This finale has me bursting with excitement at the season three possibilities
In seven quick weeks, we’ve reached the end of Daredevil: Born Again season two, and the season finale not only exceeded expectations for the season but raised the bar for the excitement for season three. Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio once again give their all to have stellar performances as Matt/Daredevil and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin. The storyline for the season was wrapped up nicely in just 8 episodes, while still leaving room for the imagination of how season three will play out and fit into the larger MCU.
Opening with a flashback of Matt and Karen on a date, the colors are warm and more saturated, before Karen is brought back to reality at the sound of the gavel, bringing us back to the dingy courtroom of Karen’s trial. Matt is nowhere to be seen, and Kirsten and Karen are starting to get worried. Meanwhile, Matt is getting stitched up by Jessica after the Task Force’s assassination attempt from the day prior. But he makes it just in time to see Heather on the stand. This was one of my favorite parts of the episode. I always love to see Matt being a lawyer and “gaming the system,” so to speak. When Fisk is called to the stand, we see the first half of Cox’s and D’onofrio’s stellar performances in this episode. Matt gives Fisk the courtroom run-around by getting him to admit Matt’s actions of heroism in the same breath that he denounces Daredevil. And the reveal moment might just be better than Tony’s “I am Iron Man” moment in the MCU’s first installment. Watching Fisk unravel on the stand after Jessica walks in with the Governor, and as he realizes Matt plans to reveal his identity, was exciting and tense to watch because it hints at the real unraveling that happens later on in the episode. Matt and Kirsten win the case, and just for a second, there is a hopeful and happy tone to the episode. But so much can happen with 30 minutes left in the episode.
Bullseye has a small but important role in this episode. While the Task Force tried to orchestrate an assassination of Matt with a fake Bullseye, he interferes to almost take out Fisk, but Buck is hit in his place. As the city erupts in chaos and people storm the courthouse, Matt and Jessica take action against the Task Force, while Fisk’s real unfolding begins. The action had been great all season, and this sequence is no different. Intercut between Matt, Jessica, and Angela (who I hope has a larger role next season) fighting the Task Force, and Fisk storming his way through civilians was both fun and jarring to watch, and it’s the duality that comic book shows/movies should have. As they meet in the middle, more civilians try to storm Fisk, causing Matt to have to save Fisk once again. And instead of rising again, he brings Matt down to his level and clings to him, refusing to admit defeat. But when Matt speaks of grace, it makes him realize there is nothing left for him to do, so he accepts the deal offered by the Attorney General to leave New York.
Matt and Karen are at the same restaurant in her flashback, discussing how they’ll live a normal life before Matt is arrested and taken away. In the final sequences of the episode, we get the return and MCU debut of Luke Cage, and I could not be more excited to see him in season 3 to see what he’s been up to and what he and Jessica will do now that they are officially in the MCU. BB is using the opportunity that Daniel gave her to work at the same newspaper that her Uncle Ben worked at. And Mr. Charles (aka Mr. Robertson?) got in touch with Dex, hinting that we could see him on a certain anti-hero team in the future? Heather no longer hides her true self. As she puts the Muse mask on to become whole, she sees herself in the mirror with nothing but a sinister smirk, hinting at her path in season three. Fisk is on the beach in Vanessa’s dreams, alone and defeated. Matt’s last scene shows him disappearing behind the door of his prison cell. I do have one question, though. Is Buck dead? We do not see him again after the courthouse, but I wonder if the writers left that ambiguous on purpose.
Regardless, season two of Daredevil: Born Again is undoubtedly the best season of Marvel Television in the post-Endgame era. Even with only eight episodes, each one was a worthwhile installment to the overall season, and fully immersed you in Kingpin’s New York City as Daredevil dared to fight against it. In my episode two review, I questioned whether that slower, world-building episode would pay off in the long run, and I think it’s safe to say that it did. As always, Cox and D’Onofrio were brilliant, as were the supporting roles, such as Deborah Ann Woll, Michael Gandolfini, Matthew Lillard, Wilson Bethel, Margarita Lieviva, Ayelet Zurer, Arty Froushman, and even the guest roles, such as Tony Dalton and Krysten Ritter. Everyone involved, even in small moments, gave compelling performances that added dimension to their characters that were lacking in the previous season. I already can not wait to see how season three, which is currently in production, picks up where we leave off in this finale.
Rating: ★★★★★
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