First of all, I loved this first episode of the second season of Daredevil: Born Again! Secondly, I'm letting you know right away that this will not be a full review of the episode. Before even hitting play on episode one, I'd decided that my coverage of this season would have to happen in stages, with a quick post to go up within 24 hours of the episode airing, and a second longer review of each episode that I could work on over the weekend. So that's what I'm aiming for going forward.
And so, to get to the point: What are my initial thoughs about the episode? Well, I've managed to watch it twice already, and have no idea what some of the early, full-access reviewers were talking about when they say the season takes around three episodes to really get going. The episode went by so fast, and covered so many plot points involving so many different characters, that I can't imagine describing this first episode, "The Northern Star," as slow. It also provides a very nice balance between actions sequences and more in-depth moments spent with the characters.
Another thing that struck me was how well the episodes manages to feel at once familiar and brand new. It is certainly more reminiscent of the original show than the first season, and also makes plenty of deliberate nods to that incarnation of the show. At the same time, it feels very much like its own thing so far, making it delightfully unpredictable.
It also successfully maintains many of the elements that I loved about the show's first season. While many have pointed to the, let's say "frankensteinesque" aspects of the first season, with its mid-production change in creative team and overall direction, I appreciated both a more mature version of Matt, and the lineup of new characters to populate his world. As you may also recall, I rated the first season of Born Again as the absolute best take on Matt's senses to date (with one notable exception).
The senses writing is still top notch, and even improved upon through the use of clever sound design; many of the characters we were introduced to last season are not only still around, but given interesting subplots of their own. The plot also sidesteps the somewhat tiresome trope of having us needlessly contend with the "who's more real, Matt Murdock or Daredevil?" There is one scene where Karen asks whether Matt misses "being Matt Murdock" that threatens to take us back there, but she quickly clarifies that she's talking specifically about their old life at the law firm. Matt, for his part, gives a nuanced answer.
Despite this being the first episode of the season, the stakes are as high as can be. The final scene is a shocker in more ways than one. The addition of Mr. Charles, played by Matthew Lillard, takes things up a notch by adding a suprising and mysterious additional stratum to the power hierarchy. There is some very impressive world building going on all around, that I expect to get even richer as we get further into the season. Bring it on!
What did you think of the first episode? Spoilers are fine in the comments though I tried my best to avoid them here. As mentioned, I will return over the weekend with a more in-depth look .
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