Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, TV | Tagged: daredevil, daredevil: born again

Daredevil: Born Again Eps. 5-6 Review: Matt's Furious Return to Form

Daredevil: Born Again sees Charlie Cox's Matt embrace "The Man Without Fear" again, and D'Onofrio delivers another memorable Kingpin moment.

Disney+ released episodes five and six of Daredevil: Born Again simultaneously with Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) finally embracing the violence he was so cautiously tiptoeing around with futility. Episode five, "With Interest," sees Matt trying to get approved for a loan with a special guest cameo from Mohan Kapur, reprising his role as Yusuf Khan from the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, working at New York Mutual bank. After Matt leaves, a group of heavily armed thieves come into the scene, holding the bank and its occupants hostage. Hearing the commotion nearby, Matt returns to the scene to be that front line between the criminals and the hostages. The follow-up episode "Excessive Force" has Matt tracking the mask-wearing serial killer known as Muse, who paints with the blood of his victims on city walls. The following contains minor spoilers.

Daredevil: Born Again: A Tale of Two Powerful Stories and Return to Form for Cox's Matt Murdock

For most of the Disney+ series, Matt has been reluctant to don the Daredevil costume, given the fallout from the premiere episode, "Heaven's Half Hour," that cost him the life of his best friend, Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson). From there, Matt tries to live the straight and narrow, staying away from the vigilante life, even swearing to his arch-nemesis and newly-elected Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) that he's put "The Man Without Fear" behind. Matt becomes as discreet about his physical and tactical prowess as possible when fighting his foes, and it's also on display in this episode.

Ever the diplomat, Matt navigates the situation with ease and expected covertness. It's basically one part of Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and Die Hard (1988) with his precision in dealing with the gang. Directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (who directed the previous episode) and written by Grainne Godfree, "With Interest" hits all the appropriate notes in its predictability and cliches. The action never disappoints. Kapur's appearance is a great nod to the Imani Vellani-starred series that wasn't distracting and complements Cox. Also of note is Ruibo Qian's Det Angie Kim, who does a commendable job as that third major cog to drive the plot of the episode as the face of the police who deal with the criminals. Here's hoping they give her more to do in the series like this episode than previous entries.

"Excessive Force," directed by David Boyd and written by Thomas Wong, ties the loose ends from an earlier episode and the teases of the masked figure, and we finally get to know its nefarious vampiric intentions. It's not like the killer needs to feed on his victims, but it's to make a sadistic point with its murals across the city. We see Matt and Fisk dealing with the situation in dramatically different ways. It's not the video game by-the-numbers type of confrontation viewers of the original Netflix series are used to, but the build-up and fight are on par with the series.

Just as we see Matt finally embracing his alter ego fully, we see Fisk's husk cracking from his façade and delivering with the most brutal rage and bloody efficiency. It's quite a visceral moment. I'm also enjoying seeing Ayelet Zurer's Vanessa Fisk be as cold and calculating but as physically imposing as her husband. I can see potential in her character if she could pull off what Cristin Milioti's Sophia Falcone has done on Max's The Penguin. We also get a welcome meaningful cameo from Tony Dalton, who reprises his role as Jack Duquesne from Hawkeye.

I'm enjoying Daredevil: Born Again, where the narrative isn't driven as much by death and destruction as the previous series was. We don't get near the body count, but the action isn't any less meaningful. It feels like the series works more to earn the action and not deliver for the sake of it. The Netflix series served its purpose for what it was, but Born Again provides better nuance for that violence. It will be an interesting final three episodes of the season in the coming weeks.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 1 Episode 5 - "With Interest", Episode 6 - "Excessive Force"

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Review by Tom Chang

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8/10

Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio are back to fully embracing their alter egos with Daredevil: Born Again chapters "With Interest" and "Excessive Force." Just as visceral and intense as the respective moments are between our leads, Mohan Kapur and Ruibo Qian offer a welcome change of pace in their respective performances.

Credits

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Creators

Matt Corman, Chris Ord

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