DrewNote: Things are getting very, very real on the streets of New York City, as an old friend lends Matt a hand, Karen begins to unravel, and Fisk says farewell to the last vestiges of his humanity.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THIS EPISODE — IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE EPISODE, DO THAT FIRST
In “Requiem,” episode six of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, we see Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) grieving. His wife Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) lies dead, injured in a fight with Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) and Daredevil (Charlie Cox). The doctor who failed to save her offers condolences… and is promptly murdered.
Somewhere outside of the city, a young girl plays with a flash-bang grenade while her mom rips through a team of hired killers. The mom? None other than Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), private detective, ex-superhero, and now single suburban mom, who admits to Matt later than her powers seem to be… erratic. But she’s still there to help him give the bad guys a beatdown.
As Fisk sets a rose atop his wife’s casket at her funeral, Matt and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) are fighting over priorities. Karen has had enough of watching people she loves die while their killers are allowed to live. It sets the two on opposite sides of a line Matt won’t cross, now that he’s saved Bullseye’s life.
Meanwhile, Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini) and his best friend B.B. Urich (Genneya Walton) are at a crossroads as well. Daniel believes B.B. might be behind the “City Without Fear” viral videos; Fisk’s right hand man Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan) suggests feeding her a story to see if it comes out, which is all the proof they’d need. Daniel is desperately conflicted, however, wanting to save B.B.’s life even as he’s sure she’s betrayed him. Fisk is notoriously unforgiving about things like that.
Fisk’s woes multiply when Daredevil and Jones destroy a warehouse in Staten Island where his arms shipment has been stashed. The shadowy Mr. Charles (Matthew Lillard) is not only upset, he’s driven to help the governor of New York with her “City Hall problem.”
As trouble boils over on the street, Daredevil finds Fisk to offer a deal: both of them walk away. Fisk, nearly mad with grief and rage, says that that’s not what either of them want–and thus begins what might be their last fight.
Okay, this is a pretty thorough recap, so let’s get into what it all means in the context of the story.
First, welcome back, Jessica! She’s got a daughter named Danielle, no mention of the father (though in Marvel Comics, the dad is Luke Cage), but she’s still an investigator. Ritter hasn’t lost a step, even though it’s been a minute since she was in Jones’ trademark leather jacket and torn jeans. We don’t know what’s been going on, except that she’s been keeping her head down, was promised that trouble wasn’t going to find her, and that the killers she crushed weren’t (officially) part of Fisk’s Anti-Vigilante Task Force. Does it matter? Not really–killers are killers.
Second, kudos to Michael Gandolfini. He’s playing Daniel as a genuinely sweet, compassionate guy who’s gotten a taste of where ambition might take him. He’s swimming with sharks–he found that out last episode, when he had to help Buck bury a dead body–and along with that realization comes the grim certainty that he could end up dead as well. He’s giving a tremendous performance and should not be overlooked among this powerhouse cast.
Next, gotta give it up for the tag team of Cox and D’Onofrio. The latter had a lot to do this episode, giving rein to Fisk’s unbearable grief as it turns into violence–the only way he has to exorcise his demons–and as a result he’s become one of Marvel’s great villains. Cox, meantime, walks that tightrope between what Daredevil ought to do, what would be easiest, and what his battered morality will allow him to do. It is going to cost him dearly, hanging onto his soul, and others may end up paying that price.
Wilson Bethel continues to be the series’ secret weapon. His short scenes in this episode drive home that he might have a skewed view of the world, but he won’t tolerate being someone else’s catspaw. Bullseye has become a breakout in this show and Bethel deserves more time in the MCU to show what he can do.
One neat scene shows Dr. Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) exorcising demons of her own (in this case, her near-death at the hands of serial killer Muse (Hunter Doohan) last season) by nearly strangling a willing, empathetic Buck. The two have a weird understanding and his willingness to help her humanizes a character who’d been little more than a remorseless killer to date.
Finally, it’s a nice visual metaphor that Daredevil’s costume gradually has the black coating peeled away, revealing the red (aka Murdock’s heart) beneath. He entered this fight wanting revenge or justice, whichever would come first, but now… now it’s a fight for the soul of New York.
With two episodes left to go, Daredevil: Born Again is going to places no Marvel film or TV show has gone, plumbing into depths of raw emotion and violence that set it apart and above. It’s worth watching and rewatching, if only to appreciate what a fine experience it is.
Highly recommended.
