Did Mayor Fisk fix it?
Daredevil: Born Again is back with a singular team and better than ever. After the combination of storylines from two writing teams in season 1, season 2 has one team, and the consistency is evident even after just one episode. With season 1 feeling like a reunion of sorts, season 2 feels like the hype is over, and it’s time to get serious again. Not to say season one wasn’t serious, of course, with the death of Foggy Nelson, Muse killings, and the introduction of Fisk’s vigilante task force, it still had a similar feel to its original Netflix series. This season seems like it will get darker compared to the previous season, and I, for one, cannot wait to delve into it.
The episode opens with a happy-go-lucky, sunshine-and-rainbows BB Report montage, in which officers of the vigilante task force are playing with children, and everyone is smiling and laughing. BB asks the citizens of New York City, “Did Mayor Fisk fix it?” One citizen says yes, “New York is back and better than ever.” This BB Report montage is a stark contrast from her videos in season 1. In the previous season, The BB Report seemed real and raw, with a grounded perspective from New Yorkers during Fisk’s mayoral campaign. Now, the whole thing looks manufactured, to the point that it’s almost eerie.
After the Marvel Television logo, we see the Man Without Fear in his newly painted, black suit. He jumps aboard the Northern Star ship, taking out a bunch of enemies with a sort of rage we didn’t see while he was Daredevil in the previous season. It was a great choice to introduce the new suit in action from the get-go, instead of making us wait until the end of the season for a new suit. Another great choice was to continue a stylistic choice from season one, with shifting the aspect ratio when Matt focuses his listening on a distinct noise. The entire Northern Star sequence felt similar to Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s opening action sequences, showing Steve/Matt at their physical peak, with a noticeable difference in speed, strength, and overall physicality, allowing them to handle things quickly and prioritize their mission. The captain and first mate catch Daredevil on camera and sink the ship, as they were told to do, leaving Matt to wash up on the Eastern River, mission accomplished.
In Matt’s hideout, Karen is training as they discuss how the Northern Star was a boat full of weapons that Fisk was looking to transport, also revealing that Matt and Karen are back together again. Which I have no problem with, but it was kind of surprising, seeing as last season it seemed like they were both undecided on if they should continue their romance. Back to the East River, we see Mayor Fisk show up to look at the damage, telling his team it was a terrorist attack, further pushing his anti-Daredevil/anti-vigilante agenda.
As Fisk meets with the Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor, Matthew Lillard’s character, “Mr. Charles,” enters the office, the AG gets a call from Miss de Fontaine, as in Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who has had sprinkled appearances in the MCU post-Endgame and had a major role in Thunderbolts* and the creation of the New Avengers. That phone call reveals that Mr. Charles works for Valentina and that he may have a bigger role in the Fisk vs Daredevil showdown than previously thought. Cut to an undisclosed location, Heather Glenn, Matt’s ex-girlfriend, who was also a couples therapist for Fisk and Vanessa, and was attacked by Muse last season, is evaluating Jacques Duquesne, who first appeared in the Hawkeye show and had a small role in the previous season. During this evaluation, Heather sees Muse, and the camera is slightly tilted as she is clearly shaken by the sighting. It happens a second time while she is on the phone with the District Attorney as he asks her to doctor her report on Duquesne. It is especially eerie both times, with the camera slightly tilted, and just the sight of Muse is enough to creep you out.
Speaking of being creeped out, a video mocking The BB Report and Mayor Fisk, with them dressed up like him with a weird mask that looks like him, interrupts the previous scene. On the first watch, it may throw you off guard, but it’s great because it affirms that BB’s videos for Mayor Fisk are nothing burgers, and I assume she makes to take away any pressure she may find herself under while she does her real reporting.
There are many characters in this episode, maybe even too many for a premiere for some people. But, even in their handful of scenes, the minor characters have been humanized and have more dimension than they had in the previous season. Particularly, the scene where Buck (basically Fisk’s right-hand man, and new Wesley for the Netflix watchers) almost seems sad, or just simply dissatisfied to have to “handle” a crew member on the Northern Star. Mr. Charles especially stands out among the minor characters in this episode. He seems like a bit of a wild card, while also being extremely strategic and calculated, and Lillard kills it in this first episode.
One gripe, I guess you can call it, with this episode is Karen and BB’s conversation. It seems like it’s supposed to be pretty emotional, with Karen talking about Ben Urich, BB’s uncle, who was killed by Fisk in the Netflix series. But the emotional impact isn’t felt because it’s the first time they have ever had a conversation together on screen.
The final sequence of the episode takes place in Cherry’s home, with the vigilante task force interrogating him, ready to kill him. Daredevil shows up and takes them down, but is suddenly stunted by hearing the sound of Cherry’s heart slowing as he has a heart attack. It takes him back to the night Foggy dies, which is what allows the task force to take him down and unmask him. Lucky for Matt, a mysterious sniper takes them out and sends him a knife with the words “You’re Welcome,” and a bullseye engraved.
This was a great reintroduction to Mayor Fisk’s New York City. Getting to know the returning side characters a bit more and meeting the new ones was a treat. Again, this season already feels much darker than the first one. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this season.
Rating: ★★★★
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