*Spoilier Alert*
For those who have been binging “Daredevil: Born Again” since its release back in March, a protruding question has been raised as more episodes continue to be released: where exactly is Daredevil?
The past three episodes of the series vehemently centered towards a more courtroom drama-based atmosphere accustomed to Matt Murdock rather than the superhero action-thriller of his Daredevil persona. Although being a lawyer remains an important aspect to the character of Murdock, fans rightfully speculated that he was going to take up the role of the defender of Hell’s Kitchen once again due to his last appearance as Daredevil in the first episode.
But with the concurrent release of episodes five and six, the show confirms fan speculations. Moreover, the two episodes articulate the inevitable return of Daredevil in such an entertaining and compelling way that it could easily push the series into becoming the best Marvel show out there.
Episode five of “Daredevil: Born Again” revolves around a bank robbery that Murdock — by both luck and choice — becomes involved in. With the help of Yusuf Khan, an assistant bank manager and more importantly, the father of Ms. Marvel, Murdock must find a way to diffuse the situation without putting any other lives at risk. With the absence of his Daredevil costume, Murdock’s circumstances become all the more dangerous as he has nothing to protect himself or his identity.
Episode six takes a darker turn as the artist and serial killer Muse’s deranged murders come to light. As the body count grows higher and the threat of his friends becoming victims becomes evermore present, Murdock must don the Daredevil costume once more in order to put an end to Muse’s killing spree.
Episodes five and six of “Daredevil: Born Again” offer an exciting rebuttal to the conversation-led drama seen from the previous episodes. Although these episodes aren’t directly related to each other in terms of premises, it’s evident how the situations that Murdock is placed in further force him to accept his destiny as Daredevil.
The two episode arc succeeds in balancing out action and drama with a bit of comedy brought by the appearance of Yusuf Khan. They also do an excellent job with the fight choreography; one of the most brutal fight scenes takes place near the end of episode five.
Episode six leans into its horror atmosphere with grace, especially painting (no pun intended) Muse as an otherworldly beast capable of taking numerous hits and contorting in inhuman ways. Additionally, the episode also does a surprisingly superb job of displaying the primal anger and ferocity that Murdock has bottled up over the last three episodes.
Although these seem to be solid episodes, releasing them together may be seen as peculiar given their largely different tones and lack of connection in terms of plot. Although fun to watch, episode five undoubtedly serves as filler content that would’ve been more appropriate as a Marvel special presentation.
Although reasonable given his circumstances, Murdock’s return as Daredevil seems a bit too quick for viewers to savor. Similarly, the show’s focus on Muse, whose plotline was placed in the backseat, is somewhat sudden and underdeveloped.
One of the most blatant abnormalities stems from episode six’s shoddy visual effects that occur during one of its most imperative scenes. Despite their flaws, episodes five and six work to exemplify Murdock’s character as he willingly places himself in harm’s way, with or without his costume.
These episodes serve as effective causes for Murdock to come to terms with who he is. But since all causes come with effects, it is only inevitable that Frisk is now in the crosshairs of Fisk and his newly established anti-vigilante force.
Verdict: Episodes five and six are just as captivating as they are quintessential when it comes to understanding the character of Daredevil. With only three episodes left, the show leaves the reemerging devil of Hell’s Kitchen to determine his next move, knowing that he’s now on the wrong side of the law.
