While Daredevil fans have been gifted with minor cameos and drop-ins from the Hell’s Kitchen Crusader for a few years now, it has been a while since the iconic red title screen has graced our screens. The original series ended with a battle between former FBI agent Benjamin Poindexter, Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin, and our title hero Matt Murdock’s Daredevil. Fisk breaks Poindexter’s back in this dramatic conclusion, leaving him paralyzed. Murdock defeats Fisk for the final time and ushers him back to prison.
One thing that made the Netflix series so special was the relationship viewers saw grow between Murdock and his friends/co-workers Foggy Nelson and Karen Page. When we last saw the iconic trio together, they were still over on Netflix, drawing up plans on napkins for their new law firm—Nelson, Murdock & Page. It was a sweet ending that showed how much had changed since the show’s start while also giving fans hope for the future.
There will be spoilers from here on out for “Heaven’s Half Hour.”
A Broken Trio
The first fifteen minutes of Daredevil: Born Again preyed on our nostalgia and emotional connection to the law firm trio and then turned it on its head. It starts with Murdock, Nelson, and Page heading to Josie’s Bar after a long day at their law firm, walking past the sign they designed all those years ago. Their conversation was melancholy, reminiscing on how the years had changed New York City and their beloved Hell’s Kitchen. The following scene at Josie’s is like a blast from the past, with Murdock and Page subtly flirting while Nelson tries his best to impress prosecutor Kirsten McDuffie. Things, however, quickly fall apart.
Nelson is lured outside by a phone call, where he falls victim to a scheme by recovered Benjamin Poindexter, who has completed his transformation into the well-known Marvel villain Bullseye. While Matt runs off to help one of their clients, Nelson is shot in the chest. This is followed by what the original show was notorious for: a vicious and bloody one-shot hallway fight scene between Bullseye and Daredevil up the endless staircase above the bar. Down below is a heartbreaking visual of Page sobbing as she realises Nelson has died. Murdock hears his best friend’s heart stop and, in despair, throws his opponent off the roof. The traumatic cold open finishes with Cherry, a former police detective, running out onto the roof to see Murdock removing his mask and tossing it onto the street.
After a brand new opening sequence, which featured images of the Daredevil mask turning to stone, breaking, and eventually rebuilding, we see Murdock one year later. He works at a new firm, far from Hell’s Kitchen, with former prosecutor McDuffie as his partner and Cherry as his investigator. After sharing his heart-wrenching experience as a victim impact statement at Poindexter’s sentencing, Murdock meets Page outside, whom he hasn’t spoken to in months. His former love interest now lives in San Francisco and is still coping with the loss of her friend along with the distance Murdock placed between them after the incident. It is clear that she has yet to forgive him for abandoning her and his mantle of Daredevil during this harrowing time.
The Return of Kingpin
On the other side of the law, the Five Families are still controlling the city’s underbelly, but this time, they are headed by Vanessa Fisk. Since her husband’s departure following his severe injury in the show “Echo,” she has been in charge of his illegal business operations. This, however, comes to a halt when he crashes their meeting to inform her that he plans to step away from crime and run for mayor. She is less than pleased but goes along with his plan.
Still played by Vincent D’Onofrio, Fisk announces his candidacy in a theatrical broadcast, denouncing the chaos and lawlessness that has taken hold of the city he loves. Although his campaign managers warn him to refine his message, his polls are high, and a young member of his staff named Daniel Blake informs him that “Fisk Can Fix It” is trending. This is supported by video clips filtered throughout the episode, which feature New Yorkers critiquing city safety and its former defenders’ disappearance. The creator of these videos is BB Urich, whose name is strangely familiar to fans of the original series.
Fisk’s rise in popularity and power concerns Murdock, who seeks him out after a campaign event. They sit down for a nostalgic but slightly threatening chat at a diner, where they reminisce about their history, the changes that have overwhelmed the city, and Fisk’s political aspirations. The former crime boss confirms that he had no part in Nelson’s death while questioning Murdock on his vigilante status. Together, they make an alarming deal – Fisk promises to maintain his integrity and never return to his old criminal ways, while Murdock swears never to serve as a vigilante again.
The episode ends with Fisk winning the election and hundreds of New Yorkers gathering in the streets to celebrate a new leader. At this time, Murdock is on a date with therapist Heather Glenn, with whom he shares a romantic kiss before taking in the political turmoil he expects will follow. The final scene is a cinematic shot of the vigilante standing in red, hellish light, looking up to the sky, and Fisk basking in angelic white, peering down at his new territory. This conclusion leaves us with a sense of uncertainty about Murdock’s future and the potential chaos that Fisk’s leadership may bring.
Overall
The rank of this episode is 7/10. It was a rollercoaster of heartbreak and happiness, destruction and rebirth. We saw the show we once knew and loved get ripped apart at the seams and are now slowly watching it be put back together. At first, the consequence of a complete cast change and rebranding was unsettling. The original trio and Hell’s Kitchen setting were what gave the show life, and losing that made it harder to connect to. However, the captivating dynamic between Murdock and Fisk reignites the passion of the original series and keeps us asking for more.
