Welcome, everybody! Every week, I’ll release a review corresponding to the available episode(s) of the eight-episode, second season of “Daredevil: Born Again” (2026). After the last episode airs, there will be an overall review of the season with spoilers at the end if necessary. I’ve only done an episodic review two times before with disaster striking the second time and was honestly tempted to not bother trying again so thank you for coming along for my experiment! There will be spoilers for the prior episodes of Season 2 in this review.
Excellent newcomer Solvan “Slick” Naim directed, and Heather Bellson, who cowrote the last episode of the first season, wrote Season 2 Episode 12 of “Daredevil: Born Again,” which is forty-seven minutes, and the episode to beat as of now. It is “One Battle After Another” (2025) if it centered the undocumented immigrants and without the problematic Jezebel stereotypes. Naim shot the best battle sequence of the season with no cuts instead using camera movement to shift action. What he sacrificed in full body coverage, he more than made up for in momentum and excitement. It was also a great bureaucracy episode though it was a bit rushed for my taste, but Bellson made sure that everyone had a good time and was shown in a new and interesting light. Great job, you two, and it made me wish that they could be the showrunners for the way that they made all the elements work.
On the executive branch front, a great, character actor plays the Governor of New York and faces off with Fisk, and it is truly a David versus Goliath moment. It also returns to the Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) eleventh hour storyline of the first season in a way that raises the stakes on Fisk’s criminal enterprise. It also creates an unexpected, delightful pairing that we never knew that we needed: odd couple buddy comedy with Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan) and Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini). This portion of the episode was brought to you by street meat, and as a New Yorker, I cosign everything that Daniel said. So true. Broken clock rule. Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) also is trying to set up Buck with Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), and while there is no chemistry, it was nice to see them cosplay normal people though Buck is more dangerous when he is pretending to be a normie. I stand corrected, “Daredevil: Born Again.” I did not hate this scenario. My bad! Bellson gives more information about Buck in this episode than most of last season. Also, the Governor knows and likes Sheila (Zabryna Guevara) so it begs the question (pardon my French) why the FUCK is not Sheila working in City Hall!?! Where at least she is less likely to DIE?!? Sheila, it is possible to love New York too much. Vanessa was lying on the floor in a serene fashion and please reassure me that it is not related to their plans for the future.
On the judicial branch front, Kirsten McDuffie (Nikki M. James) actually gets a storyline as a lawyer! Since last season, Jacques Dufresne (Tony Dalton), i.e. the vigilante known as the Swordsman, was one of the first victims of the Safer Streets Act, and now he is the first to get prosecuted in the Vigilante Trials with Kirsten as his lawyer. While James shows moxie and humor, she still is not getting Carrie-Anne Moss level storylines so still cannot gauge how much awesomeness “Daredevil: Born Again” is leaving untouched. On a side note, when I critique “The AI Doc or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” (2026), I was subconsciously using the same objections that Kirsten used: baseless speculation, assumes facts not in evidence, etc.
The panel of three judges with Chief Justice Wells (Deirdre Lovejoy) leading the charge felt as if that storyline was supposed to include them more, but it moves swifter than a television court episode. Judge Grimes (Dustin Tucker) and Judge Luna (John Hedges) seem to have less qualms than Wells, who looks like she is going to be sick. Also, that detention center from Season 1 Episode 9 finally gets some coverage, which makes the Punisher’s absence more annoying. Dude really could have helped people.
On Team Daredevil or Team Red front, Matt (Charlie Cox) goes shirtless and clearly worked hard to have those abs popping. People of the internet, we’re going to need you to get screenshots of that moment if it is not part of the promotional professional stills. Yes, it is objectifying, but Cox probably did not eat or drink normally like a real person to look that good so let’s appreciate his hard work and objectify him a little. (Who knew that equality did not mean no objectification, but objectification of everyone!) Matt cannot stay happy and gets into a theoretical argument with Karen’s sentiments about violence when he really runs around in a clown suit kicking people’s ass in his off hours. He proved that he is still a lawyer. Despite this seed of division, Matt and Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) actually come up with a plan that did not seem naïve or stupid. It was a joy to watch them execute it, finally.
Side note: would not all the weapons on the North Star possibly be too damaged to salvage because of water damage? If your answer is that not all of them went in the water, how? There is gravity, and that ship is doing a great impression of the Titanic with its vertical stance. It does not affect my enjoyment of the episode, but it definitely hurts my understanding. I constantly subconsciously have follow-up questions.
OK. I hate the White Tiger storyline but think that it makes sense to include in the episode so fuck my feelings, long live good stories! Last week, White Tiger was a spoiler, but now we can talk about it. Angela Del Toro (Camila Rodriguez), Hector Ayala’s niece, is clearly being set up to be the next White Tiger, and she has the amulet. After “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) and “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018), I find myself flinching at the idea of child soldiers. Last week, the AVTF (frozen water) took her aunt, Soledad (Ashley Marie Ortiz), and she was not going to let that stand. Also, in Season 1 of “Daredevil: Born Again,” the series seemed determined not to show any vigilantes with powers, so no one steals the spotlight from Daredevil, and they do not have to deal with another spinoff show. On the other hand, Disney+ and the MCU has been comfortable with having the main hero sharing the stage with a younger, female version so Angela may be able to stake her claim in the series. It makes me sick, but the math is mathing.
Was Charles a one-time thing? More Matthew Lillard! Still no Punisher, Bullseye and Daredevil or Dex and Matt meeting, but looking forward to it if it is not stupid. I’m not looking forward to more Karen and Matt arguments and want nice things. I begrudgingly accept the excellence of the White Tiger development. Does Daniel have a line that he will not cross? Will Buck eat an enormous pretzel dripping with real butter after he kills Daniel? Will the Governor whoop Fisk’s ass? The only thing missing was a legislative branch storyline, which only I want so pay me no mind. I want BB (Genneya Walton) to leave NYC. I want Heather to get therapy and stop trying to fix herself. Will Sheila’s career coach intervene? Will I like an episode more than this one? I hope so!
