With only one episode left, this should have been taken care of much quicker. Alas, with everything going on, it kept getting pushed to the back burner. Now, though, it's time to put this to bed as we bring the show's second season to a close.
It's largely action-centric, as Daredevil and Elektra make a final push to stop the Hand from utilizing her as a weapon. I said before that Elektra could use her status as idol to reform the Hand, but from what she says, that doesn't seem like an option. She notes that they'd keep doing what they're doing in her name, and she's not OK with that.
While the two vigilantes have different stances on how to proceed, their hand (ha) is forced when the group of ninjas make their boldest move yet. They assault cops and kidnap over a dozen people who Daredevil had been reported to save as a way to draw him out.
Considering he was gunning for them anyway, this seems like a lot of needless trouble, but it does give him someone (Karen, among others) to rescue. TvTropes also points out how it was only through dumb luck that Daredevil stumbled upon them anyway. Usually, stealth and guile work to their advantage, but when you're trying to lure somebody into a trap, they need a trail of bread crumbs to follow.
In any event, the circumstances also put him at odds with Elektra again. She wants to focus on taking out Nobu and ignoring the small fish, where Matt wants to make them the first priority. To her credit, Elektra notes it's callous, but you can at least see where she's coming from as far as dealing with the bigger threat.
The whole thing culminates in a rooftop battle with Nobu and his mooks. While the latter don't just sit back and watch, they do, at points, back off so that both Elektra and Daredevil can take their cracks at their leader.
As I am a noted sucker for 2 on 1 fights, I rather enjoyed this sequence. While Matt getting his clock cleaned last season showed you what Nobu was capable of, this fight possibly paints him in an even more impressive light. True, it's not as brutal, but he is fending off two very capable fighters, even getting the upper hand (ha) at certain points.
Much like both the comics and the movie, Elektra gets killed. This actually works much better for a variety of reasons. I actually buy Nobu being capable of besting her much more than I did Bullseye in the flick. The fact that we saw a 2 on 1 fight also helped; where the movie had her fight Bullseye on her own, with Daredevil jumping in later to avenge her. The way she died was also executed much better. It wasn't so much Nobu being ruthless and a better fighter, as it was Elektra jumping in to save Matt. That alone was noble enough, but the fact that her dying is stopping them from using her just adds a cherry to the heroic sacrifice sundae. Granted, the end of the episode undercuts that part a bit, but still, points for trying.
Don't worry, the Punisher throws in his two cents on the ordeal. Not only does he don his suit for the first time (much like Matt did last season,) but we see him help turn the tide by taking potshots at Hand members who were attempting to attack Matt.
Given his skills in hand to hand, a part of me thinks that it would have been cool to see him throw down in melee. At the same time, though, this is kind of really outside his wheelhouse. He is also a trained sniper, so it makes sense. It was awesome either way.
That being said, his timing suuucks. Where was he three minutes ago? It seems like he could have started picking off members much sooner than he did. As it is, he doesn't fire a shot until after Elektra falls. Maybe that could have been avoided? I don't know.
Stick, too, gets a moment to shine. He spends most of the episode tied to a chair, but he is ultimately the one to finish Nobu off for good. While the old man doesn't have a lot of screen time, it was nice that the episode gave him that particular highlight.
While action is the episode's focus, the episode does have some nice character moments. The scene between Matt and Elektra before they make their final charge was rather sweet. That's a hard moment to write, too. Often times, it comes off as really cheesy, but the performers made it work and the script itself was pretty solid.
It was also nice to see Foggy get a job with Hogarth. It made for a nice cameo from Carrie-Anne Moss, but it also helps tie all the shows together. I like how all the friends and associates of the vigilantes are bumping into each other and forming a sort of network. It might be what helps bring the team together, but we'll see.
The scene at the bar between Foggy and Karen also had a nice bitter-sweetness to it. While the fellowship is more or less broken (as evidenced by the fact that Foggy is closing the Nelson/Murdock tab at the bar), both he and Karen do reaffirm their friendship. I thought it was nice.
On a somewhat random note, Matt's dismissive attitude towards mysticism was rather amusing. Not only is Iron Fist an upcoming series, but we also have Dr. Strange making his cinematic debut. Then again, Thor and the magic of Asgard was rationalized as just being "advanced science" so they could be taking a similar route there, I suppose we'll have to wait and see.
All in all, this was a strong finale. It had plenty of crowning moments and it planted a couple of seeds for future plot lines.
It's too bad that Luke Cage doesn't hit Netflix until, what? September? That's not too bad of a wait, I suppose. I'll watch it and we can talk about that too when it hits.
From what I've read, they "aren't sure" if Daredevil is getting a third season. Quite frankly, I don't see why it wouldn't. There are still plot elements to explore and the show is very well received. It obviously won't happen until after "The Defenders", much like the second season of "Jessica Jones" but that's fine. Frankly, I'm surprised they got a second season of this show out before the big team up.
It certainly worked to the franchise's favor, however. This had a lot of great build up and it brought more potential players into the mix. There's quite a bit to look forward to as the universe continues to expand.
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