The Dark at the End of the Tunnel Recap

The Past

A young Elektra is training against Stick's warriors. Stick finally stops the fighting to give Elektra instructions on how to fight. She notices a man watching her, and Stick tells her to focus on the fight. As Elektra joins the other fights, the man--Star-- steps forward and admits that Elektra is impressive. Star suggests that she needs more training, and they watch as Elektra takes down her three adult opponents. She starts beating the last man to death, and Stick finally tells her to stop. When Elektra doesn't, Stick pulls her off.

Later, Elektra points out that Stick told her to finish her opponents. He says that they can't afford to kill their own, and warns that whatever she has inside of her, she has to learn when to release it against their enemies. Elektra agrees and Stick tells her to attack him and show what she can really do.


Elektra attacks Stick and the two of them spar back and forth. She points out that Stick tried to have her killed, and he readily agrees. Stick manages to take her down, but she wraps a cord around his neck and chokes him until he falls back. Daredevil arrives and asks Elektra what she's doing, and Stick tells him that it's too little, too late. He tells his former pupil to go, and Daredevil says that it isn't happening. When Elektra tries to get at Stick and says that he tried to kill her, Stick says that he should have done it years ago. Elektra figures that he's jealous of her superseding him, and Stick tells her to put up or shut up.

The Hand ninja attack all three of them, and manage to douse the lights. When Elektra lights a match, she and Daredevil that the ninja are gone... and they've take Stick. There's no sign of their attackers outside, and Elektra complains that Daredevil interrupted. She insists that she had to kill Stick before he killed her, and Daredevil figures that Stick wanted her dead for a reason. He also figures that the Hand wants Stick for interrogation, and tells Elektra that they have to rescue the old man to learn what he knows. Daredevil says that Stick took him in when he was alone and he'll go alone if he has to. Elektra insists on killing him... and warns that if Daredevil gets in her way, she'll kill him as well.

The next day, the police are cleaning up Blacksmith's ship and trying to identify the bodies from fingerprints and dental records. Karen is still there, and Brett tells her that she can go home. She claims that Frank kidnapped her from her police protection, and Brett points out that not many people have escaped Punisher. He figures that Punisher died in the explosion and she's safe.

Foggy returns to the law office and finds Matt there doing research. He warns Matt that he's only paid the electric bill through the end of the month, and explains that the people at Marci's firm were impressed with his opening at the Castle case. Matt assures Foggy that he was the heart of the firm, but he's not trying to convince Foggy it's worth another shot. As he leaves, Foggy wonders what he's looking for and Matt explains that he's trying to track down a group that can disappear at will through the city. Foggy suggests that they're using the abandoned railway tunnels. As Matt goes, he wonders if Foggy wanted to try to convince him to give it another shot. Foggy admits that he hoped Matt would but was relieved when he didn't, and the last step is them both admitting that it's finished.

Later, Daredevil finds a manhole cover near where the ninja disappeared and goes down.

Karen returns to the Telegraph and tells Mitchell what happened. He figures that she's in with Frank, but promises not say anything if he's deposed. Karen figures that the story is over because everyone involved is dead, but Mitchell tells her that a real journalist knows better. He wonders why she cares, and Karen says that Frank was a husband and a father looking for answers, and nobody cared. Mitchell asks her if the story changed, and Karen admits that it did. She figures that they should do a profile rather than a expose, and needs to talk to someone outside of the trial. Mitchell tells her that he needs the story by the Sunday edition, and that the Telegraph is her home now.

Daredevil continues down the tunnels, listening for any traces of the Hand. Ninja close in on him, totally silent, but Daredevil can hear their swords moving and fights back. They drop their swords and two of them run off. The third one, silent, manages to punch Daredevil before leaving. After a moment, Daredevil follows him, homing in on the blood dropping from his hand.

Karen visits Schoonover at his home and he escorts her to his study. He's glad that Karen is writing an article about the "real" Frank, and she asks if he considers Frank a friend. Schoonover admits that it's hard to make friends with fellow soldiers during a war, but remembers Frank singing a song from one of his kid's TV shows. He talks about how Frank was good at impressions, and Karen finally tells Schoonover that Frank died in the explosion at the docks. She notices a photo of Schoonover with Frank and an injured soldier, and realizes that the soldier was one of the dead men that they pulled off of the ship. Schoonover notices her reaction and says that the man, Gosnell, lost half of his face to an IED in Afghanistan. He tells Karen that Gosnell sought him out after the war and asked how he could serve, and says that Gosnell was loyal... until Frank murdered him. Schoonover aims a revolver at Karen and offers to walk her out.

Daredevil continues following the dripping blood to a ladder leading up. The ninja, unarmed, attack Daredevil and he's unable to hear them or strike back.

In a chamber elsewhere, Stick whispers that Daredevil is doing it wrong. Hirochi assumes that he's delirious, and Stick tells Daredevil that he has to focus on his attackers' breathing. When the ninja exhale, Daredevil is able to fight back and takes them down. Stick whispers that he did good, and Hirochi prepares prepare to use a bamboo spike under his fingernails to get answers.

Schoonover takes Karen out to her car and gets in with her. The stereo goes off full-volume, and Schoonover tells Karen to drive where he tells her. They head down a road into the woods and Schoonover has Karen pull over. A truck slams into Schoonover's side of the car.

Hirochi inserts three more spikes into Stick's fingers, and then a fifth. Stick laughs and says that the only thing going to crack is their skulls. Daredevil arrives and takes out their ninja guard. Stick manages to bite Hirochi's ear while the man's partner goes after Daredevil. Once Daredevil takes him down, he unties Stick and the old man says that he's proud of him. Elektra steps out and tells Daredevil to leave so that she can finish Stick off. She throws a sai at Stick and Daredevil catches it, and says that he's not going to let her hurt Stick. Stick says that he has no idea who he's dealing with, and tells Elektra that she isn't leaving because they have her right where they want her.

Nobu arrives and says that children are always a disappointment, because once they're independent, they no longer control them. More ninja come in Nobu tells Stick to tell Daredevil and Elektra why they're all there.

The Past

Young Elektra is sparring with a bag and the man she beat earlier comes in. She apologizes for beating him before, but he draws a knife and attacks her. Elektra defends herself, takes him down, and cuts his throat with his own knife. Star comes in and sees her, and confronts Stick. He insists that Stick has endangered them all by bringing "it" there, and figures that Stick has gone soft for Elektra. Stick finally says that he'll take care of her. Elektra watches from the shadows as Stick kills Star and then advances on her. He tells the girl that she has to go.


Daredevil offers himself for the other two, but Nobu says that he needs "it." Elektra takes offense, and Nobu says that she's Black Sky, the weapon that the Hand has been seeking for centuries. Meanwhile, Stick whispers to Daredevil that it's the end of the war Daredevil doesn't believe in... and they've lost. Nobu says that they've wanted Elektra since she was a child, and she was taken from them. He kneels and offers his sword to Elektra, and Daredevil warns her that it's a trick. She takes Nobu's sword, and Stick admits that he knew all along. Daredevil says that she still has a choice, and Nobu tells Elektra that she's home now. The ninja lay down their weapons and bow, and Elektra puts the sword to Daredevil's neck and tells him to leave.

The Past

Stick takes Elektra to the ambassador's home and explains that he and his wife will adopt her because they can't have children of their own. The old man advises Elektra to study them and learn, and says that he can't take her with him because the Chaste will hunt them. Elektra fears that Stick will find another student and forget her, and he promises that he'll always remember her.


Elektra says that she pretended her own life and she tried to control what was inside her. Now she figures that she doesn't have to anymore. Daredevil tells her that he is the enemy of the Hand and that she should kill him. When Elektra hesitates, Daredevil grabs the sword from her, puts it to her neck, and uses her as a shield as the ninja recover their swords. He tells Elektra to either kill them and prove Nobu right, or kill the Hand and prove Stick right. Stick uses one of the bamboo spikes to kill a ninja, and a fight breaks out. Elektra gets Stick out, killing any ninja that gets in her way, while Daredevil holds off the others.

Karen gets out of the car and staggers around to the passenger side. Schoonover and the truck driver are gone, and Karen follows the blood trail into the woods.

Further on, Frank is forcing a badly injured Schoonover ahead. As Karen catches up to them, Schoonover says that it's about more than a bad drug deal, and it's about what happened to all of them in Kandahar. She says that Frank doesn't have to kill Schoonover and become the monster they say he is, and Frank tells her to go. Karen insists that she can help him if he tells her the truth. Frank ignores her and drags Schoonover into Schoonover's nearby cabin, and Karen says that if he kills Schoonover then he's dead to her. After kicking Schoonover, Frank tells Karen that he's already dead and closes the cabin door.

Inside, Schoonover tells Frank to do his worse and prove he doesn't Schoonover anymore. Frank points out that Schoonover taught him "one shot, one kill"... and then shoots him in the head. Karen, walking back to the road, hears the gunshot and breaks into tears as she drops to her knees.

Elektra continues out with Stick until she stops to give him a rest. He admits that he still wants to kill her, but Daredevil would be pissed. Stick figures that Daredevil came to save her from herself, not to rescue him, because he knew that her killing Stick would have been her point of no return. Gasping, Stick tells her to earn it.

At the cabin, Frank opens a secret compartment and finds Schoonover's hidden cache of military-grade assault rifles. Frank stares at them, his hands twitching.

After defeating the first wave of ninja, Daredevil heads upward and hears the other ninja following. He fights them and Nobu steps forward to confront him. Nobu says that he can't stop what they started, and Daredevil attacks him. The two men fight and Daredevil finally knocks Nobu over a railing to his apparent death. More ninja arrive and Daredevil is forced to leave. Below, Nobu opens his eyes and gets to his feet. The ninja join him, and Nobu says that Daredevil must die.

Written by Gadfly on Apr 11, 2016