Stick (episode)

"You wanted a father and I wanted a soldier." "Then I guess we were both disappointed."

- Stick and Matt Murdock

Stick is the seventh episode of the first season of the Netflix exclusive television series Daredevil.

Synopsis
An important figure from Murdock's past reemerges seeking his help to battle a new enemy threatening Hell's Kitchen.

Plot
Over twenty years ago, Matt Murdock was in pain; his ability to hear and sense everything around him was overwhelming him. A nun at the Saint Agnes Orphanage, where Murdock was staying after the death of his father, brought a man calling himself Stick to see the boy. Stick gave Murdock a choice: to rock himself to sleep at night, feeling sorry for himself or to be trained by him to use his "gift" to his advantage in the upcoming "war". Murdock made "the smart choice".

One day while they were training, Murdock gave Stick a present - a bracelet made from the wrapper of the ice cream Stick bought him when he and Murdock first met. Stick, who was against sentimentality, abruptly stopped training Murdock and as a result left the city.

Presently, Leland Owlsley is approached by the man in the mask about who his employer is, after Owlsley has a clandestine meeting with Nobu Yoshioka. Owlsley uses a taser on the masked man and escapes when the man is distracted by the sound of an approaching cane. The cane belongs to a blind man revealed to be none other than Stick, who tells Murdock to get off the ground.

Meanwhile, Karen Page meets with Ben Urich to compare notes on their findings about Union Allied Construction; Page has learned little, but Urich hints that there is a connection between Union Allied, the Yakuza, the Triad, Detective Christian Blake, who is in a coma, and the masked man. Urich warns Page to be careful since he does not want anything to happen to her, for the sake of his conscious.

Page goes to the apartment of Elena Cardenas with groceries and asks her about the men who destroyed her apartment. Cardenas reveals that she believes that Foggy Nelson is in love with Page as the two talk. Page leaves but is confronted by two thugs; Nelson, carrying a softball and an aluminium bat, saves Page from their assault.

Murdock invites Stick to his apartment where Stick berates him for all the luxury he has: furniture, friends, silk sheets. When Stick insults Murdock's father, the two scuffle for a moment. Ultimately, Stick asks Murdock to help him to stop the arrival of Black Sky, a weapon the Japanese plan to use. Murdock has Stick promise that he will not kill anyone, a line that Murdock will not cross, much to Stick's disappointment. At the docks, Murdock is commissioned by Stick to take out Yoshioka's men as Stick deals with Black Sky. When the cargo container with Black Sky opens, Murdock is surprised that it is a prepubescent child. Murdock senses the arrow aimed by Stick and stops it. Yoshioka's men then fight Murdock as Yoshioka escapes with the Black Sky. Murdock realizes that Stick has departed as well.

Murdock enters his apartment to find Stick there; Murdock demands an explanation as to why his mentor broke his promise. Stick relays that Black Sky was not a child and had to be terminated, which Stick did as Murdock fought Yoshioka's men. Angry at this revelation, Murdock fights Stick, and manages to win. He then tells Stick to leave New York City. Stick leaves, although he states there may be hope for Murdock after all.

Stick then visits a man, reporting that the mission was completed. The man asks if Murdock will be ready "when the doors open", to which Stick replies that he does not know.

Page takes Nelson to the office of Ben Urich at the New York Bulletin; Page tells Urich that they will need him in the mission. Urich tells Nelson that the masked man is a new player, but his place on his flow chart is unknown.

As Murdock cleans his apartment, he finds in the rubble the paper bracelet he gave Stick years ago.

Cast
Main Cast:
 * Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
 * Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
 * Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson
 * Vondie Curtis-Hall as Ben Urich
 * Bob Gunton as Leland Owlsley

Guest Stars:
 * Scott Glenn as Stick
 * Peter Shinkoda as Nobu Yoshioka
 * Skylar Gaertner as Young Matt Murdock
 * Judith Delgado as Elena Cardenas
 * Yasu Suzuki as Aito
 * Jasson Finney as Stone
 * David Sobolov as Stone (voice, uncredited)
 * Bonale Fambrini as Black Sky
 * Melinda Tanner as Elderly Nun
 * Kevin McCormick as Joseph Pike
 * Bryant Carroll as Stewart Schmidt

Locations

 * New York City, New York
 * Nelson and Murdock Law Office
 * Matt Murdock's Apartment
 * Elena Cardenas' Apartment
 * New York Bulletin Building
 * Saint Agnes Orphanage (flashbacks)
 * 15th Precinct Police Station (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * Tokyo, Japan

Events

 * Attack on Black Sky
 * Duel of Harlem (newspaper)

Items

 * Wooden Sticks

Vehicles
To be added

Creatures

 * Dogs (flashbacks)

Organizations

 * Nelson and Murdock
 * Union Allied Construction
 * Silver & Brent
 * Asano Robotics
 * Hand
 * Chaste
 * New York City Police Department (mentioned)
 * Yakuza (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)

Mentioned

 * Claire Temple
 * Jack Murdock
 * Christian Blake
 * Carl Creel
 * Wilson Fisk
 * Vladimir Ranskahov
 * Armand Tully
 * Hulk (newspaper)

Trivia

 * When Page brings Nelson to Urich's office, Urich's article on the Duel of Harlem is seen framed on the wall.