Levity and gravity – A review of “Sic Semper Systema”

Warning: This is a full review of the episode. Spoilers ahead.

The fourth episode of Daredevil: Born Again lacked the complete dramatic arc of the previous episode, but succeeds in advancing the overall plot with many strong and enjoyable scenes. It also offered emotional gut punches, a smattering of horror, and its fair share of comedic moments.

To get us warmed up for heavier fare, let's start with Wilson Fisk failing at politics because I may have audibly chuckled at his profoundly misguided assumptions about what it actually takes to plan and build new infrastructure and real estate. He can't just "fix" things as easily as his campaign slogan may have suggested. I also don't think visiting schools and cultural centers figured prominently in what he assumed being mayor entailed.

I suspect he'll be bored with it all very soon, though perhaps enjoying a feast in the basement with his wife's imprisoned lover(!) offers enough variety to keep things interesting. He's at least allowed himself to swap the egg white omelettes for a full plate of pasta.

For his part, Matt covers a lot of ground in the fewer than twenty-four hours covered in this episode. It begins with a heartbreaking visit to the morgue to collect Hector's belongings where he has to comfort his dead client's distraught niece. She is surely part of the impetus for Matt's decision to open the door to Daredevil's return at the end of the episode, following his visit to Frank (more on that later).

The rest of Matt's work day is spent embedded in what feels like an authentic enough portrayal of his day to day job. There's a reference to a series of bank appointments that will surely be followed up on next episode, and a rather thankless pro bono case that does a fine job of painting the world in shades of gray. It is possible to both empathize with Matt's client, caught stealing three bags of caramel corn, and still acknowledge his less sympathetic traits.

In trying to get the best deal possible for his client, Matt brings his charm to a verbal sparring match which offers both the opportunity to debate legal philosophy, and impress his female interlocutor with his amazing nose.

I'm actually quite amused by how Matt drops the "heightened senses" explanation into conversation, both here and elsewhere. And I suspect it is the even more prominent MCU backdrop to this show that leads someone like Officer Powell to never doubt Matt's blindness in spite of his extremely impressive fighting skills. It's a world where mentions of a "mystical amulet" weave their way into legal arguments, and Matt acknowledges the existence of Skrulls (though not enough to entertain the idea as a valid legal defense for his client). The old "Defendersverse" was ostensibly set in the same universe similarly populated by people with amazing abilities, but everyone just seemed less credulous about it.

Speaking of Powell, Matt continues to be extremely reckless around him when their paths cross again, though he does learn that Powell wasn't actually involved in Hector's death. This doesn't necessarily surprise me as we know that Powell is likely just a small cog in a bigger machine. I personally suspect that Vanessa may have had something to do with Hector's murder.

Near the end of the episode, we get the long awaited reunion between Matt and Frank Castle. Back at the scene of the crime, Matt finds the bullet casing from the Hector Ayala shooting, and discovers that it has the Punisher's logo etched on it. This takes him to Frank's hideout. The strong (though not perfect) senses writing of this scene is one I've recorded a video about for YouTube, and as that will be ready to go up tomorrow, I won't go into it here.

What's clear about Matt and Frank's relationship is that they've kept tabs on each other over the years. Matt clearly knew where to find Frank though some time may have passed since they last spoke. Frank challenges Matt, pushing him to acknowledge how central Foggy is to everything he's doing – or not doing – and this further pushes Matt in the direction of taking Daredevil out of retirement. It's a strong scene, and I like how it cuts to the heart of things right away. Matt allows himself to feel things, and Frank comes across as the voice of reason, which is comical in its own way.

This was an episode that went a lot of places, and it's easy to overlook things that were actually pretty major, but in retrospect may have been overshadowed by even bigger development.

There's a subplot around Fisk's young and eager employee Daniel Blake leaking an upcoming deal to BB Urich, which probably made all of us fear for his safety, but ultimately shows us a more forgiving side of Fisk than the one who's keeping a prisoner in his basement.

We also get our first real look at Muse who is dragging one of his victims into... let's call it his underground "art studio." A closer look at his face confirms that this is indeed the same man who came to Heather's book signing. He truly looks horrifying, so major props to the costume department.

Finally, I like the juxtaposition at the end between Matt ascending to the shed on the roof where he keeps his Daredevil stuff, while Fisk is descending into his dungeon. Both have gone to face that side of themselves that had been briefly put aside.

With two episodes coming tomorrow (Wednesday morning my time!), I'm definitely ready for more!