The Netflix era of Marvel TV shows was a time that is looked upon fondly by many. The street-level escapades of characters like Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist provided a new perspective on the MCU (even if they were only tangentially related). The widely agreed-upon best series from this era was Daredevil, with many claiming it was the greatest superhero show ever made. I wouldn’t know because I never watched it (sue me), but I was aware that it was, apparently, really good. So, when it was announced that the series would continue on Disney+ with Daredevil: Born Again, I was excited to finally see what I was missing. Did Born Again win me over, or should I have just continued to be blissfully unaware of Hell’s Kitchen? Let’s find out.
While it’s a sequel to the OG show, this first season of Born Again doesn’t require much knowledge of what came before. This is good for someone like me, who hasn’t seen the Netflix show, to easily get into the series. This is best done in episode 1, where, in a few moments of dialogue between characters, you get the gist of their relationships and what people think of each other. It ain’t perfect, but it was enough to get me interested in learning more. And while you don’t need to have seen what came before, there are enough references and moments scattered throughout the nine episodes for fans to notice and enjoy.
However, just because something is easy to get into doesn’t mean it’s good or well thought out because, dear god, this season was a mess. Episodes 1, 8, and 9 are the most cohesive story-wise, including characters like Bullseye and a larger focus on the Daredevil/Kingpin dynamic. These were my favourite episodes of the season for those exact reasons, and if Season 2 could keep this vibe, it could be amazing. But the rest of the season wasn’t so lucky.
It’s been well documented at this point that there were extensive reshoots and rewrites during production, which is evident in the story and pacing across most of these episodes. The bulk of the story feels so disconnected from each other, with the only thing giving the season any sort of throughline being a scene or two.
This is felt the most when it comes to the Muse storyline, which is set up in the first two episodes and then isn’t revisited until episode bloody 6! And then, in the following episode, it’s all done, and nothing was achieved besides two kinda awkward-looking fights. This happens a lot throughout the season with half-baked storylines that don’t fit into the overarching story. They hurt the series’ pacing and instantly kill any momentum that gets built.
It’s frustrating because there is an interesting story here with Matt, Kingpin, Vanessa, and Bullseye, but they don’t do enough to make their stories in this season matter. Hell, even Jon Bernthal, as the Punisher, could only do so much to add some depth to this season. Now that they have a clear vision after all the reshoots, I’m hoping that Season 2 will be good, but I’m not getting my hopes up for now.
What was relatively consistent throughout the season were the performances, specifically Charlie Cox as Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin. These two were born to play these characters, and even as someone who is coming in blind (pun intended), you can just see their onscreen chemistry. Cox is fantastic at playing a blind guy, to the point where I thought he could actually be blind. I also loved how he could flip between beating up criminals and chatting up the ladies within a couple of scenes, and make me believe it’s the same guy. D’Onofrio is similarly amazing as Kingpin, and his performance was always a highlight whenever he was on screen. While I thought his arc was a tad underdeveloped, the emotion brought to the character was stellar.
The supporting cast doesn’t fare as well as the main duo, but they were serviceable enough. Matt’s new partners in crime, Cherry (Clark Johnson) and Kirsten (Nikki M. James), are paper-thin and boring, so much so that I forgot they existed half the time. They didn’t add much to the story, and the performances were ok at best. Muse was played very well by Hunter Doohan, and it’s a shame we didn’t get more of him. And then there’s Heather, Matt’s love interest, who was the most nothing character in the show. Margarita Levieva does her best, but nothing could save this character, I fear.
Lastly, Punisher and Bullseye are the best part of the show behind Daredevil and Kingpin. These two characters are excellent and bring the vibe I wanted every time they were together. Jon Bernthal perfectly encapsulates that paranoid but deadly Frank Castle, and I’m very keen to see The Punisher special next year. And Wilson Bethel, as Bullseye, should’ve been a key player for the whole season. Yeah, I know he was the main villain of Season 3 of the Netflix show, but why can’t he be the main baddie here as well (he’s freaking amazing)?
I had heard that the fights in Daredevil were outstanding, the peak of what TV could offer. And with all the interviews and articles hyping the fights up in this season, I was expecting masterpieces. Instead, I got ok, yet awkward-looking fights that had more cuts than a butcher shop. Like, just let the scenes breathe; there is no need to cut to a new angle whenever someone is hit. This is what threw me during the Muse fight in episode 7 because I got so disoriented from all the cuts that I forgot where the characters were a few times. And then, when you combine it with some sub-par CGI, you’re left with rather underwhelming fights.
Daredevil: Born Again was a fine enough watch. The story was fine but plagued with momentum and consistency issues that I just couldn’t get over. Some of the characters were outstanding, and others were easily forgotten as soon as their scenes ended. And the action was ok at best and downright ugly at worst. I finished this season with a meh feeling towards it, and if it weren’t for the Watching Now Podcast, I would’ve probably stopped watching halfway through. Season 2 will be do or die for Born Again, and I hope they can stick the landing.
Did you watch Daredevil: Born Again? What did you think? Have you watched the Netflix show? Let us know in the comments where we can talk about all things, Daredevil.
