Daredevil 3.10: “Karen”
Episode 10 is all about Karen Page and the past we have known so little about for 3 seasons.
“Before“
We find a younger more reckless Karen Page at a party. Giving shots, dancing on the table and selling drugs to men in back rooms. Clearly, this is not the Karen Page we know.
As one of her drug deals goes south, we are introduced to her bad news boyfriend, Todd, who swoops in to help Karen out of a jam.
In the morning, Karen receives a call while in bed with the bad boy from “Penny’s Place.” She’s clearly late for something and lying to cover her tracks. Frantically, Karen gets dressed and drives to Penny’s past a sign that says Fagan Corners, VT. She attempts to hide her drug affected eyes with eye drops before rushing into the diner to start her shift. This is where she works.
Not only that
But, this is her family’s diner. Owned by her father and run by her and her brother, Kevin. Kevin has covered for Karen, and clearly knows something is not right with big sis.
While delivering breakfast to a customer, Karen’s nose starts to bleed. She runs to the bathroom to cover, but again, Kevin is suspicious. This leads to a knockdown, drag-out fight out back. Karen confesses to selling and using drugs and Kevin offers her a way out. He has undeferred her status at Georgetown and he wants her to return to school and get an education as originally planned.
Karen is pissed and doesn’t see this as a way out of Fagan Corners. She knows there’s no way out and leaves and goes to talk to her boyfriend, Todd. He validates her thoughts and spins a little fairytale about the two of them getting out of there one day.
After a phone call brings Karen back to the diner…
Dad and Kevin attempt to make amends. Dad has made “Karen cakes,” a family specialty. And they want to celebrate Karen’s return to school. But this ignites old wounds and ends in a shouting match with Karen yelling about how her mother wanted out of Fagan Corners. She smashes the old, framed lottery ticket that has been on the wall of the diner and scratches it. She announces that not only is the ticket a loser, but so are all 3 of them and the diner too.
Karen seeks solace with Todd who comes to pick her up. But before they leave, Kevin confronts Todd and they get into a fight.
Todd and Karen tear out and return to the cold comfort of cocaine and alcohol. But even Todd is concerned with how hard Karen seems to be hitting both the bottle and the powder.
They head back to Todd’s trailer, only to find that it has been set on fire by Kevin. Todd beats Kevin with a tire iron and slaps Karen. She grabs a gun and shoots a warning shot in the air, giving Todd momentary pause before resuming his assault on her brother. She shoots him, rescues Kevin and sister and brother drive away.
Karen, who is both drunk and high…
is driving recklessly and yelling at her little brother, flips the car. Kevin is killed instantly and Karen wakes up suspended in the driver’s seat. The police and her father come to the scene and discover what Karen has done.
Back at Penny’s Place, Karen and her father sit in silence. The cops have doctored evidence so Karen is free to go, believing that the family has been through enough. But her father wants her out…before Kevin’s funeral, which she offers to help coordinate.
“Now.”
Back in the present day, Karen is in the church under Sister Maggie’s protection and is clearly ruminating on her past sins, when Father Lantom comes to bring her food and invite her to mass. He sees the pain she is in and offers her a higher power to turn to. And some words of comfort:
“Everything will be okay in the end. And if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” –Father Lantom
Fisk and Poindexter know Karen’s location and Fisk shares why he’s after Karen. She killed his trusted associate, James Wesley and now she has to pay! A task that Poindexter (Dex) eagerly accepts while Fisk returns to his apartment.
Mass has begun at the church, with Karen watching in the wings.
Matt is now faced with a choice. Save Karen or take the chance to kill Fisk.
As Dex enters the church, dressed as Daredevil, Matt makes the choice to go after Karen and abandons his only chance to kill Fisk unseen.
Dex starts to terrorize the congregants who showed up for mass that day and asks for Karen Page by name. Not wanting to see anyone hurt, Karen comes out of the wings and hands herself over.
Matt quickly arrives (that was fast!) and engages Dex in a fight, as Karen tries to find a way to get the people out of the church and to safety.
Matt becomes momentarily incapacitated…
Dex to make his move on Karen. But his target is not acquired as Father Lantom stands in front of Karen, sacrificing his own life to save hers.
With his final breath, Father Lantom asks Matt for forgiveness, not only for himself, but also for Sister Maggie.
Matt has no time to mourn, as Dex turns back and resumes the fight. Karen whispers her plan, so only Matt can hear, to get the people out of the church. The plan succeeds and the people escape leaving Matt, Dex and Karen in the church.
Using rosary beads as makeshift bullets, Dex focuses his intentions on his mission: killing Karen Page.
The fight moves to the balcony, as Matt and Dex find themselves locked in a shadowy showdown with the startling backdrop of the blood red sanctuary lights to illuminate them.
With the upper hand, Dex goes to deal a final blow to Matt, but Karen takes the opportunity to knock him from the balcony. But when she looks over the railing, Dex is gone. Karen returns to an unconscious Matt.