'Daredevil: Born Again' Episode Reviews & Series Wrap-Up
- Jack Ransom
- Apr 17
- 6 min read
By Jack Ransom - April 17, 2025
TV - Premium TV
Episode 9 – 'Straight to Hell' - 4.5/5
After the shocking cliff-hanger from last week’s Isle of Joy episode 9, the seeds were sewn for a truly riotous, high stakes and dramatic finale and thankfully for the majority of its just under 60-minute duration it delivers. Straight to Hell delivers upon its foreboding and brutal title. For those that wondered why the series earned the ‘18+’ rating on Disney+, this episode is that reason. The opening team up brawl as DD and The Punisher absolutely tear through Fisk’s taskforce is pure comic book fan bliss. Its scrappy, raw, and every punch, stab, gunshot and billy club to the face is felt. Alongside this is a genuinely jaw-dropping (pun possibly intended…) demise which must be the goriest shot in MCU history. Great stuff. Admittedly, this episode can very much feel like one large set up for Season 2, however the character moments (of which I won’t spoil) and ignited rabid riots, martial law looming and the stakes amplified fiery heights have me now eagerly anticipating next year.
Overall Series Wrap Up
Despite a handful admittedly disappointing episodes, some MCU adjustments to the tone and production value and the overarching feeling of post-production and script tinkering, when Daredevil: Born Again finds its footing and hits its stride, it improves as it goes along, making for a welcome return to the small screen for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Matt and Fisk’s parallel arcs which see both of them battle succumbing to their ‘other’ selves, yet also relishing unleashing them makes for a strong series crux and helps bolster and counteract slightly more disappointing elements.
Want more TV reviews? Check out more content on our website Film Focus Online!
See all Jack's thoughts on each Daredevil: Born Again episode below!
Episode 8 - 'Isle of Joy' - 4/5
Up there with the best of this series. Isle of Joy culminates in a belter of a cliffhanger and initiates the glorious (and gory) return of Benjamin ‘Bullseye’ Pointdexter (Wilson Bethel) who has multiple targets in the crosshairs. Matt’s personal and career life begin to crumble around him, as rage and revenge begin to boil. Wilson and Vanessa’s moments together indulge in murder and romance, with the pair indulging back into the world of criminality of which Wilson is swearing to eradicate in the city. Stylistically the inclusion of atmospheric colour filters and a stellar usage of a dolly zoom and aspect ratio change for Matt’s heightened senses.
Episode 7 - 'Art for Art's Sake' - 3.5/5
Following up from the season highlight so far, this episode picks right back up on the blood trail left by Muse as both Daredevil and Fisk pursue him for different moral motives. Once again, both Cox and D’Onofrio shine (especially the latter in one particular scene where he is informed of DD’s return).
Whilst he admittedly does feel a tad ‘villain of the week’ and very much a serial killer cliché tick box, Hunter Doohan does a solid job of leaving a (bloody) impression and turns up the twisted notches. His brawl with Daredevil is scrappy and bloody (though quite quick cut heavy) and the tension building as Fisk unleashes his uncompromising and rule bending vigilante hunting task force ruthlessly boils and bubbles.
Episode 6 - 'Excessive Force' - 4.5/5
Now we’re cooking! One of my personal gripes when I first started Born Again was that something felt ‘off’ and that it didn’t quite have the tone and stylisation of the Netflix run. This episode finally nails it. From the opening sequence that cuts between Matt and Fisk as they both attempt to restrain their vigilante/murderous sides as they become aware of the gnarly introduction of masked serial killer Muse and his unique method of graffiti art.
The episode bubbles and boils before the final third unleashes two simultaneously brutal and badass fight sequences. Matt’s costume looks phenomenal and the choreography is a comic book fan’s joy and we also see the unbridled rage of Fisk.
Episode 5 - 'With Interest' - 4/5
Taking a break from the main overarching plot. This fourth episode is a welcomely entertaining ‘day in the life’ of Daredevil standalone tale that showcases Matt’s powers, cunning, bravery and effortlessly skilled DD skills as he stops a bank robbery on St. Paddy’s day.
The wider MCU is sprinkled in with a welcome guest appearance from Yusuf Khan (Ms. Marvel’s father) and they manage to find the balance finally between the lighter Marvel formula alongside the edgier, heightened tension of what Born Again is selling. A very solid ticking-clock, hostage time limit speeds by at just under 35 mins including credits. Good fun!
Episode 4 - 'Sic Semper Systema' - 3.5/5
Coming off the back of the excellent previous episode. The spotlight shines back on the Kingpin’s quest to change NYC under his new Mayorship. Again, this episode to me is just solid, nothing particularly stands out, but it still keeps interest due to the performances.
Peering more intimately into Vanessa (Ayelet Zura) and Wilson’s relationship past, Matt reeling from episode 4’s finale and the brief return of the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) - which, obviously it’s great to see him, however it does seem a bit of a random placement (feels very much like a reshoot) and their dialogue doesn’t match the rooftop scene of Season 2. Lastly, the glimpses of the mysterious Muse offer a particularly sinister glimpse of what’s to come.
Episode 3 - 'The Hollow of His Hand' - 4/5
After an admittedly slightly mixed bag with episodes 1 & 2, episode 3 delivers an excellent courtroom centric pot-boiler that shines the light on a next-to-unknown Marvel character: the White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes) and takes a cutting look at both the idea and act of vigilantism, as well as the cutting and overbearing intimidation and gang like brute force of the NYPD.
The lack of action and DD suiting up, is made up for with a well navigated trial set piece that showcases the performance talents of Charlie Cox (who really is at the top of his game here), balancing humour and wit and with pure dedication to his client. Said client is played with honesty, nobility by Reyes and shines a light on the idea of vigilantism. The episode wraps with a particularly savage cliff hanger setting up episode 4.
Episode 1 - 'Heaven' Half Hour' - 3.5/5 & Episode 2 'Optics' - 3.5/5
Whilst these first two episodes certainly aren’t bad, far from it. There is undeniably ‘something off’ about the show that instantaneously makes it feel different to the Netflix episodes. Opening with a shocking and visceral return to these characters and one murderous Pointdexter (AKA Bullseye). It’s clearly a statement of intent and a “Yeah we aren’t toning down for the Mouse!”… that being said, it feels haphazard, the one-take throwback pales in comparison to what we’ve seen before and janky CGI and squint-inducing lighting are noticeable. From here, we pick up 1 year later and see Matt and Karen apart from one another, with Matt operating in a successful and wealthy lawyer firm.
Whilst not the most unique of narrative flavours, Matt’s apprehension of returning to the costume, yet his clashing desire to do so is an engaging hook and is also welcomed alongside a lighter toned spark of romance with new character Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva). The meat and potatoes of both episodes however is the return of Wilson Fisk. Claiming to have turned over a new leaf, his goal as the newly elected mayor (again somewhat swiftly/rushed in execution) is to fix New York… by any means necessary. Seeing Fisk more so out of his comfort zone and in the public eye is welcome and yes, I had a huge grin on my face when he and Matt meet again face-to-face for the first time in years.
Stylistically, this suffers compared to what came before. It has a mostly flat Disney Plus look to the colour grading and I mentioned the dodgy CGI and filter in the first episode. That being said, I love what they are doing with the camera to present Matt’s enhanced abilities (dolly zooms, slow-motion, gliding pans), there are a smattering of slickly framed shots and yep, the red costume looks superb here. Also, they are very much keeping to the streets and community of New York with plenty of extras, everyday folk and their voices being heard.
Episode 2’s scrappy bloody cut to end credits is keeping me interested to see what’s next, but make no mistake, in my opinion, if you are expecting these first two episodes to be on the quality level of Season 1 you may need to tamper your expectations. It’s great to see Cox and D’Onofrio again, Kingpin’s mayoral takeover is a strong overarching narrative hook and there is some stylish camera trickery on display. That being said a clashing tone is set, bizarre CGI and blurry lighting/filters are noticeable and palpable tension and excitement is lacking. Daredevil: Born Again has a solid but slightly disappointing start - we shall see what next week brings!
