Review: After Six Long Years, the Man Without Fear Returns for ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

I grew up with comic books and was largely a Marvel kid. So I was more than a perfect target for the comic book films that have peppered pop culture since the first X-Men film 25(!) years ago and the advent of the “official” Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which began with 2008’s “Iron Man.”

One of the comic books I read frequently was Daredevil. I mean – here’s a blind lawyer who kicks as much ass as superheroes who can see. I was once again a natural audience for Netflix’s foray into the MCU with 2015’s “Daredevil” series that ran three seasons before Netflix decided to stop paying Disney huge licensing fees and ultimately canceled all six of its Marvel shows.

But now, the Mouse has revived Daredevil. But it’s not just “born again” because the show is back. More on that in a minute. For this recap, I have watched the first two of what I believe will be eight or nine for Season One (IMDB just says 17 will be made between this and next year).

The show begins peacefully, with our three friends – our hero Matt Murdock (played by Brit Charlie Cox) and his law partners Foggy Nelson and Karen Page – laughing and walking out of their office to a retirement party for a cop friend at Josie’s, a favorite watering hole. Matt and Karen enjoy drinks and conversation with Foggy chatting with local D.A. Kirsten Mcduffie.

But the peace comes crashing down when Foggy exits the bar to take a panicky phone call from a client he’s hosting at his apartment to keep safe. Matt – whose extra strong auditory skills allow him to cut through other clutter and hear at some distance – can tell Foggy is on a distressing call. He and Karen go to check on their friend, but Foggy takes a shot to the chest and is mortally wounded.

At this point, Matt races to get in uniform and goes after the shooter, who is none other than Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter, a.k.a. “Bullseye,” one of Daredevil’s legendary nemeses in the comics who also appeared in about a dozen episodes of the Netflix version. The two engage in an extended, single-shot fight scene – a staple of the original series – and Daredevil ultimately gets the better of Bullseye.

Matt is so enraged by the death of his best friend and his inability to control the situation that he throws the barely conscious Bullseye off the roof (probably a dozen stories high). The scene ends with Matt seeming to retire Daredevil, dropping his signature horned helmet from the roof for a slow-motion fall to the ground.

The next frame, which follows the credits, gives us “One Year Later.” An entrepreneurial independent reporter – BB Urich, a relative of our late friend Ben Urich from Season One of the original series – is interviewing people on the street about the absence of Daredevil. People feel the streets are less safe without him. And thus, when Daredevil inevitably makes his appearance, he will be “reborn.”

Matt seems to be doing well and has now partnered with Mcduffie, who has come over to the defense side from the D.A.’s office. But it’s clear Matt is still haunted by his inability to save his friend. He gives emotional testimony at Poindexter’s trial as the murderer just sits there without remorse. Karen also shows up for the trial right as Matt is stepping in to testify (but he can, of course, sense it is her in the back of the chamber). We learn she has moved to the Bay Area, I’m assuming because she and Matt couldn’t be around one another grieving Foggy.

Poindexter (who we see peel his bruised body up off the street somehow) is convicted and sentenced to life in prison, but I have a feeling they wouldn’t just re-introduce Bullseye only to take him out of frame for long.

Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk is back on the scene (played so expertly by the underrated Vincent D’Onofrio). He’s done his time and while away, his wife Vanessa has run his massive crime syndicate. They have some catching up to do relationally, as there’s tension over her infidelity and his being gone in general. This is complicated by the fact that Fisk asks Vanessa to keep running things because he has his sights set on “saving the city” in a run for Mayor of New York. He runs as tough on crime and sensationalizing bad crime rates and ultimately wins.

In Matt’s life, Mcduffie tricks him into a blind date (no pun intended – that’s what they’re called!) with a “client” who turns out to be a gorgeous therapist named Heather Glenn. She’s a love interest in the comics, which I didn’t remember and admittedly had to look up. They seem to hit it off, and it will be interesting to see what role she plays this season. Karen as well. Will she return to New York?

The highlight of E1 is a meeting Matt and Fisk agree to in a local diner. They had seen (Matt can certainly sense) each other on the street, and Matt then thanks him for finding the time to chat. They ultimately challenge each other – Matt warning Fisk that if he goes back to his old ways, he will rise to stop him. Fisk equally threatens action if attacked.

In E2, we’re introduced to Hector Ayala, a.k.a. “White Tiger,” another vigilante hero like Daredevil. He’s on the phone and has flowers in hand like he’s on his way home to his wife. He’s entering a subway platform and notices two men bullying a third man. He challenges them, and they tell him it doesn’t concern him. Undaunted, he starts fighting back against these two guys pretty successfully. One of them unfortunately trips on the platform, landing on the tracks where he’s crushed by an arriving train car. Only then does the other bully pull a gun on him and say, “NYPD.” But they hadn’t identified themselves as cops!  Oh, this is going to be an interesting case and one that surely calls for Matt Murdock to represent Ayala.

Of course, while awaiting trial at Riker’s Island, he’s messed with by guards and inmates alike who think he’s a cop killer. And several cops (including the arresting officer) show up for his arraignment, definitely out to see this guy pay for what happened to their colleague. The judge, not wanting to be seen as soft on crime against cops, denies him bail. It’s also noticeable that his wife doesn’t show up, which is perceived as a lack of support at home. Matt does get the judge to keep Hector’s life as White Tiger secret from the jury, but that seems to be all he can do for now. It also doesn’t seem to help that they hadn’t yet been able to track down the young man the two cops were pushing around. He’s the only witness! Thankfully, Matt finds out his name is Nicky Torres, and after following the arresting cop and overhearing they plan on taking Nicky out, goes to warn Nicky.

We finally get a solid fight scene when a couple of cops show up to try and kill Nicky. Matt – as Matt – puts on Daredevil’s moves and kicks some serious butt. He ultimately puts Nicky in protective custody with his and Mcduffie’s ally, A.D.A. Cherry.

On the Fisk side of E2, we see him frustrated by having to glad hand at a variety of meet-and-greets with groups around the city. He wants action. Well, on their way to one such event, they encounter traffic caused by a cratered highway area. Fisk sees some highway workers nearby and asks them to tend to the giant hole. They say they are awaiting approval, and Fisk says he’s giving it to them directly as mayor. He then takes advantage of cameras covering the traffic and boasts he’s a mayor who takes action.

He also grants a short interview to BB Urich back at the mayor’s office but balks at a question she asks about Vanessa. Viewers of the original series will recall Fisk had Ben Urich killed. So it will be curious how much patience he’ll have with young BB.

Oh, and in the most enjoyable twist/coincidence, who is serving as Fisk and Vanessa’s couples counselor? Heather Glenn of course!

Again, I’m so glad to have this Daredevil series back in my life. If you enjoyed the original series, I doubt you needed this recap for convincing. It has the same quality and anticipation as the original, and I can’t wait to see how this season plays out.

And that’s what Todd’s Watching.