'Daredevil: Born Again' Episodes 1, 2, And 3 Review
Image Source: Bluesky
After much anticipation, Daredevil: Born Again premiered March 4th, with a two episode premiere, followed by Episode 3 on March 11th. This continuation of the Netflix shows, which began airing in 2015, has been long awaited by many and has been hyped by the creative team in the weeks before the release of the new series. CultureSlate may be late in its review, but watching these three stories back to back has been a real treat, as we’ve enjoyed what we’ve seen so far.
WARNING: This review will contain MINOR spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again.
'Heaven’s Half Hour' And 'Optics'
At just under an hour long, followed by a 40-odd minute episode, the two-episode premiere of Daredevil: Born Again is a fascinating start to the series. It is also probably unique as a show in how it references events from shows that ended over half a decade ago, to more recent projects from the MCU released on Disney+, and then into its own world, building new characters and details as the result of the passage of time in this show.
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Image Source: Bluesky
We won’t go into the details of the plot since the first episode takes an enormous swing, and the series appears to be slowly unspooling its narrative from that starting point. Instead, we will focus on the characters, which for many means a return to the small screen after a departure for quite some time. Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock is an interesting case, as one of two major characters from the Netflix series to make the jump into other MCU properties in recent years. Appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk, Matt in this series has undergone a transformation that is triggered after the big swing in Episode 1. The path he is on now seems likely to change, too, but the process to reach that point is going to be slow and methodical.
A similar transformation has taken place with Wilson Fisk, played by Vincent D’Onofrio. A lot has happened with Fisk quite recently in the MCU, thanks to Hawkeye and Echo featuring the character, and his return here puts him at center stage from an early point. D’Onofrio continues to play Fisk fantastically, as there is a constant unease whenever he is on screen, accentuated by twitching hands and calloused knuckles. At any moment, Fisk feels like he could easily murder whoever he is talking to, be they enemy or ally, and that makes him an unnerving villain.
Many of the other characters who appear in the two-part opener are great, be they returning or new, with the cons of the opener instead falling on two issues: CGI and music choice.
There isn’t much CGI in the show, but when we do get it in Episode 1, it is rough and quite apparent. Alongside this are two songs, one near the start of the episode and the other at the end, which are jarring and don’t quite fit with the tone of the scenes they’re connected to. This is in contrast to the often excellent score, with many tense and good pieces of music composed for the series. But, despite those small flaws, the series gets off to a great start.
Rating: 8/10
'The Hollow Of His Hand'
Image Source: Bluesky
The third episode of the series carries the plot forward in big ways, continuing the focus from Episode 2 on Hector Ayala aka White Tiger, played by Kamar de Los Reyes. The court case involving his arrest and all the moving parts is, unfortunately, one of the most realistic elements of the show. As a man from Puerto Rico, he is painted with a broad, negative brush, and the ensuing trial over Episodes 2 and 3 also explores the power of corruption and intimidation in situations like this.
But we also see the symbolic return of one of the most notable characters from the original Netflix shows, the Punisher, as his iconography is across this entire case and pair of episodes. What he stands for and his ideals have seemingly spread well beyond himself and are now an issue that needs to be solved. How Episode 4 and beyond will tackle this character is uncertain, but there is no doubt he will prominently appear, and soon.
Rating: 9/10
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Source(s): Daredevil: Born Again
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