History Recap / Daredevil2015S1E3RabbitInASnowstorm

When Vanessa asks how the painting makes him feel, Wilson Fisk answers that it makes him feel alone.

-->'''Shirley Benson:''' Uh... What's that?\\

* GilliganCut: Healy disables Prohaska's bodyguards, then pulls a pistol and prepares to shoot Prohaska in the head. As his finger closes on the trigger, the scenes suddenly cuts back to 36 hours earlier, when Healy is buying the gun from Turk Barrett.

* RevolversAreJustBetter: Healy's attitude towards handguns, because handguns jam. Sure enough, the semiautomatic pistol Turk gave him fails to fire, forcing him to improvise with the bowling ball.

* WorstNewsJudgmentEver: Ben and Ellison know the subway line story is bad even by meaningless fluff piece standards, but it's not a potential risk and it sells papers. At the end of the episode, when Karen visits Ben at his office, [[BrickJoke the copy on his desk]] shows that the subway story has been buried in the back pages, right above a "[[CatUpATree rescued cat]]" article.

John Healy walks into a bowling alley late at night, approaches the on-duty attendant, and asks for some shoes. She tells him that the alley is closed; only Prohashka, a gangster who worked out a special arrangement with the owner, is allowed to stay after hours. Healy approaches Prohashka about joining his game, but it turns out this is all pretense as he's actually a hitman here to kill Prohashka. He promptly knocks out both of Prohashka's bodyguards, then draws a gun he just [[Recap/Daredevil2015S1E1IntoTheRing purchased from Turk Barrett]] 36 hours prior. He pulls the trigger...and the gun promptly jams (in spite of [[HonestJohnsDealership Turk's]] [[GilliganCut promise that it wouldn't]]). After a bout of fisticuffs, Healy breaks Prohashka's arms, then finishes him off by crushing his head with a bowling ball. As Healy catches his breath, he looks up and sees the lone employee on the phone calling 911 to summon help. Hearing the sound of approaching sirens, Healy hides the useless gun in a pinball machine, then surrenders to the police without a fight when they enter the alley and demands a lawyer.

The prospective client in question is James Wesley. Wesley refuses to give his name or talk about Confederated Global, the multinational corporation he claims he works for, but he seems to know a lot about Matt, Foggy, and Karen's histories. Wesley says he wants to put the firm on a generous retainer in exchange for their services and discretion, but first they must take on a case: defending Healy. Foggy is eager to accept Wesley's money, but Matt is suspicious when Wesley recognizes Karen from his attempt to have her framed for murder. Matt follows Wesley out of the office, tailing him for a few blocks until he gets into the middle vehicle in a convoy of three Cadillac Escalades. He sits down across from another figure in the car and assures him that "It's been taken care of." Matt stands for a moment as the Cadillacs drive away, then turns around to head for the precinct, while feeling one of his wounds reopening up from stress, leaving a small bloodstain on his shirt.

Foggy goes to the precinct and meets Healy, who claims self-defense and is clearly willing to lie through his teeth about the circumstances of the attack. Just as Foggy is ready to drop the case, Matt arrives and agrees to represent Healy, believing it's the best way to learn more about Wesley and his employer. However, Healy deflects all questions about Wesley or why Confederated Global is paying his legal bills, and insists on going to trial rather than taking a plea.

Ben visits Metro-General Hospital to visit his wife. Although his insurance doesn't cover Doris's continued treatment, he manages to petition the hospital's administrator Shirley Benson into buying him another week of care so he can have extra time to file appeals. Later, he visits Doris's private room, though she's not awake.

At Nelson & Murdock, Foggy gripes about their poor office equipment as the team puts together Healy's defense. Karen digs up information on Confederated Global, but is only able to find a string of shell companies. When Matt reminds her to not take any long lunch breaks, she doesn't mention the Union Allied payoff. Some time later, Healy's case goes to trial, but while Foggy is giving the opening statement, Matt observes that one of the jurors becomes agitated when Wesley enters the courtroom.

->'''Matt:''' Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, forgive me if I seem distracted. I've been preoccupied of late with, uh, questions of morality. Of right and wrong, good and evil. [[BlackAndWhiteMorality Sometimes the delineation between the two is a sharp line]]. [[GreyAndGreyMorality Sometimes it's a blur]]. And often it's like pornography: you just know when you see it. [''...''] A man is dead. And my client, John Healy took his life. This is not in dispute. It is a matter of record. Of fact. And facts have no moral judgment. They merely state what is. Not what we think of them, not what we feel; they just are. What was in my client's heart when he took Mr. Prohaszka's life, whether he is a good man or something else entirely, is irrelevant. These questions of good and evil, as important as they are, have no place in a court of law. Only the facts matter. My client claims he acted in self-defense. Mr. Prohaszka's associates have refused to make a statement regarding the incident. The only other witness, a frightened young woman, has stated that my client was pleasant and friendly, and that she only saw the struggle with Mr. Prohaszka after it had started. Those are the facts. Based on these and these alone, the prosecution has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that my client was not acting solely in self-defense. And those, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, are the facts. My client, based purely on the sanctity of the law which we've all sworn an oath to uphold must be acquitted of these charges. Now, beyond that, beyond these walls, [[ConvictedByPublicOpinion he may well face a judgment of his own making]]. But here in this courtroom, the judgment is yours and yours alone.

Owlsley is somewhat desperate to meet with Wesley's employer, believing the Healy situation is spinning out of control and he should simply be killed, but Wesley says they can't afford to leave any more bodies in light of everyone they killed to silence the Union Allied matter, so using a couple of lawyers who've just opened a practice is the most effective way of clearing things up.

In court, the jury returns from deliberation, but Matt realizes from reading the jurors' heartbeats that the jury is hung, and though multiple hung juries would normally result in a retrial, Matt is confident that Wesley and his people will make sure the case goes away. Sure enough, Healy goes free a few nights later, but Matt confronts him in his vigilante outfit, beats him into submission and tortures him until Healy gives up the name of Wesley's employer: Wilson Fisk. But then the professional killer starts shaking in fear, as he tells Matt that Fisk kills anyone who says his name, as well as [[AndYourLittleDogToo everyone they care about]], just to make an example of them. Despairingly, Healy calls Matt a coward, and tells him he should just have killed him instead of making him talk, and then, without hesitating, he commits suicide by impaling his head on a spike, much to Matt's shock.

* AnalogyBackfire: When Leland is bemoaning how they can't use Juror #8 any more, Wesley assured him she's "only a piece of the puzzle". Leland irritably points out that you can't complete a puzzle with a missing piece.

'''James Wesley:''' Rance, Fisher, [=McClintock=], Farnum. We've been leaving a trail of bodies lately, and trails eventually lead somewhere. This? This needed to be handled quietly, within the confines of the law.\\

'''Mitchell Ellison:''' Everybody we know is making twice what we are, writing from blogs, working from home in their underwear. We're hanging on by our fingertips, Ben. Do you really want to be greasing that ledge?

->'''Vanessa:''' There's an old children's joke. You hold up a white piece of paper and you ask, what's this? [[TitleDrop A rabbit in a snowstorm]].

'''James Wesley:''' Rance, Fisher, [=McClintock=], Farnum. We've been leaving a trail of bodies lately, and trails eventually lead somewhere. This? This needs to be handled quietly, within the confines of the law.\\
'''Leland Owlsley:''' So you hire a couple of back-door shysters? I know 100 defense attorneys with more experience than WesternAnimation/HeckleAndJeckle.

* ProductPlacement: The camera does a nice closeup of Wesley's Cartier Automatic wristwatch to show that Matt is using the ticking of said watch to follow Wesley back to Fisk's convoy.

* SayingTooMuch: Wesley lets slip while soliciting Matt and Foggy that he knows who Karen is and the legal predicament that she was in thanks to him, despite her ultimately never being charged and it never being reported in the papers. Despite trying to provide a plausible explanation ("I have friends on the force. [[NotSoDifferentRemark I hear I'm not the only one]]"), Matt doesn't buy it.

* VillainsOutShopping: Fisk is introduced pondering a painting for sale in an art gallery.

John Healy walks into a bowling alley late at night, approaches the on-duty attendant, and asks for some shoes. She tells him that the alley is closed; only Prohashka, a gangster who worked out a special arrangement with the owner, is allowed to stay after hours. Healy approaches Prohashka about joining his game, but it turns out this is all pretense as he's actually a hitman here to kill Prohashka. He promptly disables Prohashka's two bodyguards, then draws a gun he just [[Recap/Daredevil2015S1E1IntoTheRing purchased from Turk Barrett]] just 36 hours earlier. He pulls the trigger...and the gun promptly jams (in spite of [[HonestJohnsDealership Turk's]] [[GilliganCut promise that it wouldn't]]). After a bout of fisticuffs, Healy breaks Prohashka's arms, then finishes him off by crushing his head with a bowling ball. As Healy catches his breath, he looks up and sees the lone employee has called 911 to summon the police. Healy hides the useless gun in a pinball machine, then surrenders to the police when they arrive and demands a lawyer.

At Nelson & Murdock, Karen is already in and looking at a summons from Union Allied's lawyers that she's received in the mail. She quickly stashes the summons in her purse as Foggy arrives, followed shortly after by Matt. The three banter about Karen's salary and a visible bruise Matt has around his right eye from last night's fight with the Russians, which he claims is from tripping. They're interrupted by a knock at the door from a client...

...specifically, James Wesley. Wesley refuses to give his name or talk about Confederated Global, the multinational corporation he claims he works for, but he seems to know a lot about Matt, Foggy, and Karen's histories. Wesley says he wants to put the firm on a generous retainer in exchange for their services and discretion, but first they must take on a case: defending Healy. Foggy is eager to accept Wesley's money, but Matt is suspicious after Wesley recognizes Karen from his attempt to have her framed for murder. Matt follows Wesley out of the office, tailing him for a few blocks until he gets into the middle vehicle in a convoy of three Cadillac Escalades. He sits down across from another figure in the car and assures him that "It's been taken care of." Matt stands for a moment as the Cadillacs drive away, then turns around to head for the precinct, while feeling one of his wounds reopening up from stress, leaving a small bloodstain on his shirt.

* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Owlsley advocates for Healy to be killed rather than go through the process of a trial. Wesley says that they can't do that. With everyone they killed to cover up Karen's Union Allied leak, they can't afford to leave more bodies for the police to link back to them.

At Nelson & Murdock, Karen is already in and looking at a summons she's received in the mail. She quickly stashes the summons in her purse as Foggy arrives, followed shortly after by Matt. The three banter about Karen's salary and a visible bruise Matt has around his right eye from last night's fight with the Russians, which he claims is from tripping. They're interrupted by a knock at the door from a client...

Wesley goes to the bowling alley and retrieves Healy's gun from its hiding place. Meanwhile, Matt and Foggy settle their disagreement over the case and come up with a strategy for the defense. Matt suggests that Karen investigate Confederated Global, but Karen has left the office to answer a summons from Union Allied's lawyers. Union Allied – which is in the process of being dissolved – argues that Karen breached her non-disclosure agreements by releasing the pension file to the media and could be sued. Instead, they agree to pay her six months' salary in exchange for her silence, as long as she signs a contract to that effect.

* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: When Healy reveals the name of his employer, he's so afraid of the prospect of what Wilson Fisk will do in retaliation that he immediately rams his face into a fence spike.
* BribeBackfire: Fisk's people attempt to bribe Karen with the equivalent of six months' salary in exchange for her silence. It's pretty obvious that Karen sees it for the bribe it truly is.

* ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames: John Healy is never called "Oddball," in keeping with his being reimagined as a hitman.

* OldMediaPlayingCatchUp: {{Conversed}} by executive editor Mitchell Ellison. He bitterly points to Ben Ulrich the many benefits of being an online news source.
-->'''Mitchell Ellison:''' Everybody we know is making twice what we are, writing from blogs, working from home in their underwear. We're hanging on by our fingertips, Ben. Do you really want to be greasing that ledge?* OneDialogueTwoConversations: When Foggy and Karen notice the bruises on Matt's face from his fight, Matt truthfully says "Yeah, I'm fine. I just..wasn't paying attention last night. It was my fault," talking about how he got overconfident and ended up in Claire's dumpster, while Foggy and Karen think Matt just walked into a door or tripped.

* SayingTooMuch: Wesley lets slip while soliciting Matt and Foggy that he knows who Karen is from his previous attempts to have her killed. Despite trying to provide an explanation ("I have friends on the force. [[NotSoDifferentRemark I hear I'm not the only one]]"), Matt doesn't buy it.

* TakeThat: A direct jab made by the hospital manager quotes this as a reason why she is so busy after giving Ben Urich insurance approval.

* WorstNewsJudgmentEver: Ben and Ellison know the subway line story is bad even by the standards of a meaningless fluff piece, but it's not a potential risk and it sells papers. At the end of the episode, when Karen visits Ben at his office, [[BrickJoke the copy on his desk]] shows the subway story was buried in the back pages, right above a "[[CatUpATree rescued cat]]" article.

* OneDialogueTwoConversations: When Foggy and Karen notice the bruises on Matt's face from his fight, Matt truthfully says "Yeah, I'm fine. I just..wasn't paying attention last night. It was my fault," talking about how he got overconfident and ended up in Claire's dumpster, while Foggy and Karen think Matt just walked into a door or tripped.

* WhosOnFirst: On being told that his boss is busy with [[WickedCultured "art"]], Wesly says "Art who?"