Recap / Daredevil S1 E8 "Shadows in the Glass"

"Shadows in the Glass" is the eighth episode of Daredevil.

As Karen and Ben continue their investigation, and Fisk does damage control with his partners, his past is revealed and his relationship with Vanessa deepens.

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Tropes

• 0% Approval Rating: Bill Fisk's campaign ratings aren't exactly clear, but if his general community opinions and his attitude towards his own family are anything to go by, he's not well liked and for good reason.
• Abusive Parent: Bill's idea of "making a man" out of Wilson involves demeaning him, teaching him to blame others for his problems (including blaming Wilson himself for his own problems) and playing cruel jokes on him.
• Almost Dead Guy: Justified, since Blake was poisoned, rather than shot or stabbed, he does have a few seconds to give Matt some info.
• Always a Bigger Fish: Fisk swallows a threat from Nobu that he would never have taken from the Russians, and is clearly afraid of Madame Gao.
• Analogy Backfire: Foggy, upon realizing that Matt somehow overheard his entire debate with Karen over whether or not to tell him about what happened at Mrs. Cardena's building, tries to use "blind as a bat" to describe Matt's good hearing.
  Matt Murdock: Bats aren't blind, Foggy.
  Foggy Nelson: They're not?
  Matt Murdock: It's a myth.
• Apologetic Attacker: The only reason Hoffman is going through with killing Blake is because Fisk has threatened him with the implication that someone else will be hired to do it if he refuses, and the offer of a lot of money. He's in tears and apologizing to Blake as he injects the syringe into Blake's IV line.
• Asshole Victim:
  • After Wilson kills his father, he and Marlene cut up his body and dump the remains in the river. It being widespread knowledge that Bill owed money to Rigoletto, the public largely assumes that Bill either skipped town to avoid repaying Rigoletto or the mobsters killed him and buried his body where it couldn't be found. Either way, no one loses sleep over it and there didn't seem to be much of a police investigation into his disappearance.
  • Bill forces Wilson to beat up a kid who was messing with his campaign signs...after the election was over. However, said teenager was picking on Wilson, wasn't exactly being respectful even when Bill intervened, and was dumb enough to mess with a politician's son in the first place. So while his beating was horrible, you're more likely to feel bad for Wilson for being forced to engage in violence, than the kid he's forced into kicking.
• Bald of Evil: Bill Fisk is balding, borrows money from mobsters, and is abusive to both his wife and son.
• Bedmate Reveal: After waking up twice with nightmares and turning to the painting that reminds him of the wall his father made him stare at as his mother was beaten, Fisk turns the other way to Vanessa who's in bed beside him and curls up with her.
• Beneath the Mask: We get a look at the fear and trauma that lies beneath Fisk's confident façade, and a hint at how dangerous that frail old Triad lady is.
• Berserk Button: After Gao leaves, Wilson flips his shit (and his multi-hundred pound table) in rage over his entirely secret home invaded and being called out on his errors.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: After young Wilson beats his father to death, Marlene holds him as he sobs and says it'll be all right...then calmly tells him to get a saw so they can dispose of Bill's corpse. No one found out the truth of Bill's death, assuming he'd moved to escape the mob.
• Book Ends:
  • Fisk's Morning Routine showing his luxurious but lonely life, is contrasted to when he has a Relationship Upgrade.
  • Fisk Flipping the Table partway through the episode - Matt does something similar at the end.
• Broken Bird: Marlene due to the abuse suffered at Bill Fisk's hands. She tries to raise their son with gentleness and compassion, but Bill thinks it makes him too soft and less of a man.
• Call-Back: Don Rigoletto, the loan shark Bill borrows money from, was mentioned during the conversation between Ben and Manfredi as having recently "retired".
• Chekhov's Gunman: Melvin Potter had been mentioned when Fisk was inspecting the place where Anatoly stabbed his suit with a switchblade, and told Wesley he'd need the suit replaced. Now we see him finally appear.
• Completely Unnecessary Translator: Fisk speaks Mandarin and Japanese himself just fine, but has been having Wesley translate as an excuse to keep him on hand during meetings with Gao and Nobu (who themselves speak English). When Gao decides it's convenient, she calls him on his act, and dismisses Wesley from the room.
• Corner of Woe: Turns out the reason Fisk bought Rabbit in a Snowstorm and hung it on his bedroom wall is because it reminded him of the wall in the apartment he grew up in, and the memories are not comforting ones.
• Corrupt Politician: Bill has aspirations to be one, which is why he runs in the local elections. He funds his campaign by borrowing money from Rigoletto with the understanding that if elected he will repay the money through kickbacks. However, he loses and Rigoletto wants his money back.
• Delivery Guy Infiltration/Delicious Distraction: When Hoffman goes to the hospital to kill Blake, he smuggles the syringe into the room inside a meatball sub sandwich, allowing the syringe to escape Brett Mahoney's cursory inspection.
• Disposing of a Body: After Wilson kills his father, he and his mother cut the body up into pieces and dump the remains in the Hudson.
• Domestic Abuse: What finally drives Fisk to kill his father is him beating Marlene with a belt, something it's implied Bill has done many times before.
• Evil Counterpart: As we can see here, Bill Fisk was the complete opposite of Jack Murdock in all the ways that mattered. When Jack offered Matt a sip of alcohol, it was clearly a case of father and son bonding. When Bill does it to Wilson, it's clear cut peer pressure and abuse. While both try to teach values to their kid despite hard living conditions, Jack wanted Matt to be an educated man who wouldn't have to take beating for a living like him, while Bill wanted Wilson to be just like him.
• Flipping the Table: Fisk overturns his massive dining room table in a rage after Madame Gao threatens him.
• Food Porn: Fisk sure makes some tasty-looking omelettes.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In the first flashback, when Wilson and his father are making campaign signs, Bill repeatedly hammers a nail right into his portrait's forehead, the exact spot where Wilson is going to kill him with said hammer.
  • That Fisk has completely understood Nobu and Madame Gao this whole time is much more noticeable on rewatch. When Fisk is speaking with Nobu to renegotiate the terms of their partnership, notice that Fisk's facial expression darkens before Wesley begins translating.
  • That Nobu is part of the Hand and connected with Madame Gao is hinted at when Wesley questions why they have to put up with him and his demands when he doesn't contribute anything to the organization.
  • As Fisk and Owlsley discuss business in Melvin's shop, Owlsley notes that "if [the masked man] drops me off a roof, an awful lot of money's going along for the ride", which Fisk notes sounds like a threat. Then when Wesley comes in and informs them about Blake's death, Owlsley pointedly asks them how much Hoffman knows about their enterprise and says, "The situation is being handled, alright. Just not by you." Suggesting he might have his own plans for Hoffman.
• Frame-Up: Hoffman manages to improvise a statement blaming Detective Blake's death on Matt.
• Freudian Excuse: Through flashbacks, we see the defining moment of Fisk's childhood. To protect his mother, a young Fisk killed his abusive father with a hammer and helped dispose of the body.
• A Friend in Need: Despite being ordered to Get Out!, Wesley fetches Vanessa to provide much needed moral support for Fisk, even though Fisk refused his help earlier.
• Funny Background Event: Wesley starts looking uncomfortable and useless as Gao and Fisk start conversing without his assistance.
• Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: Fisk has a completely bald dome today. He had a full head of hair as a child.
• Hate Sink: Bill is nothing more than a petty, hateful, cowardly abusive loser who makes his crimelord of a son look better in comparison. Even In-Universe, nobody misses him after he dies.
• He Knows Too Much: Because Detective Blake has survived the attempt on his life, Fisk and Wesley know that he'll probably snitch on them. So they threaten Hoffman into injecting a syringe of poison into Blake's IV. Matt shows up and overpowers Hoffman, and gets vital information before he dies.
• Hypocrite:
  • Matt reprimands Foggy and Karen for getting attacked outside Mrs. Cardenas' building because they'll get themselves killed. Nevermind that Matt is currently risking his life every night beating up criminals, and had a near-death experience dealing with the Russians. Matt could be arguing that they shouldn't be getting into the situations he gets himself into because they don't have Stick's training, but still...
  • Bill Fisk lectures his son about giving respect to get it, but shows nobody respect while expecting it from others.
• I Am a Monster: Fisk wears his father's cufflinks not to honor his father, but to remind himself he's not like him. When he urges Vanessa to believe that he's not a monster, she agrees and supports him.
• Ironic Echo:
  • Fisk complains to Vanessa that people don't appreciate what he's doing is for the greater good. Matt makes a similar complaint to Ben in the next scene.
  • Ben deletes his exposé on Fisk when the man himself goes public, giving a speech that unconsciously reflects the article he's writing.
• Jerkass: Bill is a pathetic, smug, childish, cowardly ass-clown who abused his family over any petty slight he could think of, if he wasn’t tormenting them for fun. It gets to the point that when Wilson fatally whales on his ass and makes a missing person out of him, most people, if not everyone who has ever associated with him, don’t give a toss that he’s gone.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: For every time Bill gives a nugget of advice to his son or shows affection, there's an imminent swing in the opposite direction, or it's given at the expense of his wife.
• Karmic Death: You wanted to toughen your son up, Bill? Congratulations! You did exactly that, and he has your blood on his hands to prove it! Oh, and your biggest wish about being known and respected? Well, Wilson's had all public records of you erased, making sure no one remembers you, and those who do remember you only remember you for your bad traits.
• Leitmotif: The Prelude to Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major plays when Fisk wakes up, watches the painting he bought from Vanessa, cooks himself an omelette for breakfast and dresses for work.
• Left the Background Music On: The first flashback to Fisk's childhood starts with "Brown Sugar" playing over establishing shots of a Hell's Kitchen street in the 1970s. Then we cut to the Fisk family apartment, where the song is playing on the radio, and Marlene asks for Bill to turn the music down.
• Limited Wardrobe: Fisk's wardrobe is solely composed of black suits of various shades.
• Loan Shark: Bill is borrowing from Rigoletto to fund his campaign. It's expected that Bill will pay back the money he borrowed through kickbacks. When Bill loses the election, naturally, it's implied Rigoletto wants his money back.
• Madness Mantra: As he beats his father's corpse, Wilson keeps screaming "Keep kicking him!".
• Major Injury Underreaction: After Wilson hits him in the head with a hammer, Bill pauses for a moment, touches the back of his head, stares at the blood on his hand for a second, then falls to his knees.
• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: When Madame Gao explains how she found Fisk's apartment, she asks if she did so using magic or through more realistic means. She never completely explains herself, but implies that it was mundane and it's because Fisk has been getting sloppy. She also mentions knowing all languages, which is the first hint she is not what she seems.
• Mob-Boss Suit Fitting: Fisk and Leland discuss business at Melvin Potter's shop as Melvin is fitting Leland for a suit made from the same bulletproof material that Fisk's suits are made from.
• Morning Routine: Fisk goes through his at several points throughout the episode to show his reliance on routines. The last time is different as we see him going through it together with Vanessa, who chooses lighter colors for his suit and shirt, and cufflinks other than his father's.
• Mythology Gag:
  • When Melvin is taking Leland's measures and puts the green cloth on him, Leland looks a bit like his comic book counterpart, the Owl, who wears a green outfit.
  • Also, in the final montage of his Morning Routine, Vanessa chooses a lighter, grey suit jacket for Fisk, instead of the black he has exclusively worn until this point. This is a step closer to the iconic white suit Fisk wears in the comics, as part of Fisk's gradual transformation.
• Never My Fault: Bill believes that the reason he lost the election is because his wife and son don't show him enough respect at home. Not because he's a vile, vicious, petty loser.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Downplayed, discussed and lampshaded example, as both Fisk and Gao have been pretending all along not to speak each other's language in hopes of gaining an advantage.
  Wilson Fisk: How long have you known?
  Madame Gao: Since the beginning. It is the clever man who plays the fool. And a foolish woman who does not recognize it.
• Oh, Crap!: Fisk has a brief one when Wesley tells him on the phone that Gao is coming to his penthouse, which is a big deal as it's meant to be a secret no one else is aware of. He quickly relaxes once Wesley adds on that he's already en route to make sure he's there before she can arrive.
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: After Nobu departs, Wesley slips briefly into Toby Leonard Moore's native Australian accent ("Did you get that last part?") during his subsequent conversation with Fisk.
• Omniglot: Madame Gao claims to be able to speak all languages.
• Rags to Riches: Fisk grew up in poverty, with his deadbeat dad regularly being late on his bills.
• Right Behind Me: Foggy and Karen are talking about whether or not to tell Matt about what happened at Elena's place. They attempt to change the subject when Matt comes in, to no avail.
  Foggy Nelson: OK, let's say we keep Matt in the dark. How long do you think...[Matt suddenly opens the door; Foggy's eyes go wide] ....I should grow my hair? Matt, what's your take on that? Mullet? Full pony?
  Karen Page: [notices the cut over Matt's left eye] Holy shit! Did you fall down again?
  Matt Murdock: It's nothing. Don't tell me what?
  Foggy Nelson: Damn it!
  Karen Page: You heard that?
  Foggy Nelson: Guy's like a bat! [to Matt] Not blind like a--I mean, you know, with the hearing--
  Matt Murdock: Bats aren't blind, Foggy.
  Foggy Nelson: They're not?
  Matt Murdock: It's a myth.
  Foggy Nelson: So we're good? [Matt turns to Karen]
  Matt Murdock: Karen?
  Karen Page: Yeah?
  Matt Murdock: What don't the two of you want me to know?
• Rule of Three: We see Fisk go through his morning routine three times. The last time is different because Vanessa spent the night.
• Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: Karen's response to Matt trying to lecture her for getting attacked outside Mrs. Cardenas' building:
  Matt Murdock: This is what I'm talking about. There are things out there. You can't be doing this. You're gonna get yourselves hurt-
  Karen Page: [angrily] No I—I have already been hurt by those bastards! [beat] You know what, I don't care what I signed or how much money they paid me to forget, I don't. And I'm not just going to stick my head in the sand and let it happen to somebody else because I am scared! Which I am. A lot.
  Foggy Nelson: [to Matt] If you could see her face, you'd know she means it.
• Series Continuity Error: Those sheets on Matt's bed are not silk, despite him claiming to Stick that he used silk sheets because cotton feels like sandpaper on his skin.
• Sexual Karma: Inverted. Matt's been knowingly avoiding the Cartwright Curse, while Fisk celebrates his night with Vanessa by calling a press conference and declaring open war on "the Devil of Hell's Kitchen".
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Invoked. After Wilson kills his father, he and Marlene cut the body up into pieces and dump it. Everyone just assumes that Bill skipped town to get away from the mobsters he owed money to, or alternatively that the mobsters caught him attempting to flee and killed him. The Fisks do nothing to dissuade people from this assumption. It helps that everyone in Hell's Kitchen knew Bill was just the type of Dirty Coward to abandon his family in order to save himself.
• Shipper on Deck: Wesley knows that meeting Vanessa is the best thing that's happened to Fisk in recent weeks. So in response to seeing his agitation and outrage over being threatened by Madam Gao, he brings Vanessa over to Fisk's penthouse.
  Wilson Fisk: I didn't call for you.
  James Wesley: No, I just thought you might need something.
  Wilson Fisk: If I needed you, I would've asked!
  James Wesley: I don't think that's always true, sir. [He gestures for Vanessa to step forward]
• Shown Their Work: Bill Fisk is running for the 3rd Council District, the geographic boundaries of which cover Hell's Kitchen.
• Sickbed Slaying: Blake has survived getting shot by the ESU sniper during the standoff with Vladimir and Matt. Since he certainly won't take well to having been shot on Fisk's orders, Fisk blackmails Hoffman into going to the hospital to finish him off.
• Shout-Out:
  • The flashbacks to Fisk's childhood and The Rolling Stones song "Brown Sugar" are a homage to Goodfellas.
  • Wilson Fisk going through his morning routine while classical music (Bach in this case) plays in the background is straight out of Hannibal.
• Stout Strength: We finally get a taste of how absurdly strong Fisk is when, in a rage, he flips over a massive stone table that must weigh hundreds of pounds.
• A Taste of the Lash: Bill Fisk takes his anger out on his wife with a belt. Doing it one time too many gets Wilson to finally snap and use a hammer against him.
• Tinfoil Hat: Lampshaded when Ben's complaining about investigating another dead end.
• Too Dumb to Live: Bill Fisk digs his own grave a couple ways at once. Borrowing from a known mob boss to fund his political campaign was a lose-lose situation. Aside from the possible scandal that could have arisen if he had been exposed, there was no guarantee he would win, especially given the community's opinion on him. Naturally he loses, and given what his wife said, Bill likely would have ended up dead even without his son's involvement. And what Rigoletto would've done to Bill probably wouldn't have been pleasant.
• Villain Episode: This episode heavily focuses on Wilson Fisk and his past.
• Villainous Friendship:
  • Detectives Blake and Hoffman have been friends for 35 years, making Hoffman reluctant to be the one to finish him off. Fisk has to offer Hoffman a large bribe, a threat to his own life, and the knowledge that it would be him or someone else finishing Blake off, to get him to agree to do the job.
  • Wesley knows Fisk arguably sometimes better than Fisk knows himself. He decides to bring Vanessa over when he realizes that her presence is the one thing Fisk could benefit from in the wake of his visit from Gao.
• The Villain Knows Where You Live: Madame Gao arranges a meeting by going directly to Fisk's penthouse. She points out that its location is his most closely guarded secret, and the fact that she knows where he lives is a sign of weakness on his part.
  Madame Gao: How do you think I knew where you live, Wilson? This is one of your most guarded secrets, yes? The king in his castle. Did I divine the location from bones and spells, chanted beneath the moonlight? No. I discovered it because you have become sloppy. And emotional. Just as the Russians became, in their final moments.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Ben is writing an exposé on Wilson Fisk, only for Fisk to call a press conference, with Wesley, Vanessa and Leland by his side, presenting himself as a hidden philanthropist who's gone public in defiance of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen's acts of terrorism.
  Wilson Fisk: I'm not very good at this, out, being in public. But I felt the need to speak up for this city that I love with all my heart. No one should have to live in fear.In fear of madmen who have no regard for who they injure. In fear of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, who has inflicted untold pain and suffering. This masked terrorist and psychopaths of his kind, we must show them we will not bow down to their campaign of coercion and intimidation. We must stand up to them. As this man, my dearest friend, Leland Owlsley, a pillar in the financial community, stood up when he was recently assaulted. But this assault was for no other reason than to send me a message. A message warning me to stop, to give up my dream that I have for this city. A dream of a better place. A place for its citizens to feel safe. To feel pride. I tried to do this quietly, not wanting to draw attention. The last thing I wanted was for anyone close to me to become a target from those who do not share my dream. For those who will have this city stay exactly as it is, mired in poverty and crime. But I know now it was foolish to make that decision. That I can no longer do it alone. That I cannot keep living in the shadows afraid of the light. None of us can. None of us should be forced to. We must do this together. We must resist those who would have us live in fear. My name is Wilson Fisk. And together, we can make this city a better place.
• Working the Same Case: Matt meets with Ben Urich to pass on what information he's gathered, finally tying their connected cases together.
• Would Hurt a Child: In addition to the verbal and psychological abuse he levels at Wilson, Bill beats up a teenager for knocking down his signs. After the election is over. And he forces Wilson to participate.
• You Have Failed Me: Fisk decides that Detective Blake is a liability for giving up information to Matt and needs to be killed, especially since it's likely he'll snitch to get back at Fisk for arranging the shooting. He tasks Hoffman with carrying out the deed.
  Wilson Fisk: We can't allow this to happen. I know that you have feelings regarding this matter. I respect that. But if Detective Blake chooses to speak out of turn, the result would be unpleasant, for you and for me.
  Carl Hoffman: Out of turn? You shot him!
  James Wesley: Technically, we paid someone else to shoot him.
  Wilson Fisk: Do you know what made us go down this path? What led to a decision of such finality?
  Carl Hoffman: If you're worried about me, I know how to keep my mouth shut.
  James Wesley: If we doubted that, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
  Wilson Fisk: Being informed, knowing facts as they are, not how we wish to perceive them, can tip the balance between life and death. Unlike you, your partner was inconsistent in his attention to detail.
  Carl Hoffman: Well, that masked asshole beat him senseless and broke his arm! It wasn't his fault!
  Wilson Fisk: Yes, I forgave him for that. What I find indefensible is we were not alerted that the addresses we provided had been compromised. They were given to ensure that any Russian who survived the bombings would be properly attended to, not to aid the man in the mask at locating Vladimir Ranskahov. That led to an unfortunate complication. One that your partner was directly responsible for.
  Carl Hoffman: Yeah. So, how long before I do something that pisses you off?
  Wilson Fisk: Oh, the answer to that is entirely up to you.
  Carl Hoffman: [realizing that Fisk wants him to kill Blake] See, he's more than my partner, right? He's my friend. I've known him since I was a kid. That's 30, 35 years.
  Wilson Fisk: How much are each of those years worth to you? Hmm? In round figures?
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Wesley is visibly not amused when both Fisk and Madame Gao reveal that they speak Mandarin, Japanese and English, making his job as a translator pointless.

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