From Karen Page’s trial to the terror certain characters are faced with, Daredevil: Born Again season 2, episode 7: “The Hateful Darkness” does exactly what it should as the penultimate episode of the season. The excess of storylines is felt once again, as it was in the last episode. But it does feel clearer as to how everything is coming together and pushes the narrative into position for the season finale.
Guess Who’s Back, Back Again?
Matt Murdock is missing no more. Earlier in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, Fisk publicly called for Matt to be found. But perhaps this is how Fisk learns to be careful what you wish for.
Returning at Karen’s trial as her attorney, Matt is back in the public eye — literally. Newscrew cameras at the event aired live footage of his reappearance, so everyone knows he’s back and the manner of his return. This doesn’t look good for Fisk, though. Because now the narrative isn’t about Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer who took a bullet for him and saved his life. It’s about Matt Murdock, the lawyer who is defending so-called vigilante Karen Page and firmly standing against Fisk and his Anti-Vigilante Task Force. That return is exactly the kind of drama and anticipation the show needs heading into the season finale.
The fact that Matt’s return is in the courtroom also just feels right. Daredevil: Born Again season 2 really has been about the Daredevil version of Matt Murdock. Even hiding in the shadows, it all came back to Daredevil. But as fun and exciting as it is to see him (literally) fight bad guys, the lawyer side of Matt is a crucial component of the character, too. So it was great to see Matt don his suit and tie to question witnesses and fight for his defendant.
Daredevil: Born Again season 2, episode 7 also featured the return of a character from the original Daredevil series: Brett Mahoney. While it would’ve been nice to have the character implemented into the story sooner and more prominently, his role makes sense given the larger scale of this season’s narrative. Typically, Daredevil stories are all about Matt’s home neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen, but right now, the story is about New York City as a whole. Nevertheless, it’s nice to have that homage to the original show and for it to have been executed in a natural manner.
Fights and Face-offs
Dr. Heather Glenn may have been the one to get in slaps to the face, but Karen Page is the one who got the last laugh. It was annoying to see Heather show up at the jail to do a psychological evaluation of Karen, but the end result was so satisfying. Their encounter perfectly mirrors the overarching conflict of Daredevil and the Resistance versus Mayor Fisk’s New York.
She may have tried to hide it initially, but Heather’s desperation and fragility unravel the more Karen takes hits at her. The unfounded personal attacks Heather makes simply lead Karen to make calculated, more effective personal attacks of her own. It’s too much for Heather to take. She is faced with harsh truths, and her answer is to act with violence. Heather represents the small-minded, surface-level thinking that drives the approval of Fisk, the disdain for vigilantes and the tolerance for unnecessary violence. Meanwhile, Karen represents the resilience that drives the Resistance in the Marvel show.
Heather, however, wasn’t the only one on Fisk’s team who resorted to violence when they didn’t get what they wanted.
Daniel Blake has been a tough character to figure out throughout the season. His apprehension has always been evident, but his true intentions were questionable. It was easy to go back and forth between thinking the guy is clueless or just putting on an act. But Daredevil: Born Again season 2, episode 7 gave him the definitive stance he needed.
Now, Daniel has a great, albeit quick, redemption arc that works incredibly well. His turning on Fisk by way of betraying Buck Cashman could only end in a brutal death. But the shift in Daniel’s demeanor and confidence is astounding. Daniel saying “F— you, Buck” was a moment worth cheering for. Surely, he’s still terrified, yet it’s not evident. It’s a fitting ending and exactly the kind of growth his character needed.
One Good Deed Fulfilled
Ben Poindexter’s role in Daredevil: Born Again season 2, episode 7 is seemingly minor, but it’s actually rather important in the grand scheme of the story. The heart of Dex’s narrative this season has been the “one good deed” he feels the need to fulfill. He has had this strange sense of enlightenment, but he’s still misguided. And that’s the thing about Dex. He has always needed some help gaining clarity about what actions to take. The Fisks, however, took advantage of that. But Matt is the first person to really give Bullseye a choice and see him as a person.
The conversation between Matt and Dex points to both characters’ growth. Matt cannot truly move on and give his full attention to stopping Fisk and helping with the Resistance if he’s still worried about Dex. That’s why it’s so important that he reiterates his hatred for Dex but acknowledges his need to forgive him.
Matt is ready for what’s next, and Dex can be, too — if he gets to fulfill his one good deed. That deed makes Dex into more than this sharpshooting killer with absurdly accurate aim. He can be the guy who killed Foggy Nelson. It doesn’t come with fanfare and accolades, but Dex, now, preventing the governor’s assassination gives him this sense of pride, achievement and even joy — but a kind of deranged, not pure joy. Whether Bullseye can ever actually be redeemed depends on perspective, but this might be the closest he’ll get to it. After all, he just wanted to balance the scales.
Other Thoughts on Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, Episode 7:
- Karen wearing that gray NYPD T-shirt momentarily convinced me that this was a flashback to the Daredevil pilot.
- Full strength or not, waking up to Jessica Jones menacingly watching you sounds scary.
- Mr. Charles’s purpose is a lot clearer now, but it still feels like there was a better way to make him feel more important. Maybe his role would’ve been better if it weren’t an eight-episode season.
- A Luke Cage mention! But what is Mr. Charles having him do?!
- It’s good to see that Cherry is up and well! His popping back into the story at least makes sense, given he was recovering from a heart attack.
- Wait, Brett is back, but now I’m wondering how Brett reacted to/handled Foggy’s death.
- How did Fisk figure out that Heather is the one who stole jewelry?
- Matthew Murdock, attorney at law, surely knows how to make an entrance into a courtroom!
- Considering Daniel admitted the difficulties of helping Buck bury a dead body, there was no way he could’ve ever gone through with giving BB up and being responsible for her getting harmed — or killed.
- God really just told Matt that Jessica is the answer to his prayers, and that’s awesome.
Daredevil: Born Again releases new episodes on Tuesdays at 9 pm ET on Disney+.
