I need to keep going. If I pitch a perfect game, then they might..."
"Dex. You could pitch a billion perfect games. It won't bring your parents back.Benjamin Poindexter and Bradley
The Perfect Game is the fifth episode of the third season of the television series Daredevil.
Synopsis
To quell the rising backlash over his release, Fisk serves up a scapegoat for the FBI. Dex misses his mark after he runs into a woman from his past.
Plot
Benjamin Donovan reports to Wilson Fisk that his orders were carried out, although Matt Murdock's body was not found, and Fisk is displeased that Felix Manning left so many loose ends. Donovan suggests that even so, a blind Murdock is unlikely to survive being thrown in the river, but Fisk shows him a footage of Murdock fighting at Ryker's Island, making it clear that they are not dealing with an ordinary blind man. Although Donovan notes that they did a thorough research on Murdock and can confirm that he is legitimately blind, Fisk still thinks that a man like him is tougher than Donovan thinks. Fisk reminds him that Murdock threatened both him and Vanessa Marianna, so he should not be taken lightly.
Fisk then has a meeting with Ray Nadeem and Benjamin Poindexter, and Donovan states that Fisk's cooperation was extremely valuable to the FBI. Nadeem informs Donovan that Marianna will not be charged as Fisk's accessory and Donovan also reminds him that his client is also entitled to his personal belongings being returned to him. Fisk then says that he values their agreement and appreciates the sacrifices the FBI made for his sake. Fisk then names Murdock as his secret associate who worked for him behind the scenes, which prompts the FBI to raid his apartment. However, as Murdock manages to slip away and hide at the rooftop, all they find is his wet clothes, so Nadeem calls for a city-wide search for Murdock.
Karen Page meets with Manning, saying that she is aware of his dealings with Fisk, and promises to keep his name out of the print if he cooperates. In response, Manning makes it clear that he is aware of Page's personal information, including her family in Vermont, threatening her into backing away. On her way out, she gets approached by the FBI and taken to Murdock's apartment, where Nadeem is running the investigation and asks her questions about Murdock. Nadeem brings up their old work for Confederated Global Investments, a company operated by Fisk, and shows Page a photo of James Wesley, which makes her panic. Page hastily tells Nadeem that Fisk is manipulating the FBI and he is playing into Fisk's plan by listening to him, but Nadeem does not believe her without any proof.
Fisk examines Poindexter's personal information that Donovan brought to him, such as the time he accidentally murdered his baseball couch in a fit of rage and was assigned to therapy sessions with Eileen Mercer. He looks through the history of Poindexter's mental issues and his desperate need for routine and guidance, as well as his murderous tendencies. Poindexter once worked at Brooklyn Suicide Prevention Center and became attached to Julie Barnes, while once instructing one of their callers to kill his abusive stepfather instead of himself. Donovan wonders why Fisk is so fixated on Poindexter, and he explains that he wants to give New York City a new villain to divert the public attention from his plans, and Poindexter is a perfect candidate.
With Theo Nelson's help, Foggy Nelson organizes an event at Nelson's Meats and announces his campaign to become the District Attorney, and a lot of people express his support, as they all had a grudge against Fisk. Nadeem approaches him, asking him about Murdock, and Nelson assumes that the FBI is trying to silence his criticism due to their cooperation with Fisk. Nadeem mentions that Nelson was the one to walk away from Nelson and Murdock, and asks if it was because Murdock turned out to be Fisk's associate. Nelson dismisses his accusations, but then Nadeem reveals that Murdock stole his ID to enter Ryker's Island and make a contact with Albanian Syndicate. He is convinced that Murdock is a guilty man and Nelson is worried because he would be charged as his accessory, but Nelson only tells him to leave in response.
Nelson and Page meet at Nelson's Meats to talk about the FBI investigating Murdock, as well as both of them, and Page is concerned that Nadeem might be onto something. Nelson is worried that if the FBI finds out that Murdock is Daredevil, both of them can be arrested and considers testifying in exchange for Page getting immunity. Page interrupts him and anxiously says that while she did not disclose Murdock's secret, she is guilty of something much worse and she is in trouble now. Using attorney-client privilege, Page reminds Nelson about the John Healy case and how they were approached by Wesley who wanted them to defend him in court. She says that if the FBI keeps digging into Wesley, they might find out the truth, and confesses that he was killed by her.
While drinking at Presidential Hotel, Poindexter is suddenly approached by Barnes who works there as a waitress, being completely caught off-guard. The two drink together, recalling the old times, but Poindexter slips out that he knows much more about Barnes that he is supposed to, which disturbs her and makes her leave. Distressed by Barnes realizing that he had been stalking her, Poindexter returns to his apartment and suffers a breakdown, wrecking the whole place out of frustration. Throwing a knife into his group portrait with Barnes, Poindexter tries to calm himself by listening to tape recordings of his therapy sessions with Mercer.
Cast
Main Cast:
- Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
- Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
- Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson
- Jay Ali as Ray Nadeem
- Wilson Bethel as Benjamin Poindexter
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin
Guest Stars:
- Danny Johnson as Benjamin Donovan
- Peter Halpin as Theo Nelson
- Holly Cinnamon as Julie Barnes
- Joe Jones as Felix Manning
- Heidi Armbruster as Doctor Eileen Mercer
- Cameron Mann as Young Benjamin Poindexter
- Conor Proft as Teenage Benjamin Poindexter
- Gary Hilborn as Coach Bradley
- Dennis Carnegie as Agent Fremont
- David Anthony Buglione as Agent Johnson
- Venida Evans as Callahan
- Ethel Fisher as Wobschall
- Frank G. Rivers as Umpire
- Frank Fernandez as Politician (uncredited)
- Ashley North as Town Supporter (uncredited)
- Unknown Actor as Kanon (uncredited)
Appearances
Locations
- New York City, New York
- Benjamin Poindexter's Apartment
- Presidential Hotel
- Matt Murdock's Apartment
- Nelson's Meats
- East River
- Lyndhurst Home for Boys (flashback)
- Riviera Psychiatric Institute (flashback)
- Ryker's Island (footage)
- FDR Drive (mentioned)
- Jalisco, Mexico (mentioned)
- Fagan Corners, Vermont (mentioned)
- Portsmouth, New Hampshire (file)
Events
- Kingpin's Federal Corruption
- Raid on Matt Murdock's Apartment
- Infiltration into Ryker's Island (footage)
- Ambush on the FBI Convoy (mentioned)
- Arrest of Wilson Fisk (mentioned)
- Bombing of Hell's Kitchen (mentioned)
- Kidnapping of Karen Page (mentioned)
Items
To be added
Vehicles
Creatures
Organizations
- FBI
- New York Bulletin
- Hogarth, Chao & Benowitz
- Donovan and Partners
- Brooklyn Suicide Prevention Center (flashback)
- Albanian Syndicate (mentioned)
- DEA (mentioned)
- United States Department of Justice (mentioned)
- Nelson and Murdock (mentioned)
- Confederated Global Investments (mentioned)
- Red Lion National Bank (mentioned)
- Vancorp (mentioned)
- United States Army (mentioned)
- New York City Police Department (mentioned)
Mentioned
- Vanessa Marianna
- Paxton Page
- Penelope Page
- Kevin Page
- James Wesley (photo)
- Benjamin Poindexter's Parents
- Craig
- John Healy
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (indirectly)
- Dark Web
Trivia
- This episode is a Matt Murdock's smallest appearance in a Daredevil episode, having only appeared at the very end.
Music
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| All Star Pitcher | John Paesano |
|
| Returning Home | John Paesano |
|
