COLD OPEN

EXT. ALLEY

The camera opens on a blood stain on the asphalt. A police siren can be heard in the background. The camera slowly pans forward and up, revealing more blood. A light bulb flickers. The camera reveals a dumpster, with blood dripping down onto the ground. The camera then reveals the whole alleyway. Santino, holding a trash bag, is standing in front of the dumpster and staring at the blood. He begins breathing quickly. A dog barks. Santino looks around, drops the trash bag, and runs. The camera then moves to look down at the dumpster, revealing Matt to be inside, with a gash on his arm. He starts face-down, but after a moment flips over and takes off his mask and gasps.

END COLD OPEN

TITLE SEQUENCE

EXT. ALLEY

Santino leads Claire Temple down the alley.

SANTINO: (Speaking Spanish) Over here!

The two arrive at the dumpster.

SANTINO: (Speaking Spanish) Come here!

Santino gestures towards Claire. She runs over to the dumpster. She looks in, and then up at Santino. They both look around.

CLAIRE: (Speaking Spanish) Help me.

Claire walks to the other side of the dumpster. Santino nods.
CLAIRE: (Speaking Spanish) Get him out.

INT. CLAIRE’S APARTMENT

Santino opens a door, carrying Matt into a dark room. Claire follows behind. They begin to set Matt on the floor outside of their kitchen.

CLAIRE: (Speaking Spanish) Easy, easy, easy.

Lots of blood can be seen on the side of Matt’s face. He appears to be passed out.

CLAIRE: (Speaking Spanish) Okay. Go upstairs, and close the door. (Santino gets up). And not a word to anybody.

SANTINO: (Speaking Spanish) (Backing up) Yes, okay.

CLAIRE: (Speaking Spanish) Not even your mom.

Claire closes the door. She turns to look at Matt, and sighs. She runs over near a window and grabs a bag, and then runs over to Matt and kneels down. She unzips the bag, pulls out some rubber gloves, and puts them on. She assesses the wound on Matt’s arm, and then feels for a pulse at his neck. She grabs a flashlight from the bag and shines it in Matt’s eyes. His pupils don’t dilate, causing her to look confused. She takes his mask completely off of his head. She continues looking him over, finding another gash on his side.

CLAIRE: Ay, um…

Claire pulls out her cellphone. She unlocks it and calls someone. As she’s waiting for someone to pick up, Matt suddenly reaches forward and grabs her arm, surprising her.

MATT: No, no calls.

CLAIRE: It’s okay, I’m just trying to help.
MATT: No.

CLAIRE: We have to get you to the hospital.

MATT: They'll kill everyone.

CLAIRE: (Suddenly worried) Who?

MATT: The men who did this. They'll kill everyone in the hospital to get to me. (Rolls over, groaning).

CLAIRE: Okay, you can't - Don't. You've lost a lot of blood. I think you might have been stabbed.

MATT: (Getting up). I have to leave.

Claire stands up.

CLAIRE: You wanna leave? Door's that way.

Claire points towards the door. Matt turns around and walks towards it, grunting. He then falls over on the floor, passing out. He then begins to have a flashback.

COMMENTATOR 1:This crowd is not happy, Pete. Murdock has dominated this fight but now Price has turned the table on him.

INT. MATT’S CHILDHOOD HOME

A young Matt is watching his father fight on TV.
COMMENTATOR 1: He's pounding Murdock's head - and Murdock isn't even defending himself.

COMMENTATOR 2: Oh! Oh!

COMMENTATOR 1: Wait! The ref is stopping the fight. (Bell dings). Canero has stopped the fight. Two-to-one favorite "Battlin' Jack" Murdock loses to a TKO in the 10th. (Matt looks disappointed).

COMMENTATOR 2: Price looks as shocked as the crowd. Murdock had him on the ropes, (Matt gets up), but let his glove drop and got tagged with a series of devastating -

Matt holds up the remote and turns the TV off. He puts the remote back on the table. He walks into the kitchen and sits down. Matt’s neighbors can be heard arguing indistinctly. Loud music plays. Matt puts his head down. Later, Matt’s father opens the door to the apartment, waking up Matt.

MATT: (Running towards him) Dad!

JACK: Hey, Matty! Hey! (They hug). Hey, hey, don't... don't get blood on your shirt. (Breathes heavily).

MATT: Gotta keep your gloves up.

JACK: Yeah, well, I... I should have you in my corner.

MATT: Does it hurt?

JACK: (Sighs) It don't tickle. Go get the kit.

Matt walks into the kitchen to get a metal case, and places it on the table. He opens it, revealing medical supplies and playing cards. Matt begins taking out the supplies to attend to his dad’s wounds.

MATT: You shoulda had him. (Scoffs). Price is a bum.

JACK: Hey, anybody who's got the guts to step into that ring deserves respect. Don't you ever forget that.

MATT: (Wipes off Jack’s forehead). Even Price?

JACK: Even Price.

MATT: Sorry you lost, Dad.

JACK: Yeah... Just wasn't my night. Easy, easy, easy. Easy with the cotton swabs there, doc.

MATT: Gotta get in there. You don't want to get it infected.

JACK: Stitches?

MATT: (Laughs). Oh, yeah.

JACK: You better get the Scotch.

Matt walks over to get the Scotch. He places it on the table and pushes it towards his dad.

JACK: No. It's for you.

MATT: (Laughs) Really?

JACK: You think I want your hands shaking like last time? This is my face we're talking about.

Matt smells the scotch and makes a bad face. He looks back up at his dad.

JACK: Go ahead. Take a - just a little sip.

Matt takes a sip of the Scotch. He makes a face as soon as it hits his mouth. Jack chuckles.

MATT: Oh! Oh, it burns!

JACK: All right. (Clears throat). Come on. Let's do it.

Jack leans forward and sighs deeply. Matt begins to give him stitches.

MATT: Don't move.

JACK: So you watched the fight? (Matt nods). You're supposed to be doing your homework.

MATT: Got it done first.

JACK: All of it? (Matt says nothing). I want you to finish up before you go to bed.

MATT: I'll do it tomorrow.

JACK: Tonight.

MATT: Before school?

JACK: Tonight. Okay?

MATT: Okay.

JACK: Alright. Go ahead, go ahead.

Matt continues with the stitches. Jack shudders a little, appearing to be in pain.

MATT: Dad?

JACK: Uh-huh.

MATT: You gonna have enough this month for Mr. Morris?

JACK: He will get his rent, (Pulls out envelope), on time.

Matt picks up the envelope and pulls out a number of hundred dollar bills.

MATT: You got all this for losing?

JACK: Sometimes even when you get knocked down, you can still win.

MATT: It ain't how you hit the mat...

BOTH: It's how you get up.

JACK: That's right. (He chuckles, then grabs the money and envelope back). All right, all right. Go hit the books.

MATT: Can I take the bottle?

JACK: No, just... Go on. Go on.

Jack watches as Matt leaves the room. He then looks at the money and puts it in the medical kit aggressively, and looks down.

CUT TO: APARTMENT BUILDING

INT. MURDOCK & FOGGY’S OFFICE

Karen picks up some papers from her desk. A single lamp is on. Foggy is (badly) singing in the background.

FOGGY: Pour, oh, pour the pirate sherry / Fill, oh, fill the pirate glass / And to make us more than merry, (Karen laughs), let the pirate bumper pass / For today our pirate 'prentice rises from indenture freed / Strong his arm and keen his scent is / He's a pirate now indeed -

KAREN:You know I'm still here, right?

Some loud clattering comes from the room Foggy is in. He opens the door and looks at Karen, startled. Karen waves.

FOGGY: Could you... could you hear me just now?

KAREN: (Smiling) Nope.

FOGGY: The correct answer is, "Yes, and you sound amazing!”

KAREN: Well, of the two lies, I took the lesser. (Shrugs).

FOGGY: I thought you went home. What are you still doing here?

KAREN: Uh, (Cleaning up her desk), I could ask you the same.

FOGGY: Yes, but I am a partner at a prestigious law firm with very important documents needing to be documented, so we can start generating some revenue, while you are… (Karen looks up)... also very integral in your own special, (Karen smiles and nods), manager - (Foggy sighs. Karen laughs). I dug myself in too deep and I can't climb out.

KAREN: You need a hand with that?

FOGGY: Please.

KAREN: Oh! Not gonna happen.

FOGGY: Seriously, what are you still doing here?

KAREN: I have work to do.

FOGGY: What work? We don't have any clients yet.

KAREN: Well, your shit's not gonna unpack itself.

FOGGY: This box of vital import will be here in the morning.

FOGGY:You should be out having a life, doing poppers and flapper dancing. (Both laughing). I don't know what kids do these days.

KAREN: We're the same age, Foggy.

FOGGY: So you're saying I shouldn't be here, either?

KAREN: Yeah.

FOGGY: Fair enough. But I'm awkward, (Walks to the other side of the table), and unfashionable. Those things don't seem to apply to you.

KAREN: (Pauses). I just don't feel like going home okay?

FOGGY: Well, we can't stay here. Not enough money in the kitty to keep the lights on past midnight. So let's hop a few bars, not think about it.

KAREN: Yes. (Smiles). Big fan of the not thinking. (Grabs her bag).

FOGGY: You will fit right in here.

KAREN: Should we call Matt?

FOGGY: Sure. Yeah, let's see what he's up to.

CUT TO: INT. CLAIRE’S APARTMENT

As a police siren wails in the background, Matt suddenly opens his eyes. He is lying on the floor, and he begins breathing heavily. The camera pans and turns sideways, revealing Claire still tending to him.

CLAIRE: Are you gonna listen to me this time?

MATT: Where am I?

CLAIRE: You're in my apartment.

MATT: Who are you?

CLAIRE: I'm the lucky girl who pulled you out of the garbage.

MATT: (Feels for his mask). You've seen my face.

CLAIRE: Yeah.

MATT: Great.

CLAIRE: Your outfit kind of sucks, by the way.

MATT: Yeah, it's a work in progress. (Tries to get up, groaning).

CLAIRE: Okay, I really wouldn't try to move too much. You've got two or three broken ribs, probable concussion, some kind of puncture wound, and that's just the stuff that I know about. And your eyes, they're nonresponsive to light, which isn't freaking you the hell out, so either you're blind or in way worse shape than I thought.

MATT: Do I have to pick one?

CLAIRE: Do you mind telling me how a blind man in a mask ends up beaten half to death in my dumpster?

MATT: The less you know about me, the better.

Claire shrugs, and then sighs deeply.

CLAIRE: The wound on your side... knife?

MATT: Probably. Ah… (Groaning).

CLAIRE: (Inspecting the wound). I think I got the bleeding stopped, but I can't tell how bad it is internally without a full series of X-rays, so -

MATT: No. No hospitals.

CLAIRE: This is my night off. I'm really not looking for some guy to die on my couch.

MATT: Are you a doctor?

CLAIRE: Something like that.

MATT: Most people, they find a bleeding masked man in the garbage - they call the police.

CLAIRE: (Sighs). You got a lot of experience in this area?

MATT: Why are you helping me?

CLAIRE: The less you know about me, the better.

MATT: (Laughs) Ah...
.
MATT: You got a name at least?

CLAIRE: (Sighs). Claire.

CLAIRE: Don't suppose I get to know yours? (Matt says nothing). All right, I'll call you Mike.

MATT: Mike?

CLAIRE: Yeah, a guy I used to date. Turns out he was very good at keeping secrets, too.

MATT: (Grabs Claire’s hand). Thank you, Claire.

MATT: (Sighs). Rest. Make sure you're stabilized. We'll figure the other stuff out later.

CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL

A young Matt lays in a hospital bed. His eyes are covered, and he is struggling. A machine beeps in the background.

MATT: I can't see!

JACK: (Rushes over). Matty, Matty, Matty, it's me. It's Dad. I'm right here.

Matt gasps. Jack shushes him.

MATT: I can’t see! I can’t see!

JACK: You were in an accident, you remember? You're in the hospital, (Machine beeps), but I'm right here with you.

MATT: (Sobbing) Everything's so loud… Everything...

JACK: I'm right here with you. It's Daddy. Here, feel my face. Feel my face. I'm right here. I'm right here.

MATT: I can't see.

JACK: It's all right. It's okay.

MATT: Dad, I can't see!

JACK: It's all right, Matt.

MATT: I can't -

JACK: It's all right.

INT. CLAIRE’S APARTMENT

Matt wakes up and starts gasping. Claire runs over.

CLAIRE: What is it? What's wrong?

MATT: (Gasping). I can't breathe.

Claire uses a stethoscope to listen to Matt’s lungs.

CLAIRE: You've got air in your chest. It's collapsing your lung. I'm gonna relieve the pressure, but I'm gonna need you to hold still, okay?

Claire grabs some supplies from her medical bag. She pulls Matt’s shirt down a little and begins the procedure.

CLAIRE: Here we go... This is gonna hurt.

Claire pierces Matt with a needle. He grunts loudly and gasps. Claire removes part of the needle, causing air to hiss out of Matt’s chest. Matt groans. As his breathing stabilizes, Claire removes the needle.

CLAIRE: Good. Just breathe normal.

Claire listens to Matt’s lungs again. Matt sighs and his breathing becomes normal again.

CLAIRE: All right. Look let's just say for the sake of discussion I buy this whole, "We can't go to the hospital because whatever," story you've got going on. But we need to talk about what happens if you give up the ghost here in my living room. Because I'm listening to myself explain to the police how I let this happen, and every version ends with me in handcuffs, so convince me it's worth it.

MATT: They kidnapped a boy.

CLAIRE: Who did?

MATT: The Russians. They've been running a human trafficking ring out of Hell's Kitchen. Took over when the Italians folded up. Two days ago, they pulled a kid out of the back of a van. Beat his father while he watched.

CLAIRE: Jesus.

MATT: I knew the kid would still be alive. At least until they took him out of the city. I tracked the Russians to a warehouse not far from here. Thought I was being smart, how fast I found them. Turns out, I wasn't.

CLAIRE: They were waiting for you.

MATT: And I walked right into it.

CLAIRE: So, they took this kid just to get to you?

MATT: Yeah, I've been making their lives, (Breathing heavily), difficult lately.

CLAIRE: But you're blind.

MATT: (Chuckles). There are other ways to see.

CLAIRE: This is what you do, you make life difficult for bad men?

MATT: It's one way of putting it.

CLAIRE: No offense, but you don't seem to be very good at it.

MATT: (Laughing). Ow! Yeah, well, you're catching me on an off night.

CLAIRE: Did you at least find the kid?

MATT: (Sighs). No, he wasn't there. I barely made it out myself. (Sighs) I was careless… Stupid.

CLAIRE: So these men that took the boy they're out there right now, looking for you? (Long pause). Mike?

MATT: Someone's coming.

CLAIRE: Wait, what?

MATT: There's someone in the building, a man, going from door to door.

CLAIRE: How do you know that?

MATT: Shh. He's on the third floor already. Smells like Prima cigarettes and discount cologne. (Tries to get up, groaning).

CLAIRE: You can smell a man on the third floor?

MATT: You'll smell him soon enough. He really likes that cologne. (Sits up). You're looking at me like I'm crazy, right?

CLAIRE: Seems the appropriate response.

MATT: There are some things I haven't told you about me, Claire.

CLAIRE: You haven't told me anything about you. All I know is you're very good at taking a beating.

MATT: (Breathing heavily). That part I got from my dad.

CUT TO: INT. BOXING RING


Jack and another man are fighting in a boxing ring. The other man is mostly punching, and Jack is mostly blocking his punches.

MAN: Jack, put your hands up. Get in there, come on. Watch your speed. Footwork! Footwork, come on. Watch, (Jack gets pushed over), Watch out! Oh!

A man makes the bell ring. Matt sits at a table nearby, reading something in braille. The bell causes him visible discomfort. Jack stands up.

BOXER: Way to take a punch, Jack.

The other boxer walks away. He then comes back and gestures towards someone, speaking Spanish. Jack exits the ring and walks to Matt, still reading something in Braille.

MAN: Hey, Jack, shake it off. You're looking good.

MAN: Hey, Jack, what's up?

Jack comes to sit down at the table where Matt is sitting.

MATT: How'd you do?

JACK: Uh I tagged him a couple times. That kid is fast. So, how you, how you getting along, uh, with your new books?

MATT: I'm working on it. Each grid is six possible dots, so each letter is a combination of those dots. You have to feel for what's not there as much as what is.

JACK: (Flips through a book). That doesn't make any damn sense at all.

MATT: Well, you know where a punch is going before it's thrown sometimes, right?

JACK: Oh, clearly I don't. (They both chuckle). So, uh, you can make sense out of all of this?

MATT: I'm starting to.

JACK: Hmm.

MATT: Here. (Gestures to something on the page. Jack feels along). Dot in the right corner, that's a "C." Upper left, "A." "T" is hard.I get it confused with "Q."

JACK: Well, why don't they just make it feel like a "T"?

MATT: Well, they say this is faster once you get the hang of it. "W" is really tricky. Braille was created in French, and they don't have "W."

ROSCOE: Oi, Battlin' Jack!

JACK: (Sighs, and gestures for Roscoe and Silke to go somewhere else in the room). Hey, you wait. Couple months, you're gonna be reading Braille faster than I read normal.

MATT: I already read Braille faster.

JACK: (Chuckles). Yeah, yeah, I get it. You smartass. (Kisses Matt’s head). I'll be right back.

Jack walks away from the table, towards Roscoe and Silke. Roscoe laughs.

ROSCOE: What's the word, Jackie-boy?

JACK: Roscoe. Silke.

SILKE: Hello, Jack.

ROSCOE: I heard about the wee one. (Watches Matt read braille). That's a tough break.

SILKE: You have our condolences.

ROSCOE: And you're young yet. Plenty of time to have more kids.

JACK: (Looks at Roscoe angrily, then crosses his arms and looks down). What can I do for you boys?

SILKE: We come bearing glad tidings. A match with Creel.

JACK: Creel? How'd you pull that off?

SILKE: Mr. Sweeney can be quite persuasive when he puts his mind to it.

ROSCOE: It's me Irish charm.

JACK: Jesus! Creel? (Chuckles). I owe you, I owe you guys.

SILKE: Ah. You're doing us the favor. It's 3-to-1 that you go the distance. You drop in the fifth, we're clearing 70%.

JACK: Right.

ROSCOE: Come on, Jackie! It's time to celebrate.

SILKE: It's the big time, Jack.

JACK: Thanks for the offer. I'm gonna take a pass.

ROSCOE: (Laughs) Did he just say "pass"?

JACK: I appreciate everything you've done for me. Really, I do. But I got other things to worry about now.

ROSCOE: He don't want to do it, he don't do it. Man makes his choice and we make ours.

JACK: You wanna step into the ring, see how that plays out?

SILKE: You gotta think of your family, Jack. This could do a lot of good for your boy.

ROSCOE: Yeah. What else are you gonna leave him when you're gone?

Matt can be seen listening from the table across the room. Jack looks over at him for a moment.

JACK: All right.

SILKE: We need to hear you say it.

JACK: I go down in the fifth.

ROSCOE: (Matt listening in). There you go. That wasn't so hard.

CUT TO: INT. CLAIRE’S APARTMENT

Matt ruffles through a drawer in Claire’s kitchen and pulls out a knife.

MATT: This all you got?

CLAIRE: (Matt pulls his mask over his head). Yeah, it's for vegetables, not a knife fight.

JACK: He's at your neighbor's door. (Walks to Claire’s front door).

CLAIRE: You kidding me? Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. (Grabs Matt). You can barely stand up.

MATT: That's what the knife's for.

CLAIRE: Wait! Don't do this. Not in my home. Okay, nobody has to get hurt. Just stand over there on the side and be quiet and I'll get rid of him.

Someone knocks on the door. Matt tries to walk forward, but Claire blocks him.

CLAIRE: (Whispers) Please. (Knocking continues). Who is it?

FOSTER: NYPD, ma'am. Please open the door.

MATT: (Whispers). Okay.

CLAIRE: (Whispers) Go.

Matt walks away to hide. Claire takes her gloves off.

CLAIRE: I'll be right there.

Claire tosses some things behind her couch.

CLAIRE: (Pushing Matt). Move over.

Claire walks to her door and opens the keyhole. Foster holds his badge up to it. Claire closes the keyhole, sighs, and opens the door.

FOSTER: Sorry to bother you so late, ma'am. My name is Detective Foster, with the 65th Precinct. We had a bit of a disturbance a few blocks from here. We're asking everyone if they've seen or heard anything unusual in the past few hours.

CLAIRE: What kind of disturbance?

FOSTER: Armed robbery. Some dickhead in a black mask shot up a bodega on 38th. Owner put up a fight. Perp fled on foot, leaving a trail of blood in this direction.

CLAIRE: Oh, my God.

FOSTER: Probably long gone by now, but just in case, you know. You see anything, hear anything tonight?

CLAIRE: (Shakes her head). No, sorry.

FOSTER: Just being thorough. You have a good night, ma'am.

CLAIRE: Thanks. You, too.

Foster walks away. Claire watches him and then closes the door.

CLAIRE: See? No reason to get all stabby. Boy, were you right about that cologne. What, does he dip himself in that crap?

MATT: He didn't believe you.

Matt walks out of the apartment, grunting. Claire follows him.

CLAIRE: Mike!

Matt grabs a fire extinguisher off of the wall, and holds it over the railings on the stairs. Foster walks down the stairs, calls someone, and begins speaking to them in Russian.

CLAIRE: What are you doing?

Matt listens closely to Foster’s movements. After a few moments, he drops the fire extinguisher, and then falls against the wall. Claire looks down to see Foster lying on the floor unconscious, with a splatter of blood around his head.

CLAIRE: What do we do now?

MATT: (Pulling her back). There's someone else one floor up watching us.

CLAIRE: Oh, no.

MATT: He's young. He's scared.

CLAIRE: Santino? (Santino runs back into his room). He's the one who found you in the alley.

MATT: He's seen my face, too?

CLAIRE: Yeah.

MATT: Claire, go upstairs and get him. We're gonna need help carrying Detective Foster to the roof. (Grunts as he walks forward).

CLAIRE: What the hell are we going to the roof for?

MATT: (Walking down the stairs). Less chance of someone in the building hearing him scream.

CUT TO: INT. A BAR

Foggy and Karen walk into a bar. In the bar, Foggy leaves a message for Matt.

FOGGY: Matt, it's me again. Where are you? I'm introducing Karen to Josie's, and I have high hopes it's gonna go terribly. Climb off whoever you're on and get down here.

KAREN: You saved the best for last, huh?

FOGGY: Oh, yeah, this place is a shithole, (They sit at the bar), but it's our shithole. The city's tried to shut it down half a dozen times, but I helped Josie with the liens, and as a result, we get to drink for free.

JOSIE: You absolutely do not get to drink for free. (Passes a drink and two glasses down).

FOGGY: Let's agree to disagree.

KAREN: (As Foggy pours her a drink). Thank you.

FOGGY: Cheers. (They clink their glasses together and drink).

KAREN: Oh… (Coughs)

JOSIE: You could do so much better, love.

FOGGY: Thank you, Josie, but this is my employee for your information, (Pours himself and Karen more drinks), and we are not on a date. Are we on a date?

KAREN: Definitely not.

FOGGY: Okay, good because I was starting to worry you might be in love with me. (Karen looks at him incredulously). What other explanation could there be? You hang around my office all day.

KAREN: Well, I'm your secretary, Foggy.

FOGGY: You refuse to leave. You're always at your desk.

KAREN: I'm a good secretary!

FOGGY: No. You gaze at me lovingly when you think I'm not looking. (Karen almost does a spit take, and then laughs). What? You might. How would I know? I'm not looking. Just let me live in it.

KAREN: Oh. (Inspecting their bottle). Is there something in there?

FOGGY: I... think that's an eel.
KAREN: Really?

FOGGY: Let's get to the bottom and find out.

Karen drinks hesitantly. After a long sip, she sighs.

FOGGY: So you wanna talk about it?

KAREN: Let's leave it alone.

FOGGY: Yeah, no problem. Okay, technically, "leave it alone" is not my strong suit, but -

KAREN: I can't, um... I can't get Danny's blood out of the carpet. It's like somebody spilled a wine bottle and it just won't come... And a man broke into my apartment and tried to kill me. He dented the wall where he bashed my head into it. If that guy in the mask hadn't have been there… (Sighs)

FOGGY: My cousin does drywall. I'll call him first thing in the morning.

KAREN: It's not the apartment, Foggy.

FOGGY: I know.

KAREN: I don't see the city anymore. All that I see are its, (looks around the bar), dark corners. I look around this room and all that I see are threats.

FOGGY: This room? (Scoffs). These guys are harmless. Look, (Points to a heavily tattooed man playing pool), that's Tom Belkin. He's the Road Captain in the Kitchen Hellions. He organizes the food drive every Thanksgiving. (Points to another man, drinking). That's Rob Donohue. His wife Mira? She works at the dry cleaner around the corner from our office. (Points to a third man, also drinking). That's Clint Peterson. He... Okay, he is a criminal. (Karen laughs). He's done time for larceny and distribution. But he's turning it around, and we are this close to getting his kids into Saint Agnes Daycare. Saint Agnes!

KAREN: (Karen sighs) Okay.

FOGGY: You don't want to go home, you don't want to go home. We can stay out all night.

Karen puts her glass down, and Foggy fills it up again. Karen sighs and they both drink. She grunts a little.

CUT TO: EXT. ROOFTOP

Matt and Claire are on the roof. Matt is tying Foster to a ladder by his hands with some cable, grunting.

MATT: You find anything?

CLAIRE: (Holding Foster’s phone). You smashed the hell out of it with that extinguisher. He had a badge. What if you're wrong?

MATT: I'm not.

CLAIRE: This is way past what I signed up for.

MATT: What exactly do you think that was?

CLAIRE: I found a man who needed help, so I helped him.

MATT: Oh, yeah? That simple?

CLAIRE: Do you really want to get into this in front of him?

MATT: He's out.

CLAIRE: Maybe he's faking.

MATT: (After a moment). He's not.

CLAIRE: Okay, that right there, that's what I'm talking about. (Matt begins taking off his gloves). Okay, I find a guy in a dumpster who turns out to be some kind of blind vigilante who can do all of this really weird shit, like smell cologne through walls, and sense whether someone's unconscious or faking it. Slap on top of that, he can take an unbelievable amount of punishment without one damn complaint.

MATT: The last part's the Catholicism.

CLAIRE: So, what? I'm supposed to take it on faith I'm on the right side of this?

MATT: You don't carry a masked man bleeding to death into your apartment on faith. You knew which side you were on the moment you found me. Why'd you help me, Claire?

CLAIRE: I'm a nurse. Work the ER at Metro-General. A few weeks ago, cops bring in three men. Said they were robbing tourists, beating them up pretty bad. Apparently, a man in a black mask took issue with their activities and decided to step in. I counted nine broken bones between them. A few days after that, EMTs bring in a 19-year-old waitress, said some guy she knew waited for her after work in the parking lot, attacked her tried to drag her in the alley. She said she screamed and screamed, and a man in a black mask heard her and he saved her life. So, yeah, word's getting around. And I want to believe in what you're doing. I really do. But this? (Claire gestures towards Foster and scoffs).

MATT: I know you're afraid. (Grunts, and walks towards her). You can't give in to the fear. If you do, men like this win.

CUT TO: INT. MATT’S CHILDHOOD HOME

Young Matt is reading something in braille, out loud, at the kitchen table.

MATT: “There is a price to be paid for division and isolation. Democracy cannot flourish amid hate. (Jack walks in with some dishes). Justice cannot take root amid rage. We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear.

JACK: Either you're actually reading all that, or you're making it up as you go along. I don't know which is more impressive.

MATT: It's Thurgood Marshall.

JACK: Hmm. (Places a glass of water on the table). Starting centerfielder for the Mets, right?

MATT: You know who Thurgood Marshall is.

JACK: (Grunts, picking up a package). School wasn't my strong suit.

Jack places the package on the table and unties the string around it. He opens it up and looks inside. He whistles.

MATT: How's it look?

JACK: It's, (Taking out pieces of a costume), it's red. It's really red.

MATT: Can I?

JACK: (Handing him the costume). Yeah.

Matt feels the letters on the back of the costume, which spell out “Battlin’ Jack Murdock.” Jack watches him.

MATT: Good thing about red.

JACK: Huh?

MATT: They can't tell how much you're bleeding.

JACK: Hey, (Picks up his glass), who says I'm even gonna get hit? (Sips).

MATT: We're Murdocks. We get hit a lot.

JACK: Yeah I guess we do.

MATT: But we get up. Right, Dad? We always get up.

CUT TO: INT. BOXING CENTER

Two men box in the ring in the background as Jack puts some money into a payphone, and calls Ed.

JACK: Hey, it's Jack.

ED: Hey, Jack.

JACK: Too late to change it?

ED: You can change it.

JACK: Good. All on me. Win by knockout.
ED: You sure?

JACK: Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure. Listen, you gotta do this quick. Cash out the second Creel hits the mat. Don't wait. Okay, get a pen.

ED: All right. Got it.

JACK: You're gonna take the money down to Lloyd Wagner at M and R Credit Union. You're gonna deposit it into account number 004-82-56-882.

ED: Account's in your name?

JACK: No, no, not under my name. It's under Matthew Murdock.

ED: Matthew. Got it.

JACK: Yeah, thanks. Thanks, Ed. You're gonna want to lay low for a couple days after.

ED: Can I do anything for you?

JACK: Nah, don't worry about me. I got it covered.

Jack hangs up the phone. After a moment, he picks it up again and puts in more money, dialing someone else. The line rings, but goes to the answering machine.

WOMAN: Hi, not here. Leave a message. (Machine beeps).

JACK: Hey, it's, uh it's me. I'm about to go do something Well I'm about to go be me. You know better than anybody that doesn't always go so well. I don't know how this is gonna go, but if I were a betting man, Matty's gonna need you. More than ever. Look after him, okay? And I know what I'm asking here, but he's a good kid. He sure as hell didn't get that from me. So It's better this way. Just once I want Matty to hear people cheer for his old man. Just once. (Hangs up).

CUT TO: INT. OUTSIDE MATT’S APARTMENT

Foggy and Karen stand outside of Matt’s apartment. Foggy knocks on the door.

FOGGY: Matt! Matt, come on! Get up! I drank the eel.

KAREN: (Laughing) Oh, no.

FOGGY: Not a euphemism. (Both laughing). Matt, I know you're in there, get up!

KAREN: Shh.

FOGGY: (Moves away from the door). Here, you talk to him.

KAREN: Okay.

FOGGY: (Whispering) Pretend I'm not here.

KAREN: Okay, Matt! Matt, it's Karen, (Foggy snickers), and I am very, very sorry about this, and if I were you, I would not come to this door. (Chuckling) But I think I also drank the eel.

FOGGY: And we are now filled with mighty eel strength!

KAREN: Matt!

FOGGY: It's true, Matt, come on!

KAREN: Come on!

FOGGY: Come on! We're staying out till the sunrise! (Karen giggles). We're gonna go to the fish market!

A door on the other side of the hall opens. Fran, an older woman, peeks out.

KAREN: Oh, no. Oh, Foggy.

FOGGY: (Turns around). Oh, hi, Fran.

KAREN: Oh…

FOGGY: Sorry.

KAREN: We're really sorry.

FOGGY: Sorry.

KAREN: We're sorry. We'll be quiet.

FOGGY: You wanna go to the fish market?

KAREN: (Chuckles) No, she -

FOGGY: I'm gonna buy a bluefin. (Fran shuts her door). (Yells) I'm buying a bluefin, Murdock! (Hits Matt’s door).

EXT. ON A SIDEWALK

Foggy and Karen are walking outside.

FOGGY: Okay, we've got, what? (Looks at watch). Two hours to kill. (Karen giggles). Let's brush you up on some Japanese auctioneering terms.

KAREN: Okay, you don't have to do this, Foggy.

FOGGY: Do what? You haven't lived until you've argued with a 90-year-old Okinawa survivor about sturgeon meat.

KAREN: (Chuckling). Thank you. I needed this. I really needed this. But it's late, and we should go home.

FOGGY: Are you kidding me?

KAREN: Yes.

FOGGY: After what you told me, I'm never going home again. (Karen laughs). Men are waiting in the dark corners of this world to prey on us.

KAREN: Oh, God.

FOGGY: The valiant, the kindhearted. We must band together. We must never sleep. We must remain vigilant. Here in the lights of Hell's Kitchen.

Karen grabs Foggy’s arm and puts her head on his shoulder. Foggy looks down and smiles.

KAREN: Never sleep!

FOGGY: This city will protect us! (Karen giggles). This city's beautiful.

KAREN: Yeah.

The camera pans up to a water tower. On the rooftop of the water tower, Foster wakes up, inhaling. He looks up and momentarily tries to get out of the cable, before looking down at Matt and Claire. Matt is wearing his costume, and Claire is wearing a hoodie with her face covered. Matt walks forward.

MATT: Here's how this is gonna work. I'm gonna ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them. If you're lying to me, trust that I will know, and I will be unhappy. Where's the boy?

FOSTER: He's dead.

Matt punches Foster. Foster grunts and coughs. He begins breathing heavily.

MATT: This is what unhappy looks like. Where's the boy?

FOSTER: What do you care? If he's not dead yet, he will be.

MATT: Why did you take him?

FOSTER: Figured you'd come running.

MATT: And after I was dead?

FOSTER: Sell the kid, like all the others.

Matt punches Foster again. Both of them grunt, Foster coughs.

FOSTER: I was telling the truth on that one.

MATT: I know.

FOSTER: We got you good, didn't we?

MATT: Who do you sell the children to?

FOSTER: I don't know. Whoever has the money.

MATT: Where's the boy?

FOSTER: So you find him. So what? We'll take another. Kill me, somebody takes my place. Long as people are buying, we'll be selling. Nothing you do tonight will change that. But go ahead. Keep hitting me. Let's see who drops first.

Matt holds Foster’s head up by the hair. Claire walks forward.

CLAIRE: Try stabbing him in his trigeminal nerve.

MATT: Where is it?

CLAIRE: (Points it out on Matt, who finds it on Foster). Go in through here, right above the eye. That's the supraorbital foramen. You want to go in right under there.

Matt holds the knife up to Foster’s face, preparing to make the cut. Foster struggles.

MATT: Hold still. I might do some serious damage if you squirm. (Foster pants and continues). How will I know when I find it? He'll tell you.


Matt goes in for the nerve. There is a squishing sound as the knife goes in. Foster begins screaming loudly. Matt leaves the knife in for a few seconds. Claire looks on. After Matt pulls the knife out, Foster pants. Blood flows down the side of his face.

MATT: You're right, what you said before. I kill you, somebody takes your place, but they'll end up back here just like you, and sooner or later, one of you is gonna tell me what I need to know.

Matt jumps up and cuts the cable holding Foster. He then throws Foster over his shoulder and carries him to the side of the building. Matt grunts as he does so. Claire follows. Matt holds Foster over the edge.

MATT: This is important. (Foster groans). Shh! Listen, I need you to know why I'm hurting you.
It's not just the boy. I'm doing this 'cause I enjoy it. (Puts Foster even further over the edge).

FOSTER: No, no, no! No, no, no!

MATT: Where is he? (Foster says nothing. Matt yells). Where is he?

FOSTER: (Sobbing) No! Underneath Troika restaurant. Eleventh and 44th.

Matt grunts, and pulls Foster back over the edge. Foster chuckles.

FOSTER: They'll be waiting for you. If you're lucky, they'll kill you before they start in on the boy. It would be a shame for you to have to watch what they do to him -

Matt suddenly pushes Foster over the side of the building. He yells out. Claire shrieks and runs to the edge, looking down. A loud thudding noise is heard. Claire pulls off her hoodie and face cover.

CLAIRE: Oh, my God!

MATT: It's all right. He landed in the dumpster you pulled me out of.

CLAIRE: Is he dead?

MATT: (Pauses, breathing heavily). He’ll live. You need to get your things and leave. Don't tell anyone where you're going.

CLAIRE: (Turns around) What?

MATT: (Grunts and picks up the cable). He wakes up, he'll be back, and he won't be alone next time.

CLAIRE: But he didn't see my face. (Holding her face cover).

MATT: That was just for effect, to scare him. He knew you were lying when you answered your door. (Groaning in pain).

CLAIRE: Mike?

MATT: (Breathing heavily) Do you have somewhere you can go?

CLAIRE: I'm cat-sitting for a woman I work with. Her brother's sick. She's in Oklahoma.

MATT: What's the address?

CLAIRE: Why?

MATT: I'm thinking if I make it through the night, I may need some help getting patched up.

CLAIRE: (After a moment). Tenth and 54th. Apartment 412, um, in the building above the liquor store.

MATT: (Puts his hand on Claire’s shoulder). Hey. Thank you, Claire. (Walks away).

CLAIRE: I don't believe you. (Matt stops). What you said. I don't believe you enjoy this.

Matt continues walking away.

CUT TO: INT. ARENA

Jack walks through a hallway, wearing his boxing getup. A crowd cheers in the background.

ANNOUNCER: In the red corner, weighing in at 164 pounds from Hell's Kitchen, New York, (Jack hits his gloves together), please welcome "Battlin' Jack” Murdock!

A man opens the doors in front of Jack. As he walks into the arena, there is a bright white light.

INT. MATT’S CHILDHOOD HOME

Young Matt sits and listens to the match.

COMMENTATOR: Murdock lands another and another!

MATT: Get him, Dad! Get him!

COMMENTATOR: Creel is rocked! Murdock won't let him out of the corner! The younger Creel seems stunned by the ferocious display by the more seasoned Murdock! Creel goes down! (Crowd cheering).

MATT: (Stands up). Yes! Yes!

COMMENTATOR: (Bell rings). He's not getting up! It's over! "Battlin' Jack" Murdock has defeated Crusher Creel!

MATT: Yeah, Dad! Yeah!

INT. LOCKER ROOM

Jack makes a swift exit from the ring. He begins putting things in a locker, and keeps looking around. The crowd begins chanting his name, and he looks back into the arena.

INT. MATT’S CHILDHOOD HOME

A gunshot wakes up Matt. He lifts his head from the kitchen table.

EXT. SIDEWALK

Using his cane to feel his way around the sidewalk, Matt comes to an alleyway. Some policemen are keeping other bystanders from going into the alley. Matt attempts to enter, but an officer keeps him back.

OFFICER RAY: Oh, oh, hang on there, son. What's the hurry?

MATT: I think that's my dad.

OFFICER: Jesus, Ray, the kid's blind.

OFFICER RAY: (Matt runs into the alley). Hey, wait!

Matt stops when he notices Jack’s body in front of him. Ray walks into the alley.

MATT: Dad?

Matt feels the body and confirms that it’s Jack. Jack’s face is covered in blood. Matt begins crying.

MATT: Daddy! Daddy!

The camera zooms out, showing the whole alleyway. The two officers and some bystanders look on.

MATT: Daddy! Daddy!

CUT TO: HALLWAY

At the end of a dimly lit hallway is a door. A man exits from a door on the side, holding a tray with some food. The camera follows him as he walks to the door at the end of the hallway. The camera stays on the door as the man opens it and enters the room. A boy can be heard in the room.

BOY: I want to go home. I want my daddy.

MAN 1: (Speaking Russian).

The man comes back out of the room, without the tray but eating the apple. He closes the door behind him. He walks back down the hallway, this time opening a different door on the side. Inside the room, some men sit at a table, drinking and playing poker.

MAN 2: (Speaking Russian).

The second man puts his cards down and gets up. He exits and closes the door as the first man takes his seat at the poker table. He enters the original room, where a man sits watching TV. The siting man raises his glass the man entering, who closes the door behind him. The camera turns to the end of the hall that we haven’t seen yet. After a few moments, Matt slowly enters in costume. He walks into the hallway, standing outside of the door with the TV for a moment. He suddenly pushes the door open, screaming and running in, and the room is revealed to contain many men. Matt fights them all off. The man who was sitting fires his gun, but misses. The door closes. Lots of noises can be heard, including glass shattering. The camera pulls back. A man is thrown through the doorway, knocking it off of its hinges. The original man exits the poker room to investigate, but is knocked out by a large object thrown from the room. A man with a shotgun exits the poker room. Another man is thrown out of the TV room, followed by Matt. He hits the man with his own shotgun. Two other men come out of the poker room. One has a gun, but misses Matt. Matt continues fighting, avoiding another bullet. Some of the men get up again, and the fight continues. Matt eventually manages to incapacitate all of the men. Tired and panting, Matt enters the room at the end of the hallway.

MATT: Hi. I know you're scared. But I'm here to help you. Okay? You don't have to be scared anymore.

BOY: Okay. Okay.

MATT: Let's get you home to your dad.

Matt, panting, carries the boy through the hallway.