REVIEW: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Episode 9 – “Straight to Hell”

At the end of Daredevil: Born Again Episode 9, we’re left with one crucial question: Was it all worth it? The short answer? No. Not one bit. Throughout this nine-episode season, we’re constantly reminded that this is a husk of a former series. It echoes what made the adaptation work, and Charlie Cox and his charisma know no bounds. But the result is a poorly lit, self-serious mess that eschews any fun for the sake of middling narratives and bad romance. And then, to top it all off, it leaves us with a nothing finale that works primarily as a setup for Season 2.

Daredevil Born Again Episode 9 doesn’t offer closure, but small shifts in the narrative that point us to what’s coming next. As the city is consumed by a total blackout following the attempt on Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) life, mayhem ensues as his Task Force tries to find the perpetrator. The result is Fisk enacting Martial Law with his Safer Streets Initiative. Vigilantism is illegal, there’s a curfew of 8:00 pm, and the rot of the city continues to overtake the light.

The Fisks have, for now, won. And yet, because of how the story is chopped up and pieced together, there’s no lingering dread that follows the public declaration. He is back in full Kingpin status, killing Commissioner Gallo in a truly disgusting manner (for the easily nauseated, minute Fisk grabs Gallo’s head and starts to squeeze, look away.) But despite D’Onofrio’s best efforts and imposing physicality, the impact is softened by weak writing.

And it’s not just the villains that suffer under this piecemeal storytelling structure. Matt and Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) are also let down. In what should be the strongest, most energetic sequence of the episode, Daredevil Born Again Episode 9 seemingly ran out of lights. It’s a pithy excuse to say that it’s so dark on screen because the city is experiencing a blackout. There was a time when television knew how to light night scenes, and it’s a skill that’s seemingly been abandoned or forgotten.

The Punisher and Karen give Daredevil Born Again Episode 9 one bright spot.

Because while Frank turns up at a recovering Matt’s apartment, called in by Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) to look after him, we can’t see a darn thing. They stand off against a militant group of corrupted officers, with Frank turning the fight into a bloodbath, and the only way we can tell is through the sound effects. Cox and Bernthal have a fantastic chemistry as Matt and Frank instantly rile each other up through their differing moral philosophies. And the series, considering the fact that we can’t see them talking to one another, doesn’t seem to care.

The only moment they’re truly illuminated is upon Karen’s return with the high beams of her car lighting the way. Which is symbolic considering Karen’s return also brightens the finale. Her energy with Matt and Frank is a welcome reminder of the previous highs of the series. A series which, again, was riddled with its own flaws, especially beyond Season 1. But there was life and characters we cared about whose relationships helped anchor the show. Daredevil Born Again has none of this. It’s all dead ends. That and characters who bring nothing new or exciting to the table.

It’s why Karen and Frank are such welcome presences. It doesn’t just remind us how potent Woll and Bernthal’s chemistry is (which the show at least seems to acknowledge). It reminds us that this revival has lacked worthwhile or engaging character dynamics. There’s not a single new character worth caring about more than or even as much as Karen and Frank.

It’s what makes the decision in Episode 1 so fundamentally bad. Writing Foggy and Karen out in one fell swoop left the series rudderless as it tried to rebuild itself off a hollow center. With Karen back (hopefully for good) and Frank existing in the periphery, perhaps Season 2 has a better chance. Especially since Frank gets the best scene of the finale, where he faces down a bunch of corrupted cops who wear his insignia and call them a bunch of clowns. It’s a welcome teardown of men who use the Punisher logo as a means to expel vile hatred and violence.

Daredevil Born Again Episode 9 promises more after delivering nothing. The series’ inability to rebuild itself into something that justifies its existence erodes any substantial element. Despite Charlie Cox continuing to give his all to this character, the season ends as it began, floundering.

Daredevil Born Again Episode 9 is out now on Disney+.

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