It’s Saint Paddy’s Day in Daredevil: Born Again’s fifth episode. A driving Irish jig plays us in upon a city swept up in dark beer and merrymaking. The fun is cut short, though, when a group of robbers led by the brutal gangster Devlin stick up New York Mutual. Devlin and his team take hostages in their attempt to steal a valuable amber diamond from the bank’s vault.
A few minutes before the heist commences, Matthew Murdock is trying to renegotiate his law firm’s loan. He shares some snappy yet down-to-earth dialogue with the assistant bank manager, a wholesome man named Yusuf Khan, who regrets to inform him that the law firm does not meet the bank’s loan criteria because of how many “unprofitable” (read: pro bono) clients it takes on.
Murdock thanks Khan, the father to the MCU's own Ms. Marvel, and leaves the bank before doubling back when he senses a disturbance. He submits himself as another hostage in order to work things from the inside while the police establish a perimeter.
“With Interest”
Let’s get the resolution out of the way. Murdock uses his unique skillset and relentless wiles to beat the bank robbers at their own game, stealing the diamond they meant to steal and returning it to Khan at the end of the episode. So, then, what makes this a great episode of TV?
The literariness of Devlin, the head robber. A particularly off-kilter joke from the police hostage negotiator, Detective Kim. Daredevil in action for the first time in a long time, harkening back to his roots. Murdock and Khan being sweeties to one another. That’s what. Let’s take each one of these in turn:
Devlin makes a Dickens reference. He acts learned on the phone with Detective Kim, certainly more well-read than the negotiator is expecting. Overall, he’s a great grunt. Threatening, suave enough, but also with his own scholarly personality which clashes with moments of meat-headedness. Through it all, he’s brutal, but not brutal enough to kill Murdock because that just wouldn’t be Marvel.
In the middle of the episode, Devlin asks Kim to tell him a joke. Kim comes up with one that includes her doing an Irish accent where the punchline is: “ah shite, I think I just f*cked a penguin.” Enough said there. I was smiling ear to ear.
Murdock’s heroics in this episode are the first time we see the vigilante back in action, though most of the time it is without a mask on. A very cool touch the creators put on this one was to have Murdock don one of the robbers’ red face coverings when he’s tracking down Devlin. The fight scene that ensues shows a badass in a suit and red cowl beating the shit out of our villain. Murdock’s proto-Daredevil attire is dope, full stop. It unites the hero’s blue collar past with his most recent reboot. I loved it.
Also, Murdock and Khan are just two sweet guys trying to do the right thing. We, as an audience, can’t help but root for them. Their dialogue, which starts out strong, does dip into being overly saccharine here and there, but what can you do? Again, this is Marvel, after all.
The Gist and the Grade
So, what are we left with? A well-realized heist gone wrong with enough gritty vigilantism from our protagonist to make the show’s superhero roots shine while honoring its modernity.
Don’t get me wrong, Murdock is still a mostly one-sided do-gooder whose dark edge isn't enough to fully fill out his character in a satisfying way. That said, this particular rendering has an irresistible balance of action, observation, and chatter.
Born Again appears to be hitting its stride.
Episode Grade: B+
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