Daredevil S2:E3 New York’s Finest

Simple Synopsis

What does it take to be a vigilante, and what does it mean?

Daredevil wakes up on a roof to find himself chained to a chimney under the careful watch of the Punisher. He tries to talk to the man, to convince him to stop what he’s doing, but the Punisher is adamant that Daredevil’s methods aren’t going far enough, that the criminals he puts away are back on the street too quickly and that the only way forward is to take them out for good. Daredevil tries to convince him that killing the criminals is out of bounds, but the Punisher won’t hear it.

After the complete failure of their operation, Reyes threatens to blame Nelson and Murdock for the debacle. Karen is furious about it, but Foggy says they need time to find a way to fight back. Grotto calls Karen and tells her he’s skipping town and won’t trust them to work with them any further. Karen does some research and goes to the assistant DA to warn him that Reyes will throw anyone under the bus to save herself, asking for his help in keeping the firm alive. He slips her the Punisher file in the hopes that it will help, and she starts diving in to study everything that they know about him.

The Punisher decides that its time to force Daredevil’s hand to make him see things his way. He tapes a gun with one bullet in Daredevil’s hand, and tells him he’ll have to shoot to stop him. When Daredevil refuses he brings out Grotto, captured before fleeing town, and makes him confess to killing a helpless old woman. The Punisher tries to convince Daredevil to kill Grotto for his crimes, and when he refuses, says that he’ll just kill Grotto himself if Daredevil doesn’t take him out. Daredevil finds a third option and uses the bullet to shoot the chains that are holding him, attacking Punisher, but Grotto gets shot anyway. Daredevil escapes with Grotto, but he dies anyway. When he goes back for the Punisher, the vigilante shoots off a rocket into the Dogs of Hell biker bar across the street, alerting them to their presence as he passes out from Daredevil’s attack.

With the bikers on the way, Daredevil desperately tries to fight his way out of the building, carrying an unconscious Punisher. He manages to fend off his attackers, but Punisher wakes up and escapes in the process.

Meanwhile, Karen’s investigation begins to bear fruit when she learns that the Punisher may have suffered brain damage from a bullet.

TL;DR
Punisher and Daredevil talk vigilante philosophy but are unable to reconcile their differing points of view. Punisher kills Grotto trying to make a point, and sets the Dogs of Hell after the both of them, forcing Daredevil to fight his way to safety. DA Reyes threatens to blame her failures on Nelson and Murdock, and Karen starts investigating the Punisher in the hope of finding a way out of it.