“Rabbit in a Snowstorm” Written by Marco Ramirez Directed by Adam Kane The Story A man commits an exceptionally violent hit on a rival of his employer. Mr. Wesley pays Nelson & Murdock handsomely to take this man as their client. They know he’s guilty, but they also know they’re broke. Matt learns of the connection between Wesley and the shadowy man responsible for much of the unpleasantness in Hell’s Kitchen, and he takes the case in hope of learning more. Meanwhile, Karen’s former employers attempt to buy her silence in case she can do more damage than she’s already done. Instead of signing, she joins forces with Ben Urich, an honest reporter who wants to expose corruption in Hell’s Kitchen but who keeps being forced to write fluff pieces for his editor’s bottom line. In the end, Matt somewhat inadvertently succeeds in getting the hitman off, but he makes up for it by beating the crap out of him in an alley. After applying enough pressure, he gets the name of his employer: Wilson Fisk. But the hitman is overcome with terror at what Fisk will do to him for naming him, so he commits suicide by spiking himself through the eye. Then we meet Fisk! He’s at an art show, where the pretty curator comes over to talk to him about a particularly understated piece. There’s a really fascinating parallel between priest-penitent and lawyer-client privilege. Father Lantom can’t turn anyone in for confessing to actual crimes in the confessional, including murder, and lawyers are bound by similar rules with their clients. How do priests and lawyers handle possessing that kind of knowledge? Heck, that even matches up with Karen’s trouble with Union Allied’s nondisclosure agreement. There are so many dilemmas. Tell the story that sells (and helps you keep your job so you can continue to pay your wife’s medical bills) or tell the story that uncovers corruption? Represent a monster because you need to pay your bills or turn him away and try to scrape by without the money? Take the payoff and keep quiet or risk everything to keep digging? Doing the right thing can be hard and dangerous, and it isn’t even always clear what the right thing is. Things I Liked
The Characters Matt might be Chaotic Good, but he knows his law. Also, I might have revised my assessment from last time. Matt isn’t doing this because he enjoys it. Or, at least, that’s only a small part of it. A bigger part is that he can’t let men like the psycho walk free just because of the inadequacies of the justice system. He’s convinced that someone has to stop them, and he might well be the only one who knows who they are. I respect Karen so much for not backing down after two very violent attempts on her life, not to mention the attempt to frame her for the murder of her work friend. It’s completely unacceptable that the people responsible for what happened to her and her coworker would be able to rebrand and continue as if nothing had happened, and it’s disgusting that nondisclosure agreements can still apply to criminal activity. Unlike priests and lawyers, Karen and other employees of Union Allied didn’t knowingly agree to keep a lid on potential illegal stuff, they were only agreeing not to reveal trade secrets. Poor Foggy, in that initial interview with the hitman. He looks nauseated and afraid. He’s the one who wanted to take occasional well-paying clients even if they weren’t wonderful people, but now he’s presented with the worst possible scenario under those parameters, and he hates it. He might just slide closer to Neutral Good by the end of the season. Ben is in a very tight spot. He’s cultivated all these sources for his genuinely valuable articles on crime over the course of decades, and now he’s supposed to shelve this meaningful work in favor of boring stuff, or else he won’t be able to keep supporting his sick wife. Like Karen, he seems willing to take some risks for the sake of the truth, but he definitely has more to lose than she does. We’re introduced to Fisk’s reputation long before we meet him, and it’s a terrifying one. Then, when we first see him, it’s from behind, and we see more of the painting than we do of him. Next, we see his cufflinks. We also see a lot of Vanessa. It’s like Fisk is defined by negative space for now. His reputation, the trappings of his horrific past, and the woman who will claim his heart. Also I just realized that his whole thing about how nobody is allowed to say his name basically makes him Voldemort. Overall Rating 5/5
1 Comment
Kairos
12/9/2017 01:34:51 pm
Already worth rereading these for this line:
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The Watcher's Diary
In this blog, I'll be reviewing, analyzing, and generally fangirling over excellent television. Exhibit A: the Whedonverse. Archives
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