by Nick Ferro, Editor
The MCU is a hotly debated topic these days and some might argue it’s brave to attempt to review anything from that camp. But since I love the MCU 3000, warts and all, I shall endeavor to give an objective view of the sophomore season of Daredevil: Born Again. The trades are reporting that the viewership for season two were down from season one, and if I’m being honest, I can understand why. Season one was plagued with the dreaded “behind the scenes drama” which resulted in a complete creative team change and the decision to split a single 18-episode season into two seasons of nine and eight episodes respectively (and possibly one Punisher special presentation, although I can’t prove that, despite the math… mathing). And the results of season one speak for themselves, with an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. Personally, I was pretty middling on season one and took a “wait and see” attitude considering they were only halfway through the story. But, I probably wouldn’t have tuned in to watch season two right away if we hadn’t been covering the new season on the podcast.
Daredevil: Born Again season two picks up a few months after season one left off with Matt (Charlie Cox) and Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) in hiding while Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) is slowly corrupting New York city from his new position of power. When a shipment of illegal weapons that Fisk was smuggling through his Red Hook freeport, is sunk in the harbor a race for Daredevil to reveal Fisk’s corruption begins. I would love to say that the season kicks off with a bang, but I have a very strong suspicion that the opening of this season was part of the original production team’s work. The show sleepwalks through it’s first few episodes as though it assumes the audience has completely forgotten or didn’t bother to watch season one. While I personally was not interested in re-watching season one to refresh myself, it was almost insulting how repetitive the dialogue was in the opening two episodes and it was clear that the new showrunners knew this as well because they even dropped episodes two and three together on the same night. Thankfully the end of episode three has a pretty fun action scene after a decent courtroom scene which really showcased where everyone stands going into this eight-episode season. However, if you’re like me, you may have noticed that episode three of eight isn’t a great place to start your second season after leaving off on a cliffhanger.
Thankfully as the season reaches its halfway point it really picks up with a good helping of improved writing and story beats. Episode five, my favorite of not only this season but even among the original Netflix show (of which this is a continuation), was outstanding. Using “Lost” style flashbacks to emphasize the plot movements of the present is a storytelling device that appeals to me. Not only did they expertly use it here to elevate what I had been considering a lackluster story, they did so by putting the focus on the character of Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) who is by all rights the heart of the Daredevil show in its entirety.
Which brings me to my biggest issue with the show: Killing Foggy in the first episode of season one was a mistake. He is so vital to what makes this show good because he is essentially Matt’s conscience. Losing that has left Matt/Daredevil in a holding pattern of uncertainty which hurts the show in the long run. Additionally, by removing Foggy it created a vacuum which the writers needed to fill with other characters, none of which were interesting or had as much interaction with Matt to fill that void. I understand that the original team’s task was to create a new show that was not canonically beholden to the events of the Netflix show. It was meant to be an MCU alternate timeline and the decision to canonize the Netflix shows happened mid production. With too much already filmed the decision to bring back Karen and Foggy was last minute and it shows even this deep into the second season. As a result, we are left with two very uneven seasons of television.
I will say that the overall quality of the show improved in the second half of the second season but the question: “is this too little, too late?” was never far from my mind. To some, I am sure it won’t be, because as long as the showrunners can right the ship and keep on course, the early missteps can be overlooked. But for me personally, I take the show as a whole and I can’t help but grade them as such. Right now, Born Again is operating, for me, at a 41% with less than half it’s total episodes leaving me with positive feelings and that is a failing grade on any test. Can another season bring up the average? Maybe. But with the nature of streaming television these days being 6-10 episodes, unlike the shows of the past with their 20 plus episode seasons, it feels unlikely. If you only have eight episodes to tell a story, you shouldn’t be futzing around for three rehashing last season events to catch up an audience who should already be caught up. Likewise, if you don’t have a full season of story to tell, I think maybe it would have been better to simply make a movie. Which is a complaint the MCU has been getting a lot when it comes to their television adventures. Most of their shows are just unnecessarily long movies too short to be a true television experience. While some shows like WandaVision, She-Hulk, and Agatha All Along are perfect for the TV format, I really feel that Marvel needs to stop trying to make miniseries to introduce new characters.
The rest of the second season, as I said, played out better than it opened, with the return of fan favorite Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and the tease of a Defenders reunion for season three, there definitely is a lot to look forward to based on the ending. However, I don’t know if taking this particular journey is worth the ending we are given. While season one really painted a picture of how corrupt politicians can radicalize public opinion through weaponization of media, lies, and finding a minority class to misdirect blame (in this case vigilantes). Season two focuses less on the how of the corruption and more on the surface level of how it affects only our heroes. You would have to be living under a rock to not see the parallels of season one’s story with our real-world circumstances in 2025 (substitute New York for American and Mayor for President). I felt like this season didn’t pack as big a punch as it could have and the parallels were much messier (looking at you discount Jan 6th scene). Sure, there is clear evidence of corruption as displayed by the tribunal of judges doing Fisk’s bidding, but we never see the why they are just kowtowing to the corruption. A better show would have spent more time focusing on just how smart and evil Fisk is and what he has on these people to ensure their obedience. This show just says, “Fisk is the Kingpin, you get it, no need to go deeper.” But one could argue that is why we watch TV shows, for the deeper story. You have more time, use it! I also felt like Ian Malcolm looking around Jurassic Park asking, “you do plan on having Matt Murdock and Daredevil in your Daredevil show?” because he was barely present throughout. The show was much more intent on focusing on Daniel (Michael Gandolfini) and BB (Genneya Walton) or Heather (Margarita Levieva) and Buck (Arty Froushan). Characters who I had barely any care for or connection to because of their lack of story or purpose leading up to the penultimate episode of this season when they finally started to become interesting.
Overall, Daredevil: Born Again season two missed the mark for me, however if you can get past that which I could not, I think you can still have a decent time. There are plenty of brutal fights, some decent courtroom drama, and enough parallels to our real world to hopefully wake people up to the corruption around us. The message of together we the people can fight corruption and bring to justice those who would only seek to enrich themselves is ever present. Ultimately, that is what Daredevil stands for and Born Again does deliver on that message, even if it had some trouble making it clear.
Rating: High Side of Just Okay
Daredevil: Born Again is available to stream on Disney+
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