Daredevil is easily one of the best superhero shows ever made. It really changed how the superhero genre could be portrayed, especially considering how light-hearted the movies were at the time. It was a shame when the show got cancelled after Season 3. Fortunately, it came as a huge relief when Daredevil was finally under the control of Marvel Studios and Disney. Now, Daredevil was a part of the MCU! Unfortunately, MCU movies and shows were starting to vary a lot in terms of quality. The first-ever R-rated Marvel show, Echo, was extremely underwhelming. Additionally, there was a lot of behind-the-scenes drama concerning Daredevil: Born Again, such as the original version being a soft reboot that ignored the Netflix series. Karen and Foggy were absent, and even Vanessa was recast. The original showrunner was then fired and replaced by Dario Scardapane. The show underwent a complete creative overhaul and was now pivoting to basically serve as a fourth season. Worries began to arise-would Disney do justice to Daredevil? Is Born Again a worthy successor?
Firstly, every returning actor from the original Netflix series continues to be phenomenal. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio deliver amazing performances as Daredevil and Kingpin, respectively. It's like they never left the roles. Jon Bernthal, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, and Wilson Bethel all return to their characters and are as great as ever. Special mention to Wilson Bethel, who delivers an even more unhinged and menacing performance as Bullseye. Ayelet Zurer was thankfully allowed to return as Vanessa, and she has excellent chemistry with Vincent, even though the plot explores tension between their characters. In terms of the new cast, most do a good job in the roles they're given-even if some roles are quite limited. Kamar de los Reyes as Hector Ayala is the biggest standout. He does a terrific job in a short amount of time, making the audience truly root for his character while revealing emotional depth. It's unfortunate he passed away before the show aired-he was truly amazing.
The cinematography in Born Again is very cinematic and significantly improved over the Netflix series. It's clear the show was given a larger budget, and it's used effectively. Certain scenes are shot like they're straight out of a movie. The way the aspect ratio changes when Daredevil starts using his powers was a very creative touch. The use of lighting to illustrate contrast-like red with Daredevil and blue with Bullseye-is lovely to see. There are also more licensed songs used, which might normally feel out of place, but here, they work well to enhance the emotional weight of the scenes. On that note, The Newton Brothers, the new composers, do a great job capturing the tone of Daredevil. Their remake of the classic Daredevil theme is extremely well done-I especially liked how they made it more melancholy compared to the heroic tone of the original.
In terms of story, the idea of Daredevil putting down the suit could've felt repetitive-since he kind of did that at the end of Season 2 and came back in Defenders. However, it's handled much better here and ends up being more compelling than it was in Defenders. Kingpin's decision to become mayor and supposedly a better man was also an interesting take, and I enjoyed seeing the new struggles he faces. Episode 1 and the final two episodes-clearly part of the new creative overhaul by Dario Scardapane-are easily the best of the season. These episodes truly capture the tone of the Netflix series and show us that Daredevil is back. As for episodes from the original vision, Episodes 2 and 3 are particular highlights. One issue I had with the Netflix series was the lack of focus on Matt Murdock as a lawyer. These two episodes finally give us that, and the court case ends up being one of the most engaging story arcs.
Unfortunately, some of the middle episodes from the original vision don't quite match the quality of the rest of the season or the Netflix series. The pacing can feel slow, and the tone leans too light-hearted at times. A fair number of these episodes lack action, and when action scenes do appear, they're often choppily edited. Episode 5 especially feels disconnected from the rest of the story and contains some of the weakest dialogue of the season. One new villain I was looking forward to was Muse, an incredibly creepy and unsettling character in the comics. While he shows promise and has creepy moments in the show, he ends up being a wasted character who doesn't come close to his comic book counterpart.
Some CG is used to make Daredevil more agile-closer to his comic depiction-which I appreciate, but it's noticeably rough. The use of green screen during rooftop scenes is also disappointing, especially compared to the Netflix series, which often filmed on actual rooftops. Episode 1, while great overall, includes a very odd CG smoke scene that feels out of place. My biggest gripe with Born Again is the new supporting characters. While Karen and Foggy thankfully return thanks to the creative overhaul, their roles are significantly smaller. Matt ends up with new supporting characters like Cherry and Kirsten, but they're nowhere near as compelling. There's little to no exploration of these characters or their dynamics with Matt, and they play very minimal roles in the story. Hopefully, Season 2 will develop them more, because right now, they're just... there.
Overall, Born Again ended up being way better than I expected. Considering all the behind-the-scenes drama, the fact that it turned out as good as it did is miraculous! Season 1 does feel like a 9-episode prologue for Season 2, but it does a great job of getting me hyped for what's to come. With Dario Scardapane in charge from the start of Season 2, instead of taking over mid-season like this time, I think there's a lot of potential going forward. Daredevil might be in the right hands after all.
