Originally published October 22, 2018. Updated January 8, 2019.
Martin Carr reviews the fourth episode of Daredevil season 3…
With the news of Luke Cage and Iron Fist cancellations it’s nice to see the gloves come off in ‘Blindsided’. Carefully crafted narrative, nuanced exchanges and subtle glances are cast aside for a virtuoso steady cam set piece which pulses with unfettered ferocity. Through the inspired use of video surveillance, close up camerawork and hand to hand fist fights that tap into a street fighting dynamic, this episode punches straight through the façade.
Brutal and haphazard this is a reminder that Matt Murdock thrives on punishment. If this singular slice of stylised violence were the only testament that would be ample, but there are thoughts and feeling behind those fists. A one man army using himself as buffer against an incarcerated Kingpin of guile and cunning, with the systematic undoing of that adversary his only intention. Someone who is working the room even though he is under twenty four hour armed guard, monitored from every angle and genteel to a fault. However Fisk is applying his intellect and connections to the situation without once getting those manicured fingernails dirty.
It is the subtle dynamic which is being propagated between himself and Poindexter which is proving the biggest draw right now. Only those two men know exactly what happened during the Albanian ambush and it is that shared knowledge which bonds them. Poindexter has issues with authority, a talent which has gone unnoticed and an affinity with Fisk he is denying. These two men are closer in philosophy than one of them wishes to admit, yet watching Fisk plant those seeds, promote a trust and wear him down is clever and engaging.
Similarly Karen and Foggy are stepping out from Matt’s shadow in light of news that they too may be in danger. Taking the natural charm that Elden Henson puts into Foggy and then giving him purpose and direction adds depth and a rounded sense of self to Franklin Nelson. Karen has also toughened up although the latter is more obsessive than driven at this point. Isolation, self-sufficiency and single minded purpose continue broadening the impact these once peripheral characters have on the overall structure.
There are more masterful touches in this single episode than some Netflix shows muster in an entire run. That ten minute steady cam shot only works because you are fully invested in Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock. Each element ramps up tensions a little more each minute while the punches feel and look real only because we care. Part police procedural, personal revenge story and political thriller Daredevil has upped the ante, made good on the promise and delivered four hours of television for the ages. If this savage adrenaline shot of a season does nothing more than restore faith, then those people at Disney might stop cancelling original content. Not everything revolves around Star Wars after all.
Martin Carr
