Daredevil: episode four

The way I remember from my first viewing, this was the first episode that managed to wake me from the fog of post-IM at the VA service. And I'm pretty sure it had to do with this dude:

• I have no idea what Russian prisons are like. They might exactly like this, for all I know. But it does look a little overly dramatic.
• I'm not entirely sure why I still watch the opening credits.
• The guy Matt threw from Claire's roof would've died from the fire extinguisher that fell on his head.
• So I get it's part of the superhero/comic genre, but I always wonder why professional, grown up women don't run in the opposite direction when they run into these admitedly hot dudes. Like, why isn't Clare going "well, he's dreamy . . . but he does dress up in a black suit and beats people into a coma at night". I mean, she's already out of her apartment, wasting sick days from work to hide from anyone that might associate her with him. Where's her sense of self-preservation? 

• People's heart rates could accelarate while telling the truth if they're otherwise preoccupied. For example, if they think the dude questioning them is about to kill them, they might be a little nervous. But I know, I know. Just go with it.
• So Wesley is being all condescending to the Russians in a way he isn't to Gao, or even Leland. And I don't remember much about the Japanese ninja. Maybe that's a little redundant. Anyway, I meant to say that Wesley's smarmyness at the Russians inches them towards a more sympathetic position because Wesley has been pretty repelant so far. 
• Fisk's name being thrown around drives Wesley to make a clumsy attempt to yield to the Russians, but he sounds so annoyed that it falls flat. Since I don't think for an instant that Wesley gives a fart about the Russians, much less fears them, I assume it all has to do with Fisk's name circling around the city's crime drama.
• Holy crap. I do not remember this scene between Karen and the reporter whose name I already forgot about the "things" Karen did in the past that don't make her "credible". I'm guessing porn and/or drugs, favoring drugs. 
• So the epi thing doesn't wake people from comas, what the hell? That's actually pretty funny. Also, you don't inject it "in the heart", where do people get these things from?
• After the show spent like three episodes successfully setting up Fisk as a crime lord Voldemort, it's odd to feel so much second hand embarrasment to see him stumble all over himself to ask art lady out.
• Also, there's no way spellcheck is working in this new computer because I never spell embarrassment right on the first try.
• But it looks like I am.
• Anyway, it does serve to get Fisk on my good side that he would take art lady's catious 'no' without argument. 
• Those canes are freaking expensive and Matt just throws them in the garbage? I'm assuming he comes by to pick them up, otherwise this is just another show where characters complain about being poor but never actually suffer for it at all.
• Ok Matt, you're upset but don't go throwing other people's furniture around. And let's for the moment forget that Claire is apparently cool with indirectly dragging this friend of hers into this mess because I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be thinking about that because it'd make our heroes look a bit like a-holes.
• I remember the auction scene mostly because I dream of being in an auction one day.
• Matt's Spanish is acceptable. 
• "They underestimated what people in power will do to stay there." Chilling line.
• Omg Fisk had that entire "restaurant" set up for a possible date, wtf? I forgot/missed that part. And Vanessa agrees to go out with him again after that instead of fleeing the state and faking her own death because . . . .?
• Not sure why Claire is being all "supportive" now. Sure, Matt saved her, but the only reason she needed saving was because she's involved with him in the first place. Then he says he's got no concrete plan and she's all "you can do this, keep at it" . . . uh, why? 
• Wesley is so pretentious.
• Oh. I remember why this episode was memorable now.

So . . . this episode was a mixed bag. I liked Karen's side quest with Urich, though it's a little disappointing that it never really connects with Matt's story. Or maybe it does, and I just forgot. I'm catching a lot of . . . well, they're not details I missed. More like whole freaking plot points. But I did not like Claire and Vanessa's characterizations here because I can't for the life for me figure out why they aren't running in the opposite direction of Matt and Fisk respectively. I mean, they can't because of plot reasons, but it never looks good when characters behave irrationally so the plot can move forward, unless their irrationality is otherwise accounted for in their characterization. And here, it wasn't.

On the other hand, the closing scene managed to be gruesome and dramatic without crashing into unintentional cheese-dom. Fisk was well established as a competent, complex, and strangely vulnerable villain. He even elevated Wesley from standard smarm since their . . . friendship? Whatever it was, it looked genuine. I dare say that he can join Loki in the lonely stage where MCU's memorable villains chill out between projects.

. . . Holy crap, is there any fanfic where Loki and Fisk meet/team up/whatever?

Finally, this episode also managed to cement the Russian brothers as characters in their own right, albeit cliched ones. Since I know (vaguely) how the upcoming arc relies on the remaining brother, I can see how that's important beyond lending the final scene with Fisk more impact.

Overall, I'm giving this one 4 stars.