Peter Parker is framed for treason by the Kingpin and his son Richard, with some help of the Chameleon by impersonating Spider-Man. Fortunately for him, he gets some help from his lawyer Matt Murdock, who is secretly a costumed hero known as the Daredevil
This episode provides examples of:
- Adaptational Villainy: In the comics, Richard was initially unaware of his father's criminal activities, and upon learning the truth, tried to bring down his entire empire. Here, Richard is well aware of what his father is, and gladly goes along with it.
- Big Damn Heroes: Just as Peter was about to suffocate in a cell with no ventilation system, Daredevil arrives at the warehouse just in time to save Peter.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: When Peter first meets Richard Fisk, the latter appears to be kind, polite and friendly. This is all merely a charade to cover up the fact that he is evil, cunning and deceitful, much like his father.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: As Richard Fisk thought that Peter would be out of his hair very quickly, he reveals to Peter that he was the one who framed him. After Peter is saved by Daredevil, he, as Spider-Man, starts to look for the evidence he needs to clear his name.
- The Cavalry: Peter Parker is trapped and suffocating in a superstrong airtight chamber strong enough to contain Spider-Man; fortunately Daredevil comes to rescue him.
- Continuity Nod: Peter remembers how he, not Spider-Man, saved Wilson Fisk from being assassinated by the Hobgoblin in the latter's first appearance.
- Create Your Own Hero: The Kingpin had managed to create another of his enemies in the form of Daredevil, by illegally transporting the radioactive waste that gave him his powers, and killing Matt Murdock's father, when the latter attempted to implicate him.
- Dramatic Irony:
- As Daredevil does not know that Peter and Spider-Man are the same person, he falsely believes that Spider-Man helped Richard Fisk kidnap Peter, when it was really the Chameleon, and fights him just as Peter was trying to get the evidence to clear his name.
- Leaving Peter to die, Richard Fisk muses that not even Spider-Man could break free of the chamber. Peter learns firsthand that Richard is absolutely right. The Kingpin's forces almost killed Spider-Man without even realizing it.
- Fiery Cover Up: The Kingpin's mooks rig up a bomb to take out the facility before any evidence can be found. It goes off at the very end of the episode.
- Flashback: Murdock tells Peter about his father's work with a certain mobster, the accident that blinded him, and how his father was killed trying to make things right. Later to himself, Murdock reflects on how the accident enhanced his other senses, how a mentor trained him, and when he became a superhero.
- Foreshadowing:
- Richard mentions how ironic it is that Peter would be branded a traitor after what the Chameleon told him and his father about Peter's parents, something that would be brought up again in season 5.
- Murdock tells Peter an anonymous individual is paying his legal bills.
- Frame-Up: Both Peter and Spider-Man, are framed by the Kingpin for treason, so he cover his own his own tracks.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Peter is framed as a spy. Daredevil later accuses Spider-Man of planting evidence to further incriminate Peter.
- Heroic Vow: Daredevil while reflecting on the training he went through.Daredevil: And I'm close, so close to confronting my greatest enemy. He'll pay for what he's done to the innocent, to the helpless, to my father.
- How We Got Here: After Peter is kidnapped by the Chameleon, a flashback shows how he was framed in the first place after being offered a job by Richard and his father.
- Irony: Recounting his history, Matt talks about the shame of seeing his father shakedown a store owner for cash and running into the street in tears.Matt: It was the last thing I ever saw.
- Let's You and Him Fight: Daredevil thinks Spider-Man is the bad guy, so they spend the last scene fighting it out before the bomb goes off.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: If Richard Fisk hadn't revealed to Peter that he was the one framed him in the first place, Peter would have never known where to start looking for the evidence to prove his innocence.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Matt gives Peter shelter, saying he knows about having to overcome tough odds.
- Oh, Crap!: Matt's horrified reaction to his father shaking down a store owner for money.
- One-Man Army: Daredevil fights his way through a large team of masked mooks to get to the chamber. Peter is stunned to see the results.
- Self-Restraint: As Peter is being handcuffed in the courtroom, he thinks to himself he could easily escape with his spider powers, but doing so would reveal himself as Spider-Man, which would be too much for Aunt May to take.
- Shout-Out: As Peter is being taken away, he thinks how he feels like he’s in a Franz Kafka novel.
- To Be Continued: Spider-Man and Daredevil fail to disarm the bomb, meaning a big explosion and lots of rubble about to come down on their heads.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Even though Peter Parker saved his life when the Hobgoblin tried to assassinate him, the Kingpin not only has Peter framed as a traitor to America, but also tries to have him killed when he believes Peter is no longer useful to him.
- Unknown Rival: As the Kingpin has many enemies and sees Spider-Man as the main threat to his criminal empire, he has no idea who Daredevil is.
- Who Are You?: Upon the chamber being opened.Peter: Who are you?
Daredevil: I'm called the Daredevil! - You Have Failed Me: While rigging up the bomb, one mook expresses concern about their fellows not being able to escape in time. The other mook alludes to how Kingpin would react to them failing to do their job.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After engineering Peter’s escape from custody to ensure he’s guilty, Richard decides to have Peter killed by having suffocate in a cell with no air vent, as Peter is no longer useful to him. Luckily for Peter, Daredevil rescues him.
