The Punisher’s trial is on, but one of his lawyers can’t stay focused.
She takes him to the home of the professor that encrypted the secret portions of the ledger, and after some threatening they convince him to decode the messages, revealing weekly shipments exporting something by train. They are able to track down the latests shipment, and discover that they are hauling large quantities of dirt for some reason. Matt and Elektra bond over their battles with the Yakuza guards, and he finds himself softening toward her, even enjoying himself.
Meanwhile, Karen and Foggy continue to prepare their defense, learning about a possible character witness, but worried by Frank’s refusal to accept placing the blame on PTSD. When the trial starts it is supposed to be Matt handling the opening statements, but after his night out with Elektra he oversleeps, forcing an unprepared Foggy to step up and handle it. When he does arrive he convinces them to let him cross examine the crooked medical examiner that falsified the reports on the deaths of Castle’s family.
Discussing the case later over dinner, Matt and Karen get into an argument about the roles of vigilantes and whether or not the Punisher’s methods are valid. With both of them upset they decide to call it a night, and Elektra makes her entrance, having tracked down different locations where the dirt could have come from. Matt identifies the most likely target as Midland Circle, the tenement that Fisk took over and handed to the Yakuza. They agree to check it out, but Matt forces her to wait until the following night so he can concentrate on the case.
When the medical examiner takes the stand Matt is ready to try to break him, but finds that he’s already been broken. The examiner admits to faking the records of Castle and his family and another John Doe after having his life threatened by unknown assailants. He then says that he’s only admitting it because a woman with a foreign accent tracked him down the night before and threatened to kill him if he didn’t come clean. Matt immediately recognizes Elektra’s hand in the confession, and the judge throws out all of the medical examiner’s evidence an invalid due to coercion.
When Matt tells Foggy that it was Elektra who tampered with the case and that she was his new client, Foggy is furious about Matt’s lies and not telling him what was going on sooner. Foggy essentially kicks Matt off the case until he can get his act together and warns him that he needs to tell Karen about Elektra. With Foggy storming off, Karen confronts Matt about what is happening as well, but he storms off himself to investigate Midland Circle.
Matt berates Elektra for screwing up their case, and she agrees to stay out of his legal affairs in the future. The two of them fight off a number of Yakuza guards approaching Midland Circle, but once they arrive all they find is a massive hole in the ground.