'Daredevil: Born Again' - Complete season 2 review
Matt Murdock leads a resistance against Mayor Wilson Fisk's regime in the second season of 'Daredevil: Born Again' (premiering on Disney+ starting March 24)
In short: Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and his allies hide in the shadows after Mayor Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) locks down New York City under martial law.
As always, this is a spoiler-free review which will omit any and all character cameos, plot twists and story details - so feel free to read away without worrying about ruining any surprises.
Masked vigilantes are being hunted. Season two finds Manhattan completely under the control of the Kingpin as the mayor abuses his powers to jail his enemies and exploits the city to enrich himself. Whereas the first season took its time in nudging Murdock and Fisk back into their alter egos, the second season has them at the height of their personas as Daredevil defends the city from a seemingly all-powerful Kingpin.
It's impossible to ignore the parallels between real-life events and 'Born Again.' Fisk's private Anti-Vigilante Task Force shocktroops answer only to the Kingpin as they brutally enforce the mayor's fascist laws in the name of safety. Inevitably, normal everyday New Yorkers are disappeared by Task Force squads, taken to a facility unbound by municipal laws and seemingly without due process. 'Born Again' deserves credit for crafting a cautionary and timely allegory unafraid to acknowledge the dangers of a tyrant in political power.
After years of seemingly disregarding the Netflix seasons of 'Daredevil,' season two seems to fully embrace and canonize these bloody and violent earlier chapters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even more so than the first season, which affirmed 'Born Again' would adhear to the predecessor's take on graphic violence, this second season cements the connective tissue between the Netflix shows and the current MCU.
This follow-up season is one episode shorter than last season, and this is for the best. Eight episodes allows the story to develop at an exciting clip - if anything, tightening up the story and reducing this season to seven episodes might have tightened up the pacing just a little bit. Unlike season one, which reset the main players and the city, season two is laser-focused on the corrupt and violent mayor's reign of terror.
Cox and D'Onofrio are the definitive Daredevil and Kingpin - that’s just an objective truth at this point. Deborah Ann Woll and Wilson Bethel get to have fun adding new dimensions and depth to Karen Page and Bullseye - they’re far more than just Matt Murdock’s girlfriend or Daredevil’s assassin nemesis this time around. Michael Gandolfini and Genneya Walton have their own tangential plotlines as Fisk’s protégé Daniel and alt journalist BB Urich - but Gandolfini is a far more intriguing character conflicted between his aspirations and morality, whereas BB feels more like a plot device who gets to post inflammatory but entertaining antiauthoratarian underground posts. And one of the best decisions the MCU has ever made was retaining Ayelet Zurer to play Vanessa Fisk, the soft-spoken, even tempered wife of Wilson Fisk who is every bit as ruthless and cunning as the Kingpin.
Rest assured, 'Born Again' season two wraps up the Mayor Wilson Fisk storyline. This is great news for TV show fans who prefer compact storylines - and MCU nerds who might be worried how 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' could possibly take place in a Manhattan wth the Kingpin as the mayor. With a third season in the works, 'Born Again' leaves the main characters in intriguing spots that set them up for new chapters.
Final verdict: Thank god for the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. 'Daredevil: Born Again' continues to be one of the most compelling entry in the post-'Endgame' MCU.
Score: 4/5
'Daredevil: Born Again' season two premieres on Disney+ on March 24. New episodes are available on Disney+ on Tuesdays.
