The fifth episode of season two of Marvel Television’s “Daredevil: Born Again” doesn’t hesitate to get right into the action. The action this time, however, doesn’t involve Daredevil (Charlie Cox) or Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) fighting anyone.
The action in question is after Bullseye’s (Wilson Bethel) disruption at Fisk’s boxing match at Fogwell’s Gym last episode, Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) is quickly rushed to a nearby hospital to be treated for her head injury.
Daredevil and Bullseye manage to flee the Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF) in time and hide in a Catholic Church, one in which Matt had grown up and where his mother, Sister Maggie (Joanne Whalley), worked at.
The press is all over Fisk, Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan) and Daniel Blade (Michael Gandolfini) to see if Vanessa is either deceased or not. Fisk and Buck are able to evade the reporters, but Daniel accidentally gives information to BB Urich (Genneya Walton) concerning Vanessa’s state.
Half of this episode is cut between moments that occurred prior to the events of the first season of the previous Netflix “Daredevil” (2015–2018) show. Beloved fans of the original series will be more than delighted to see the return of Elden Henson’s Franklin “Foggy” Nelson and Toby Leonard Moore’s James Wesley, Fisk’s former fixer.
To be clear, these flashbacks aren’t just a way to include fan service. They actually do include some depth and nuance to the current storyline.
In these flashbacks, we learn that while working for Landman & Zack, Matt and Foggy are assigned a criminal case that involves one of the latter’s childhood neighbors, Lionel “Ray” McCoy (Nathan Wallace).
The attorney duo are able to get Ray released from jail, and later Foggy gives him he and Matt’s savings as a way to make a fresh start. At a different point in his life, Matt argues with Foggy that he shouldn’t try to get Ray released, as he is a man who has caused harm in the lives of innocent people.
Foggy’s counter is that even the lowest of people deserve a second chance at restarting their lives. Matt, while reluctant to accept Foggy’s action, does eventually understand in the present story regarding Bullseye.
Bullseye is the man responsible for Foggy’s death, and Matt, as Daredevil, attempted to kill him for doing so. But, Matt also wanted Fisk dead in the events of “Daredevil” season three, and he chose not to kill him as a way of showing mercy to someone he wanted dead.
That perfectly co-aligns with Matt’s situation with Bullseye. It’s a decision perhaps some viewers won’t enjoy, but it does make sense given what Matt has been through before and how he reacted.
The flashbacks also reveal how Fisk eventually met Vanessa when she still worked for an art gallery in New York City. Wesley arranges for this gallery to serve as one of Fisk’s fronts. The episode concludes with footage from season one of “Daredevil” where Fisk and Vanessa officially meet.
They are both admiring the painting “Rabbit in a Snowstorm,” and cutting back and forth between this scene is Vanessa flatlining at the hospital. Fisk and the doctors try to do what they can, but ultimately Vanessa does die amidst her severe head trauma.
What this episode does extremely well is engage without moving the plot significantly. The big story momentum changer is Vanessa’s demise. Without her presence, Fisk basically has the freedom to do whatever he can regarding Daredevil and all of the New York vigilantes.
There is not a single scene in episode five of fighting between the AVTF and Daredevil or Bullseye. It revolves around character drama and dilemmas, which is what makes storytelling rich to begin with.
Three episodes remain for season two of “Daredevil: Born Again.” Now that Vanessa is deceased, and Daredevil willingly saved Bullseye’s life, fans can only speculate on what is to come.
