'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2 Episode 4 Review
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Last time on Daredevil: Born Again! BB Urich learns how to run an effective smear campaign. The AVTF is still full of punks. Teenage Latinas make good vigilantes. And if you wanna pull off a good prison escape, do it with a oner!
The second season of Daredevil: Born Again has, in my humble opinion, fully cemented itself as the best MCU series to date. With a great mix of action, drama, and character work, Born Again has stood on equal footing and, in many ways, surpassed the Netflix original. And here we are, at the halfway mark of the season! Episode 4 (titled "Gloves Off") is directed by Solvan “Slick” Naim (who directed last week’s episode) and written by Chantelle M. Wells. This week, it’s all about one man and one man only, a man by the name of Benjamin Pointdexter, better known as Bullseye. The fan favorite villain has had his appearances sprinkled throughout the series, but he finally takes center stage this week. And naturally, like most things, anything with Bullseye puts a smile on every fan’s face.
This week’s episode keeps the narrative momentum and the thrilling action of the previous one, and in many instances, it’s better. While "Gloves Off" may be a little light on Daredevil and our heroes, it puts the spotlight on our villains. Not just Bullseye, but Fisk and his storyline as well. Episode 4’s thrilling action and timely themes not only continue the upward momentum of Born Again season, but also fully cement Bullseye as one of the greatest MCU villains of all time.
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As with last week, Slick’s direction is top-notch stuff. Much like Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Slick understands the world of Daredevil in ways very few people do. The action sequences this week are proof that the exhilarating prison break sequence from last week wasn’t a fluke. The opening sequence, where Bullseye takes out AVTF agents set to Billy Joel’s "New York State of Mind", is one of the most entertaining and satisfying action sequences in any MCU project. Not since Yondu took out the Ravagers with nothing but an arrow in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 has an MCU action scene been so delightfully wicked and entertaining. Equally thrilling is a boxing match near the end of the episode that will leave any viewer completely breathless. And who can forget the brief, but still impactful, fight between Daredevil and Bullseye. It’s always magic when these share any scene together, so it's a tad disappointing that it’s as short as it is. However, the scene shines a spotlight on the conflicting methods of vigilante justice between Matt Murdock and Benjamin Pointdexter. Daredevil will try his hardest not to take a life, while Bullseye will slit your throat for fun. It’s refreshing that Born Again can have these small character moments amid scenes of badass action.
As far as acting is concerned, this was Wilson Bethel’s episode. Bethel plays Bullseye with an eerie combination of charisma and edge that makes him insanely magnetic to watch. Avoiding the overly campy pitfulls of his previous live-action incarnation, Bethel is charming, frightening, emotionally gripping, and just plain cool all at the same time. A really great acting moment between Bethel and Cox that really sells the dynamic between Daredevil and Bullseye. Vincent D'Onofrio also gets a reallygreat moment to shine near the end of the episode, setting the stage for what is likely to be a dramatic run of episodes. The name of the game is equal footing. The fact characters who aren’t Daredevil and Kingpin can steal entire episodes is a testament to the talents of the writers, directors, and actors. I don’t think the goal of this episode was to convince fans that Bullseye can carry his own project. But if that goal existed even a little bit, mission accomplished.
Rating: 9.5/10
Daredevil: Born Again season 2 episode 4 ("Gloves Off") is now streaming on Disney+! New episodes air every Tuesday on Disney+!
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