Months Ago
Wilson is taken to prison, forced to hand over his clothing, and given a white jumpsuit to wear. The guards take him to his cell, and Wilson stares at the blank white wall.
Later, Wilson meets with his lawyer Bradley Donovan. He admits that they were lucky they could plead him out at all given the against him, and assures Wilson that Vanessa is financially taken care of. Wilson insists that Vanessa can't risk her freedom by coming to see him, and Donovan warns that the government has seized most of Wilson's assets. The lawyer advises Wilson to avoid getting into trouble because the process will take months and the State will seize on any excuse to keep him in prison.
In his cell, Wilson is reading a magazine when a prisoner named Dutton and his bodyguard arrive. Dutton explains that he ran drugs and heard of Wilson, but Dutton is in charge inside the prison. Wilson insists that he doesn't plan on taking over the prison, but Dutton doesn't believe him and says that there's only room for one "kingpin" in the prison.
Later, Wilson is in the mess hall and another prisoner, Stewart Finney, sits down with him. Stewart says that guys like them have to stick together, and he was a mortgage analyst that crossed the wrong person. He advises Wilson to stay clear of Dutton, and Wilson asks about the two men Stewart was talking to. Stewart says that they're the Valdez brothers, and they were convicted on various atrocities that they committed. Wilson confirms that they have a mother on the outside.
The next time Donovan visits, Wilson tells him to bolster the legal payments to Stewart's lawyer. He also has Donovan pay Andrea Valdez's rent indefinitely. Donovan repeats his warning about Wilson getting involved, but Wilson orders him to get it done immediately.
Wilson is soon striding the prison hallways with Stewart and the Valdez brothers. Stewart reports that Dutton and his people are holed up in A Wing and it's impenetrable. The analyst shows Wilson a newspaper article on Punisher and how he gunned down the Irish mobs, the Cartel, and the Dogs of Hell. Wilson checks his notes and confirms that Dutton didn't do business with the Cartel. He calls in Donovan for another meeting and the lawyer warns that Wilson's cash is almost gone after he built up Wilson's protection crew. If he does what Wilson is asking then he'll be dipping into Vanessa's protection. Wilson insists that he won't need anything else, and Donovan figures that he doesn't want to know what Wilson is going to ask the guard he's bribing to do.
Frank arrives and the guard takes him to see Wilson. Wilson says that he sees Frank got his message.
Matt wakes up after Elektra treats his poisoned wounds. He vaguely remembers men cleaning up the apartment of any bloodstains and asks Elektra what happened. She tells him that she disposed of the young Hand ninja's body. Elektra points out that if he had lived then he would have warned the Hand, but Matt doesn't buy it. He wants to call the police, but she points out that no one would believe them. Elektra warns Matt that the battle has begun and all they can do is fight, and Matt realizes that killing the ninja excited her. She explains that she first killed someone when she was 12, just to know that she could. Matt admits that he fell in love with Elektra, and she insists. However, Matt says that he doesn't want to keep judging her for who she is. He figures that they have to stop corrupting each other and can't be together. Elektra warns that the Hand will take the city if she leaves, and Matt insists that he has to fight the war alone.
When Wilson tries to talk about Frank's family, Frank refuses to let him. Wilson merely says that it's a tragedy and then explains that he's met Frank's lawyers before. He tells Frank that Dutton engineered the deal between the three mobs that led to the Central Park shootout. Frank wonders why Wilson hasn't already taken him out, and Wilson explains that he wants to keep a low profile. When Frank refuses to work with a "has-been" mob boss as Wilson's triggerman, Wilson points out that they both benefit by Dutton's death. Frank considers it and Wilson says that he has a guard who can get Frank into A Wing so he can question Dutton. Stewart explains that Frank will only have a seven-minute windowand they can only get him that day. Frank agrees but says that afterward they're done... and Wilson agrees. He gives Frank a shiv and figures that's all he needs.
Foggy visits Matt and says that they should shut down the office for a few weeks. Matt immediately agrees, and Foggy says that he wanted time to rethink things. His friend warns that time won't change anything, and that he's Foggy's friend and a vigilante. Matt says that there are horrible things happening in the city, but Foggy doesn't believe him. Foggy insists that they were close to getting Frank the help he needed, and deserves better. Matt says that he's not going to stop or apologize for who he is, and advises Foggy to close the office and start over without him. Foggy wonders what he's supposed to tell Karen, and Matt tells him to tell her that she's better off without him. After a moment, Foggy tells Matt to take care of himself and leaves.
Karen arrives late at the office and finds Foggy packing. He invites Karen to lunch, but she shows him photos of the Central Park shooting. One corpse disappears, and Karen says that there was no death certificate on him. She figures that he's the John Doe on the falsified ME report. Foggy tells her to let it go now that the trial is over, and they're lawyers rather than investigators. He tells Karen that there is no Nelson & Murdock, and Matt has other things to take care of. Karen says that there was a woman at Matt's apartment in his bed when she went there, and figures that Matt isn't capable of making room for anything in his life at the moment. When Foggy says that he should have warned her, Karen insists that what she and Matt have or don't have is between her and him. She demands the truth, and Foggy says that he'll call her if something changes. However, he figures that they both need to start thinking about a life outside of the office.
The Hand bodyguards escort Stan to his car. Daredevil takes the two men out and Matt grabs one of their guns. The vigilante advances on him and advises him not to take the shot, and Stan insists that he's not like the Hand. Daredevil easily disarms him and demands to know what's going on. Stan tells him that the Hand have already finished and that they're holding his son Daniel hostage to his good behavior. The Hand have Daniel at a drug fortress called the Farm, but Stan warns that it's impossible to get into. Daredevil considers and then tells Stan to take him there.
Karen goes to the Bulletin and shows Mitchell the NYPD files. She figures the missing body is the John Doe that Tepper testified about, but says that Mitchell should take it since one of her bosses has told her to move on. Mitchell wonders if she wants to let it go, and says that people higher up have been calling to find out where he's getting his information from. He took all the credit, and figures that it isn't over... and Karen knows it. Mitchell says that he'll see if they can meet with Tepper on the ME's own turf and leaves.
Frank goes to A Wing and the guard lets him in. He enters Dutton's cell and cuts the bodyguard's throat, then grabs Dutton and says that they need to talk.
Stan takes Daredevil to the Farm and insists on going in with him to save Daniel. Daredevil points out that Stan will just get himself killed and tells him to stay there while he goes inside.
Karen and Mitchell go to Tepper's apartment, and Karen calls through the door that they can help him. Tepper finally lets them in and explains that the mayor asked him to step down. He figures that people have been following him, and hesitates to identify the body in the photo. Karen says that once Tepper tells them what they know, they can expose the bad guys and Tepper's life goes back to normal. Tepper finally tells them that he found a police call sign in the dead man's shoe: he was an undercover cop.
Frank questions Dutton, who says that he was brokering a drug deal between the three mobs at the carousel. The deal went south when the Feds revealed that they had infiltrated one of the mobs and the whole thing was a sting. They were after the man who was brokering the deal, the Blacksmith. The Blacksmith was tipped off and never showed, and one of the Feds started shooting. Dutton then tells Frank that there were almost a hundred bangers at the carousel, and Frank will spend the rest of his life hunting them all down, and Frank agrees... and then stabs him to death.
At the A Wing entrance, Frank discovers that the gate is locked. The guard who let him in is standing there with three other guards. They open the prisoner cell doors and walk away, and Wilson emerges just outside to thank Frank for eliminating Dutton. He says that he couldn't have done it without him and walks away. The prisoners realize that Dutton is dead and come after Frank, and he attacks them. One of them stabs him in the arm, but Frank manages to kill them all. Armed guards beat Frank unconscious and haul him out.
At the Farm, Hirochi is checking the drug manufacture when he receives word that Stan's bodyguards have been found unconscious. Daredevil grabs Hirochi and uses him as a shield, and has Hirochi have his man stand down. Hirochi soon talks and says that other devils will walk the street, and that "The Rising" is coming. The man calls out something in Japanese, and Daredevil hears blood bubbling.
Back at the Bulletin, Mitchell offers Karen Ben's old office and tells her to start digging. She sees a file on herself and breaks into tears. Mitchell says that he and Ben both read it, and neither one of them cared. He tells her to get to work and leaves.
Wilson visits Frank in solitary and admits that he was going to have him killed to tie up all the loose ends. However, he admires Frank's talent and has decided to make use of it. Frank head-butts him and then punches him several times. Wilson beats Frank down and then tells the guards to release him. They obey and Wilson tells Frank that he's setting him free to do what he does best: kill criminals. Frank wonders why he doesn't get out, and Wilson says that he's playing the long game. When he leaves, it will be to win a war, not wage one. Wilson advises Frank to find the man responsible for his family's death, the Blacksmith, and kill him. Before Wilson walks out, Frank tells Wilson that the next time they meet, only one of them will walk away. Satisfied, Wilson says that he's counting on it.
Daredevil takes Hirochi to the Farm basement. There are cages holding human beings, and each one is hooked up to a tube. Their blood is being extracted into a tank. Stan runs in calling for Daniel, and Daredevil finds the keys and starts opening the cages. A masked ninja throws several knives, just missing, and tells Daredevil that the prisoners weren't finished. He and Daredevil charge at each other.
Dutton lies in the prison infirmary and Wilson visits him. As he eats, Wilson tells Dutton that in a few hours Dutton will suffocate from the blood filling his lungs. He assures Dutton that he'll be there with him, and says that there's only room in prison for one Kingpin.
Frank leaves the prison disguised as a guard. There's a car waiting for him, and Frank leaves with the driver.
Daredevil and the ninja fight, and the ninja finally takes Daredevil down using a kusarigama. He cuts free a large canister and shoves it away, and Daredevil renews his attack. The ninja takes Daredevil down, removes his mask, and goes to the canister. Daredevil realizes that it's Nobu, the Hand ninja that he fought and killed. Nobu tells him that there is no such thing and takes the canister down in an elevator.
Written by Gadfly on Mar 31, 2016