Dex is enjoying his night out on the town. Photo is a direct screenshot from the show via Netflix.
**Please note that this review contains spoilers for “The Devil You Know” and any episodes that occur prior**
“I’m Daredevil.”
There he is. Officer Poindexter has officially begun his transition into Bullseye—by first dragging Daredevil’s good name through the blood of the innocent. The scene played out in a surreal manner, and it had great vibes straight out of a horror film. It was scary seeing Dex use his skills as he slaughters the Bulletin employees as he worked his way towards the witness. Even better, was finally getting to see the face-off we’ve all been waiting for—something that didn’t disappoint in the slightest. The fight choreography was flawless, as Matt had trouble keeping up and adapting to Dex’s insane skills. It was almost funny how Matt kept getting hit in the face by objects despite being behind cover.
Fisk successfully pulled the correct strings and created a new villain. Dex’s fall was finally complete as the life he once knew completely fell apart around him. Wilson Bethel’s performance was fantastic, and we finally see that the honest conversation between Kingpin and Dex was worth the wait. Kingpin is finally offering Dex something he has never had his entire life: acceptance. With nothing else to lose, the option couldn’t be more tempting for Dex to grab.
Dex isn’t having a good time. Photo is a direct screenshot from the show via Netflix.
While he has birthed Bullseye, I didn’t expect Fisk to kill two birds with one stone. Not only is Dex his personal killer now, but Daredevil also has become NYC’s most wanted. With Dex successfully killing the witness, everything is going flawlessly for Fisk. It’s eerie how many steps ahead Fisk always is. I can’t imagine what he’s already set in motion that has yet to be revealed. The show is killing it when it comes to their villains this season, especially juggling and managing both Fisk and Dex together. And as always, Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance has been exceeding every imaginable expectation.
Apart from his amazing confrontation with Dex, Matt made some big moves—like making contact with Karen for the first time since his “death”. Karen’s reaction was gold, and the subtlety that went into both how she reacted and the performance was perfect. Instead of exploding, she remained short and curt with him. It felt honest—and yet still emotional–for both characters, as neither knew what exactly to say about their past actions. In the end though, Matt did need something from her: help finding the witness to take down Fisk.
Matt and Dex duke it out. Photo is a direct screenshot from the show via Netflix.
I completely understand why Karen wouldn’t want to help at first, but they both want the same thing. It would have been hard to believe Karen completely turning down an opportunity to take down Fisk simply because of Matt’s involvement. Thankfully though, Foggy was there to help talk sense to her. Foggy offered a smart move of his own: suggesting Matt surrender in order to help those who were once his closest friends. While Matt agreed fairly easily, he never got to keep his end of the bargain.
This brings us right back to the bulletin slaughtering. I have to once again hand it to the show—those last ten minutes or so were incredibly well-crafted, with some intense tension. It’s easy to say that this, together with episode four, have been the best outings of Season 3 so far. The other episodes aren’t too far behind, though. If the show can keep this trajectory and quality, then we might have Daredevil’s best season to date.
Bonus Notes:
- I really hope this is what gives Daredevil the reason to get an entirely redesigned suit. I suspect in turn that Bullseye will eventually adopt his own unique costume–all before Iron Fist gets his proper outfit.
The third season of Daredevil is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
