'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2 Episode 1 Review
Image Source: Den of Geek
"This is a terrorist attack. Orchestrated and executed by the vigilante of Hell's Kitchen." The season’s mission statement in one sentence.
After three years of high fan demand, Marvel Studios announced Daredevil would return to the MCU in 2021. Reprising his role from the acclaimed Netflix series of the same name, Charlie Cox has since reprised his beloved role of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen in Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk, Echo, and even voiced an alternate version of the horned hero in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Vincent D’Onofrio, equally beloved for his role as Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin, returned in Hawkeye and Echo. Cox and D’Onofrio would return to the spotlight with a new series, Daredevil: Born Again, which was announced in 2021. However, in 2023, amid a broader restructuring of Marvel Television (due in no small part to the critical failure of Secret Invasion), Born Again went from an 18-episode, lighter-toned series to a 9-episode, darker series more closely connected to the original Netflix show. The first season, showrun by Dario Scardapane, was a welcome return to form, even if some felt the series failed to reach the heights of the Netflix original. The defining elements of Born Again include its darker tone, heavier emphasis on violence, engaging dialogue, and the luxury of not needing to wait 3 to 4 years between seasons. Season 2 is no exception.
While the season premiere (titled The Northern Star) may mostly function as the “here’s what everything is like now” episode, it’s still a heavily engaging and appropriately brutal opener to what I hope is another dazzling season of Born Again. Light on heavy plot details and more focused on getting characters into their starting positions, the episode continues the darker tone and heavy political theming of season 1. Also welcomed is the increased ensemble cast, which was always a plus in the Netflix original and the best MCU films. As the Multiverse Saga comes to a head with Doomsday later this year, as well as the release of more genre-heavy projects like The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the upcoming VisionQuest, it’s nice to have an MCU project grounded in some sort of reality.
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Image Source: Newsweek
The highlight of the episode is, far and away, the direction from the veteran MCU duo Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead. Bringing the sme kinetic action and balls-to-the-wall energy that defined their work on Moon Knight, Loki season 2, and the first season of Born Again, Benson & Moorhead have consistently proved themselves to be distinct directorial voices in the MCU. Their affinity for brutal action is on full display in the show’s breathtaking opening involving Daredevil on a boat. Benson & Moorhead’s direction also bodes well for more character-driven scenes, keeping the tension up whether it’s Matt and Karen alone, Fisk and Vanessa talking to Mr. Charles, or Heather Glenn in a prison with Jack Duquesne. The downside is that Benson & Moorhead will direct only 2 episodes this season, compared with 3 last season. Courtesy of Dario Scardapane’s writing, the episode continues the heavy political themes from the first season. It’s incredibly hard not to see and feel parallels between the events of the series and what’s going on in our current hellscape we call reality. Scenes of Fisk’s anti-vigilante task force pretend to be protecting the innocent while terrorizing them, and seeing citizens of New York believe Fisk is doing good is incredibly terrifying. Surely we don’t know what that's like, right?
Another high point of the episode is the acting, as is often the case with MCU Daredevil projects. Charlie Cox continues to prove himself as the Devil from Hell’s Kitchen, as does Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. While everyone in this episode delivers A+ performances (particularly Clark Johnson, Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, andTony Dalton), it’s Matthew Lillard who completely steals the episode. Despite only appearing in 3 scenes, Lillard’s performance as the mysterious Mr. Charles is extremely captivating. Which is insanely impressive considering the most prominent scene he’s in has him acting opposite D’Onofrio, who usually gives the best performance in any given episode. Contrary to what acclaimed auteurs say on podcasts, Lillard is an underutilized acting talent who thankfully is going through a major career resurgence. Even if Lillard’s time in the MCU will likely be limited, the fact that he’s here at all is a gift.
While the premiere episode of season 2 may focus too much on setting the status quo, compelling performance, top-notch direction, and a remarkable score by The Newton Brothers help make this a welcome return to the world of Daredevil. Hopefully the next 7 episodes will provide more narratrive momentum as (to put it bluntly) shit gets more real.
Rating: 8/10
Daredevil: Born Again, Season 2, Episode 1: The Northern Star is now streaming on Disney+. New episodes air every Tuesday on Disney+.
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