In “World On Fire” Wilson Fisk manages to get himself a second date, Foggy gets his first ‘date’ with Karen, and Matt and Claire share a kiss whilst he nurses her back to health in his apartment. We also get our first explanation (and visuals) of how Matt’s powers work, as he explains to Claire that to him, the world quite literally looks as if it is on fire. And by the end of this episode a large chunk of Hell’s Kitchen is on fire too, as in one fell swoop Fisk manages to both wipe out the Russian’s and be out on a hot date at the same time. Talk about being a good multitasker.
The episode is also the first time Fisk interacts with the other crime heads on screen, as he explains his plans to frame Daredevil for the brutal murder of Anatoly, in an effort to enrage Vladimir and distract him as he hammers the final nails in his plan to eradicate his operations in the city. And it works spectacularly, especially with the added bonus that the explosions serve as romantic viewing for him and Vanessa. This is also the moment Vanessa becomes totally enamoured with her new lover, as he poetically explains his vision to wipe out crime and corruption in the city and change Hell’s Kitchen for the better. However, the fact that he plans to do this through committing criminal acts himself is clearly lost on Vanessa.
The fledgling firm of Nelson and Murdock also take on a new client, bringing the total up to three. That client is an elderly woman who is being forcefully kicked out of her rundown apartment block by developers looking to gentrify the neighbourhood and build fancy new condominiums. This subplot serves two purposes: both to make Karen further aware of the web of corruption tied to her former employers and bring her closer to the truth, and to be served a tasty meal and set up on a date with ‘Senor Foggy’. The conversation that ensues over dinner only serves to fuel suspicions that Karen only has eyes for Matt, which at this point seems a little weird since besides the first episode the two have barely interacted on screen. Whatever the case, it seems like Foggy is well on the way to finding himself in the friend zone, with a confrontation between the hard hitting attorneys seemingly inevitable.
Matt is too busy to notice Karen’s growing affections however, as he is both caught up in a budding romance with Claire and the discovery that the two cops Blake and Hoffman are on Fisk’s payroll. This revelation puts him hot on the trail of Vladimir, and by the end of the episode he is caught up in the same explosion that leaves his prey mortally wounded.
The stakes are definitely raised in this episode, as Wilson Fisk’s nefarious plans for the city come closer to being realised. He has easily become my favourite character on the show, and is quickly becoming one of my favourite villains to hit the screen. There is a lot that Drew Goddard and Steven DeKnight deserve applause for in bringing the world of Daredevil to life, but their adaptation of The Kingpin is definitely number one in my books at least. Is it wrong that I’m finding myself rooting for the bad guy?
Episode Highlights:
— “You have a job or something to get to? Or are you one of those billionaire playboys I’m always hearing about?”
— Vanessa brings a gun to her dinner with Wilson, following Anatoly’s violent interruption on the first date. Smart woman, though if you need to take a licensed firearm when being taken out for a meal by your new beau perhaps he’s not the right man for you
— Foggy takes a trip to the firm he turned down to set up shop with Matt, and after seeing the size of their foyer I can see why he has been none to happy with the ‘offices’ of Nelson and Murdock. But at least he has that fax machine that doesn’t work
EPISODE REVIEW: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Read Simon’s review of Season 1 Episode 4 “In The Blood” here.
Marvel’s Daredevil is available to stream all 13 episodes of Season One on Netflix Australia.
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