By George & Josh Bate
The following is a NON-SPOILER review of all 8 episodes of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2
Out of all the myriad of iconic superheroes and villains that comprise the Marvel universe, few have as fervent of a fan base as Daredevil. Adoration for The Man Without Fear amplified tenfold when the blind lawyer-turned-vigilante headlined three seasons of a gritty, critically acclaimed Netflix series that fans still obsess over 11 years after its debut. Last year, these same fans saw their appetite for more Matt Murdock satiated when, after much wrangling behind the scenes, Daredevil: Born Again premiered on Disney+. While the new series lacked some of the original run’s critical elements, it nonetheless excelled with a dark and grounded street-level Marvel story, especially in the bookends of its inaugural season. Now, Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again premieres, overall marking a significant improvement over the preceding season, while failing to overcome several issues that marred last year’s episodes.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 follows the events of Season 1 and finds Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) lead a city-wide resistance movement against the corrupt Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). Now side-by-side with his girlfriend Karen Page (Deboran Ann Woll), Matt seeks to take down Fisk once and for all by exposing his involvement in a large-scale weapons shipment into New York City. Meanwhile, Fisk faces scrutiny from the mysterious Mr. Charles (Matthew Lillard) for the botched weapons shipment as his Anti-Vigilante Task Force continues to brutalize the citizens of NYC.
Rather than the rather disjointed previous season, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 feels like the product of a creative team entirely united to actualize a single vision. The beginning and ending episodes of Born Again Season 1 felt like Season 4 of the Netflix series, but the middle bulk of episodes played more like a soft reboot and lacked the grittiness that made the original series so enthralling. Season 2 underwent no such creative overhauls and, as such, does not exhibit the variability in quality of episodes that last season did.
With a more focused story, the new episodes tread similar narrative territory as previous seasons. Once again, Matt Murdock finds himself in a Heat-esque DeNiro-Pacino rivalry with Wilson Fisk and tries to uncover evidence of the Kingpin’s underhanded activities to once and for all bring him to justice. At this point, the conflict feels a little tired, especially as Matt continues to employ the same approach (i.e., investigate what Fisk is doing and expose his corruption to the public) season-after-season to take down his archnemesis.
That being said, there’s something undeniably fascinating at beholding a years-long rivalry between two characters so dissimilar on the surface and yet more similar when examined more deeply. Matt Murdock vs. Wilson Fisk may be one of the great television rivalries of the 21st century, such is the longevity and tension of their ongoing conflict. Even as Cox and D’Onofrio’s characters share very little screentime, the presence of their counterpart is strongly felt any time the other is on-screen. As we spend more time with their characters entirely apart from one another, it becomes increasingly clear just how similar their goals and unwavering dedication to New York City are. Of course, their approach to actualizing these goals couldn’t be more different, which parallels the real-life philosophical differences of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X in regards to the civil rights movement. Obviously, MLK and Malcolm X are entirely different from Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk respectively, but the idea of two prominent figures fighting to achieve the same objective, yet harboring diametrically opposing views on how to achieve that objective, parallels American history in an interesting way.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 also parallels contemporary American society and politics with a disturbingly timely look at corruption, civil unrest, the spread of misinformation, and government overreach. Fisk’s Anti-Vigilante Task Force, or AVTF, wears all-black tactical gear and facial coverings that bear an uncanny resemblance to those of the Trump Administration’s ICE. Like ICE, the AVTF picks up citizens from the streets and locks them in cages, subverting any semblance of due process. Season 2 leans even more heavily into these parallels, as evidenced by an early scene that shows the task force raid a Cypriot restaurant, causing the restaurant owner to spit at a task force member and call him a fascist. Between Andor Season 2 last year and now Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 this year, it’s admirable to see two shows existing as pieces of the most popular media franchises on the planet and produced by one of the biggest companies in the world not shy away from stories that draw inevitable comparisons to the current political turmoil in the U.S.
While the social commentary proves stirring, the new season is bogged down by poor execution of a critical plot element. Season 2 doesn’t just use NYC as its setting – NYC is a character unto itself. The new episodes frequently cut to segments from the BB Report featuring interviews with the people of New York about the political unrest, in addition to shots of graffiti, street art, and random people reacting to what’s going on in the city. All of this is meant to convey the gravity of the city’s dysfunction under Fisk’s rule and the resistance movement slowly rising as a result. Unfortunately, the show is unconvincing in its portrayal of the city and the resistance as the cuts away or brief scenes feel clumsily put together, are marked by poor acting, and function largely as detours away from the story. It’s clear that the show needed to convey the severity of the political situation for the citizens of New York and sell the idea of a credible resistance movement, but it disappointingly stumbles in its execution of these elements.
Also detracting from the mesmerizing battle of psychological chess between Murdock and Fisk are a host of uninteresting subplots and side characters. Daredevil has always featured compelling supporting players, ranging from Wesley to Elektra to Frank Castle to Benjamin Poindexter across its previous seasons. Born Again Season 2, however, spends an egregious amount of time with more peripheral characters and stories that pale in comparison to the original three seasons. Whether it be a subplot involving Margarita Levieva’s Heather Glenn grappling with the trauma caused by Muse or an investigation into a mole in Fisk’s camp involving Michael Gandolfini’s Daniel Blake, Genneya Walton’s BB Urich, and Genneya Walton, the season repeatedly pulls the viewer away from its most interesting elements in favor of misguided focus on dull supporting characters and side plots.
Conversely, everything involving Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye hits the target dead in the center (pun intended). Bullseye played a key part in last season’s story, largely in that he murdered Foggy in the first episode. But he receives a major upgrade in Season 2, with an arc that taps into themes of grace, compassion, redemption, and consequences. By far, the best episode of Season 2 is episode five, which hones in on Bethel’s character and the consequences of his actions on the lives of others. This single episode conveys succinctly and beautifully why Matt Murdock is such a captivating character and, even more importantly, why he stands out from every other comic book character. None of this would be possible without Bethel deftly navigating difficult material that could easily fall flat or feel inauthentic in less capable hands.
Existing between the quality of Bullseye’s arc and the likes of Heather Glenn and Buck’s stories is Matthew Lillard’s Mr. Charles. Lillard is one of the new recurring characters this season and certainly makes an impression upon his entry, even rattling the seemingly indomitable Wilson Fisk. Lillard, who we rank among the most underappreciated and talented actors working today, brings an understated creepiness and intimidation to his character, although he is woefully underused. Mr. Charles fades in importance as the season progresses until all the intrigue and mystery surrounding his character entirely dissipates by the conclusion of the eight episodes.
Mr. Charles’ story intersects with that of Jessica Jones, the former vigilante and expert detective who headlined an acclaimed Marvel Netflix series of her own from 2015-2019. After seven years, Krysten Ritter effortlessly steps into the role again, capturing the character’s psychological damage and sly humor that made her so iconic in the first place while bringing unexpected new dimensions to the character. Hopefully, as Born Again Season 1 set the stage for a Punisher special led by Jon Bernthal, Born Again Season 2 fosters more opportunities for Krysten Ritter to kick ass as Jessica Jones after she impresses with an unexpectedly sizable role this season.
With a host of side characters to juggle, Matt and Karen aren’t always afforded the time and depth they deserve. Unlike previous seasons, Matt and Karen’s arcs feel rather limited and can essentially be boiled down to their conflicting views on killing, a beat the show has touched on numerous times prior. Charlie Cox and Deborah Ann Woll showcase once again that they were born to place these characters, but it’s unfortunate that the screenplays give the actors less meaty material to chew on and explore this season.
As the season wraps up, the finale converges on a bold and unexpected ending. The overarching story this season may bear too much of a resemblance to previous seasons and at times asks viewers to overlook a number of implausibilities and gaps in logic, although its resolution is one that changes the landscape of these characters forever. As such, Born Again Season 2 ultimately feels like a necessary stepping stone to arrive upon a more subversive and challenging Season 3 (which is currently in production). That’s not to say Season 2 is devoid of brutal action, strong performances, compelling characters, and resonant social commentary – it just means that this season delivers more of the same, rather than something Daredevil fans haven’t seen before.
VERDICT: 7/10
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 improves upon the preceding season with eight episodes that feel like the product of a creative team entirely united to actualize a single vision. The new season continues to fascinate with its deepening of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk’s conflict, although the psychological battle of chess may begin to feel a tad repetitive and tired at this point. Nonetheless, the season cements their back-and-forth as one of the great television rivalries of the century. Admirably, the new episodes don’t shy away from stirring social commentary by drawing striking parallels between Wilson Fisk and his Anti-Vigilante Task Force to Donald Trump and ICE. Less interesting, however, are a host of uninteresting side characters and subplots that take time away from the far more compelling Matt and Karen, who are, in turn, left with little in the way of substantial character arcs. Wilson Bethel’s Bullseye thankfully features more prominently this season and masterminds the season’s best episode alongside a superb Charlie Cox. As the season wraps up, it converges on a bold and unexpected ending that will make the waiting for Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 remarkably difficult. That being said, this season feels more like a necessary stepping stone to arrive upon a subversive and challenging Season 3, rather than something Daredevil fans haven’t seen before. That doesn’t mean, however, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 doesn’t have the seedy politics, brutal action, strong performances, and compelling characters that have made this series a fan favorite for over a decade now. Amidst a sprawling cinematic universe filled to the brim with some of the most popular and recognized characters across media, Daredevil continues to stand out as one of Marvel’s most captivating heroes, whose every appearance demands the attention of even the most casual of fans.