RECAP: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 Episode 7 – “The Hateful Darkness”

In an incredibly strong season, it stands to reason that Daredevil: Born Again needs a little downtime to get some pieces into place. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7 bears that burden. Directed by Iain B. McDonald and written by Heather Bellson, “The Hateful Darkness” is a well-made, though somewhat obligatory, entry that suffers from being the penultimate episode more than anything else.

After the end of the last episode, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7 picks back up with Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) in jail, a martyr for exposing the goings-on in Red Hook. In jail, she gets two visitors: one, an angry Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), and the other, aided by Brett Mahoney (Royce Johnson) from the Netflix Daredevil series, is none other than Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) himself. The two tearfully apologize to each other, and Matt states that he does need to cross a line, although that line may not necessarily be murder.

The central storyline in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7 features strong performances.

Matt’s plan is revealed in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7 when Karen’s trial begins and Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James) brings out her co-counsel, none other than Matt Murdock himself. Charlie Cox gets to have a bit of fun here, building a rousing defense for Karen. Perhaps a bit too rousing, however, as Matt, McDuffie, and Cherry (Clark Johnson) are all attacked by the AVTF. Matt just manages to save his comrades, but ends up injured in the process.

Now, as the spine of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7, this central storyline is fantastic, exciting stuff, featuring great performances from Charlie Cox and Deborah Ann Woll. Matt Murdock’s gambit of pursuing Karen’s freedom by gaming the legal system is an interesting one that has obviously riled up the AVTF. The problem is that this storyline should’ve been the episode’s focus. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7 suffers from so much going on that navigating all the different storylines feels dizzying. But we’re going to try our best.

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7 has a Jessica Jones problem.

I feel like it’s safe to say that Daredevil: Born Again has a Jessica Jones problem. As nice as it is to see Krysten Ritter back, the unceremonious reintroduction of the character into the story feels incredibly awkward in a way I’ve still not yet gotten used to. This is a symptom of her character’s function rather than of her being included. We spend very little time actually getting to know what sort of person Jones is these days. Instead, she’s more of a means to get from Point A to Point B.

Case in point: this episode, she confronts Mr. Charles (Matthew Lillard). From him, we find out that Luke Cage is overseas working for the CIA. Although Ritter absolutely conveys the heartbreak, we haven’t checked back in with these characters since the Netflix era, so it hardly means much. Moreover, Jones receives information that Fisk is going to attempt an assassination on New York governor Marge McCaffrey (Lili Taylor), passing this information to Matt.

At least Jessica Jones’ perfunctory role in this episode does lead to one of the cooler moments of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7. Matt allows Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye (Wilson Bethel) to atone for his sins by saving McCaffrey from attempted murder. He does so with gusto, and what else is there to say, folks? Like every action scene with Bullseye, it’s an exhilarating, fist-pumping moment that makes you wish there was even more Bullseye this season, but perhaps that’s what makes his use special.

Daniel’s morality crisis reaches a rousing conclusion in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7.

Across town, none other than Heather Glenn (Margarita Leviva) is conducting a psych evaluation on Karen Page in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7. Page taunts Heather about her past, leading to Heather assaulting her. Now, if we’re going to talk about characters who have been underutilized, Heather is at the top of the list. This scene, where we reveal how truly damaged she is after her ordeal with Muse, is good, but it feels like a scene from an entirely different show, where Heather was more of a, well, character.

Now I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a storyline that hasn’t gotten its proper due in these recaps. Daniel Blake’s (Michael Gandolfini) crisis of morality has been one of my favorite aspects of this season, and in Daredevil: Born Again, Season 2 Episode 7, it reaches a rousing conclusion. While holding BB (Genneya Walton) hostage to give over to Buck (Arty Froushan), Daniel has a change of heart and ultimately goes in her stead, sacrificing himself so BB can live. It’s a poignant emotional moment that hits extra hard because we’re now losing one of the show’s most compelling characters!

Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 7 seems to repeat a problem from the season’s first episode: there is just entirely too much going on. A lot of it is interesting. Hell, the central storyline is very compelling, and I’m sure each plotline presented here will blossom in the upcoming finale. In a season of otherwise near-unimpeachable superhero television in a great year for superhero television, however, it’s a pronounced low point.

All episodes of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 are now streaming on Disney+.

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