Marvel's Daredevil S1E5 - "World on Fire" Recap

Matt is still at Claire's and continues to share with her. He makes her breakfast, tends to her injuries further, and even explains to her how his extrasensory abilities work and how he tends to see a "world on fire." He then asks her to move in with him until he can figure something out regarding her safety, since the Russians now know who she is. He then kisses her. Claire tells him about how the men beating her mentioned the name "Vladimir" and deduces that this must be a boss within that group.

Wesley goes to visit Vladimir and feigns ignorance on the whereabouts of Anatoly, asking where he is so they can lock down terms of their agreement. It's then that one of Vladimir's men comes in and says they've found Anatoly's body. Vladimir tearfully tells his brother's dead body they should have returned to Moscow like he wanted. In the coat pocket, he finds a black mask planted there at Fisk's orders that sends Vladimir on a course of vengeance, ordering his men to hunt the streets and not rest till they find the man in black.

Fisk calls a meeting with all the other crime bosses and informs them of the situation regarding killing Anatoly and setting up the man in black for it. Fisk reminds them that they all knew they'd need to get rid of the Russians eventually. He tells Chinese leader Madame Gao to keep doing business with the Russians for the time being until they can be removed entirely, after which the profits will end up being split four-way amongst them instead of the current five-way. Fisk later asks Madame Gao for a favour, the specifics of which aren't revealed until later.

When Matt beats up some Russians in order to get information on Vladimir, one man begs him not to smash his head up. Matt learns how Vladimir and all the Russians believe that he killed Anatoly by beheading him with a car door.

Matt and Foggy come to represent a woman named Elena Cardenas, who comes asking for help regarding her landlord Armand Tulley. Tilley is a powerful businessman who wants to covert the apartment building in which she is living and has sent men in to wreck her home to try to run her out.

Matt heads to the police station to enquire about any complaints being made against Tulley and overhears Detectives Carl Hoffman and Blake, the same officers who he muscled out when they were trying to illegally hold Karen without charing her with anything, interrogating a Russian. The Russian gives up Fisk's name, wanting a deal, and then the men stage a set-up to kill the Russian for having said Fisk's name. Matt then realises that those two cops are corrupt.

Foggy and Karen go to Landman and Zack, where Matt and Foggy once interned, There, they meet Marchi Stahl, Foggy's ex-girlfriend, who is representing Tulley. She tries to push him to get Mrs. Cardenas to settle for a large settlement, lest they get evicted, but Foggy delivers a rousing speech and remains determined to beat her in court. They then head to Mrs. Cardenas' place, where Foggy offers to work on the repairs himself. After Foggy successfully gets the water in her apartment running again, she insists on serving them dinner as a thank you and insinuates that Foggy and Karen are on a date, which they both eventually agree to it being. They discuss many things, including Matt's blindness, which leads Karen to asking Foggy to touch her face, saying she wants to know how someone who's blind would see her. She even offers to do his face next.

Matt beats up Blake to question him about Fisk and swipes his cell phone in order to find Vladimir. He shares what he has found on the phone with Claire. It's a list of addresses. He assumes he'll find Vladimir at one of them. They get into an argument in which Claire notes that she doesn't know if she can let herself fall in love with someone who is so close to becoming what he hates and Matt says she shouldn't, before leaving to find Vladimir.

Fisk has another date with Vanessa, who is still skeptical about the commotion that happened on their last date and tells her she can ask him whatever she likes, despite his dislike for being questioned, and he promises to answer honestly. The date goes quite well. When she asks what he does, he says he's rebuilding the city, hoping to carve something beautiful. She also notes his cufflinks, which Fisk says belonged to his deceased father. Fisk knows that Vanessa has a gun in her purse and she doesn't deny it. She says she's not stupid and knows what he does and that he's dangerous. She's not trying to leave the date but she pushes Fisk to be even more honest. He admits being cruel but he believes in what he is doing and is insistent that the city needs to die before it can be reborn. He assures her that being by his side is the safest place she could ever be. She removes the gun from her purse and gives it to him.

Fisk has paid Turk Barrett to tell Vladimir that Fisk was the one to kill Anatoly. This of course sends Vladimir on a different course of vengeance, as he orders his men to prepare their weapons for war against Fisk. Vladimir gets a lead from one of his men on Fisk's whereabouts, and the conversation is overheard by Matt. Vladimir's forces end up being taken out by a suicide attack perpetrated by Gao's men. The blast disrupts Foggy and Karen's face-touching and they have to flee the apartment with Mrs. Cardenas.

Fisk and Vanessa watch from the safety of their posh dinner date as explosions wrack the city. Fish assures her that these explosions will ensure that the men who beat a man while his son would watch before getting kidnapped will no longer infect this city. This pleases Vanessa.

Following the blast, a bruised Matt finds Vladimir still alive in the wreckage. Matt catches up to Vladimir but then they are both surrounded by police officers.

Marvel's Daredevil is available for viewing on Netflix.