Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 Episode 5 & 6
Episodes five and six of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ are two fantastic episodes, with five delivering a tense bottle episode and episode six showing Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk give in to their darker sides.
Taking episode five of ‘Born Again’ first, here audiences get an episode that is largely disconnected from the plot, but isn’t disconnected from the themes of the show. Murdock is a willing hostage of a bank heist, as he and Yusaf Khan (a fantastic connection to Ms. Marvel) have to work together to survive and defuse the situation. It’s full of tension, as while audiences know that Murdock won’t be shot by one of the multi-coloured robbers, any of the other hostages might (including Khan). This episode does have very small moments of levity, moments of humour that stem from the characters and which don’t undermine the serious situation at hand. It’s also a great showcase of Matt’s sensory abilities, with it being clearly highlighted and telegraphed to the audience. It’s a feat to visualise hearing powers.
The police, naturally, attempt to defuse the situation, but unfortunately their hostage negotiator isn’t as skilled enough, and they give up and go in guns blazing. If Murdock hadn’t been present to defuse the situation from the inside, then some of those hostages would have undoubtedly died, another illustration of how the system isn’t up to scratch and fails the people it’s meant to serve. It’s something that ‘Born Again’ has shown time and time again, and no doubt continues to do so. It’s the best episode of the series so far, as while it doesn’t advance the main plot, it adds a lot of tension into proceedings, has a meaningful and worthwhile cameo, and does add to the overall themes of the show.
Episode six returns to the main story, and drives it forward significantly. Fisk’s conflict with the NYPD grows as they’ve let serial killer Muse operate right under their noses, spreading his gore-filled graffiti across the city unimpeded while people are going missing left right and centre. It’s Fisk’s opportunity to gain a direct foothold in them, as he establishes his own anti-vigilante task force, mostly assembled from cops who idolise The Punisher and so take things too far. While this force right now has Muse firmly in their sights, it’s clear that in future they’ll turn their attention to vigilantes who are doing good, like Daredevil.
Fisk has other problems, such as gangs refusing to do as they’re told, and, in a delightful scene, fundraising. Fisk clearly has no time for any of the 1% who finance his campaigns, with Vincent D’Onofrio making Fisk squirm as he’s under pressure and watching his development plans crumble. This is one situation where Fisk is out of his element, and so by the end he takes his anger out on Adam, established earlier in the series, as he returns to his old domineering ways. It’s clear that Fisk will return to his old approaches of manipulation and intimidation after this, gone is the Fisk that tried to change.
Matt Murdock is in turn going through his own struggles, with his paralysing inner turmoil displayed perfectly by Charlie Cox. His girlfriend makes him squirm by asking about vigilantism, with a hint that she suspects Matt and Daredevil have something to do with each other. Furthermore, Hector Ayala’s daughter begs Murdock to take action against Muse, but Murdock is at first cautious, sticking to his belief that the system will come through and stop Muse. That belief is shattered when she goes missing, captured by Muse for his sick and disturbing plans, which forces Murdock to return to Daredevil.
This leads to a much better action sequence than the first episode. The choreography is tight, easy to see, and inventive. Tortured roars from Cox add to the idea that Murdock is not enjoying this, that he must do this, making the scene all the more intense. Hopefully this fight against Muse isn’t over, as a character he’s able to draw both Fisk and Murdock onto a collision course with each other and it would be a shame to lose that too quickly. Editing wise, this fight is weaved in with Fisk’s beatdown with Adam, as both Fisk and Murdock are giving into their darker sides. They’re shown to be using similar moves, with Fisk’s obviously packed with more weight. It’s another way to tie these characters together.
Overall, ‘Born Again’ manages to deliver a stellar pair of episodes, with episode five in particular being a standout. Tense moments, brutal action, and the development of the themes all push this season forward. Both Cox and D’Onofrio showcase their characters going through immense inner turmoil as they’re driven back to their former selves, hurtling to an eventual confrontation with each other.
