Netflix’s 2015 series Daredevil was a smash hit among fans. Based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name, the show garnered praise for its action scenes, gritty tone, and interesting characters.
One of these characters was Foggy Nelson, played by Elden Henson. Foggy is Matt Murdock’s best friend and law partner. He served as the series’ main source of comic relief, but just because he’s known to crack a joke or two, that doesn’t mean he can’t bring the legal smackdown onto whoever stands in his way. Here are 10 of the best Foggy Nelson moments in Daredevil.
Foggy sings Gilbert and Sullivan
Shortly after beginning her career at Nelson and Murdock, Karen Page stayed late one night to set up her desk. From the next room, she can hear faint singing. The singing is coming from none other than Foggy Nelson, proudly belting out Pour, Oh the Pirate Sherry from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance.
The lyrics become louder and more shrill before Karen alerts her boss to her presence. Refusing to be embarrassed by Karen, Foggy exclaims that he sounds amazing.
Foggy saves Karen
In the seventh episode of season one, Karen has a conversation with Mrs. Cardenas about her landlord who is attempting to evict her entire apartment building. As she is leaving the apartment, she is ambushed by two of Wilson Fisk’s goons. They throw her against the wall, telling her not to go snooping where she's not supposed to.
Suddenly, one of the assailants is struck with a baseball. It's not Daredevil who's come to save Karen this time, but Foggy Nelson. Karen empties a can of mace into the face of the attacker and Foggy knocks out the other with a bat.
Confronting Matt about Daredevil
Season one, episode nine ends with Foggy entering Matt Murdock’s apartment and finding an exhausted and bloodied Daredevil on the floor. Foggy removes his mask to find that the vigilante is Matt himself. Throughout a significant portion of the following episode, Foggy completely lays into Matt for how irresponsible he is and how he has lied to him for their entire friendship.
Foggy explains to him how he is acting outside the law and, as lawyers, they should be working within the law to help people. He clarifies how his actions endanger himself and his friends. With their friendship strained, Foggy storms out of the apartment.
Meeting Matt for the first time
Season one, episode ten, gives us a glimpse into Matt and Foggy’s life at Colombia Law School. The two future lawyers first meet when Matt enters Foggy’s dorm room and introduces himself as his roommate.
Foggy is enamored with him due to the story of Matt being blinded while saving an old man from being hit by a chemical truck. Matt appreciates Foggy not dancing around his blindness as everyone else does. Foggy also sees this new friendship as an opportunity to meet women who feel sympathetic towards Murdock.
Avocados at Law
With their friendship firmly established, college-aged Matt and Foggy walk back to their dorm after a night of drinking. Foggy points out that one day they will both be fine members of the legal profession. He drunkenly yells “El grande- How do you say lawyers in Spanish?” Matt replies “Abogados.” Foggy continues “El grande avocados!” They both crack up after Matt tells him that that's a fruit.
After the events in season one, Matt and Foggy's friendship was torn apart and then mended. In the final episode of the first season, to convey their repaired friendship, Matt calls themselves “Nelson and Murdock: Avocados at law.”
Deescalating a gang fight in a hospital
After Daredevil’s encounter with The Punisher, Foggy Nelson desperately searches Metro-General Hospital to see if he’s been there. He runs into nurse Clair Temple working on a particularly busy night. The Punisher’s attacks have left a considerable number of gang members in the ICU and two begin to threaten each other with medical instruments.
Foggy Nelson immediately steps up. The lawyer begins to berate the two, saying that he will appeal to their selfish natures. He knows that they don’t care how they are terrifying the surrounding patients and staff, so he tells them that if they carve each other up in front of this many witnesses, they’re screwed. The gangsters drop their weapons and are restrained. After this display of bravery, Claire is happy to help Foggy with anything he needs.
Threatening the District Attorney with the Feds
On their way to help out their client, Grotto, with a witness protection agreement, Foggy and Karen are stopped by District attorney Samantha Reyes and her assistant, Blake Tower. Reyes immediately dismisses Foggy, belittles him, and asks him to leave so they can bring in a legal team with more expertise.
Foggy knows that the District Attorney does not care for Grotto’s well-being and will most likely endanger him in order to catch either his gang or The Punisher. Thinking fast, Foggy threatens to call the U.S. Attorney's office. He lets Reyes know that local DA’s do not have jurisdiction over the witness protection program. That is determined by the Federal Government. Foggy had the office on the phone when Reyes finally backs down and allows Nelson to act as Grotto’s legal representation during the negotiations.
Representing Frank Castle on his own
Foggy Nelson refers to The People v. Frank Castle as the trial of the century. When Castle stupidly pleads “Not guilty”, Nelson and Murdock need to come up with a defense for the Punisher killings within the week. On the day of the trial, Matt was too busy gallivanting around Hell’s Kitchen with Elektra and missed the beginning of the case.
Foggy Nelson had to come up with an opening statement on the spot, given Matt’s absence. Despite being completely unprepared, Foggy gives an impressive statement, citing Castle’s mental trauma as their main argument. Later during the trial, Matt reveals that the coroner who will give his testimony was threatened by Elektra. Seeing as how Matt is now actively hurting their case, Foggy dismisses him and finishes the trial almost entirely on his own.
The debate with Tower
In season three, Wilson Fisk is let out of prison and kept in a penthouse while he helps the FBI track down big-time criminals. Knowing that Fisk is manipulating the Feds into eliminating his competition, Foggy decides to launch an offensive against The Kingpin. He decides that the best way to do that is as publicly as possible.
Foggy runs for District Attorney against Blake Tower, claiming that his opponent is “Pro-Fisk”. He gains support from many in Hell’s Kitchen and the Police Union. This rivalry culminates at the Hell’s Kitchen Club, where Tower is making a speech. From the audience, Foggy interrupts the DA, claiming that he routinely lets criminals out of jail. Nelson makes an impassioned speech saying that Tower is allowing Fisk to control government agents. The debate works very well in Foggy’s favor as his video is shared and viewed numerous times by his supporters and law enforcement.
The Napkin
After Matt and Foggy left their internship at Roxxon, the two meet at Josie’s for a drink. Foggy takes a napkin and writes something on it, asking Matt to “Run his feelers” over it. On the napkin is a drawing of a sign that says “Nelson and Murdock: Attorneys at Law”. The pair raise their glasses to their future partnership.
In the final episode of the series, Matt, Foggy, and Karen meet at Nelson’s Meats for lunch and drinks. The trio celebrates coming back together after the excruciating series of events that they have survived for the past few years. Foggy says “I have a crazy idea. I need a new napkin.” He writes down “Nelson Murdock & Page”, signifying their rekindled friendship and moving into the future together.