In the beginning of the much-anticipated finale to the already massively impressive season 3, we catch up with  Daredevil, who is interrogating a man on a roof. That man is Felix Manning, one of Fisk’s top men. An interrogation scene follows and ends with Matt throwing him off the roof to get information. Luckily, our hero didn’t just commit his first murder, as Felix was attached to the roof via rope. The fall dislocates his hip and he finally squeals to save his own life. He reveals not only Kingpin’s plan to get the city on his side and make Daredevil the public enemy, but that he plans to marry Vanessa that night. He also tells Daredevil that Vanessa was the one who ordered Nadeem’s death.

After Nadeem’s death in episode 12, he is framed for the murder of another agent and his name is dragged through the mud to cover it all up. We catch up Foggy who runs into with Ray’s wife Seema after he is called to meet with the FBI. She is speaking with the FBI, who are eerily welcoming and warm to her, even Dex, her husband’s killer. As it turns out, she is there with an agenda. We are treated to a cleverly crafted scene of Seema and Foggy communicating via paper but keeping the ruse up verbally. She reveals that, in the phone she gives to Foggy, is a video explaining her husband’s plan. He makes a video not only addressing his family, but giving his dying declaration and revealing everything he witnessed and partook in under Kingpin’s orders. A dying declaration from a deceased person is completely admissible in court, and they have “the silver bullet” to take down Fisk for good.

Meanwhile, Daredevil calls Dex using Felix Manning’s phone. He reveals to him that Julie is dead, which sets Dex off. He tells him that Fisk had her killed so that he himself could replace her as Dex’s “north star” and manipulate him. Daredevil then gives him an address to check out but doesn’t tell him why. This leads to a few of the scariest scenes in the MCU so far, in my opinion. The first is the scene in which Dex goes to the address and finds a freezer. He enters it and finds two corpses, who I believe are supposed to be Fisk’s assassins that disguised themselves as painters. He then uncovers the third corpse, a frozen Julie. Her eyes are open and blood red, and her corpse looks so real that I just about jumped when I saw this scene. Sending Dex to this address knowing what he would find is one of the more twisted things Matt has done yet, but this season is all about testing his boundaries as a near-ruthless vigilante, so it works.

As planned, Fisk and Vanessa carry out their wedding, complete with vows and official declaration. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Fisk. I don’t believe there’s ever been another villain marriage depicted in another comic book movie or show, so its nice to have that. The ceremony itself isn’t interrupted either, unlike what most shows would do. I don’t know if there was a single wedding, speech, or public event in the entirety of Arrow that didn’t end in a shootout or super-brawl. But while the wedding was carried out, the afterparty isn’t safe, as Dex shows up to crash the fun. He arrives in a car in his Daredevil suit… with Julie’s corpse in the passenger seat. That reveal was incredibly well-done. He even talks to the corpse. Very horrifying stuff.

Daredex attempts to kill Fisk but is thwarted by none other than the actual Daredevil. The following three-way battle that ensues is absolutely amazing, but a bit too short for my liking. I love that, unlike most MCU Netflix shows, everybody in the final brawl has a costume or comic suit on. Kingpin is in all white and has his special Melvin Potter jacket on. Dex, while never donning a Bullseye costume or gaining that name, still has the devil suit on. And Matt has that awesome black suit, with rope wraps on his hands and a red undershirt. The fight is in the Fisk penthouse as well, which in and of itself is quite a comic book-y setting. There is a fancy chandelier that gets repurposed into billy clubs, plenty of loose objects for Dex to throw around, and multiple levels to fight on. Fisk’s raw physical strength is also really shown here as he misses a punch aimed at Poindexter and punches the brick wall, leaving a crater but still screaming in pain. He also throws Dex and Matt around a lot. He is such an imposing force in every aspect. After threatening Vanessa for the last time, Fisk breaks Dex’s back, taking him out of the fight. It comes down to just Kingpin and Daredevil. You gotta love the emotion these actors put into fighting each other on screen. They have such a history that you feel and understand every grunt and scream they make while beating the crap out of each other. Matt finally beats Fisk to a bloody pulp in front of Vanessa, and comes close to killing him. He decides against it, believing that justice will prevail and that Nadeem’s video will be enough to put him away. However, they strike a deal. Matt will not share that Vanessa called the hit on Agent Nadeem. We’ll see how this arrangement works out in the future.

Things get wrapped up very neatly and in a very hopeful and season 1-esque way. I love that, though this was a very dark season and our heroes were really dragged through the mud, things are still so optimistic in the end. We even have confirmation that Daredevil will return to his life of Matt Murdock, including returning as an attorney. In a heartwarming scene, Foggy writes Nelson, Murdock, and Page on a new napkin, calling back to the formation of Nelson and Murdock: Avocados at Law.

Our final tease comes in the form of Bullseye getting metal welded onto his spine to repair it, a version of something that happened in the comics. His eye opens and… the Bullseye logo is in his eye? Maybe it’s just an illusion or something for only the audience see? Or perhaps they hit a nerve in his spine that affected his brain, making him crazy and giving him even sharper reflexes. Who knows?

VERDICT

5 bloody paintings out of 5

ONE-SHOTS

  • I love that the final beatdown of Fisk takes place right in front of the “Rabbit in a Snowstorm” painting. It’s so symbolic and works perfectly.
  • During the wedding, when all the phones went off, why were the phones even on? IT’S A WEDDING! Unless it was some sort of hack but that’s a stretch.
  • While Daredevil told Dex he was coming for his suit, he never did get it back. I think it’ll be repurposed into a Bullseye suit, which could be awesome. Plus, then DD would need an upgrade, too.
  • Just gotta love how all of the characters we know were in the same very front section at Father Lantom’s funeral and all the extras were behind them.
  • He said Man without Fear!!!