[Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for “Daredevil: Born Again” through Season 1, Episode 3.]
There are few things as satisfying as a courtroom drama. From the tradition of “12 Angry Men” to “Juror #2” and even the recent, twisted version on “Yellowjackets,” this dramatic sub-genre exemplifies that formula can be consistently entertaining in the right hands.
I read a tweet many years ago about how the best Marvel movies are something else at their core: “Winter Soldier” is a spy thriller, “Ant-Man” is a heist film, “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is a teen comedy, and so on. “Daredevil: Born Again” Season 1, Episode 3 is a full-tilt courtroom drama that expertly opens up further storylines while wrapping up its main arc.
After learning that his client Hector (Kamar de los Reyes) is the vigilante known as White Tiger, Matt (Charlie Cox) has his hands full trying to keep the secret and still prepare his defense. He believes that Hector is a good and innocent man, but no one involved is naive enough to think that’s enough to sway a jury. If Officer Powell’s attempts at intimidation are any indication, they’ve both invoked the wrath of the NYPD which will make the trial and its fallout even more dangerous.
The trial unfolds in predictable but satisfying fashion. There’s a de facto villain with Officer Powell (Hamish Allan-Headley), who intimidates Matt outside of the courtroom and tries to prevent star witness Nicky (Nick Jordan) from taking the stand. There’s the consistently strong performance of John Benjamin Hickey as D.A. Hochberg, as committed to a fierce closing argument as to telling Matt he will have A.D.A.s “up his ass” for the forseeable future.
And then there’s Matt’s hail Mary of putting Hector on the stand to let his character alone sway the jury — repeating “It’s the right thing to do” is so deeply hokey and yet stunning in de los Reyes’ hands — a risk that should never have paid off, and its success has the desired effect of invoking unease for the character’s future. Outing Hector as White Tiger puts his life in danger, as does his freedom for people like Powell who take it as a personal insult — and the final moments drive that heartbreakingly home.
The show isn’t being subtle about the parallels between Matt and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), nor does it intend to. They’re both teetering on the edge of the personas they claim to have abandoned, as evidenced at the top of this episode by the scrapes on their knuckles.
But the end of this episode highlights their differences: where the retired Devil of Hell’s Kitchen opens up about his grief to his new partner, the artist formerly known as Kingpin gives an interview about the rule of law. Matt’s walls are coming down, and Fisk’s are growing stronger.
IW on the Street
- I love the “BB on the street” interstitials, which remind me of Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man.”
- You know who’s gotta be pissed about the price of eggs right now? Wilson freaking Fisk.
- “The best cure for a black eye is fast hands.” Matthew, you absolute savage.
- Hector’s killer is, in fact, wearing Frank Castle’s (Jon Bernthal) Punisher logo. FRANK, WHY?
- Disney+ started to autoplay “Marvel’s Daredevil” from Netflix right after this, as I’m sure you all experienced. On the one hand, “Born Again” is achieving the desired effect because I went ahead and clicked “play”,” but it took mere seconds to yearn for the rich visual palette of that show.
Grade: B+
Episode 3 of “Daredevil: Born Again” is now streaming on Disney+.
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