Week 37: Stick, Shadows in the Glass

Stick: I'll post my main reaction to this behind a spoiler warning (not that I will spoil much), but otherwise I'll say that I enjoyed most of it, particularly Scott Glenn seeming to relish a sharply-written guest role. He has the difficult challenge of making this preposterous old martial-arts master and the vague "Black Sky" silliness seem plausible, and if he doesn't quite pull it off, at least he makes Stick entertaining. I wish that the show had been more explicit about how long Matt trained with Stick (weeks? months? years? all possible), and that Charlie Cox had been more demonstrative of Matt's feelings upon finding the bracelet; it's the first time I've felt like the actor's not right for the part if he can't bring more of that to the surface.

I also liked Urich's moment in his office at the end, glaring at Karen for a beat after she brought Foggy into their investigation. She thinks Urich doubts that Foggy can be trusted, but it's clear from his annoyed stare that he doesn't want to risk having another death on his hands. And I haven't brought this up yet but I should: Foggy pursuing Karen romantically is creepy and inappropriate, and the show never should have gone there. If they didn't have enough material for Foggy and had to pad it with that subplot, then it shouldn't have included him in the series. (8/10)

I mentioned the inappropriateness of Foggy trying to date Karen, as her boss and source of income. I should have also mentioned the inappropriateness of Foggy following her around the city after she declined his date invitation. That's a screaming red flag for bad behavior. The fact that it wound up helping her does not make it ok, not at all. I know that the show intends Foggy to be a decent person, but Hollywood really needs to stop making bad guys out to be white knights; it enables a lot of bad guys in real life. It's tempting to say that Karen seems at least somewhat open to dating Foggy, unlike the similarly sexually-harassed Simmons in AOS, but when it comes down to it, that doesn't matter: He's her boss, so she has to fake interest so as not to risk losing her paycheck. If I were Karen, I'd get the hell out of that job as fast as possible.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Fisk's backstory, and honestly, it makes me more unsure about his motives and his ultimate endgame. I mean, I know he's the "bad guy" in the story, but there's a brokenness to him that makes you question his motives.

Shadows in the Glass: Is Fisk supposed to be neurodivergent? He keeps breaking away from eye contact when he's talking to people, and he has an unwavering daily routine. This is Hollywood "neurodivergence" of course, but I think it's worth wondering if the show intended it that way. It still doesn't explain his bizarre speech pattern, which Kelly calls "holding in twenty years of constipation." He really seems like he's in pain when he talks. Maybe New York would be safer if he'd just take a laxative.

Lots of well-written scenes here. This show is so big on action that I forgot it could have a way with words sometimes. And that shot of the neighborhood in the early seventies! Netflix must have had to shell out to make that great shot happen, but it was worth it. I'm really enjoying this. (8/10)