I will be taking over for Matthew, who reviewed the first four episodes of Daredevil, and will be covering episodes five (“Kinbaku“) and six (“Regrets Only“), after that, Rhiannon will takeover for episodes seven and eight, with Doug resuming his typical reviews beginning with episode nine.

After delivering four fantastic episodes – with the third episode, “New York’s Finest“, serving as a true standout hour of television – it was a little disappointing to see the fifth episode, titled “Kinbaku” take a bit of a dive. This isn’t to say that the episode was bad, however, as it was anything but. In fact, “Kinbaku” did a fantastic job at showcasing the tumultuous relationship between Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Elektra Natchios (Elodie Yung). However, it was a bit uneven in bits, taking it from a sure-fire five star episode, to a four star episode.

As episode four ends with Matt finding Elektra waiting for him in his apartment, episode five begins with a flashback scene to ten years prior, when he first came upon the explosive Elektra after crashing a party with Foggy. And much like was the case with Jon Bernthal‘s Punisher when we first met him, Yung’s Elektra manages to steal the show whenever she’s on the screen.

“Would you believe it if I said I missed you?”
“No.”
“Smart man. Columbia education really paid off.”

As the episode moves back into the present, with Elektra having broken into Matt’s apartment, we begin to sense that, whatever reason has led to Elektra’s surprising reappearance in Matt’s life it isn’t because she misses him – something he’s quick to call her out on. One thing I love about the scenes between both Yung and Charlie Cox is that there’s a clear chemistry there, almost on the same level as Krysten Ritter and Mike Colter in Jessica Jones. The way they bounce off of one another, it’s believable. And seeing her crazy rub off on his morals as they go about breaking into various locations – including Fogwell’s gym, leading to that now famous hook-up teased in the second trailer for season two – is exciting.

Yung isn’t the only cast member to shine in this episode, however. Last season, a lot of people seemed to have an issue with Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). Either they found him to be annoying, or they just didn’t care for Henson in the role. And to an extent, I understood that, even if I found him to be a rather perfect choice for the character. Going into season two, it should be hard for people to find fault with Foggy. This time around, he’s a hell of a lot more confident, and he’s a legal badass all around, especially when it comes to dealing with D.A. Samantha Reyes (Michelle Hurd), a character we actually first met in episode thirteen of Jessica Jones, “Smile“, and Blake Tower (Stephen Rider). Seeing how he stands up to both Reyes and Tower when they try to overthrow him is a nice change for the character. While Matt’s out beating the crap out of bad people, Foggy’s using his law skills to take down those aiming to case trouble for Nelson & Murdock.

“Reyes is gonna roll over you like a tank.”
“You keep saying that. And yet…still kinda here.”

However, while this episode is meant to serve as our introduction to Elektra, allowing us to see what once was between her and Matt, this episode also tries to balance a completely separate story-line involving Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll). For me, it’s those scenes, which are great on their own right, that drag this episode down. Sure, the scenes with Matt and Karen capture a key difference between Matt and Elektra, and Matt & Karen, but they feel slightly out of place here. To me, this episode would have been a definite five had they gone the “Stick” route from season one and focused on just Matt & Elektra, while figuring out another way to move Karen’s role in the Punisher case along.

Still, there’s no denying Woll does a fantastic job as Page. Her character is more self-assured this season, more driven. Those reviews that called her Ben Urich’s replacement in season two? They weren’t far off. Seeing her tackle the Punisher case, eager to uncover whatever it is that Reyes and those involved are so desperate to hide from public record? It’s great, especially as she manages to get help from Urich’s former co-worker at The Bulletin, Ellison.

We see Karen and Ellison come upon a newspaper article about a gang-on-gang war between three gangs, all of which Frank had targeted in recent weeks. The shooting took place at the carousal, where we see Frank come face to face with the Irish in the episode prior. However, there’s no mention of his family (or him being shot) in the paper. She unlocks a big conspiracy, much like she did back in season one with Union Allied, which is great, as I love seeing Karen work on her own and try to do what’s right. However, following up a scene like that with her and Matt going on a first date? It was an odd choice, and was one of the things that made the episode a bit uneven for me.

Still, although a bit uneven throughout the episode, the ending is nearly perfect as it ends with an explosive flashback and sets up the opening of the sixth episode. The flashback that ends the episode? It’s a really freaking big one.

Remember how I praised Yung’s portrayal of Elektra early on in this review? The last five-ten minutes of this episode? She completely steals the show, especially when we see that the house that she’d told Matt belonged to one of her father’s associates prior to breaking in actually belonged to Roscoe Sweeney, the man that killed his father. Seeing her egg Matt on, trying to get him to cross that line, to slit Sweeney’s throat? It’s an excellently written scene that captures the true essence of these two characters, and it serves as the perfect lead in to what she has planned for Matt next in episode six.

FINAL SCORE

4 bowls of curry out of 5. Overall, I really enjoyed this episode, but it did have some uneven moments that kept me from giving it a five.

ONE-SHOTS

  • Nice little Jessica Jones shout-out there from Marci.
  • Stephen Rider is a nice addition to the cast, even if he has yet to give me a reason to like his character. (Subpoena or nada, Towers.)
  • With there being talk of a Punisher spin-off series, how about an Elektra series? Both Bernthal and Yung are fantastic in their respective roles.
  • “You and I have very different ideas of fun.”
  • Hello Roxxon, fancy meeting you once again. “They have their hands in everything.”
  • This episode was directed by the wonderful Floria Sigismondi, someone I’ve been hoping to see tossed into the ring for a possible Marvel film. However, if that never happens, I’m at least glad to have had her work on a show like Daredevil.