Punisher out, Elektra in. Well, sort of. It's true, Frank Castle sits this one out, but the episode does devote some focus to the political aftermath of the Punisher's arrest. That's right, political. You'd think that there wouldn't be much more to the story, but the DA is pushing for his indictment in order to advance her career (though the episode also strongly suggests some sort of cover up) and curb the trend of costumed vigilantes (I did rather like the Jessica Jones namedrop.) Her assistant also voices a willingness to help Frank if it means he can ascend to her position. It's an odd turn into "House of Cards" territory, but it works and helps set things up for future episodes.
The real focus of the episode, though, is on Matt's love life. It splits between showcasing the developing romance with Karen and flashbacks that flesh out his relationship with Elektra. The latter ends up being the more interesting, but that's largely due to the fact that that particular story has more driving power. Cox and Woll have great chemistry, but there's not a whole lot for them to do besides eat food and make out. Given the general awkwardness that's apparent on their date, it also seems like they're heading towards the "better as friends" resolution, which could work to the show's favor to be quite honest.
Meanwhile, we not only get a compelling character in Elektra, who gives off a slinky, Catwoman-esque vibe, but the flashbacks draw another contrast between Matt's form of justice and something more extreme.
The episode does a great job of selling the attraction these two characters share while also highlighting why they would never work. Admittedly, the relationship seemed to hinge on B&E and sex, so that's not exactly a strong cornerstone, but still. By the episode's end, you know why he has no interest in doing business with her in any capacity.
To be fair, delivering the man who killed Matt's father so that he could dish out some payback was kind of sweet in a bizarre, ultra-violent, ninja assassin kind of way. Sure enough, she coaxes him into killing the guy (while also immensely enjoying the punishment that Matt does dish out), but ultimately, he rejects her mentality.
The scene probably would have been a lot more effective if Cox's punches weren't clearly shown not to connect. Even the way he delivered the punches looked fake and borderline amateur. It's jarring as this was never a problem before. It's not like Matt hasn't been trained at this point, so you couldn't even argue that it was an intentional choice as far as developing Matt's character goes.
Oddly enough, this episode makes no mention of the brewing war. I was expecting some mention of The Hand, but nothing yet. We do see Elektra's proficiency in combat (and her penchant for violence as noted above); we also see her don a red mask at the end hinting at what's to come, but that was more of an afterthought. Elektra does mention that the Yakuza have returned. Whether that's literal mob or a hint that Gao's organization is back and up to no good has yet to be seen.
For those looking for heavy action, this episode might disappoint. It's a nice breather and it does allow more time for character development, but it is strange to see an episode of Daredevil where he doesn't even don the suit once.
Really, the closest thing this episode has to an action beat is the sparring match between Matt and Elektra in their youth. It's handled better than the park scene in the movie, but once they start having sex, it does start to get a little over the top.
While I'm not too well versed in Marvel, I have to say that I think this gives us the stronger depiction of Elektra. I like Jennifer Garner, but she just got out-shined here.
I think this may go down as one of the more contentious episodes. For better or worse, it's a breather. It does set things up, and it has a solid arc of its own, but I did find myself checking the progress bar to see how much time was left on occasion. Given the way the episode ended, I have a feeling the next episode will more than make up for those shortcomings, though.
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