- Title: Daredevil – Nelson v. Murdock
- wiki: link
The temporary split between law partners and best friends begins here as Foggy (Elden Henson) discovers Matt‘s (Charlie Cox) brutalized body along with the number of secrets his friend has been keeping from him for years. Interspersed with flashbacks showing us various stages of the pair’s friendship from their first meeting as college roommates to the discussion of Matt’s Greek girlfriend to going into business together, “Nelson v. Murdock” paints a picture of a strong bond which is immediately shattered because of Matt Murdock’s lies (not just about his work as a vigilante but the larger lie about the true aspects of his blindness). The split is, of course, temporary, but it does allow each character to work towards taking down Fisk separately while eventually providing Matt another confidant he isn’t forced to hide his abilities from any longer.
While most of the episode deals primarily with the two friends both in present and in flashbacks, “Nelson v. Murdock” does offer a B-story as Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) celebrates his victory over Nobu (Peter Shinkoda) only to see his world crash down around him with an attack on Vanessa‘s (Ayelet Zurer) life following a cryptic warning from Madame Gao (Wai Ching Ho) concerning the Kingpin needing to make a choice between his new love and his plans for the city.
The events of the episode will temporarily strain Nelson and Murdock but will also lay the foundation for the Kingpin’s demise as Daredevil escaping his trap followed by Vanessa’s attack will begin to leave the Kingpin vulnerable and inattentive to situations which will begin to spiral out of his control over the season’s remaining episodes. Although we don’t get much in the way of vigilante justice, “Nelson v. Murdock” is easily one of the best episodes of the series delving deep into Matt Murdock’s past and his relationship with Foggy while highlightingthe flaws in his character and teasing us with more that can be explored in the show’s upcoming Second Season.
