Part 47 – Daredevil season 3

[Originally posted 6/24/20.]

And now, from one hotbed of Catholic influence to another, here’s part 47….

Daredevil season 3:

#3.01 “Resurrection”:
–Holy symbolism, Batman!
–“Several weeks” & “months ago” are drastic understatements. Let’s make this abundantly clear: There is no way *all* of the events of Punisher 1, JJ2, LC2, & IF2 all happened in just “months” after Defenders, & this has to be after them. But let’s say for argument’s sake that those descriptions are correct–even still, Daredevil’s powers do NOT include any kind of enhanced healing or durability; his recovery is gonna be nice & slow even past that point, so you can add a few more months.
–Most of the nuns I’ve known kick butt, & Maggie matches that rule. In fact, the only nun I’ve known who I didn’t like was my spiteful grade-school principal.
–It’s nice seeing how Karen reacted after the end of DD2, but knowing Matt already had to go back on that makes it more bitter than sweet.
–Nothing like a little bit of interfaith harmony. 🙂
–It’s worth noting that *even among Biblical literalists*, the book of Job is considered fiction, a parable, not a historical account like the rest of Bible.
–Matt feels like a failure, but Fisk is sitting in misery in prison.
–You should always filter or boil Neti pot water.
–Matt’s still not at 100%, but getting that clog out helped a TON, just like Maggie said. Probably still wasn’t ready to hit the streets yet, but our mans has developed a death wish.
–If your cards all got declined buying lunch meat, then either you’re bankrupt or you got hacked. Either way, it’s not time to put in a pool.
–Fun fact: Ray’s supervisor is speaking truth; the FBI won’t hire or advance people with bad credit or a lot of debt because of the risk that they’d be open to bribes….so why not give them the appropriate performance-based raises to remove that vulnerability???

#3.02 “Please”:
–Fisk is only talking so he can find a way to get Vanessa home safely, but Nadeem is too desperate to care.
–We never used the word “catechism” when I was growing up.
–“Argumentation is a skill; being argumentative is a sign.” “The burning bush business doesn’t happen very often, even in the Bible.” Spot on, Lantom.
–Nobody would be dumb enough to shank the Kingpin unless he told them to. Fisk wants his luxuries back as well as his financé.
–Matt playing the helpless blind rando instead of the suave lawyer is kinda hilarious.
–Foggy’s mother still wants him to be a butcher, & the whole family is too proud to let their rich lawyer son pay his father’s medical bills.
–Convict, when you are asked a yes or no question, do not answer it with a long, slow speech that does not include the words “yes” or “no”.
–Fisk was actually startled by that explosion; this attack was NOT part of his plan.
–That’s some slick shooting, agent…& some slick throwing. This guy’s gonna be Bullseye.
–Matt’s ears clear up just in time for him to get the worst news of his life.

#3.03 “No Good Deed”:
–Ellison & his wife are sweet.
–Foggy & Marci are sweet too, but Foggy has nightmares about Matt.
–Matt’s hallucination of Fisk is more effective than Mariah’s hallucination of Mabel & Pete, but less effective than Jessica’s hallucination of Kilgrave.
–Matt posing as not-blind rando is kinda hilarious too.
–Tower has a solid point, but he’s still a coward.
–$40 tuna melts!?
–Donovan, you don’t recognize Daredevil?
–Garage fight: It’s no hallway fight, but it’s cool seeing how Matt handles people he actually doesn’t wanna hurt.
–Matt juggling heavy moral issues from a standpoint where God is a given parameter rather than a point of debate is pretty unusual for modern secular TV, & it’s pretty gripping to watch.
–Crud, Dex is gonna try to kill that girl at some point.
–Matt & Foggy’s reunion is painful, especially the robbery.
–Matt’s complete abandonment of his own identity is almost the exact opposite of the regresssion stage of the hero’s journey that Fr. Delgado described last winter.
–“So the Devil is back.” Girls, dry your tears.

#3.04 “Blindsided”:
–Marci has had very little screentime, yet her character arc is very clear & sensible, & she’s pretty freaking cool now.
–NYC DA is a November election; this has to be late October.
–Hopefully, Matt posing as Foggy won’t tank the latter’s campaign…or tank his client’s life.
–Why is Ray so opposed to his son having a sleepover with his cousin?
–The Hindi for “promotion” is “promotion”?
–The blind guy can’t let his pupils be checked.
–Hallway fight 6. I haven’t typed anything for 10 minutes straight. Holy crap.
–If inmates not wanting to finish their food isn’t allowed (JJ2), then guards eating inmates’ food should also not be allowed.
–How is Brett the only detective in the room at a police union meeting?
–Even if Fisk wasn’t grooming you, Dex, he’d still protect the agent who saved his life.

#3.05 “The Perfect Game”:
–Fisk is wrong for the right reason regarding Matt’s eyesight, & is right for the wrong reason regarding Matt’s survival.
–“Gave the DEA [a] very white Christmas.” I get it, drugs.
–Ray is right for the wrong reason regarding Matt having been home, & wrong for the right reason regarding Karen’s discomfort discussing Wesley.
–Karen should’ve recorded her chat with Felix.
–The flashback device while Fisk studies Dex’s transcripts is pretty clever.
–Dex’s doctor was great. A lot of this kind of narcissistic behavior could be nipped in the bud if all parents taught their kids from the time they could talk that they need to care about other people. Shame about her terminal illness. Funnily enough, Mercer’s code for Dex is kinda like Harry’s code for Dexter.
–Whoa, look at you, all asking a girl out normally instead of stalking her! (I’m terrified for her.)
–Whoa, look at Julie, all correctly identifying a dangerous stalker! (I’m even more terrified for her.)
–Karen probably feels pretty relieved to finally be able to tell somebody about Wesley.

#3.06 “The Devil You Know”:
–The Kingpin is back.
–Karen, you & Foggy were targets even before Matt stole Foggy’s ID.
–“I should’ve let you die.” Truer words, Dex.
–Why is *anybody* questioning Dex’s actions during the transport?
–Maggie’s chat with Karen is kinda sweet.
–For once I’m annoyed with Maggie: A business suit should not be required to be deemed “dressing like a normal person.”
–Daredevil is the only person who can make Bullseye miss; that’s one of the reasons he hates DD so much.
–At melee range, Matt utterly dominates Dex, to the point that only the fake-DD body armor keeps that fight from ending immediately; Dex has to spam projectiles to win.
–Ray is a freaking idiot if he thinks the guy who helped CATCH Fisk is working for him.

#3.07 “Aftermath”:
–Maggie acknowledges that there are others who could go after Fisk. (Jessica in particular would be very good at the investigative side.)
–Foggy did his job. Nadeem did not.
–Holy crap, Betsy’s real!? I’d thought she was just Melvin’s imaginary friend or something.
–Well, dang.
–Warden, the only reason you lawyer up in this situation is if YOU were the one who released Evans.
–“I’m full of percoset. Jello. Rage.” We like Ellison.
–Melvin demonstrates why he was called “Gladiator” in the comics.
–Ray gets his first glimpse at exactly how much luxury was returned to Fisk, but in the process gives him time to get back in bed.
–For such a good liar, Fisk is a terrible liar.
–Nice of Matt to follow up with Betsy.
–Not so nice of Karen’s dad to refuse to let her home.
–Ray is finally getting with the program.

#3.08 “Upstairs/Downstairs”:
–Even in the public spaces, I’m still terrified for Julie.
–Both teams of Daredevil & Nadeem and Foggy & Karen have smart, pragmatic plans for going at Fisk.
–Poor Julie. In a show where a hell of a lot of people get killed, this one murder may be the most disturbing. Seeing it through the security camera just makes it worse, like an attempt at alienation that instead had the opposite effect. (Then again, most attempts at intentional alienation have the opposite effect on me; Brecht had no clue what he was talking about.)
–Dangit, Karen, you ruined Christmas.
–Foggy handles himself pretty well until he realizes Karen is out ruining Christmas.
–Ray, you’re an FBI agent; you can get that wound treated at the hospital & just tell them the circumstances are classified.
–Dex pops his collar? Come on, show, we already knew he was evil.
–HOLY CRAP MAGGIE IS MATT’S MOTHER & HE HEARD HER THROUGH THE CHURCH FLOOR OH MY GAAAAA

#3.09 “Revelations”:
–Lantom hustles pool. I love this show.
–Flashback: Maggie & Jack met cute, but she got hit hard with a very un-convent-ional case of PPD.
–Ray, you were 90% of the way right. Just the “unwitting” part was wrong.
–That “Creel vs Murdock” poster is still on the wall of the gym.
–The hallucination of Jack isn’t quite as good as the hallucination of Fisk; Jack isn’t blurred as effectively. The audio effect on both their voices was pretty cool, though.
–“The church has been helping people hide for 2000 years.” Sanctuary, Karen. Sanctuary.
–The Kingpin finally takes his title.
–Foggy’s brother is just dumb as hell.
–The look on Ray’s face when he actually sees Dex throwing, he saw that action in the stairwell.
–Rosalie Carbone remains the only crime lord in New York physically capable of relaxing under pressure.

#3.10 “Karen”:
–Flashback time: It only took us until the 44th episode out of the 48 Karen appears in to find out why she’s like this.
–Ah, so here is the junkie Karen from the comics, except she’s also a dealer, & we already know she’s gonna live through this phase of her life..
–That luge thing is idiotic.
–Entitled small-town cop is entitled.
–Karen’s dad spent money he doesn’t have, her brother screwed up her college admission schedule & committed arson, & her boyfriend tried to kill her brother. But sure, she gets blamed for everything.
–Back in the now, Karen takes refuge in the same room where Matt stayed before.
–Fisk’s techie is also a hostage. I wonder how he forced her into this.
–Fisk has no qualms sending his hitman into a church. Requiescat in pace, Fr. Lantom.
–Once again, Dex only survives this fight by his armor.
–In the comics, Bullseye kills Karen in the church, & Daredevil ends up cradling her body just like Karen is cradling Matt now.

#3.11 “Reunion”:
–Hell of a night for a walk, Sister.
–“Why didn’t you run?” She was running, Matt; that’s why she was in the church!
–Fisk’s speech presumes that none of these people saw his dudes attack that police motorcade & kill a bunch of cops.
–The NYPD has plenty of corruption, but it’s been Fisk-free ever since the end of season 1.
–Don’t screw with nuns, Ray.
–Theo’s argument is garbage.
–Well played, Foggy & Ray.
–Even a selfish jerk like Fisk can admit that even he doesn’t take precedence over the Holocaust. (They may have called themselves “national socialists”, but communism was just a red herring.)
–A jacket is no car door.
–Ray & Matt both kick some butt in the Nadeem household.
–“Obviously, I’m here to help you.” Love it.

#3.12 “One Last Shot”:
–Vanessa has finally rejoined the show, & we finally get to meet Brett’s mom!
–Seema’s rage is fully justified, but ya still gotta feel for Ray a bit.
–“Nelson & Murdock, attorneys at law.” Oh hell yes.
–“We’ll cover it” means “Foggy will cover it,” as Karen & Matt are both nearly broke right now.
–“I don’t even pick up a book in the airport without reading the last page first”. Tower, you suck.
–The buzzing in Dex’s head is gonna boil over soon.
–Vanessa wants in on the action. That’s pretty screwed up.
–In Dex’s desperation to be Fisk’s new best buddy, he’s murdered a Holocaust survivor against Fisk’s wishes & stained the man’s favorite artwork.
–Heh, “Five Senses”.
–Matt & Ray make a really great team.
–Godspeed, Agent Nadeem. For real, though, when did you dig this hole for the pool?

#3.13 “A New Napkin”:
–That split screen was very cool.
–Felix has a very punchable face & voice. Glad somebody’s finally punching him.
–Ray’s an original character, so it was a very pleasant surprise to see how compelling his story was. And God bless him for thinking to record his dying declaration.
–I didn’t expect the hitmen’s bodies to be stashed in the same place as Julie’s…or the hitmen to even be dead.
–Matt’s plan is smart, using Dex as his battering ram to clear a path through the security.
–One of those news articles is about Cybertek, the company that made Deathlok’s parts.
–Daredevil vs Kingpin vs Bullseye. Chills throughout my entire body as the advantages shifted back & forth, as Fisk passed his armored jacket to his wife, as Dex was finally decommissioned, as Vanessa’s painting was truly ruined, as Matt made his ultimate declaration of victory & forced the big man to cave, as Mahoney came in & knew immediately which Daredevil was the real one. Breathtaking.
–The light coming into the crypt full of flowers paints a beautiful picture for Matt & Maggie’s last conversation.
–Matt’s eulogy for Lantom is also lovel–“the man without fear”…I see what you did there.
–This feels conclusive, like a proper series finale, even the tease of Dex’s surgery at the end is just an “& the adventure continues” moment.

Executive summary: Phew. That was truly astounding to watch. I’m just…in awe. The show definitely bounced back from its dip in season 2, but I can’t decide whether this was better than season 1 or not. As ever, Cox & D’onofrio steal the show.