What's Wrong with Netflix's 'Daredevil'

In the third episode of the new Netflix "Daredevil," we see a mob hitman kill a crime boss (with a bowling ball - at least that's interesting). Foggy and Matt are hired by the hitman's crime syndicate to defend the hitman - who, with only one intimidated witness, is claiming self defence.

(You do know who "Foggy and Matt" are, right? This story has been told so many times ... Okay, okay: Matt Murdoch is the blind lawyer who is also Daredevil, Foggy Nelson is his perpetual lawyer sidekick.)

Matt, with his extra sensitive hearing, is aware A) that the hitman is guilty, and B) that the crime syndicate has manipulated the jury, and the hitman walks free. That very evening, in a dark alley at midnight (or thereabouts), the hitman is assaulted by Daredevil.

A bit of history here: in the 2003 Ben Affleck Daredevil, and the 1980s Frank Miller re-envisioning of Daredevil that it was based on, Daredevil takes justice where the courts cannot - he kills the really vile people he knows are guilty. And this vision is in every other respect just as dark as Miller's view of the (anti-)hero.

So Daredevil and the hitman fight it out in the alley. And Daredevil threatens him and stabs him with some broken glass, demanding to know who's behind the crime syndicate. The hitman gasps out "Wilson Fisk" (it's always Wilson Fisk. Always and forever and I'm so damn tired of Wilson Fisk). Daredevil lets him up, and the hitman says "OMG, you made me say his name." (I'm paraphrasing.) "OMG, he's going to kill me, and everyone I ever cared about." Then he goes over to this spike sticking out of the wall that featured prominently in the fight, and skewers his own head - in the eye socket, out the back (I mentioned this is kind of a dark and bloody vision of Daredevil?). Daredevil is shocked and horrified.

Wait, what? You're just here to give him a gentle friendly beating, then let him go so he can kill more people? You were both fighting for your life but you didn't really mean it? You weren't going to kill him? If that broken logic doesn't bother you, think about the head spike: any man with the strength of will to spike his own head would NEVER have given up the name in the first place. Sorry folks: if you're going to make your vision of New York's Hell's Kitchen this incredibly dark with rape, child abduction and murder as common as people going to the corner store to get milk ... you'd damn well better commit to a Daredevil who's willing to kill. He isn't getting anywhere if all he's willing to do is give a hitman a stern talking to. I probably won't be watching any more of the series.