Daredevil: Regrets Only

“Is this about saving a man, or saving a vigilante?”

…in which Matt gets whimsical, Frank gets sadder, and Foggy keeps Foggying like a rockstar. Meanwhile, Karen gets it done!

I’m fascinated—and sort of confused—by the way wealth is working in this season. In the previous episode, we saw Matt and Karen on what Logan aptly referred to as an “awkward” date—until, that is, they scaled down from an upscale restaurant to a comfy, quirky hole in the wall. That same episode showed Matt experiencing, but struggling with, the trappings of wealth that Elektra seems so comfortable with in the flashback sequence. But as Matt spends more time with Elektra he seems to gain confidence in posh surroundings.

Like the fancy party. And the fancy break-in, which had a pretty cool fight scene (silhouettes behind the frosted-glass conference room), a funny trick (Matt and Elektra as a drunk couple who slipped away for a quickie), and the rather unbelievable idea that a gigantic corporation like Roxxon would have a ledger of any kind in book form.

In both “Kinbaku” and “Regrets Only,” Matt seems like a different person with Elektra. He’s less diffident, more confident. He speaks more forcefully than he does with Foggy and Karen. He carries himself with nonchalance and seems to have regained his sense of whimsy. (Basically, he’s gone full Angelus, or as close as he will ever get.) Is this what Matt’s like without the burden of hiding his identity or worrying about the morality of vigilantism? What are we to make of a man who seems so different in different contexts?

Those might be the sorts of questions we’re not supposed to ask about the human superheroes who have a Clark Kent/Superman split-personality thing goin’ on. But given the attention this show pays to the nuances of Matt Murdock’s psyche, I’m a bit freaked out by how quickly he can change.

Karen, on the other hand, is becoming more and more herself. She held herself together with the Punisher. No small feat, given that she has some serious guilt issues (killing Wesley last season) and he tends to punish the guilty. Her conversations with Frank Castle were an interesting contrast to Matt and Elektra at the fancy party: as Karen gets more tied up in the angst of Frank’s life, Matt gets more enmeshed in Elektra’s joie-de-vigilante.

Josie’s Bar:

• Matt: “I wear a mask.”
Elektra: “You can’t mask that ass. I’d know it anywhere.”

• Elektra: “Don’t you love jazz?”
Matt: “I’m more accustomed to 90s Top 40.”

• Foggy to Matt: “Why are you fancy?”

• I loved Foggy’s reaction to Matt and Karen’s kiss. “Is this happening?” Well, Foggy, let’s wait and see.

• Would Roxxon really identify Stan the Accountant as their ultimate security risk and then surveil him so closely? Or is there something else going on?

• As beautiful as Elektra looked in that dress, I remain befuddled by the exposed-zipper trend, which has lasted way too long.

• So, our lawyers are actually going to go to trial, and soon!

This was a good episode, but ultimately it felt very middle to me: all the moving parts that got moving in the first half of the season are continuing to move. So I give it:

Three out of four jazz hands, courtesy of Foggy’s stint in theatre at summer camp. Hey, we all have dark secrets.

Josie Kafka is a full-time cat servant and part-time rogue demon hunter. (What's a rogue demon?)

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