Luke Owen reviews the sixth episode of Daredevil…
After a killer cliffhanger at the end of the last episode, the 13 second wait for the next episode to automatically load was almost too much to handle. Daredevil is close to being arrested and the only Russian with the answers he needs just survived a huge explosion. Things are tight for ol’ hornhead, but they’re about to get a whole lot worse.
The entire episode takes place over one crazy night with Daredevil trying to get information from Vladamir in the midst of a city-wide catastrophe involving several explosions set off in buildings. The hospital is jam-packed (forcing Claire to go back to work) and even Foggy is injured in the ensuing madness. But while The Man Without Fear is trapped in an disused warehouse, he not only has to keep the shot and injured Vladamir alive, he also needs to get out before the cops bust in and hold him responsible for the destruction.
But before we get to all of that, we open on another superb fight sequence with Daredevil evading being arrested even though he’s handcuffed. You can look past the cops not taking his mask off when the cuff him, because the sequence that follows is breath-taking. As a show, Daredevil has struggled to top the end of episode two, but it’s not like these fight scenes are weak and useless. Each move packs a hell of a punch and they’re shot with expert fluidity that it demands to be marveled.
Tension rides high throughout this episode and there aren’t many points where the episode really lets off the gas. But even so, they still add in important story details to the over-arching plot of this first season, including Ben Urich finding his passion for investigative journalism again as he harasses the corrupt Blake and Hoffman on the scene of Daredevil’s entrapment and the reveal that Fisk also has the media in his back pocket. There is a fantastic short scene between Wesley and Fisk where he is explaining Urich’s involvement, and they just drop in the line about the media also being corrupt so matter-of-factly without any build. Normally this would seem bizarre, but because the last two episodes have been dropping bombs about Fisk’s reach that it just makes sense for him to also have the media. This is why the writing on Daredevil is so damn good.
Also, Bullseye’s first appearance as the sniper? He did miss…
However, “Condemned” is an episode all about Daredevil being trapped like a rat in a cage. He’s surrounded with nowhere to go and a hostage who won’t give him the information he wants. The highlight of which is one of the most dramatic fights and falls in the entire show – you really feel the devastating impact of that fall, it’s incredible. But this all leads to one of the biggest moments of the series so far: the first interaction between Daredevil and Fisk.
This… this is edge of your seat TV as these two have a verbal sparring match across walkie talkies about their intentions, motivations and characters. It’s fantastic writing and the performances from both Cox and D’Onofrio are stellar. It’s also brilliant as it highlights that we’re six episodes in and the two have yet to meet face-to-face. When they finally do, all hell is going to break loose.
And when all is said and done, The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is born – Daredevil is framed for all the crimes committed by the Kingpin on this fatal night. This leads to an interesting dynamic of Foggy hating Daredevil, while being Matt’s best friend. The story and writing for this series comes straight off the pages of the Daredevil comic books and they are nailing every interesting aspect of this character perfectly.
What a show!
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 14, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
