Daredevil: Born Again was announced several years ago, shortly after the character's cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Since then, this series has undergone a very troubled and very long production. Several episodes of the original show, which had no connection to the Netflix Daredevil beyond a few central actors, were filmed before a massive creative overhaul was ordered. This led to reshoots and revisions, turning the show into a sequel to the Netflix installment.
All this to say, it's clear that Born Again is two shows stitched together. Especially with the first episode, which squeezes probably a good two or three episodes work of plot into one in a desperate attempt to introduce the new elements of the show and refit the original story. This is the show's main problem, along with some of the elements of what would appear to be the original ideas not being very interesting or fitting with the tone of the reshot material. One story is a procedural drama, the other is Daredevil Season 4. Also brought with this new direction are a couple questions, such as how did Kingpin get out of jail after Season 3, and how does the whole Hawkeye/Echo story fit into all this?
Despite this, and some poor use of new characters (the villain Muse in particular), there is still a lot to love. Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Wilson Bethel, Jon Bernthal, and Ayelet Zurer play their characters just as well as ever. Cox and D'Onofrio in particular are extraordinary. Kingpin running for mayor leads to great suspense, as you keep waiting for the moment he'll crack and return to his old ways. When he finally gives in, it results in the single most brutal scene I've ever seen from a Marvel or DC property. I thought I was watching The Boys for a second.
Despite some tonal whiplash, Born Again is without a doubt some of Marvel's best post-Endgame content, and I look forward to Season 2, where a singular vision from the show's creative team will hopefully fix most of Season 1's issues.
