The flashlight finally hits the bottom of the pit at Midland Circle. Daredevil figures that it's at least 40 stories deep. Shadowy ninja throw shuriken at them and Daredevil gets Elektra to cover just in time. He warns her that their attackers aren't making any sounds... including heartbeats. Elektra, who seems to know who they are, tells Daredevil to focus on the sound of their swords, and they go out to fight their attackers. They manage to take them down and Elektra prepares to kill one with his own sword. Daredevil yells at her to stop, and a ninja slashes her across the chest. After Daredevil takes the last ninja down, he goes to Elektra. Three more ninja grab Daredevil and beat him, and then one of them prepares to kill him. However, Stick drops down and takes out the three ninja, knocking the last one back into the pit.
Stick has his man drive off with Daredevil and Elektra, and more ninja follow them across the rooftops. They drop down into the street and the driver runs two of them over. One drops onto the car's roof and Daredevil kills him. More ninja fire arrows and Stick shoots them down, and says that a hospital can't help Elektra. They head for Matt's apartment, ducking another wave of ninja attackers, and Stick warns that there'll be more.
At the apartment, Stick has Matt get him the ingredients for antidote. He explains that the ninja blades were poisoned and it's bad, and he goes to work. Elektra apologizes to Matt for not telling him the truth, and Stick pulls the blade fragment out with a pair of pliers and then pours the antidote into the wound. Matt uses his hearing to confirm that Elektra's heartbeat is steady, and Stick drinks some teas. He off-handedly says that he knows Elektra, much to Matt's surprise. Matt threatens to throw the old man out unless he explains, and Stick warns that Elektra will die if Matt does.
At the courthouse, Karen wonders where Matt is. Foggy finally tells her that he told Matt to stay home, but didn't expect him to do it. He worries that he can't win Frank's case, and Karen tells him to focus on winning. They go in and Foggy calls Schoonover as a character witness. Schoonover testifies about how Frank won the Navy Cross, explaining that he overrode a superior officer. When the officer was disabled, Frank took command and attacked the enemy himself so that his men could get to the LZ. The men got there and found Frank standing over 32 dead enemy soldiers. Hanoover testifies that the man he knew is a hero and wouldn't have gunned down mobsters. On cross-exam, Samantha is unable to break Hanoover's story, and he admits that he was the officer that Frank overrode. Realizing that it's a lost cover, Samantha ends her cross-exam, goes back to her table, and admits to Blake that she didn't know about Hanoover because all the names in Frank's file were redacted.
At the apartment, Matt hits Stick when he refuses to answer his questions. He figures that there is no war and Stick is just rounding up innocents and making up stories to justify his behavior. Stick tells Matt that they're facing the Hand, a group of Asian warlords who found the secret of immortality. They used it to extend their own lives and take over countries, calling themselves Yaminote: "The Hand." The Hand is seeking the ultimate weapon, Black Sky. They've never activated it so no one knows what it does. One kid, known as the Chaste, fought back and organized other warriors to fight the Hand. Matt doesn't believe him, and Stick warns that New York is ground zero in a war that is bigger than any of Matt's problems. He finally admits that Elektra works for him.
In court, Foggy has Dr. Andrew Lee testifies that Frank's bullet wound from the shooting can cause brain damage leading to EED: Extreme Emotional Disturbance, or "sympathetic storming". The victim becoming emotionally disturbed and then rationalizing his disturbance. Samantha objects but Foggy assures Batzer that Lee is a qualified brain specialist, and the judge overrules the DA. Lee testifies that Frank is suffering from EED and his circumstances are unique. A young man gets up and yells that Frank killed his parents. Batzer has him removed and instructs the jury to disregard the outburst.
Afterward, Karen talks to Frank. He realizes that he killed the boy's father, and Karen says that she can't judge him. She then asks Frank to take the stand so that the jury knows what he goes through every day. Karen admits that the best they can do is get the charges reduced, and it's important to her even if it isn't to Frank. Frank wonders if he is a monster and what happens if nothing changes.
Outside, Karen tells Foggy that Frank has agreed to take the stand. Foggy wonders why they're defending Frank when he's guilty, but agrees that Frank is crazy so they need to defend him. He agrees but only if Matt does the questioning. Karen assures Foggy that he's doing great. However, Foggy insists that Matt is the right person to question Frank. Karen reluctantly agrees and says that she'll get Matt.
At the apartment, Matt talks to Elektra when she wakes up. She admits that she approached him as part of her mission against the Hand. Stick trained her for a long time and wanted Matt back to help fight the war, and thought Elektra could distract him. However, she fell in love with Matt even though she promised Stick that she never would. Matt says that they don't have to kill like Stick does, not caring that Stick in the next room can hear him. Elektra warns Matt that there are things about her that he doesn't know, but he insists that it doesn't matter. He says that Elektra refused to kill the Hand ninja at the pit, and he was hollow inside when he thought he would lose her. Matt asks Elektra to leave Stick and she admits that she tried to snuff out his light in college... and is glad that she failed.
Stick lets Karen in and she sees Matt with Elektra. She angrily tells him that Frank is going to take the stand and Foggy could use Matt's help. With that, Karen walks out.
The next day in court, Frank's supporters show up in court when word that he's testifying gets out. Matt comes in and Karen doesn't want to hear his apologies. Foggy says that he wanted Matt there because he's almost as crazy as Frank is, and wants Matt to use what he heard from Frank to good use. He outlines their strategy to get Frank into a mental hospital.
Frank takes the stand and the bailiff whispers to him to think about what he wants. Matt overhears him, and Karen realizes that something's not right. Matt questions him and asks what happened on the day that Frank's family died. When Frank swears at Matt, Matt asks Batzer to declare Frank a hostile witness. The judge agrees and Frank still doesn't answer. Matt says that Frank is the kind of man the city needs, and they need it now. However, he tells the jury that Frank went too far but insists that he's a good man. However, Frank doesn't know the difference between right and wrong anymore, so he needs their help.
Frank makes a statement: he'd do it all again and the entire trial is a charade. He insists that he's not crazy and he knows who he is and what he did, and declares himself the Punisher. Frank rants until the bailiffs take him away, screaming that he's guilty.
Outside, Karen insists that the Frank they saw wasn't the one she talked to earlier. He blames Matt for provoking him, and says that he's glad that they lost. Foggy storms off and Matt asks to talk to Karen. She says that she's tired of hearing his excuses and doesn't care what he's doing. Karen admits that the city needs heroes... and tells Matt that he's not one of them.
Elektra goes to the living room and tells Stick that she doesn't want to be with him anymore. Stick says that Matt is soft and has made her soft, and warns that she can't be with Matt because she can't change what she is. Elektra orders him out and Stick asks what she thinks Matt will say when he finds out who she is and always has been. He figures that Elektra hasn't told Matt, and Elektra slaps him. Stick says that he's been protecting her for years, and that they'll find out if she can protect herself. Outside, he tells his driver that he's done with amateurs and it's time to get the band back together, and says to head to the Wall. A Hand ninja watches from above as the car drives off.
Matt returns home and realizes that Stick is gone. He assures Elektra that he doesn't know it can work between them, but they'll figure it out after she gets some rest. Matt goes out to the living room and the ninja shoots him in the shoulder with an arrow. The second shot misses, and Elektra hears the impacts.
Matt and the ninja fight, the ninja drawing his sword. Elektra comes out and the ninja kicks her down. He renews his attack against Matt, who finally gets the ninja in a chokehold. Matt demands to know who the ninja works for, yanking off his captive's hood, and says that he'll find them whoever they are. He hears the ninja's heartbeat and realizes that he's just a kid... and Elektra cuts the ninja's throat. Matt realizes what she's done, and Elektra tells him that's who she is. Matt collapses from his wounds, and Elektra asks him if he still wants her.
In prison, a corrections officer tells the other guards that he has orders from the warden to take Frank to the exercise room. As the officer takes Frank through the prison, the convicts promise to kill Frank. In the security room, the guard on duty shuts off the cameras. Meanwhile, the officer takes Frank to the exercise room and removes his manacles. A prisoner is waiting for Frank: Wilson Fisk. Wilson says that Frank have got his message.
Written by Gadfly on Mar 28, 2016