Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 Episode 3 Review
Matt Murdock is the type of lawyer who will alway fight for what’s right, even if that means displaying the kind of theatrics that would get him thrown out of court outside of the Marvel Cinematic University. This is perfectly demonstrated in episode three of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ as Murdock attempts to keep Hector Ayala out of prison.It’s an episode that is emotional as it is slightly drawn out, with a shocking twist at the end.
Episode three of ‘Born Again focuses on the trial of Hector Ayala, also known as the vigilante the White Tiger. Played by the late Kamar de los Reyes, he has an emotional journey throughout the episode, even as he talks about the simple joys of his home like the frogs. His voice, him crying, it’s full of the terror of prison and then the absolute joy of him winning his case and then being set free.
Of course, that joy doesn’t last. Hector’s death is shocking and abrupt, gut punching the audience. It’s an effective way to bring The Punisher into the show, as he will surely have something to say about the NYPD appropriating his symbol as a justification for police brutality. Hopefully audiences won’t have too long to find that out as the show approaches the halfway point. It will likely be the breaking point for Murdock, as he attempted to put his trust in the system, and even after it showed him its goodness, that was ripped away from Murdock in an instant.
Fisk unfortunately doesn’t gete too much to do in this episode, though he is forced to reckon with his old life catching up to him as he attempts to make a clean break as mayor. His path mirrors Murdock’s, as he puts faith in the gangs destroying themselves rather than him having to go and do it. Fisk’s wife however clearly wants him to return to his life of crime, which leads to another session of couple’s therapy, which is weird to see Fisk in. But the few scenes audiences do get to see Fisk as mayor allow Vincent D’Onofrio to continue to put his mark on the screen. The monologue he delivers for the BB Report for example contains menace to it, as Fisk mocks the justice system that let an innocent man go.
Matt Murdock spends his time proving why he’s an ace attorney in court in defence of Hector, as most of the episode revolves around the trial. For the most part, it’s well written and makes general legal sense, though it would have been better if audiences understood why Nicky Torres seemingly flipped on Murdock for no clear reason. His arrival was certainly tense, with the show keeping audiences unsure if he would even make it trial.
There are a couple things though that do seem a bit far-fetched, such as when Murdock completely throws Hector’s secret identity of the White Tiger into the open for all to hear, not only contravening his own legal rules but also putting Hector at risk. And this risk would be very well known to Murdock of all people, but he still proceeded without even asking Hector. This seems like the type of behave that would get Murdock in some serious trouble, more so than the stern talking to from the judge. It’s a tough line to walk between complete theatricality and realism, something that the show strayed a little too far from.
Overall, this episode, while less action orientated, gave audiences largely competent courtroom drama with enhanced theatrics, with an emotional gut punch at the end. It raises the stakes going forward, as NYPD officers continue to go above and beyond the law and subvert the system they’re supposed to fight for. While Fisk doesn’t get a lot to do, his dialogue at the end hinted at the menace to come from the man in future.
