- "I have a crazy idea. I need a new napkin."
- ―Foggy Nelson to Karen Page and Matt Murdock
A New Napkin is the thirteenth and final episode of the third season of the television series Daredevil, as well as the series finale.
Synopsis[]
In the season finale, Matt prepares to cross the line, as Dex becomes more dangerous than ever and Fisk enacts his endgame.
Plot[]
As a result of Wilson Fisk's actions, the public opinion sways further into his favor, while Daredevil and his apologists like Blake Tower and Karen Page are seen as enemies. Daredevil kidnaps Felix Manning and interrogates him about Fisk's plans, noting that he increased the security at Presidential Hotel in preparation for some big event. Manning reluctantly informs him that Fisk prepares for his wedding with Vanessa Marianna, which would be a grand public event to win the adoration of New York City public. Daredevil pressures Manning into speaking out further, planning to kill Fisk for good, and Manning eventually admits that he witnessed Marianna putting a kill order on Ray Nadeem among other crimes, but Daredevil's interest is piqued when he mentions Julie Barnes.
When the New York City Police Department finds an injured Manning and takes him into custody, Foggy Nelson meets with Brett Mahoney and they talk about the fiasco with Fisk's indictment that cost Nadeem his life. Nelson informs Mahoney that there is someone who is planning to kill Fisk, and although Mahoney sees that as a blessing, Nelson claims that the FBI agents on Fisk's payroll then would go away unscathed, including Nadeem's killer. Mahoney is still reluctant on protecting Fisk, certain that the police would get those agents eventually, but Nelson says that he wants the person in question stopped, believing that Mahoney will do what is right. Mahoney finally listens to him.
The FBI holds a press conference, during which Tammy Hattley officially states that Nadeem was responsible for Winn's death, and that he was killed by the FBI in self-defense when he resisted arrest. Karen Page is deeply frustrated that the FBI is sweeping everything under the rug, smearing her and Nadeem, and Nelson notes that Fisk is putting out smoke to cover for himself. Page says that Murdock is now the only one who can stop Fisk and thinks that Nelson should not have warned Mahoney, as Murdock could get arrested or killed. Nelson understands Page's frustration, but he also knows that Murdock would never be able to forgive himself if he crosses that line and kills Fisk. Suddenly, Nelson gets summoned by the FBI, and although they both know it is a trap, Nelson knows that he must come either way.
Nelson arrives at the New York City FBI Office, and Benjamin Poindexter assures him that he is not in any danger, noting that he will be very useful as a District Attorney. Poindexter then brings Nelson to Seema Nadeem who supposedly agreed to cooperate with the FBI in regards of her husband's case and requested Nelson as her lawyer. Poindexter and Hattley leave the room to speak in private, and while Seema talks to Nelson about her cooperation, she secretly lets him know that the FBI is listening to them. The two secretly correspond with each other, and she provides Nelson with Nadeem's phone, as it contains something he prepared before his death.
Daredevil calls Poindexter from Manning's phone and claims that he is coming after the agent, while referencing Eileen Mercer's tapes that he listened to. He then brings up Barnes, who would not have been pleased to know that Poindexter is a murderer, which sets him off, but then Daredevil claims that Barnes is dead. Daredevil says that Fisk had Barnes killed so he could replace her as Poindexter's North Star, but he refuses to listen. Expecting that Poindexter would not believe his word, Daredevil gives him an address to check, knowing well enough that Poindexter would not just leave something like that unattended.
Nelson and Page watch a video that Nadeem recorded before being killed; after a final message to his wife and son, Nadeem made a dying declaration and fully admitted to the crimes he and the FBI committed on Fisk's behalf, while also naming Hattley, Poindexter, and other agents as his direct subordinates. Page considers using a video as a way to damage Fisk's newfound reputation, but Nelson claims that a dying declaration is exempt from a hearsay rule, as the court believes that a dying person has less incentive to lie. As they realize that they are holding onto a silver bullet capable of taking Fisk down, they realize that everybody must know about this, including Murdock.
As Daredevil predicted, Poindexter comes to check the address he gave him, and finds a warehouse with the frozen corpses of hitmen who worked for Fisk, which also contains Barnes' body as well. A horrified Poindexter suffers another breakdown, confronted by a realization that Barnes is dead, and when Daredevil calls him again, Poindexter vows to kill him. Daredevil says that they both know that Fisk has been manipulating Poindexter all along, and Barnes' death was a part of it. Poindexter asks what Daredevil's angle is, to which he responds that Fisk is planning to get married, telling Poindexter that after everything he has done, Fisk does not deserve a happily ever after.
Murdock then camps outside the Presidential Hotel as the guests arrive at the ceremony, including Rosalie Carbone and other crime bosses working for Fisk. Meanwhile, Page meets with Mitchell Ellison at the New York Bulletin, showing him Nadeem's dying declaration.
Poindexter dons his Daredevil Suit and heads over to the hotel, taking Barnes' frozen corpse with him, and breaks through the FBI agents guarding the perimeter. As Fisk and Marianna exchange their vows and the ceremony officially starts, Daredevil makes his way, as well, using Poindexter's rage to get through the security. Fisk takes Marianna for a dance to celebrate their marriage, but then all the guests receive news of Nadeem's dying declaration made public, right before Hattley informs them that the hotel is under attack. Poindexter then appears on the stage and attempts to murder Marianna to avenge Barnes, but Daredevil rescues her just in time, causing chaos at the ceremony.
Fisk takes Marianna to his penthouse, blaming himself for letting Poindexter to get close and putting Marianna in danger, but she reminds him that there is no time for anger and they need to run. Poindexter fights the FBI agents, killing some of his former colleagues, and injures Hattley, leaving her alive. In response to the chaos at the ceremony, Mahoney and the SWAT prepares for a raid, but Daredevil breaks into Fisk's control room and tells Shelby to disable the elevators and hold them off while he deals with Fisk. Daredevil then confronts Fisk at the suite, and as the two fight, Poindexter catches up to them, hellbent on killing Fisk and Marianna. In a subsequent three-way battle between Daredevil, Fisk, and Poindexter, Fisk defeats Poindexter and breaks his spine. Daredevil manages to bring Fisk down, and he is too worn down to fight back.
As Daredevil mercilessly beats him and prepares to finish Fisk off, Marianna pleads with him to spare her husband, and Daredevil eventually relents. Fisk claims that he will never stop going after him, Page, and Nelson, and he will reveal his true identity to the world unless Daredevil kills him. Daredevil, however, forces Fisk into keeping his secret and leaving his loved ones alone, by threatening to prove that Marianna was involved in Nadeem's death, which would put her in jail. Realizing that he cannot let his wife suffer, Fisk accepts Daredevil's demands, while apologizing to his wife for failing her. Mahoney arrives at the suite to take Fisk and an immobilized Poindexter into custody, and states that the Daredevil they have been hearing about recently was an impostor, pointing at the real Daredevil fleeing from the scene. The police arrest Hattley and the surviving FBI agents, and Fisk begs Mahoney to give him a moment to say goodbye to Marianna. Mahoney refuses and says that Fisk never gave Nadeem such privilege.
Murdock meets with Maggie Grace at Clinton Church, and the two finally reconcile, as Murdock tells her about his last memories with Paul Lantom and what he told Murdock about God's plan. During Lantom's funeral, Murdock gives a speech about how the reverend father guided him through his life and showed him what it is like to be a man without fear. Murdock talks to Page after the funeral, while Nelson tells Marci Stahl that he has decided to quit Hogarth, Chao & Benowitz. He goes to meet Tower who declares that his office would not let Fisk manipulate the system again, working to undo the harm he brought to New York City. Nelson officially drops out of the District Attorney race and gives Tower his full endorsement.
They all then come to a family dinner at Nelson's Meats, as Nelson's parents decide to retire and move to Florida, while Theo Nelson takes over the shop. Nelson informs him that Tower brought Red Lion National Bank down, so their family is in the clear. Murdock, Page, and Nelson discuss Hattley corroborating Nadeem's dying declaration and helping to dismantle Fisk's empire for good, and Murdock notes that so long as Marianna is free, they all should be safe from Fisk's retaliation. Nelson then proposes the three of them to start a new law firm together, to which Murdock and Page agree.
Poindexter undergoes an experimental surgery, with Kenji Oyama replacing his broken spine with a Cogmium framework, regaining consciousness in the middle of the treatment.
Cast[]
| For the full credits, see A New Napkin Credits |
Starring[]
- Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
- Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page
- Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson
- Joanne Whalley as Sister Maggie Grace
- Jay Ali as Agent Ray Nadeem
- Wilson Bethel as Agent Benjamin Poindexter
- Stephen Rider as District Attorney Blake Tower
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin
Special Guest Starring[]
Guest Starring[]
- Geoffrey Cantor as Mitchell Ellison
- Amy Rutberg as Marci Stahl
- Joe Jones as Felix Manning
- Royce Johnson as Detective Sergeant Brett Mahoney
- Kate Udall as SAC Tammy Hattley
- Sunita Deshpande as Seema Nadeem
- Annabella Sciorra as Rosalie Carbone
- Kelly McAndrew as Shelby
- Ezra Knight as John Hammer
- Stephen Axelrod as Latimer Zyl
- Holly Cinnamon as Julie Barnes
- Stephen Rowe as Nicholas Lee
- Deirdre O'Connell as Anna Nelson
- Michael Mulheren as Edward Nelson
- Peter Halpin as Theo Nelson
- John Francis McNamara as Timmy Nelson
- Sharon Hope as Bess Mahoney
- Scotty Crowe as Agent J. Lim
- Don Castro as Agent Arinori
- Andy Lucien as Agent Ramsey
- Richard Prioleau as Agent Doyle
- Sam Slater as Agent O'Connor
- John Nania as Agent Markham
- Glenn Kubota as Doctor Kenji Oyama
- Jon J. Masters as Cardinal
- Amar Srivastava as Surgeon
- Marlie Hall as News Reporter
- Bobby Daniel Rodriguez as ESU Officer
- Marvin Bell as Band Leader
Uncredited[]
- Cole Jensen as Young Wilson Fisk
- Josiah Nolan as Agent Mockta
- David Anthony Buglione as Agent Johnson
- Anthony Mecca as Tall Painter
- Benjamin Hinnant as Short Painter
Archive Footage[]
- Andrew Sensenig as Agent Winn
- Ned Van Zandt as Everett Starr
- Peter McRobbie as Father Paul Lantom
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- United States
- New York
- New York City
- Presidential Hotel
- New York City FBI Office
- Fogwell's Gym
- New York Bulletin Building
- Clinton Church
- Nelson's Meats
- Chrysler Building
- Nadeem Residence (flashback)
- Red Fish Blue Restaurant (flashback)
- Hattley Residence (flashback)
- Stark Tower (newspaper)
- Central Park (mentioned)
- Matt Murdock's Apartment (mentioned)
- Hudson River (mentioned)
- New York City
- Tampa (mentioned)
- New York
Events[]
- Kingpin's Federal Corruption
- Kidnapping of Felix Manning
- Battle at the Presidential Hotel
- Arrest of the Albanian Syndicate (flashback)
- Arrest of New York City's Crime Bosses (flashback)
- Murder of Winn (flashback)
- Search for Daredevil (flashback)
- Attack on the New York Bulletin Building (mentioned)
- Duel at Clinton Church (mentioned)
- Assassination of Ray Nadeem (mentioned)
- Murder of Bill Fisk (illusion)
- Battle of New York (newspaper)
- Rand Enterprises Truck Crash (mentioned)
Items[]
Vehicles[]
To be added
Sentient Species[]
Organizations[]
- FBI
- New York City Police Department
- New York Bulletin
- Hogarth, Chao & Benowitz
- Carbone Crime Family
- Donovan and Partners
- Fire Department of New York City
- WNEX New York
- ZCN
- WZKC
- WZVR News
- KTTA
- VQB News
- VWXTV
- Cleaning Crew (corpses)
- Albanian Syndicate (flashback)
- Cybertek (newspaper)
- Stark Industries (newspaper)
- Red Lion National Bank (mentioned)
- Nelson, Murdock & Page (mentioned)
Mentioned Characters[]
- Sami Nadeem
- Nav
- Eileen Mercer
- James Wesley
- Kevin Page
- Jessica Jones
- Tony Stark (newspaper)
- New York Bulletin Reporters
- Bowen
- Cairl
- Rockman
- McDonnell
- M. Murphy
- Monahan
- Jench
- Pesci
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding Day Jitters | John Paesano |
|
| Dex Plus One | John Paesano |
|
| Cantata, BWV 147, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (Johann Sebastian Bach cover) |
Jay Michaels |
|
| The Look of Love (Dusty Springfield cover) |
Burt Bacharach |
|
| Perp Walk | John Paesano |
|
| The Funeral | John Paesano |
|
| Still Stapled Together | John Paesano |
|
| Nelson Murdock and Page | John Paesano |
|
| End Credits | John Paesano |
|
Trivia[]
- This is the first episode to mention the term "man without fear," one of Daredevil's epithets in the comics. Charlie Cox previously explained that, unlike the Marvel comic book character, his version of Daredevil would not be a "man without fear", saying "Someone who does not have fear – literally does not experience fear – is not that interesting. The way I like to think about it is that he is a man with fear, but he on a daily basis decides to confront that fear and to overcome it. So the title of 'the man without fear' is almost a title that the public in his world gives him just because of what he does. But inside himself, he's very afraid at times. And he finds a way to confront those fears and punch through it."
