previous nods to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but they’re brilliantly delivered by Toby Lenoard Moore. As always.
However, this episode is about one man: Wilson Fisk. There were a few people who remarkably didn’t like the idea of casting Vincent D’Onofrio as The Kingpin when it was first announced, but his first showing here should silence any doubters about the choice to put him in the role. D’Onofrio is always good value and brings a special something to every project he’s a part of – and that is true once again in Daredevil. He has this soft tone and presence to him, but yet still manages to be terrifying. We’re introduced to him asking innocent curator Vanessa out on a date – yes, the Kingpin asking someone out on a date. And he’s nervous about it! He stumbles over his words and even show signs of heartbreak when he’s turned down at first. And yet, he’s still the most frightening on-screen presence in the series so far. When they’re out on their date, you actually find yourself feeling sorry for him as he struggles to act like a normal person. However, that all comes crashing down by the end of the episode and you find out why you were scared of him in the first place…
Meanwhile, there’s further developments between Ben Urich and Karen Page as the investigation into the city corruption continues. However it seems over before it’s even begun as Ben tells Karen the whole thing is too dangerous – which only spurs on Karen to find out more information on her own. This is a really interesting episode-long dynamic, and it’s nice to see in a quite male-dominated show (there are only four female characters against ten or so male ones), where one of the female characters can show some backbone and investigate something on her own. If only The Flash could pull of something like this.
On the other side of the coin is the relationship teases of Matt Murdock and Claire, who now knows Matt’s real name. The episode features a storyline of the Russians kidnapping Claire to get information about Daredevil, and there is some great frantic emotion shown from Charlie Cox as he tries to find her – even without putting his costume on at one point! Not to take anything away from Rosario Dawson, who is awesome as always. Director Ken Girotti also shows some great control during this fast-paced sequence, allowing time for the audience to see Daredevil use his powers to find where they’ve taken Claire. However, it is funny to write a paragraph about a female character that takes charge of a situation in the same episode that also has the male superhero save the damsel in distress…
“In the Blood” also features our first reference to Melvin Potter, who Daredevil fans will know as classic villain The Gladiator. And at one point in the episode, Fisk teases hiring other help. Could this be a subtle tease for other Man Without Fear villains like Bullseye? Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves…
And while the title of “In the Blood” is a reference to the Russian brothers – there’s an awful lot of blood before the credits roll. If this episode has taught us one thing – it’s don’t mess with Wilson Fisk while he’s out on a date.
Luke Owen is the Deputy Editor of Flickering Myth and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published April 13, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
