This is an episode that makes a conscious effort to bring Karen Page to the forefront. And I'm not really just saying that because of the shocking final scene. This deep into the first season, there has been the general consensus that Karen has done little but be a damsel in distress (in my opinion, disproven just by her fighting back against the guard who tried to kill her), a secretary who functions as the love interest for both Matt and Foggy, and the clandestine investigator determined to take down Fisk no matter what obstacle gets in her way.

 

 

There's an admirable quality in Karen's strength and tenacity dedicated to that latter task. Wesley wouldn't be dealing with it himself if that weren't the case. In fact, this episode has proven without a shadow of a doubt that Karen is not the willowy flower that she looks and often projects to the rest of the world. She does what is not expected of her, and that makes her just as dangerous as Matt or the variety of villains in this story.  

 

The fallout of what has happened so far continues to play out here. Matt has a small part in the episode, though it remains no less potent than before. Religion, specifically Catholicism, plays a very large role in the Daredevil universe, and while the MCU and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. don't address it to this degree, I think it's the guiding principle for how Matt operates as the Masked Man. The fact that he wanted to kill Fisk -- and didn't do so because he nearly got beaten to death -- means that he does acknowledge "the Devil inside him" and he's going to go about taking down Fisk another way.

 

That he wrestles with the dilemma of whether Fisk deserves death or not is still a compelling issue. It's one that many shows shy away from so that itself, among other things, makes this one unique. Father Lantom is there to give context to what Matt himself as well as the people close to him are saying about his actions. Claire is right in the sense that Matt might lose himself so much in this crusade that he will inevitably end up in the ground with other saints and saviors. That may come true, although the end comes much later. He wants to walk the path to the light. He has to face the darkness before that can come up.

 

The guilt that he carries as this instrument of death is a heavy one, though not necessarily deadly enough on first glance. The weight of that philosophy informs on his encounter with Melvin Potter, designer of Fisk's armored suit. Potter nearly kills Matt several times during their fight in the workshop, but then the show plays an interesting beat that is a rather jarring change of pace: Matt stops to comfort Potter, then promises him that he will stop Fisk so that he no longer threatens him or his beloved Betsy.

 

At first, I thought Potter was suffering from some kind of undiagnosed or untreated mental illness. Now that I have the background on his character in the comics, it feels like he and Betsy have a sweet relationship where she's helping him work through his criminal issues. The mental illness may still be true, but the way Potter becomes almost child-like at the end of the fight suggests that it's much more complicated than what is portrayed here.

 

Being more than what meets the eye is what drives the scenes with Karen. The men around her have basically fallen back in the fight against Fisk so it's left up to her to do what she can to take Fisk down. Foggy is still dealing with the enormity of Matt's double life. Ben has prioritized his wife and their survival over chasing down another story that might get him killed. Unlike Matt, Karen recognizes the scope of what Fisk is undertaking, and yet, she will still carry on. While Fisk is wholly concerned about Vanessa's condition, there still remains questions about the viability of his organization.

 

I made the mistake of not looking closely at Madame Gao and the potential part she plays in all this. I took her for her word that she would have so much respect for Fisk, who defers to her in turn, that she would never go so far as to nearly kill the woman Fisk is with. Throughout history, poison has been referred to as a "woman's weapon," and maybe Gao sees the writing on the wall. The Russians and Nobu have been taken out. This may be her way of ensuring that Fisk doesn't go after her. Again, it makes little sense to me because of their relationship and the fact that her product is the chief source of income for the organization now that Nobu and the Russians are permanently out of the picture.

 

Back to Karen; Her visit with Fisk's mother perks up their radar, prompting Wesley to take her by force. I don't think he was all that genuine with her in the offer to be a small part of Fisk's organization in exchange for her silence on everything thus far. Karen has had the right instinct about Wesley from the first moment they met in the offices of Nelson & Murdock. Wesley has been smooth and clean in operating as Fisk's "assistant" thus far, but he badly underestimated Karen's capabilities and mental strength. He thought she wasn't willing to pull that trigger, even as she gave him warning beforehand about this not being the first time she shot someone. The show, thankfully, goes through with the kill, and now, Fisk is robbed of a key resource. Will he respond in kind, or is this the start of his downfall?