Ten Years Ago
Matt and Foggy crash a fancy party, sneaking in through the kitchen. Matt goes looking for alcohol in the main room and hears the noise of someone tapping her bracelets together. He goes over and hears the woman sipping a martini, and the woman--Elektra Natchios--turns to look at him. Asa security guard spots Matt as a crasher and starts to lead him out, Elektra says that Matt is with her.
Now
Matt wonders why Elektra is there, and she ducks his question. She finally says that she’s in town for a meeting and decided to stop by and see him. Matt immediately tells her that she’s not saying, and Elektra says that she chose not to be with him ten years ago. She apologizes and explains that she’s cleaning up her father’s mess. He did business with Roxxon Corporation, which has investments everywhere.She’s meeting with the board the next day at the Yakatomi Building, and needs Matt to help her as a lawyer. Matt refuses, saying that there isn’t enough time to do the research, but Elektra insists that he can handle it. He insists that she doesn’t know him and never will again, and Elektra admits that she’s disappointed. Matt tells her to get out and Elektra leaves.
The next day, Matt arrives at the office and Foggy admits that their finances haven’t improved. Matt blames himself, but Foggy points out that Punisher is off the streets and hopefully Samantha will stop pressuring them out of work. Karen comes in with coffee and wants to discuss the headlines about Frank. She figures that there’s more to the story, because no one is reporting about Frank’s war record or his family. Karen shows them the photograph of Frank and his family, and admits that she broke into his old house. The DA office’s statement is also full of holes, and Karen figures that something big is going on.
Foggy doesn’t want to stay involved with the crazy and walks out. Matt tells Karen that he doesn’t want her to get hurt, and admits that their kiss the night before was great. Karen confirms that they’re still on for dinner, just as Foggy comes in and says that there was a big deposit into the firm’s account. Matt realizes that it’s Elektra and tells them not to spend it yet because he’s not sure if it’s going to work out. With that, he leaves.
10 Years Ago
Matt drinks with Elektra at a bar and thanks her for her help. She figures that Matt wants to belong somewhere so he sneaks into fancy parties. In return, Matt reads her and says that even though she’s rich, she’s bored, and the one thing that she wants is the unexpected. Elektra figures that he’s not as dumb as she thought and they introduce each other. They go to her car and Elektra admits that she stole it before they drive off.
Now
Blake comes to the law firm and tells Foggy that they need to talk privately. Once they’re alone, the ADA demands all of their files on Grotto. In return he’ll get Samantha to drop them off her list. Foggy agrees if they show him a subpoena, and Blake admits that Samantha has everything invested in closing the Punisher case. If she gets promoted then Blake becomes DA, and Murdock & Nelson could benefit from that. Foggy still refuses to play along, and Blake warns that Samantha will roll over them.
Matt goes to the Yakatomi Building and realizes that there’s a metal detector.
10 Years Ago
Matt takes Elektra to Fogwell’s Gm and admits that he hasn’t been there for a while. Elektra wonders how a blind man boxes, and he explains that his father was a boxer and died. Matt tells her that he comes there to remember his father Jack, and finally tells Elektra that mobsters killed him. He says that Roscoe Sweeney killed Jack, and figures that Roscoe went underground. Elektra says that she doesn’t feel sorry for Matt, and has realized that he’s more then he lets on. They enter the ring and Matt dodges a kick, and then another kick. They spar and Elektra explains that she took capioera and Muay Thai. She slams him to the floor and says that she wins, and Matt says that they’re just getting started and then kisses her and they have sex.
Now
Matt goes to an alleyway and climbs up a construction tower to the roof. He listens and hears Elektra arriving in the conference room below.
The board greets Elektra and the Japanese spokesman, Hirochi, assures her that her business is valuable to Roxxon. He introduces Stan Gibson, the money man for their Japanese arm. As she pours himself a drink, Elektra spots Matt outside.
Karen goes to the Bulletin and talks with Mitchell Ellison, who she met at Ben’s funeral. She tells Mitchell that their article about Frank is inaccurate by omission. Karen says that Frank received the Navy Cross for service in Afghanistan, making him a war hero. Mitchell points out that the records show that Frank went in but there’s no evidence that he served. He wonders if Frank’s work was classified, and Karen points out that Frank had a wife and two kids even though no one reported it. They were killed at the same time that Frank was hospitalized for a gunshot wound to the head. Karen wants to dig through the paper’s files and back issues, and Mitchell agrees as long as the Bulletin gets the exclusive. However, he warns that all of the servers were wiped during the “incident,” and all they have is hard copies. Karen goes to work, and Mitchell figures that Ben is getting a kick out of what’s happening.
At Yakatomi, Matt listens as Elektra puts a pen on the table and asks what the subsidiary does. Stan explains that it’s a medical company and they do studies on drugs. Hirochi receives notices that someone is hacking their servers from the inside. While she waits, Elektra casually picks up the pen. Hirochi tells Elektra that something has come up and has someone escort her downstairs.
At Josie’s, Foggy meets with Marci. He says that Matt is dating Kate and they lost two clients in the last hour because of Samantha. Marci figures that Foggy called her for help, and says that Samantha has her eye on the mayor’s office. The DA is going to build a reputation on Frank’s conviction, giving her precedent against other vigilantes like Jessica Jones and Daredevil. Marci is sure that it will work, and she and Foggy both take a drink.
Karen is going through the back issues when Mitchell comes back three hours later. There’s no report of the Castle shooting, and Mitchell figures that someone kept it quiet. The editor remembers a multi-gang shooting in Central Park that week, and all three mobs were Punisher’s targets. Karen realizes that the shooting took place at the carousel where Frank’s family was killed, and leaves for her dinner date.
Matt and Karen go to dinner at a fancy restaurant, and they both avoid saying what they did. They make awkward small talk and Karen excuses herself to go to the restroom. The maitre’d tells Matt that he has a call. It’s Elektra, and she says that she knows Matt was at Yakatomi earlier. She says that the firm can keep the money, and says that he’s fired.
Ten Years Ago
Matt and Elektra drive to an expensive home in the suburbs. She says that it belongs to one of her father’s associates who is in Monte Carlo. They break in and raid the refrigerator, and Elektra says that it’s how they’ll live once they get married. She says that a rich life is fantastic but she’d trade it all for Matt. They drink and then Elektra drops the glasses and starts breaking more. Matt grabs her and stops her from breaking another glass, and says that they belong together. He tosses the glass on the floor and they kiss.
Someone approaches and Matt hears them. Elektra says that she’ll talk with them and goes off. Listening, Matt hears the sound of a fight and goes to investigate. Elektra has pinned Roscoe to the floor.
Now
Matt finds Karen and says that he wants to go because he doesn’t like the place. He assures Karen that it’s the restaurant, not her, and she takes him to an Indian restaurant. She talks about her hometown in Vermont, and Matt talks about how he always finds new places in the city. He has Karen describe the restaurant to her. Once they finish, Matt walks Karen home. They sit on the stoop and kiss, and she invites Matt up. Matt declines, and explains that he tends to bring disaster to the best things in his life. He doesn’t want to ruin what they have, and hopes that he can keep the night perfect... and the days to come. Karen agrees and they bid each other good night.
Ten Years Ago
Elektra ties Roscoe up and tells Matt that she tracked Roscoe down to Monte Carlo. When he spent his money from killing Jack, Elektra tracked him down. She invites Matt to his Roscoe, and Roscoe says that he doesn’t have it in him. Matt says that Roscoe killed his father, and punches the crook repeatedly. Elektra tells Matt to let it out for Jack and for the two of them. When she says Matt’s name, Roscoe remembers Matt and calls him an amateur. He promises to kill him once he gets free, just like he killed Jack, and Matt beats him as Elektra looks on, laughing. Once Roscoe passes out, Elektra tells Matt to keep going and end it. He says that it’s all he’s got, but Elektra gives him a knife and points out that Roscoe knows Matt’s name. Matt tells her that he can’t do it, but she insists that they can do anything together. After a moment, Matt says that he can’t and drops the knife. Elektra, disgusted, says that she thought he understood her and Matt admits that he thought that as well. He goes 911 and Elektra leaves by the time he turns back.
Now
Matt goes to Elektra’s apartment where she’s waiting for him. She asks about his dinner, and he asks her why she took him to the mansion ten years ago. She says that she did it for fun, and insists that she didn’t push him into killing Roscoe. Elektra figures that Matt wanted to, because he’s always had a glorious darkness inside of him... and why they loved each other. As she moves into kiss Matt, he asks her if that’s what she thinks love is.
Men come up in the elevator and Matt hears them. Elektra isn’t surprised and goes to dress, and Matt hears the men kill the security guard in the lobby with a silenced gun. She says that they’re probably Yakuza and explains that the Yakuza control the Japanese branch of Roxxon and they’d come after her. Matt realizes that she set the whole thing up as she puts on a costume. Matt tells her to handle them herself, and Elektra takes out his costume and asks if she needs to push him again.
Written by Gadfly on Mar 27, 2016