“Daredevil: Born Again” is uneven, but the ambitious nine-part series lands plenty of punches if you go in knowing that it positions comic-book fare not as escapist entertainment but as bloody, political commentary.
First, the disappointments. Like many a reboot/sequel before it, this new Marvel entry doesn’t get going until its second episode, spending the pilot completely on set-up. After that, it takes a lot of time getting to its central premise—expect to wait quite a while for the rebirth promised in the title.
While you wait for Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox, reprising the role from the Netflix series and a few appearances in the MCU) to don his pointy red ears again, expect a mixed bag. For example, an entire episode dedicated to a bank robbery is predictable and tedious, failing to move the larger plot forward.
But there are also bright spots. “Daredevil: Born Again” works surprisingly well as a courtroom drama, with Murdock as the wily underdog counselor (a word used repeatedly in the series but not so much in real life). In a two-episode arc, the show finds its footing, giving Murdock his moral grounding and supporting cast, including Cherry (Clark Johnson) as his retired-cop-turned-investigator and Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James) as his business partner, the three of them running a new law firm together.
Regardless of the particulars of any given episode, expect to be in a meaner, bloodier MCU. Close up of wounds and gore evoke the “Scream” franchise and other horror flicks. Those tuning in with fond memories of “Luke Cage” and “Jessica Jones” should expect to avert their eyes periodically.
The big bad here is Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), a crook, bully, and Daredevil rival who hijacks the electoral system and becomes the mayor of New York. Once in office, the imposing white blob of a man uses his power to personally enrich himself and get vengeance on his personal enemies. Sound familiar?
Unlike our real-life tyrant, Fisk starts out relatively sympathetic. He’s clearly the villain, but he’s layered, looking for love and honestly believing he’s the only one who can save New York. “Daredevil: Born Again” has a lot of conversation around “vigilantes” and while, we’re obviously supposed to root for Murdock’s alter ego, Frank Castle’s the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), and Hector Ayala’s White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes), it’s also clear that extrajudicial crime fighting is problematic at best. The cops are corrupt, and the legal system is rife with problems, so what’s a New Yorker to do? Maybe become a Luigi Mangione-type figure.
This layering of moral complexity elevates the show. No one is 100% good or bad (at least at the start), and the team behind “Daredevil: Born Again” drives that point home by cutting fight scenes taking place at different locations together, showing the similarities in Murdock and Fisk’s use of violence.
“Daredevil: Born Again” certainly hooked me, in part because of how it weaved and dodged its villains’ arcs. Fisk is always there, but Daredevil also faces the Muse, Poindexter (Wilson Bethel), and others. The showrunners deploy them in surprising ways, letting some linger while quickly dispatching others. As a result, the show is less predictable than many of its peers, as it’s hard to guess where an individual plotline is going.
Less successful is Murdock’s romantic interest, Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva). Levieva gives it her all, managing to be emotionally vulnerable and steely strong. Still, she’s undercut by poor writing that makes Dr. Glenn into an easily manipulated nag rather than an intelligent actor in her own right.
Still fans of the 2015-2018 Netflix series will find plenty to enjoy, including the return of Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, although she, along with Elden Henson as Franklin “Foggy” Nelson, are absent for much of the season. For those who didn’t watch the Netflix edition, there’s plenty to latch on to: characters with weighty baggage, a gritty approach, and some true curiosity around moral questions.
But perhaps the real allure of “Daredevil: Born Again” is its call to arms against tyranny. This is a show asking for bravery in the face of an elected tyrant, calling for resistance against an evil that’s been able to amass a lot of power. It may not function as an escape, but it does work as an imperfect interrogation of our current moment.
Whole season screened for review. First two episodes now on Disney+.
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