Daredevil, Born Again, Season 2, Episode 4: Gloves Off
At the rough mid-way point of Born Again's second season, we finally get a confrontation between the lead characters. And it's... it's a bit sad, really, that it took so long to reach this point. The show has been spinning its wheels so much with less interesting characters and I'm continually surprised to be reminded that each of these episodes are 50 minutes long.
But after being awkwardly set up and disappearing, we start off this episode with a fantastic Bullseye killing spree of Taskforce minions in a diner. Love that whole sequence as Bullseye sits down to order a milkshake, fools the Taskforce into coming, and then just uses cutlery and at one point a lobster claw to brutally take down the goons. Still not sure about how 'look so realistic' his balaclava supervillain outfit looks, but I love this interpretation of Bullseye's craziness. MCU's take on Bullseye changes him from being a psychopath who kills 'just because' into someone who sees a warped version of the world due to a combination of trauma, psychological disorders and evil people pushing him in different directions. He's still undoubtedly not sympathetic, but it does make him so much more interesting than a lot of other villains I've seen lately in superhero TV.
The minor sequence of Bullseye going through his daily life also pays off rather well. Matt goes on his own investigation, tracking down the very specific coin back to his church (which was the random scene in episode 2) and detectives his way to where Bullseye is hiding. And despite the showcase of 'Tom' bonding and being nice to the old neighbour with the cat, Bullseye doesn't hesitate to hold her hostage with a gun while yelling stuff about how he's "the hero" and how he's going to balance the scales of Foggy's death with "one good deed".
This is a very cool reorientation of Bullseye and a proper spotlight for him not dissimilar to the one Punisher received around the mid-way point of Born Again's first season. The wacky props like lobster claws, lunch trays and Walkman CD's being used in the fights that Bullseye does against his opponents makes it extra fun.
Meanwhile, the Kingpin takes literal center stage as he sets up a trap for Bullseye that he can't resist by making a huge boxing match. We get some buildup to this and a nice sequence of brutality as Kingpin beats up his opponent (who's just some random guy) while the crowd cheers around him. It's a nice little setpiece. And after spending so much of this season just either sitting around giving orders or trading barbs with Mr. Charles, it feels like a nice release for Kingpin as well as he's allowed to indulge in some physical brutality.
Oh, and Mr. Charles finally makes a reappearance after the first episode, doing another confrontation of Kingpin over the whole smuggling business. Charles tries to make Kingpin feel small by noting what a tiny part of the world he's controlling, but Kingpin refuses to be intimidated and his main goon Buck Cashman murders Mr. Charles's two bodyguards before Kingpin walks out of the meeting. That was cool as well.
But the boxing match is, of course, the main highlight. Kingpin tries to send away Vanessa for her safety, but Vanessa refuses. I... I would've really loved this more if the previous two episodes actually highlighted Vanessa and Wilson's relationship a lot more. Instead, she gets a nightmare and tries to ship two minor characters together and just feels so unfocused. Really, instead of Angela, BB or Blake, you'd think that Vanessa Fisk should've gotten the spotlight episode early on in the season -- especially considering what happens at the end of this episode.
Vanessa's unexpected arrival in the boxing match triggers a fervour in Kingpin as he accelerates his brutality over his boxing opponent, but also a panic as he's expecting Bullseye to arrive. Vanessa does have a bit of a motive discussion in this episode, talking about how she wants to be Wilson's partner, and manages to talk down the Governor in a short scene. It's a nice rereailment after last episode focuses way too long on their marriage counseling, but it also comes at a bit too little, too late.
That said, Bullseye's attack on the boxing match is fantastic. The fight between Bullseye and the Taskforce as he launches stuff into the crowd, and when Daredevil comes intent on... saving everyone? Vanessa and Fisk both have their moments of pulling out a gun at Bullseye. But ultimately, Bullseye throws one of those tacky glass souvenirs, and despite Kingpin blocking it, the glass item shatters and a huge piece pierces Vanessa's temple. Daredevil and Bullseye manage to escape with the AVTF in hot pursuit, but Kingpin is left at the end of the episode cradling a bleeding, dying Vanessa.
(The show did spare Cherry for seemingly no reason, but Vanessa's death looked pretty final -- and, all right, I did take a peek to see if it sticks)
It's definitely a massive escalation and a surprising one, and a great one because I actually care a lot more about the Daredevil/Kingpin/Bullseye conflict. I do feel that there are some weaknesses here, of course -- Vanessa's lack of buildup, and maybe we could've had more scenes devoted to Matt's struggle on his stance about killing/sparing Bullseye and/or Kingpin. But that was pretty great to look at.
Other stuff happen in the background of this episode, too, which I felt are the right amount of times to be dedicated to a lot of these more minor characters instead of the meandering we've gotten in the first 3 episodes. Kirsten gets her office harassed by AVTF goons, and the frustration leads her to accept Karen's offer to help Christofi. Blake and BB are present but aren't taking up precious screentime. Jack Duquesne/Swordsman exits the resistance after handwaving and giving some resources to Matt and Karen, so there's one less character to look out for. Angela is intent on sticking around and being the new White Tiger. Angela helps to smuggle some plot devices around to BB. Buck is sent away by Kingpin on a mission to kill Christofi, plugging up that loose thread.
There's a world where any of these less interesting storylines are given entire episodes on their own to develop, but I am happy that they're all sped-run in the background here. It does really help to add to the chaos of everything that's going on in the boxing match for sure.
But of course, the main spotlight of this show is the confrontation between the three primary movers of the show. It's a nice breath of refreshing air after the show twiddled its thumbs so much in the first couple of episodes. With some plot threads resolved and some slammed shut, I look forward to what the second half of the season has to offer.
Marvel Easter Eggs Corner:
- Just like Bullseye's spotlight episode in season 3 of the original Daredevil show, this episode opens with a sequence of Dex going through his morning routine.
- Fogwell's gym being associated with Matt's dad is brought up.
- The shot of Vanessa falling mirrors the shot of her being poisoned (less brutally) in Daredevil season 1. In this episode, Vanessa also makes a fuss about being 'sent away' for her own protection, similar to season 1.
- Vanessa Fisk does die in the comics, but died due to terminal illness (and after launching a villainous scheme of her own against Daredevil), and in a much more hostile relationship against Wilson.
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