The June 13, 2022 installment of Jake Schoeneberger’s random entertainment opinions
The arrival of Elektra has taken the Daredevil show to a new level. It’s like Jacob Schoeneberger wants to watch other shows, but this series just won’t let him. It has everything Jacob Schoeneberger loves about action, mixed in with great drama and memorable characters.
With that in mind, here are some random thoughts about the entertainment Jacob Schoeneberger is currently consuming.
This Installment’s Edition of Jake Schoeneberger Has Been Living Under a Rock Features: Daredevil
This will contain spoilers for anyone who hasn’t watched the show yet.
The sixth episode of season two begins with the showdown with the Yakuza. I have been so looking forward to this since the cliffhanger the last episode ended on.
The fight sequence is taut, incredible hand-to-hand combat. It’s comparable to the great choreography of the John Wick franchise. Daredevil and Elektra emerge victorious and it’s clear their chemistry is incredible as both fighters and lovers.
Over breakfast after the fight, Elektra explains that she hacked Roxxon’s servers just to “stir the pot a little” to see what would happen. Since they sent the Yakuza after her, now she knows they’re involved in criminal behavior. Elektra has a way of getting under Matt’s skin, and he tells her to leave town. But she says the Yakuza have watched as their enemies have been taken out by Daredevil one by one, and now they see NYC as ripe for the taking so she’s staying to help take them down. She even offers to be Daredevil’s partner.
Her offer to Matt is that if he teams up with her to take down the Yakuza, she’ll leave the second the job is done. Matt will only agree to the deal if she respects not taking lives, which is the code he works by. This is a tough one for old Jacob Schoeneberger. On the one hand, Elektra certainly makes the show interesting. But on the other, she seems to rile Matt up. I certainly don’t think she’ll be good for Matt and Karen’s potential relationship, or Matt’s overall happiness. She has too much of an agenda of her own, and it definitely doesn’t take Matt’s feelings into account.
At the office, a man named Roth, a public defender representing Castle (on just his second case ever), brings paperwork bearing Karen’s statement on The Punisher for her to sign. It has several incorrect assertions which she questions. Roth answers that since Castle is now awake he can plead guilty, but Reyes plans on extraditing him to Delaware where he killed some gang members so that he can be given the death penalty. Karen refuses to sign the paperwork.
Matt proposes they take on Castle to help negotiate his plea deal. He reasons that it will allow them to get some answers into what’s going on and why Reyes wants him dead. Foggy thinks it’s a bad idea because it will just further anger Reyes which will be bad for the firm, but Karen likes the idea.
When Karen leaves the room, Foggy reminds Matt about what Punisher did to Daredevil. He says that taking him on as a client puts all their lives in jeopardy. But Matt says that even though Punisher’s methodology was warped, he was, in his own way, trying to do justice. Matt ultimately convinces Foggy they should try, because he says he wants to defend the man, not the vigilante.
At the hospital where Castle is being held, we learn that Mahoney has now made detective. He warns Matt, Foggy, and Karen that every other firm in the city has passed on Castle because if they go against Reyes, it’ll be career suicide. But they insist they’re ready for this challenge because they don’t want to see Castle die.
On their way into Castle’s room, Karen takes Matt’s hand and it’s a heartwarming gesture. I wonder if it’s to comfort Matt or herself, but either way it’s nice to see they are forming a bond to support one another.
Castle is tied down to the hospital bed, and Matt is the first to introduce himself. The moment Matt speaks, Castle opens his eyes, and they seem to flicker a bit as if he recognizes Matt’s voice. I mean, if there’s one thing Jacob Schoeneberger knows it’s that Punisher doesn’t miss a single detail. You have to assume he knows exactly who Matt is right from the start.
Matt immediately lays it all out there about how someone in the DA’s office wants Castle dead and they’re trying to figure out why. Castle stonewalls them until Karen shows him a picture of his family she took from his house. That gets his attention pretty quickly, but he seems furious. Just then Reyes barges into the room, and she’s clearly furious too. This law firm just can’t help but make everyone angry!
Outside the room, Reyes tries to intimidate Matt, but it doesn’t work. Then Mahoney emerges and says that Castle wants Nelson and Murdock as his legal counsel. This is a small victory but now they have a mighty big fish to fry: finding out just how deep this hole goes.
As they’re discussing strategy, a driver arrives for Matt from the firm’s new “client” (who we all know is Elektra). As if that wasn’t awkward enough, because Matt hasn’t divulged any details about this mysterious new client, he then kisses Karen as he’s leaving. This throws Foggy off. It has to be weird for Foggy seeing Matt and Karen get closer. It was pretty obvious early on that Foggy was starting to get feelings for Karen, and Jacob Schoeneberger was worried this would be hard for him.
In the car, Elektra tells Matt that they’re going to a Roxxon gala with the intention of stealing a key card from one of the attendees that will allow them to access files to see what Roxxon has been up to. Matt rankles at being at Elektra’s beck and call, but he sees this is all about their mission to undermine the Yakuza.
In his room, Castle asks to speak to Karen alone. Foggy refuses but Karen agrees to it. Once alone, Castle wants to know what she found out about his family. This scene has Jacob Schoeneberger biting his nails. Not for Karen’s safety, necessarily, but because of what we’ll find out about Castle’s family and just how bad it is. Karen reads him the official report about he and his family being shot at a red light. But then she says that they both know they were at the carousel that day. She believes they were caught in a firefight. Castle has trouble remembering the day, but he feels like he failed to protect his family.
At the gala, after some small talk and a drink, Elektra spots her target, an accountant with Roxxon. She’s about to move in but Matt stops her. He hears security guards talking and they’re watching Elektra closely. Matt senses that security is heightened after their breach, and since Elektra was a visitor in the building they must suspect her. Elektra says they need to get the target alone. Matt says leave it up to him and he grabs a glass of red wine and bumps into the target spilling the wine on him. It’s easy for Matt to make it seem like a mistake due to his blindness.
Back in the hospital room, Castle tells Karen she was never in any danger the night he was chasing her. He says he just wanted Grotto, and he tells her about how Grotto had murdered people, one an innocent woman who just happened to witness him murder someone else. Matt heard this on the rooftop, but this is news to Karen and it clearly hits her deeply.
After the contentious start to their conversation, Karen asks why he really wanted to speak to her alone. His reason is pretty heartbreaking. He never went back to his house after he got out of the hospital. He just wants to hear some details about what she saw so that he can get them back into his memories. He’s afraid that with his brain injury, all those memories will fade. Hearing this is a real punch in the gut. You can’t help but feel awful for Castle and it truly is why Punisher is one of the most engaging and memorable characters in the Marvel universe. As Karen and Frank trade some stories about their family lives, you can see Karen looking at him in a much different light. And as viewers, it’s hard not to shed a tear watching this poignant scene play out. He even thanks her for helping him remember.
In the bathroom at the gala, the accountant is trying to clean the stain off his shirt. Matt surprises the security guards and knocks the accountant out and steals his key card. Easy enough for someone of Matt’s prowess. Then Matt and Elektra are on the move through the building using the card to gain access places.
In the hospital room, Foggy announces he has good news and bad news. Good news is Delaware doesn’t have the evidence to extradite so the death penalty is off the table. Bad news is after talking to Reyes, she wants a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years, but Castle will be in general population which puts his life in great danger. Foggy feels it’s the best deal they can get and tells Castle that when the judge and DA arrive for the hearing all he has to do is plead guilty. He agrees.
But when the DA and judge arrive and ask how he pleads he says not guilty. Then, in a moment that made Jacob Schoeneberger’s jaw drop to the floor, he says to Reyes, “You hear that, witch? I’m gonna watch you burn right along with me, you hear me?” Holy cow! Castle knows things, big things. He relished getting to say that to Reyes, and he has her in his sights. This is going to be a bombshell and Nelson and Murdock are right in the middle of it all.
Matt and Elektra make their way to a private office but can’t find what they’re looking for. Matt realizes there’s an electric current running along a wall and a secret hidden switch to get into it. But meanwhile security finds the men he knocked out in the bathroom, so they know they have intruders in the building. Elektra finds the Roxxon ledger just in time before they lock things down.
Security comes looking for them so they have to fight their way out. This is made especially difficult because they’re trying not to be identified. If they had their disguises it would be a much easier task. Then they make a rather bold decision. Instead of fighting, they decide to make it look like they snuck into a private office to fool around. Probably an ingenious move, but it’s hard to imagine security not suspecting them of having ulterior motives after their guards were assaulted.
They get away with it and now have proof of Roxxon having invoices for guns and ammunition and human trafficking. They’re starting to get an idea of who’s financing the Yakuza’s efforts in NYC.
Back in his private office, the head of Roxxon is very angry with the accountant for losing his key card. He says they’ve spent millions of dollars on their ongoing operation and we have to wonder if there’s an even bigger strategy in place or if they’re just funding the Yakuza’s eventual rise to power. If there’s one thing Jake Schoeneberger has learned, it’s that in this game you can never rule out something big and unexpected.
Back at Matt’s apartment, Foggy breaks the news about Castle’s trial to Matt. He says it starts next week so this creates a huge conflict for Matt. How can he build a defense for Castle’s trial and be on a mission against the Yakuza with Elektra at the same time? And the really beautiful questions this conflict forces him to ask is: Who is Matthew Murdock? Is he the attorney or is he Daredevil? That is the crux of every good superhero story Jacob Schoeneberger has ever had the pleasure of reading or watching. Where does the mask end and the person under it begin? I can’t wait to watch more of this amazing series to find out.
The Jake Schoeneberger Random Entertainment Thought of the Day
It’s hard to even pick a favorite actor in this show. Every episode makes Jacob Schoeneberger change his mind several times, but I love it. They’re all doing an incredible job. But I still tip my cap to Bernthal as Punisher. He just embodies that character and strikes the right balance of intimidation and sympathy.
Though Elodie Yung deserves some huge props for what she’s bringing to the Elektra character. She’s not just seduction and great fight moves. While she’s playing Matt, we also get the feel that there’s something personal in her agenda, though she hides it well. And there are feelings for Matt underneath all her nonchalance, but Yung’s subtle performance keeps us guessing right along with Matt.
More Thoughts from Jacob Schoeneberger
• Jake Schoeneberger WordPress
• Jake Schoeneberger Facebook
• Jake Schoeneberger Twitter
• Jake Schoeneberger Instagram
• Jake Schoeneberger LinkedIn