That is how you use flashbacks to tell a story
Just when you think Daredevil: Born Again can’t get any better, it does. Even without the many flashbacks of this episode, it has the feel of the original Netflix series all over it. “The Grand Design” is the best episode of the Born Again series so far, and certainly makes a strong case as one of the best Daredevil episodes, period. I knew this episode would be a great one because we go straight to the title sequence with no cold open. The episode opens with waves, and Wilson and Vanessa are strolling the beach, as they talked about in the previous episode. Immediately, we get the start of an insane performance from Vincent D’Onofrio, erratic and shaken as Vanessa has people all around her in the hospital.
Each flashback scene does a great job of adding context to the present without detracting from it. The shift of the aspect ratio to the original Netflix show is a nice touch as a way to pay homage. Each flashback tells a separate story that ties everyone together in the present. Our first flashback is with Vanessa, as she sees the Rabbit in a Snowstorm painting that she bonded with Wilson over on the night they met in season one of the Netflix series. Additionally, the Matt and Foggy flashbacks worked because they were pre-Daredevil flashbacks, showing that even in death, Foggy is Matt’s moral compass and saving grace, maybe more than his faith ever will be. Plus, it shows that Matt and Fisk were connected before either of them had any idea of what/who they would become.
Matt and Dex have a great back-and-forth in this episode as well, this time through their words and beliefs instead of their fists. Dex wants Matt to let him die, as he believes it’s supposed to happen since he was able to balance the scales by attacking Vanessa. And due to his guilt of trying to kill Dex, Matt feels obligated to make sure he doesn’t die, which ties into the next flashback of the young avocados at law. Foggy finds the clerical error that would save their client from prison, but Matt isn’t so sure that their client should walk. This entire conversation reminds Matt about mercy and the difficulty in determining who deserves it, and who gets to determine who should receive mercy. Even in death, Foggy is Matt’s moral compass, which is why he goes back to save Dex from the task force even though he could have run away to save himself. We don’t know for sure if Ray was able to run away or if Buck got to him. But I like to think that Foggy’s kindness and belief in mercy did save someone, as Matt repeats an act of mercy with Dex. Next episode, we will have to see how Karen reacts to all of this, because she has never been as merciful as Foggy or even Matt. But to be fair, how would you react if you were asked to help the person who killed one of your best friends?
Michael Gandolfini has minimal screen time in each episode, but his consistent performance in each episode makes his performance in this one much more significant. The longer he is with Buck on this road trip to Albany, the more subtly scared he becomes. And the scene of him alone in the car is another example of the consistently great performance he’s had this season. Speaking of great performances, D’Onofrio continues to deliver his best as Mayor Fisk, showing another side to him with his relief when Vanessa wakes up, with a softness in his voice we’ve never heard, and the pure pain on his face while he loses her and is not able to do anything about it. The final sequence of the episode was also a perfect send-off for Vanessa. When Fisk sees her for the first time in the studio, she wears white like an angel. And the beaming spotlight as they try to resuscitate her shows that’s how Wilson will always see her, ending with nothing but the sound of waves lapping over each other.
It’s scary to think about how Fisk will behave with Vanessa being gone, but exciting nonetheless. Stylistically, through the aspect ratio shift and even the yellow grain in the nighttime scenes, and thematically, with talks of mercy and the “grand design” of it all, this episode felt like a remnant of the beloved Netflix series. Every week, the newest episode tops the last one, so I am excited to see what’s in store for next week.
Rating: ★★★★★
Original article
Comments