You motherfucking bastards.
I began to worry as soon as the episode started because I suddenly realized we hadn't seen any footage of Karen and Foggy beyond the initial leaked imagery outside of their firm and at Josie's (aside from the one shot of Karen in a courtroom). So the moment Bullseye's shot hit Foggy, I knew how the rest would play out. Foggy is dead. Matt walks away from Daredevil. Karen leaves New York. Suddenly all of the pieces fit into place based on what was seen and not seen in the trailer and teasers.
And I hate it.
And yet I also get why they did it. But I still hate it.
They knew the fans wanted Karen and Foggy back, especially after the initial filming of the show before the restructuring. And still, Foggy and Karen are used only as a means to drive Matt's story towards a different position, in a different world, to deal with Mayor Fisk and other rising threats.
However, I think what annoys me the most is that Nikki James' Kirsten McDuffie and Clark Johnson's Cherry just step right into the same roles as Foggy and Karen, if not as intimately close (and yet Cherry already knows Matt's secret life and past, if less so). It's a frustrating situation since I've been a big fan of Johnson's for many years and James does well with her role, too, but it's hard not to see them as "the replacements." I'm going to do my best to try and look pass this whole set-up but it doesn't make it any less hard to accept.
As for the rest of the episodes and their plethora of stories, I'm loving Mayor Fisk and watching him navigate his newfound power and different role from Kingpin, while also dealing with his crumbling marriage with Vanessa. His relationship with her was always one of my favorite parts of the show, so I'm very curious to see how that aspect of the story plays out, especially since Matt's new girlfriend, Heather Glenn, just so happens to be their marriage counselor (that won't end well at all).
I don't know anything about White Tiger so I don't hold any preconceptions or loyalties to his portrayal, but I am curious to see his story play out, especially as someone who was trying to fill in the vacuum left behind by Daredevil (although he was already active prior to Foggy's assassination) and as part of Matt's newest street-level case that appears more sinister than from the onset (particularly with the Punisher skull tattoo...).
Lastly, I love how BB Urich is weaved into the two episodes, so far mostly focused on her street-level reporting about crime and Mayor Fisk's rise to power. I got goosebumps during her brief and rocky interview with him, especially with the knowledge that Fisk murdered her uncle. I wonder if that will ever resurface...
Overall, I'm enjoying what we're getting but I'm still smarting over the immediate dismissal of Karen and Foggy.
