- "All of the fragments form a sort of impressionistic painting."
"Okay, but what does that look like? Like, what do you actually see?"
"A world on fire." - âMatt Murdock and Claire Temple
World on Fire is the fifth episode of the first season of the television series Daredevil.
Synopsis[]
Fisk moves forward with plans that threaten to rip Hell's Kitchen apart. Murdock and Foggy take on a case helping tenants victimized by a slumlord.
Plot[]
Claire Temple spends the night at Matt Murdock's apartment and Murdock opens up about his life, telling her that he is a lawyer. Temple asks him how a blind man can see so much, so Murdock explains that he can sense a lot of things that others cannot, and all those fragments form what he sees as "world on fire". The two share an intimate moment and Murdock asks Temple to stay with him, before the two share a kiss. Murdock talks to Temple about his hunt for Wilson Fisk and mentions the murder of Prohaszka by John Healy, claiming that it was connected to Fisk. Temple then tells him that when she was kidnapped by the Russian Mafia, they mentioned a name "Vladimir", who seems to be an important figure.
As Vladimir Ranskahov searches for Anatoly, he gets a visit from James Wesley, who claims that Anatoly and Fisk came to an agreement last night, so he came to iron out some details. Ranskahov has no idea where his brother might be, however, his subordinates then bring Anatoly's headless body into his office. Devastated by his death, Ranskahov finds a black mask on his body, which Wesley interprets as a message from the Masked Man. Ranskahov orders his men to put everyone on the streets to fight the vigilante and bring his head to Ranskahov.
Fisk and Wesley summon Madame Gao, Leland Owlsley, and Nobu Yoshioka for a meeting, where they witness blood being washed from Fisk's car. Fisk informs his associates that the Russian Mafia was no longer a part of their organization, since he murdered Anatoly. Gao and Yoshioka express their displeasure, as Fisk did not consult anyone on his decision, but he claims it was a personal matter. Fisk states that the Russians will continue work on the distribution of Gao's heroin, until he handles it, promising that the profits will be divided equally. The four come to an agreement, so Fisk can move with preparations to deal with the Russians, while Yoshioka reminds him about their deal.
A group of Russian thugs drive one of Gao's blind runners with the product in a taxi, however, they get ambushed by the Masked Man. They runner dies in the crossfire, although it does not stop the vigilante, who beats all of the thugs. The Masked Man demands Piotr to tell him where Ranskahov is, but he gets terrified, saying that he beheaded Ranskahov's brother. The Masked Man gets confused but he has to flee, as the New York City Police Department officers arrive to arrest Piotr, and overhears that he will be brought to the 15th Precinct Police Station.
Foggy Nelson and Karen Page are struggling to get the new equipment to work, before Murdock comes and asks if they heard about the Russian who got his head chopped off. They get visited by Elena Cardenas, who was recommended Nelson and Murdock's services by Bess Mahoney, and asks for legal help. Cardenas explains that Armand Tully is trying to muscle Cardenas and other tenaments from their apartments, so they could tear them down and build expensive condominiums in their place. Tully sends the workmen to destroy the apartments to pressure people into leaving, and the police cannot do anything. Nelson considers to pressure Tully into increasing the compensation money but Cardenas insists that the tenaments need their homes.
Murdock then promises that they will take on her case and tells Nelson to meet with Tully's lawyers, but Nelson is not thrilled because Tully is represented by Landman and Zack. Nelson explains to Page that they used to intern there but turned down the job offer to start their own practice, which led to a bad blood between them. Murdock tells Nelson to take Page and meet with the lawyers, while he goes to the precinct and asks Brett Mahoney for more information about the case. Mahoney appreciates that Murdock wants to help Cardenas and goes to get the copies of complaints filed against Tully.
While waiting, Murdock overhears Christian Blake and Carl Hoffman interrogating Piotr, who was found with the dead body and the backpack full of heroin. As the detectives do not care about the Ranskahov brothers, Piotr gives them Fisk's name, which picks Murdock's attention. Piotr promises to tell everything he knows about Fisk if they can strike a deal, however, it is revealed that Blake and Hoffman are on Fisk's payroll. They pretend that Piotr attacked Hoffman and reached for his gun, so Blake shoots him dead, saying that Piotr never should have given his name. Murdock hears everything but he is unable to prevent the killing, while other officers run to the sound of a gunshot.
Nelson and Page come to Landman and Zack Building to speak with Tully's lawyers and get approached by Marci Stahl, Nelson's ex-girlfriend who took on a job offer after he and Murdock left. Stahl informs them that she is one of the lawyers who represents Tully and says that Cardenas either agrees to a buyout or lives in a squalor until she gets evicted. She claims that the workmen Tully sends cannot finish the repair because of criminals that lived in the apartments, saying that Nelson needs to convince Cardenas to take the offer. However, Nelson is confident that Landman and Zack is afraid that the case goes into court, since they could lose an important client if they lose, which is more than likely.
Wesley reports to Fisk about the incident at the precinct, stating that their contacts in the police will make sure that the investigation would not lead to him. Fisk is concerned that too much people are aware of his name but Wesley assures him that soon Ranskahov will have no one to whisper Fisk's name to. Wesley then gives Fisk a recommendation of his personal favorite wine, which Fisk greatly appreciates. Fisk books the whole restaurant for him and Vanessa Marianna, so they would not be interrupted again. Marianna says that she does not appreciate dishonesty, so Fisk promises to tell her only the truth.
Nelson and Page go to meet with Cardenas and see that her apartment is completely run down, having no electricity or water. Nelson informs Cardenas that they haven't suceeded in regards of Tully, but promises that they will do what they can. He then tells Cardenas that he will personally help Cardenas to improve the condition of her apartment, and he will also speak with her neighbors as well. Nelson promises that he and Page will take care of her, to which Cardenas is incredibly grateful for.
The Masked Man attacks Blake outside of the precinct and interrogates him about the killing of Piotr. Blake tries to lie but the Masked Man knows that he was killed for saying Fisk's name and forces Blake to come clean. Blake admits that he killed Piotr, adding that the Masked Man is not any better since he killed Anatoly, and says that he does not know where to find Ranskahov, which the Masked Man recognizes as truth. The Masked Man asks him more questions about the connections of Fisk and the Russians, and Blake is amused by how little does he know. Blake then tries to reach for the gun, but the Masked Man quickly knocks him out and takes his phone.
Turk Barrett comes to Ranskahov and tells him that his friend was brought a black SUV, covered in blood and brains, which could have been used to chop Anatoly's head. Barrett says that it was owned by a man, whose appearance resembles Fisk and he was talking about the man in the black mask. Ranskahov assumes that Fisk has been conspiring with the Masked Man to take him down, so he orders his men to prepare for an all-out war on Fisk. He also tells Barrett to put a word on the streets that he will pay $1,000.000 to whoever gives him Fisk's location that night. Washing his brother's corpse, Ranskahov promises that he will honor Anatoly with the blood of war.
Nelson and Page manage to restore the running water in Cardenas' apartment, which delights her and she gets them both to stay for dinner. Nelson tries to politely refuse but Cardenas does not take no for an answer and goes to cook, saying that Nelson and Page would make a wonderful couple. The two laugh, as their visit turns into an impromptu date, as Nelson tells her the story about his and Murdock's college years. Talking about his relationship with Stahl, Nelson tells Page about Murdock's brief affairs here and there, mentioning that he gets to know how people look by touching their faces. Page wonders if Murdock knows how Page looks and asks Nelson to touch her face, so she would know how does it feel.
Murdock gets Temple to look through Blake's phone and she finds a list of addresses that was sent to him in a message. Murdock recognizes one of them as Troika Restaurant and realizes that all of the addresses are the locations of the Russian Mafia. Murdock says that the cop who owned that phone was on Fisk's payroll and goes to the address, hoping to find Ranskahov there. Temple is concerned that Murdock might actually enjoy hurting people, as he says that he is going to do whatever it takes to take them down. Murdock argues that he cannot allow Fisk and his men to tear down Hell's Kitchen and Temple, although admitting that his cause is important, says that she cannot fall in love with someone who is close to becoming something that he hates.
Fisk and Marianna have dinner, during which Marianna talks about her previous experience with men and the two share a wine that Wesley picked. Marianna asks about Fisk's loneliness and he tells her that it is a nature of his business, which is the rebuilding of the city. Fisk then asks Marianna about the gun she is carrying in her purse and Marianna says that she has a good idea about Fisk's real business. Fisk tells her that his desire to improve the city is real but he needs something more than money and influence to achieve his goals, as force is also needed for a change. Fisk says that he hurt people and will hurt more to achieve his goals, and although he does not enjoy cruelty, it is unavoidable to make the city a better place. He assures Marianna that the safest place in the city is by his side, so she gives him the gun she brought. While they talk, Marcel makes a phone call. Minutes later, Sergei informs Vladimir that Turk has learned Fisk's location.
While the Masked Man attacks the thugs near the Russian Hideout, Ranskahov and all his men prepare for the war on Fisk, but notice that one of Gao's runners came with a delivery. However, Fisk sent several runners to the Russians' locations with the bombs and they detonate, killing dozens of Russian Mafia members and causing damage to a nearby houses. One of the explosions affects Cardenas' apartment, injuring her, so Nelson and Page evacuate her from the rubble. Fisk and Marianna witness the explosions across Hell's Kitchen and Fisk tells her about the men who kidnapped the boy in front of his father, saying that now those men won't hurt anyone, which Marianna says is good. Fisk pays their waiter for the service he provided, making the phone call that led to the Russians gathering in one location, and takes Marianna away from the restaurant.
While accepting his payment from Wesley, Barrett wonders why didn't they proceed with the bombings from the start and Wesley says that they needed time to make preparations, adding that Barrett made the right choice by siding with them. Meanwhile, Ranskahov and some of his men manage to survive and try get away from the rubble, however the Masked Man follows them and beats up the thugs. He prepares to strike Ranskahov down as a revenge for what his men did to Temple, however, Corbin and the police officers and hold the Masked Man on the gunpoint, so he holds his hands in the air while the officers approach.
Cast[]
Main Cast:
- Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
- Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
- Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson
- Toby Leonard Moore as James Wesley
- Bob Gunton as Leland Owlsley
- Ayelet Zurer as Vanessa Marianna
- Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk
Guest Stars:
- Nikolai Nikolaeff as Vladimir Ranskahov
- Rob Morgan as Turk Barrett
- Royce Johnson as Sergeant Brett Mahoney
- Wai Ching Ho as Madame Gao
- Peter Shinkoda as Nobu Yoshioka
- Chris Tardio as Detective Christian Blake
- Daryl Edwards as Detective Carl Hoffman
- David Vadim as Sergei
- Tony Naumovski as Dmitry
- Judith Delgado as Elena Cardenas
- Amy Rutberg as Marci Stahl
- Alexander Blaise as Marcel
- Angel Rosa as Officer Corbin
- Paul Mann as Piotr
- Kirill Nikiforov as Aslan
- Eric Trautmann as Viktor
- Meng Ai as Runner
- Vincent Veloso as Suicide Drug Runner
- Dennis Duswalt as Cop #1
- Mike Carlsen as Police Officer #2
- Roman Blat as Big Russian
- Thomas D. Weaver as Desk Sergeant Thomas (uncredited)
- Peter Conboy as Cop (uncredited)
- Phil Oddo as Man in the Park (uncredited)
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- New York City, New York
- Moscow, Russia (mentioned)
- Guatemala (mentioned)
Events[]
- Bombing of Hell's Kitchen
- Kidnapping of Claire Temple (mentioned)
- Assassination of Mister Prohaszka (mentioned)
- Attack on John Healy (mentioned)
- Murder of Anatoly Ranskahov (mentioned)
- Rescue of the Kidnapped Boy (mentioned)
- Murder of Bill Fisk (mentioned)
- Battle of New York (indirectly mentioned)
Items[]
- Wilson Fisk's Cufflinks
- Bulletproof Vest
- Brunello di Montalcino
- Steel Serpent (mentioned)
- Rabbit in a Snowstorm (mentioned)
Vehicles[]
Creatures[]
- Dogs (mentioned)
- Snakes (mentioned)
- Rats (mentioned)
- Sharks (mentioned)
- Butterflies (mentioned)
Organizations[]
- Nelson and Murdock
- Russian Mafia
- Confederated Global Investments
- Hand
- New York City Police Department
- Landman and Zack
- New York Bulletin
- Westmeyer-Holt Contracting (mentioned)
- Kitchen Cab (mentioned)
Mentioned[]
- Tony Stark (indirectly)
- Prohaszka
- John Healy
- Anatoly Ranskahov (corpse)
- Bess Mahoney
- Armand Tully
- Edward Nelson
- Foggy Nelson's Cousin
- Ed
- Bill Fisk
- Harry Houdini
- King Kong
- Rain Man
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Kang Ding Qing Ge | Meng Ai |
|
| A World On Fire | John Paesano |
|
Trivia[]
- The tune that was played at the restaurant during Wilson Fisk's and Vanessa Marianna's date was the same tune that was played at a restaurant in which Phil Coulson and Raina had a meeting in the episode in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode A Hen in the Wolf House.
References[]
External Links[]
| Season One | Into the Ring âą Cut Man âą Rabbit in a Snowstorm âą In the Blood âą World on Fire âą Condemned âą Stick âą Shadows in the Glass âą Speak of the Devil âą Nelson v. Murdock âą The Path of the Righteous âą The Ones We Leave Behind âą Daredevil |
| Season Two | Bang âą Dogs to a Gunfight âą New York's Finest âą Penny and Dime âą Kinbaku âą Regrets Only âą Semper Fidelis âą Guilty as Sin âą Seven Minutes in Heaven âą The Man in the Box âą .380 âą The Dark at the End of the Tunnel âą A Cold Day in Hell's Kitchen |
| Season Three | Resurrection âą Please âą No Good Deed âą Blindsided âą The Perfect Game âą The Devil You Know âą Aftermath âą Upstairs/Downstairs âą Revelations âą Karen âą Reunion âą One Last Shot âą A New Napkin |