Showrunners Chris Ord and Matt Corman have resurrected the widely raved about Netflix series, “Daredevil,” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s pseudo-reboot sequel, “Daredevil: Born Again.” Set five years with an additional one year time jump after the events of “Daredevil” season three, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is now estranged from his best friends Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), as he attempts to pursue a civilian life free from his devilish alter ego. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) aims to gain control of New York City, not through shady deals and corrupt leadership, but through politics. Suffocated by their new realities, these two adversaries are pushed to their limits as they fight to suppress their darker halves.
While “Born Again” doesn’t stick the superhero landing in full, the exceptional emphasis on character is enough to keep viewers enthralled for all eight episodes.
To give praise where it’s due, “Born Again” feels like a natural progression from where the last entry of “Daredevil” ended. If this series were simply Netflix “Daredevil” season four, it might have been great, but it wouldn’t have felt authentic because of how much time has passed since the original show’s cancellation in 2018. So, by having “Born Again” pick up with Nelson, Page and Murdock at a different place in their lives, it feels not only natural for story purposes but evolves the characters in a realistic and authentic way as well.
Another accolade “Born Again” rightfully earns is how it manages to distinguish itself from the original series while still maintaining what fans loved about it. The decision to keep Murdock out of costume for the majority of the first five episodes is an inspired choice — even though it does become a detriment to the back half of the season. “Daredevil” was more focused on the moniker, not the man, and the main source of that conflict came from Murdock’s casting off of his civilian life to play vigilante. “Born Again,” on the other hand, flips that dynamic and allows not only viewers, but the residents of Hell’s Kitchen, to experience how worse off their city is without its red-horned protector.
The court case revolving around Hector Ayala (Kamar de los Reyes) was wildly compelling because of how it pulled double duty for Murdock’s character. Firstly, it is shown how great of a lawyer Murdock actually is instead of merely hearing about it from Nelson, outside of “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.” Secondly, Ayala’s double identity as the White Tiger provides Murdock with a physical embodiment of his own demons and forces him to see why the city needs Daredevil. “Born Again” reveals a new side to such a beloved character that feels authentic to the complex storytelling that came before while also unraveling Murdock in unfamiliar ways.
To round out the reasons why everyone should watch this show, it would be a criminal offense to not mention the performances of the two leads—Cox and D’Onofrio. These two come alive on screen as if they were born to play Murdock and Fisk, respectively. Cox pulls off the smooth-talking and “smart-aleck” lawyer with effortless charm while simultaneously being able to dial it up to 11, convincingly delivering the guttural screams and menacing grin of the Devil.
D’Onofrio, as always, plays Fisk with visceral intensity to match what the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen is cooking. The minuscule twitches in his face masterfully communicate the boiling rage within Kingpin. The way he holds himself demands authority, and his growling voice commands a room in a way nobody else can. In a shared universe with cosmic and multiversal foes, Kingpin is without a doubt the most intimidating villain in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Despite the sequel’s highs being phenomenal, its lows leave it stumbling in the dark. While the aforementioned performances are strong enough to carry the show, they didn’t have to rely on that in the Netflix series. The supporting cast in “Daredevil” was equally as engaging as Murdock and Fisk’s main story and often carried episodes on their own merit. “Born Again,” for some reason, is sorely lacking those strong side characters. Murdock’s new coworkers do not carry an ounce of the screen presence Nelson and Page brought with ease. Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) is the closest this show gets to having an interesting new addition, but even then, that is only because of her relation to Murdock and Fisk — factors that have nothing to do with her individual worth. Since the people that surround the main characters are underdeveloped to say the least, it makes the world they inhabit come across as lifeless at times.
A second, and probably the biggest, flaw of “Born Again” is how uneven the season feels due to its massive rewrites and reshoots. Episode one, while emotionally impactful, is a noticeably tacked-on episode that was made in post to course correct for a series gone wrong. “With Interest,” episode five, is a bizarre, serialized adventure that is clearly a leftover from the original, more light-hearted, script.
Despite the emphasis on Murdock as a character being a major win for the show, the series’s namesake, “Daredevil,” doesn’t come back until the season is practically over. If this had occurred when the season was still 18 episodes long, this drag wouldn’t have been as noticeable of a problem since there would have still been 12 episodes with Murdock in the cowl. However, when the title figure is absent from almost two-thirds of the show, it leaves a noticeable gap in the story’s potential. In light of all of this, “Born Again” struggles to find its footing in building towards a satisfying season conclusion since it is constantly fighting with itself over what the series was intended to be versus what it was turned into.
All of that said, even bad or mediocre “Daredevil” is still better than a lot of other genre television because of the strong executions of its main characters.
4/5
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Featured Image via ©Disney
