Daredevil: Born Again Episode 9 Review

Warning: This review contains full spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again episode 9!

The first season of Daredevil: Born Again has been quite the rollercoaster in terms of quality, but boy does it end on a high note. The dueling storylines of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk have finally crashed together, exploding into numerous devastating developments that fundamentally change the trajectory of the show. Originally, Born Again was envisioned as one season with 18 episodes, but it’s been cut into two seasons instead, so it’s not a surprise that this finale ends on a cliffhanger. Yet with New York City now in Fisk’s clutches and Daredevil faced with his most impossible challenge, what a cliffhanger it is.

In an episode with several incredible highlights, my favorite has to be the reunion of Daredevil and Punisher. They are two polar opposites, with one showing his worst enemies mercy and the other making sure the bad guys meet the most gruesome end possible. And Frank Castle calling out Matt Murdock for saving Fisk’s life? Amazing. The apartment fight scene between the two heroes and Fisk’s task force is one of the most brutal ever put to the screen by Marvel. After so many episodes of buildup, it felt extra satisfying to watch.

Helping to balance out the rift between those two is Karen Page, whose return is most welcome. Her intimate connection to both Frank and Matt makes her the perfect person to reset tensions and refocus their efforts on what matters most. Matt listening to her heartbeat to intuit her true feelings was a very nice, very Daredevil touch, too.

Last episode, Murdock figured out it was Vanessa who arranged to have Foggy Nelson killed after he stumbled upon the Fisks’ plans for Red Hook. Getting to see how Vanessa manipulated Benjamin Poindexter by taking away his support systems, just like her husband did, adds the last piece of the puzzle to this season-long mystery. Best of all, Bullseye isn’t treated as just a gun for hire and is finally given back the nuance that made him such a fascinatingly tragic villain back in season three.

Fisk’s master plan to turn New York City into his own personal city-state is the kind of audacious supervillain scheme I can get into. It’s a dastardly plan comic-book fans have seen before – like when Bane did the same thing to Gotham City in The Dark Knight Rises – but this version feels like it has one foot in reality, making it all the more scary when we see how Fisk is able to threaten and brute force his way to ultimate power. I especially enjoy how Fisk has taken to wearing his signature white suit when making public appearances. Mayor Fisk and the Kingpin of Crime are now one in the same, and he’s no longer trying to hide it.

In fact, Fisk is so confident in his position of total control and feels so immune to consequences that he has no problem grabbing the head of the rebellious commissioner and squishing it like a melon. Gross! Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane had teased “There’s a moment in this [show] that is just absolutely batshit,” and he wasn’t kidding! That moment may very well go down as the most unbelievably violent act ever shown in the MCU. And I thought Matt breaking that dude’s knee back in episode five was bad!

As the episode wraps up in poetic fashion, it’s hard to imagine a way Daredevil could ever hope to win back the city. Murdock always had the law on his side, but what’s he to do when Fisk is able to bend and corrupt the law so that everything he does is legal? That’s the question we’re left with as we eagerly await season two. However, I do sincerely hope Daredevil recruits a few more notable faces for his “army.” As he waxed on about how the city without fear needed to resist, rebel, and rebuild, it felt like it was leading to a big reveal. I was expecting to see some of the Defenders such as Jessica Jones or Luke Cage, or maybe even Spider-Man or the new Hawkeye, since New York City is their home, too. But it ended up being just a few cops and allies, the same ones who just failed to stop Fisk.

Other Thoughts

• As if there weren’t enough crazy awesome moments in this episode, at long last the Punisher confronts Fisk’s task force and lets them know what he really thinks of them co-opting his symbol. On one hand, it’s key to hear Frank voice his disapproval by calling them a bunch of clowns. But I wish he would’ve gone one further and really hammer home why they fundamentally misunderstand what that skull represents.