Born Again Episode 6 Review

…although it also kind of felt like Luke was being thrown under the bus? From how Jessica described it, Mr. Charles came looking for superpowered people to work for him and she turned him down. But Luke apparently said yes, and is off doing sketchy CIA black ops missions while Jessica raises their kid? Obviously there’s plenty of room to fill in some blanks here and explain Luke’s side of things, but for now, it felt weird (and like Matt should be asking for the specifics we’re wondering).

It was a great choice to see Matt and Karen really face off about his refusal to kill, whether it be Bullseye or Fisk. If you’re going to go down this road with Matt saving Bullseye, the past can’t be ignored, and this scene expertly laid all the cards on the table, from Karen bringing up that even before he killed Foggy, he killed someone else Matt loved (Father Lantam back in Daredevil Season 3), to acknowledging Karen herself had once told Matt not to kill Fisk. And I’m sure some viewers will side with Karen here, because she’s making some coldhearted yet technically true points, just like the longtime fan debate about all the lives that could be saved if Batman just killed the Joker. But it also feels appropriate and staying true to its lead character for Born Again to underline that this is simply a line Matt cannot morally cross, and that the one time he actually tried to, with Bullseye, has weighed too heavily on him to ever do so again.

There’s definitely some frustrating aspects with the situation with Daniel and the info BB is getting from him. I guess she did immediately leak the news about Vanessa last week, because we saw she was going to do so again with the fake intel from Daniel about Fisk not running for reelection. But though Daniel is clearly crushing on her, it’s hard to believe he’d be stupid enough to literally risk his own life still telling her anything significant long before this, given who he works for – and also not believable that she would feel bold enough to so clearly be revealing info he gave her in this manner if she ever wanted to keep a contact. And yet all that aside, the material is well played by Michael Gandolfini and Genneya Walton, as he tries to keep her safe, even as he knows how much trouble they’re both in.

Though Angela had some quick lines about the vigil at City Hall being a rallying point, it still felt somewhat dramatically unearned to have that gathering be as huge as it was in the end. It felt like we skipped past one last inciting incident – one more line crossed by the AVTF onscreen – to get to this point, and it didn’t help that Soledad and Angela have felt pretty one-note as our major representatives of the people on the street facing the AVTF’s wrath.

And yet all that said, the intercurring between this situation on the streets and the confrontation between Matt and Fisk is undeniably intense, with the Matt and Fisk showdown given some great exchanges, powered by all that transpired between them. Matt took some hail mary swings here, including suggesting he and Fisk both leave New York for the city’s own good, even as he somberly asked Fisk to ponder if they hadn’t met, pointing out Foggy and Vanessa would both be alive (yes, it’s funny that it’s Dex who actually killed both of those people, but inarguably it’s Fisk who set this into motion by bringing him into their lives to use against Daredevil in the first place).

It turns out Fisk has crossed a line he shouldn’t by betraying Charles, and the CIA by extension, with Charles going straight to the governor to get her to pull all support. Of course, Fisk angered Charles by taking all of his military ordinance, which would be a compelling and scary thought for the season’s end game since he intended to give it to the AVTF, though Matt and Jessica blew up that warehouse. But did they get everything significant?

Bullet Points Without Fear:

• Cole was clearly distraught to realize Powell had likely just murdered a fellow AVTF member. Is some sort of face turn coming for the guy who straight up murdered White Tiger? Hey, if it can (kinda-sorta) happen for Dex…
• How great was Matthew Lillard’s delivery of “It is delici!”? He hasn’t perhaps been in as much of the season as I’d like, but he always knows how to get the most out of his moments.
• Heather’s now stealing Vanessa’s jewelry at her wake? And then getting excited choking Buck? It all feels rather random and as though they’re trying to see what sticks with this character.
• I wouldn’t go full Wilson Fisk on them with the whole murder thing, but if I just lost someone I deeply loved and the doctor told me, “It has been a sad honor accompanying you on this journey,” I would be pretty damn annoyed. Come on, man, that is cheesy as hell!