Main cast: Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil), Vincent D’Onofrio (Wilson Fisk/Kingpin), Margarita Levieva (Heather Glenn), Zabryna Guevara (Sheila Rivera), Nikki M James (Kirsten Mcduffie), Genneya Walton (BB Urich), Arty Froushan (Buck Cashman), Michael Gandolfini (Daniel Blake), Ayelet Zurer (Vanessa Fisk), and Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle/Punisher)
Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Sic Semper Systema, the fourth episode, has just rolled out, and it looks like Daredevil: Born Again is determined to be as slow-moving as possible, throwing out what could be a thrilling superhero drama into become what feels like an eternity of legal drudgery.
Turns out, yes, it really was Frank Castle, the Punisher, at the end of the previous episode. Here’s to his big return to the MCU! Exciting, right?
Well, don’t get too pumped. He’s here for, what, three scenes? Maybe two and a half? ADoes he do anything of significance? Of course not! Why should he, when this show is too busy trying to be The Wire but written by people who probably just skimmed the Wikipedia summary of The Wire?
Honestly, Jon Bernthal is likely laughing his way to the bank. Easiest paycheck of his career.
Once again, another episode, another poor, persecuted POC needing Matt Murdock, the white guy, to swoop in and save him from those cartoonishly corrupt WHITE NYC cops. At this point, it’s practically a drinking game.
The irony is that this episode, like the rest of the show, was penned by a group of white writers and produced by a white studio head, which makes the optics of this whole thing hilariously bad. But sure, Kevin and Company, keep telling yourselves you’re making Important Social Commentary.
Meanwhile, Matt spends this episode sulking, stomping around, and glaring into the middle distance as if that alone will resolve his moral turmoil. He’s so obviously going to suit up again as Daredevil, but we’re forced to sit through this dull meandering before we can get to the good stuff. The show acts like Matt is wrestling with some great, complex ethical dilemma, but in reality, it just feels like Padding: The Episode.
Once again, Vincent D’Onofrio is out here carrying this show. His Wilson Fisk is still the most engaging character on screen, even as the writers seemingly go out of their way to humiliate him. He’s subjected to what can only be described as a villainous hazing ritual—jumping through hoops to prove he’s reformed, gritting his teeth while people walk all over him, and (perhaps most humiliating of all) standing there as his cheating wife gets the show’s moral high ground.
Yes, Fisk is still groveling like some reformed ex-convict on Dr. Phil. Just waiting for the glorious moment when he snaps and reminds everyone why he’s called the Kingpin.
Assuming, of course, that Disney will let him have that moment. Wouldn’t want to overshadow the real stars of this show like… uh, the romantic-or-maybe-not subplot between two of Fisk’s associates, perhaps? Who? Exactly.
Ah yes, the Big Bad of the season. The terrifying Muse. You may be asking again, “Who?” and honestly, that’s fair. He’s introduced in this show with all the impact of a wet napkin landing on the floor, and the only reason I even remember he was in two episodes prior is because I checked IMDb afterward.
It doesn’t help that Muse’s introduction lacks any sense of weight or menace. The show really wants him to be this eerie, chaotic force of destruction, but instead, he just kind of appears like a bad Halloween decoration someone forgot to take down.
At any rate, four episodes in, and Daredevil: Born Again still feels like it’s spinning its wheels. It has no energy, no urgency, and no real sense of purpose beyond filling Disney’s content quota. At this point, Charlie Cox’s permanently miserable expression is the most relatable thing on screen.
Maybe things will pick up once we hit the retooled half of the season, but until then? You’re better off watching this episode on mute and just enjoying the aesthetics of Charlie Cox’s face. At least that never disappoints.
