'Daredevil: Born Again' Season 2 Episodes 2 & 3 Review
Image Source: NJ.com
Last time on Daredevil: Born Again! The Northern Star topples; Heather Glenn reveals herself as the world’s most dishonest therapist; Mr. Charles is a creepy dude; and with allies like Bullseye, who needs enemies?
Last week, the premiere spent most of its time setting the status quo for the new season. A lot of “Aight, here’s our key players, this is what they’re up to, GO!” methods of storytelling. This week, we’re treated to not one, but two thrilling, action-packed, and insanely intense episodes that may cement Born Again as the best MCU Disney+ show ever made. Episode 2 (titled Shoot the Moon) is written by showrunner Dario Scardapane and directed by frequent MCU directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, while episode 3 (titled The Scales & the Sword) is directed by Solvan “Slick” Naim and written by Heather Bellson. Together, our immensely talented creative teams deliver a stunning two hours of television.
What makes these two recent episodes quite possibly the best episodes of the series thus far is their expert balance of drama, action, and character. While at first glance, these episodes may seem a tad light on the Matt Murdock/Wilson Fisk front, they place a heavier focus on the show’s ensemble cast. But Daredevil and Kingpin taking a backseat so that other characters can have more screentime works to the show’s advantage. The best part of the original Netflix series was that characters other than our main hero and villain were given enough time to breathe. And thankfully, Born Again remembers that. While some may take issue due to the large number of supporting characters, in my opinion, the large ensemble cast works to the show’s advantage.
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Saying a Daredevil show has good action is a cliché at this point. But it’s hard not to highlight the action in this series. Last week’s episode has a standout action sequence involving Daredevil taking down Fisk’s goons on the Northern Star, but this week’s duo of episodes up the action ante insanely high. Episode 3 specifically provides us with an oner action sequence involving Daredevil, Karen Paige, Angela del Toro, and Jack Duquesne, aka The Swordsman, taking on Fisk’s AVTF. Slick’s direction is kinetic and matches the directorial prowess exhibited by Benson & Moorhead in previous episodes.
Another major highlight is the legal drama, as the fate of Jack Duquesene as a free man hangs in the balance. Tony Dalton finally gets the spotlight as this character, both in storyline and in action, finally gets to use his sword in an action sequence we can actually see. Wilson Bethel gets to be this week’s scene stealer, reprising his iconic role as Benjamin Pointdexter aka. Bullseye. Bullseye has always been my favorite Daredevil villain, dating back to Colin Farrell’s underrated performance in the 2003 film, so Bullseye girlies were eating insanely good this week.
Bethel’s irresistible charisma and twisted demeanor help him steal every scene, even when he’s not talking. A lot of credit is due to the writers, who provide a healthy dose of narrative momentum. The increase in character moments and action doesn’t stop the story in its tracks, but rather enhances it. The undeniable social commentary may get a bit #TooReal for some, but it continues to help Born Again feel more tangible. Almost like the MCU’s own equivalent to The Dark Knight; A dark and grounded superhero epic that speaks to our current political moment without feeling preachy or irresponsible.
As Benson & Moorhead’s work on season 2 ends this week, Slick has one more on the docket. Which is a good thing considering how well he handled episode 3. It’s very clear that Born Again is a labor of love from everyone involved, and it only gets better episode by episode. If there’s any sense of certainty in the modern MCU, it’s that we can always have faith in the adventures of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else, that’s for damn sure.
"Shoot the Moon" Rating: 9/10
'The Scales & the Sword Rating': 10/10
Daredevil: Born Again season 2 episode 2 (Shoot the Moon) and episode 3 (The Scales & the Sword) are now streaming on Disney+. New episodes air every Tuesday on Disney+.
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