Born Again Episodes 2 & 3 Review

As for Episode 3, it was the stronger of the two new episodes, and it must be said that Born Again Season 2 sure is giving good billy club action! It felt like DD was already using that weapon more than ever in the previous episodes, but the third episode’s concluding action sequence went especially big on the billy in some rather thrilling ways. There was even an awesome, Sam Raimi-style point of view shot as the club flew through the air into the face of an AVTF a-hole.

For many reasons, this action sequence was the best one yet for Season 2, as Matt broke out all of Kingpin’s underground prisoners, including Jack Duquesne, the Swordsman. We not only got great Daredevil fighting moments here, but great Swordsman ones as well, as the two teamed up for a good old-fashioned oner, with Jack using pipes as his impromptu swords and once more showing how good he is in a fray too – for the first time since Hawkeye’s finale nearly five (!) years ago. Tony Dalton seemed to be having as much fun as Jack was, punctuated by his huge grin when Jack was handed a weapon to use by Daredevil. The end of the oner (yes, yes, there were plenty of spots where the hidden edits could be placed, as is usually the case with these things) had a very funny punchline too, with Daredevil yelling “MOVE!” to the freed prisoners.

As noted above, this episode was a step up for Season 3, bringing more forward momentum and excitement with it. The storyline with the half-sunken tanker was starting to feel too drawn out, so it’s good to have that sucker blown up at the end (though it sure sucks for the patsies Fisk was willing to let die after Mr. Charles suggested this out to get his weapons).

But wait just a second: Is Heather Glenn pulling a Tommy Jarvis?! For those who aren’t familiar with Friday the 13th lore, young Tommy killed Jason in the fourth F13 movie, and then we got repeated hints Tommy was potentially going to take on the Jason persona himself for a couple of movies – including seeing Tommy with a hockey mask in his drawer. All of which feels pretty reminiscent of Heather pulling that Muse mask out of her desk. Of course, all the Tommy as Jason teases never paid off, as he never actually went full psycho killer, so let’s see if Heather mimics Tommy fully or goes down a bloodier path.

Taking Heather in this direction is amusing but also feels rather random, as the writers attempt to figure out what to do with this character. Better served right now is Kirsten McDuffie, who was another one of Season 1’s undercooked new characters. With Matt off the grid, Kirsten is essentially getting to represent the lawyerly side of things that is usually a key part of Daredevil stories, stepping up on her own to defend Jack in court. Nikki M. James and Tony Dalton played well off each other, as they planned his defense and discussed how dire things are, with Jack evoking the Reign of Terror no less.

It was funny and a bit jarring to hear Matt go full Batman and use a fake, overly gravely voice to talk to Kirsten so she wouldn’t recognize Daredevil’s voice. I do feel like this is a place where maybe we just go with comic book logic/suspension of disbelief and let him talk more normally? But mileage will vary.

Though she’d been referenced a few times, it was pushing credibility to not have New York’s governor directly intervene with what Fisk was getting away with, so happily that was rectified here. Lily Taylor is a terrific choice to play Governor Marge McCaffrey, selling both the audience and Fisk on why she’d let things play out previously (including that old chestnut, voter popularity), but no longer was going to give him that luxury. And hey, it’s a Mystic Pizza reunion for Vincent D’Onofrio and Taylor!

Additional Devilish Thoughts:

• Why do Matt and Karen hide from Angie Kim when she comes to Josie’s, given she was part of the first big meeting of Daredevil’s resistance last season? Do they not trust her with the info that Matt (who, to be fair, she doesn’t know is Daredevil) is alive? That seems a weird line to have with her given they know for certain she’s anti-Fisk and presumably wouldn’t reveal anything.
• Cole’s alive?! It seemed like he was pretty dead when Matt’s apartment blew up with him inside in the Season 1 finale, and even accepting that he survived, I don’t know about him already being back in fighting shape just a few months later, with just a some facial scaring to show for it, but ah well, we can roll with it.
• It was good to have Matt and Karen ask a question we’re asking, which is where the hell is the Punisher, especially given we know he’s well aware of what Fisk is up to. Presumably his upcoming Disney+ special will answer that question.
• Kirsten taking note of so many things she heard as she was being brought into Fisk’s underground jail blindfolded was a little bit silly – it’s not like she has Matt’s powers to observe to such an extreme extent – but also still pretty fun, since you just knew it was going to pay off like it did, with Matt following the path she laid out for him.
• Buck remains a bit overly dry of a presence, but his interplay with Daniel, including trying his first street corner hot dog in a funny bit of interplay, and the reveal of his Special Ops past, adds some new layers.
• It’s not surprising, given the Sony of it all, that BB’s latest Mayor Kingpin video left out any footage of Spider-Man when showing various NYC vigilantes, but we did get a loose reference to him at least with her “Friendly Neighborhood Task Force” quip.
• Another cool thing about the final action sequence in Episode 3 was that it felt like Matt was using the full extent of his radar sense abilities in a way that isn’t always as centered in other fight scenes, with some visual nods towards him hearing and sensing things throughout the fight in a way that gave him a believable edge.