Deep dive into “The Northern Star” – Daredevil Born Again

I posted my initial thoughts about the season two premiere of Daredevil: Born Again on Wednesday. While it's a shorter post, it follows the format of a more traditional review. And, I did my best to avoid obvious spoilers. If you haven't read it, I suggest you check out that post first!

This post is more of a Christine thinks out loud about whatever came to mind after watching the episode four times, and not really an attempt to cover everything that happened the episode.

If you're at all familiar with my writing, you know I'll want to dive into the sensory stuff, but it makes more sense to go into depth on that with a few more episodes under our collective belt. We're getting both episodes two and three this coming week, so if they keep up the good work, that might be a good time to maybe post a video about the handling of the senses this season, in line with what I did last season.

To just quickly comment on the topic, I really like what I'm seeing so far (as in the scene above), and they've added another layer to the experience by becoming much more ambitious with the sound design. They're also keeping Matt's sensory "sphere" appropriately tight. I'm sure I'll have reason to expand om what I mean by that.

From an emotional and psychological perspective, Matt has a rather interesting arc this episode. He starts out on top, brimming with confidence when he returns to Karen at their hideout above Josie's bar. (He's so confident, in fact, that he doesn't close any of the doors behind him!) There's a part of him that doesn't seem to mind this way of living. He obviously wants to bring Fisk down, but he allows himself to have a good time doing it. Going on these missions, in and out of the Daredevil suit, also gives him the clear purpose he so clearly needs.

This, of course, raises the question of how much of Matt's diving head first into this new mission is a way to avoid having to think about certain things. In the second half of the episode, Karen brings up the question of their old life at the firm. Matt stresses that he's focusing on moving forward, not really allowing himself to dwell much on their shared past.

It also becomes painfully clear at the end of the episode that Matt is still carrying some very heavy baggage, in particular in terms of what happened to Foggy. When Matt finds himself in a desperate situation in the final scene, seconds away from death before Bullseye (of all people!) comes to the rescue, what put him in danger was not his inadequacy as a fighter, but the emotional distress of finding himself in a situation that reminded him of Foggy's final moments. The first season of Daredevil: Born Again showed Matt still mourning Foggy. It's clear from what happens here that he still has not really healed in any meaningful sense. (For the record, while I do think Cherry needs immediate medical care, I don't think he's dying in this scene.)

On the topic of Matt, one thing I appreciate about this episode is where it doesn't go. When Karen asks whether Matt misses "being Matt Murdock" (coincidentally the title of my book, shameless plug), she goes on to specify that she means his part in their law firm Nelson, Murdock & Page and their work there. After season three of the original show, which was truly excellent overall, I think I'm more done than ever with the question of whether "Matt Murdock" or "Daredevil" is more real. It was something that was also touched on, to an extent, in season two.

The question of whether the civilian identity or the masked persona is more authentic is a trope of the genre, and not in any way unique to Daredevil, though his particular circumstances make the question more poignant, which is something I've touched on before. At the same time, I would argue that it's a moot point. Matt is Matt, whether he's in costume or not. And while it could certainly be argued that he is in some ways physically constrained by his civilian persona, he is "situationally" constrained by the Daredevil persona, such that there is no reasonable getting away from neither the enhancements or limitations of his physical body, nor who he is at his core. As if to at least metaphorically prove my point, the episode ends with Matt's unmasking, and the AVTF agents saying "It's Matt Murdock!" Indeed.

Months have passed since the events of last season, and Matt and Karen are now obviously in a romantic relationship. They are also partners in crime (rebellion?), and it is already evident that both are equally committed to the cause of taking down Fisk's reign. Interestingly, Karen has seemingly taken on Matt's old role as the cynic, in that she's not putting much hope in the evidence gathering side of the operation. Matt, meanwhile, is taking on a more optimistic "Foggy" role of still trusting that this can be done within the system.

In this episode, Karen can be seen running her own spy errands, in a wig, as well as keeping up with BB Urich who is masquerading as Fisk's supporter. (I'd be willing to bet that BB is also behind the anti-Fisk account.) It will be interesting to see Karen's role grow in coming episodes. Matt will doubtlessly be dragging himself back to the hideout in a pretty miserable state, both physically and mentally, which I suspect will affect their dynamics for the next couple of episodes. This may also be where Jessica Jones comes into the picture. It's evident right from the start here that she is already someone they are turning to for help.

In her conversation with BB, we also get to explore Karen's feelings about what happened with Ben Urich way back in the first season of the original show. His death is still weighing on her, and her need to atone for what happened has obviously helped shape who she is in the present day. It's at moments like this you can really reap the benefits of acknowledging the time that has gone by, both in-story and in real life. Karen now gets to be the "Ben" to BB's young "Karen," but she's determined to have things play out differently this time.

While the pre-overhaul parts of the first season of Daredevil: Born Again were trying to put some distance between the new show and what had gone before, Disney/Marvel did finally come around to doing a 180 and embracing the old show. That is evident here, with not only references to Ben Urich, but other little touches that remind us of what has come before.

I don't think I'm the only one who found it curious that Daredevil's first fight scene takes place among shipping containers, just as it did in the very first episode of the show. We also see Matt reference Stick, and there's talk about what Fisk does to someone just for insulting his wife (we all remember that it involved a car door).

However, the first season of Born Again, which I very much enjoyed overall, introduced a long list of additional characters that are also given some of the spotlight in the first episode. Heather Glenn is now working for Fisk in his anti-vigilante efforts, and... Well, she's not doing to well, to put it mildly.

Her first interrogation victim is Jack Duquesne, the Swordsman, who was introduced to Daredevil's world in the last season, but made his first MCU appearance in Hawkeye, thus strengthening the ties to the bigger universe. I enjoy seeing the bigger world peeking through here and there, but also prefer that this show is mostly self-containted.

Among the other season one characters we get to see in the first episode, aside from all the familiar faces in Fisk's orbit, are Cherry, Kirsten McDuffie, District Attorney Hochberg, and the previously-mentioned BB. A cast of this size might easily risk becoming too bloated, but I think one of the cooler aspects of a show with this much history is that we have able to follow along as more layers have been added. We don't have to spend much time on introductions, and as long as all of the characters are given interesting storylines that contribute to the greater whole, it'll amount to a richer experience.

Among the characters that are new, we see restaurant owner Ariana who appears to be operating some kind of modern underground railroad, as well as the unforgettable Mr. Charles. Talks of Langley (Virgina) indicate that he's CIA, but this is the Marvel Universe so who knows? What I find most fascinating about him is that he's obviously extremely powerful and well-connected, seemingly in cahoots with Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (of Thunderbolts fame), and that he seems to be a real threat even to Fisk. It was funny seeing the clip of Vincent D'Onofrio commenting that Fisk's annoyance with Mr. Charles was so extreme that it even bled into D'Onofrio's relationship with actor Matthew Lillard while they were on set. 

I think I'll stop here, but damn I'm so psyched for the next couple of episodes. With a cliffhanger ending like the one we got, it feels like anything could happen at this point.