Last week’s episode of Daredevil: Born Again continued its streak of heartbreak. Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock spent most of the episode in lawyer mode, bringing about justice in a roller coaster of a case. Hector Ayala was found not guilty, but at the cost of his secret identity. Tragically, within minutes of him hitting the streets, The White Tiger is shot in the head by a man wearing a Punisher shirt. On the politics side of the episode, Fisk is learning the consequences of his new venture, with members of the Five Families starting conflicts and refusing to comply with his new orders.
Matt Murdock, attorney at law
This episode started eerily, with the iconic aspects of Ayala’s White Tiger suit being placed in evidence bags. After collecting the fallen’s belongings, Murdock was met with a devastated Angela Ayala, who desperately wants to see her uncle and demands retribution for his death. She firmly believes the police are behind his murder, protesting that they will never get justice because he is just a “Hector from the Heights.” Our broken hero did his best to comfort the girl, but even he seemed hopeless.
While standing on his roof holding his broken devil horn, Murdock received a call from his partner, Kristen McDuffie, and shared his concerns about Angela. She refocused him on their firm’s money problems and pointed him toward a new case—Leroy Bradford from the city docket, arrested for stealing five boxes of caramel corn from a bodega.
Murdock visited Bradford in jail, awaiting his arraignment for petty larceny. Bradford, who has a bad record, was combative with his lawyer, making jokes about his blindness and false claims about his arrest. One of his unhelpful comments included a mention of Skrulls, a word Marvel fans haven’t heard in quite some time. This references the 2023 miniseries Secret Invasion, which followed spy and former SHIELD director Nick Fury as he uncovered shape-shifting aliens within Earth’s population.
After a drawn-out conversation about philosophy and deterrence with a district attorney’s office member, Murdock was able to work a miracle and get Bradford’s sentence down to ten days. But on his way out, he encountered Officer Powell. He, of course, antagonised him, blaming the corrupt cop for Ayala’s death. They continued to trade threats, but what surprised the attorney the most was that Powell isn’t lying about not being involved in the murder.
Back at the jail, Murdock is again met with an unhappy Bradford, who reminded his counselor that ten days in prison could ruin his life. He shared that he missed a meeting the last time he went away for thirty days, and the government cut his benefits and food stamps. He had stolen the five boxes because he had been eating out of dumpsters and begging for food for months. One chilling line from the conversation was “They’re willing to spend five times more to lock me up than they are willing to spend to feed me.” Obviously, this conversation broke Murdock and forced him to accept that the system he continues to fight to defend as a lawyer is broken.
The Return of Frank Castle
In a moment of anguish, Murdock returned to the scene of Ayala’s murder and, using his enhanced senses, replayed the moment. He was able to find a bullet casing that had a skull—the Punisher’s emblem—engraved on it. This led him to a sketchy building, and down a poorly lit hallway to a building manager’s office.
There is no one other than the legendary Frank Castle, who automatically attacked his former defense attorney. After moments of their usual witty banter about the anti-hero’s murderous fanboys, Murdock brought up Castle’s unwillingness to serve and use his abilities for good. This triggers an argument, where The Punisher reminds ‘Red’ that he isn’t a hero, and that his service comes at an extreme cost.
Jon Bernthal’s character also began to poke holes in our hero’s reasoning, claiming he wants permission to be violent again. It reflected their conversation years ago, where the former Marine told Murdock that he was one bad day away from being him. Murdock remained calm and collected until Castle brought up Foggy Nelson, his fallen best friend. This reminder made him snap, punching his former client and then apologising for his reaction. Castle, as usual, remained solemn, comparing his loss to the loss of his son.
Fisk
In this episode, viewers first saw Wilson Fisk in couples therapy again. In this awkward entanglement, Vanessa and her husband finally acknowledge her affair with Adam. She told Doctor Glenn that what attracted her to the man was how different he was from her missing spouse, and that he made her feel alive. Fisk admitted to meeting with his wife’s lover, but claimed he never hurt him and has no idea where he is now.
Later, Fisk met his team at the ports in Red Hook, where he imparted his plan for rebuilding industry in the area. Sheila Rivera was, as usual, the voice of reason and reminded the mayor of the multitude of steps they would have to take to start a project this large. She also questioned his motives, since there had been three mob-related deaths in the area that month. Fisk, however, is determined and refuses to stand down from the idea.
The mayor’s day continued at a local school, where a children’s choir sang a rendition of We Built This City by Starship. However, this almost comedic performance was just the backdrop of a more concerning moment. Daniel was clubbing with BB Urich and a friend earlier in the episode. In a drunken haze, the mayoral staff member revealed Fisk’s plan to reduce garbage output using the ports. While at the school, Daniel learned that Urich had written an article about the leaked information and called Fisk a union buster. Rivera revealed this information to Fisk, who demands a meeting after an embassy visit, where a different choir hilariously sings We Built This City.
At the meeting, Fisk’s inner demons made an appearance. He threatened his staff until Daniel admitted to his failure and submitted himself to punishment. Surprisingly, Fisk took pity on the boy and didn’t fire him.
That evening, Fisk and Vanessa sat down for dinner and drinks. Vanessa brought up a comment that was made after their therapy session, about her feeling safe in their marriage. For the first time since they met, she questioned this. In true Kingpin fashion, Fisk monologued for a few minutes about his childhood and his father. He promised to continue to try to forgive, with the primary goal of returning to how things used to be. Vanessa, however, was unsure, reminding her husband that people change.
Parallels
The last few minutes of episode four were cinematic parallels of Daredevil and Kingpin. Murdock left his girlfriend and bed and headed to the roof, where his mask and suits were hidden. The fallen hero practiced his batons above the city he devoted his life to. At the same time, Fisk descended into a hidden cellar. In comparison, he was eating a large, glutinous meal, and a bloody and bruised Adam could be seen in chains, screaming. As the show progresses, we hope to see more of these iconic parallels between the two iconic characters, as they return to their former selves.
What is to Come
Two scenes within this episode were more shocking. A new villain has emerged, who many Marvel fans will recognise as the gruesome artist Muse. The masked, bloody murderer was seen taking people down to his hidden art studio in an abandoned subway stop and draining people of their blood. This introduction is evidence of what Hector Ayala had warned Matt of previously—that people were going missing, and nobody was doing anything about it. Viewers can expect Muse to be a continuous problem for Daredevil as the season continues.
Overall, this episode was a 9.5/10. The return of Frank Castle was worth the wait, and Murdock’s slow realisation that he is fighting a losing battle within the legal system is highly intriguing. The following episodes will definitely have us on the edge of our seats.
