Daredevil: Born Againis one of the most hotly anticipated television shows of the year, with Marvel devotees and TV fans who may usually steer clear of superhero media awaiting the continuation of Matt Murdock’s (Charlie Cox) Marvel Cinematic Universe journey with similar levels of excitement. But the sequel series does have its work cut out for it if it hopes (as it should), to reach the same levels of quality as the firstDaredevilshow, originally produced for Netflix.Daredevilis a masterpiece of comic book-inspired storytelling as well as simply great television, consistently delivering epic action sequences and rich drama accentuated by high production values and superb acting. While the series’ remarkable consistency is one of the many great things about it,a particularly striking episode from the first season continues to stand out nearly 10 years after release, and this installment is oneBorn Again’s creators will hopefully have studied especially closely so that the new show can be worthy of the original’s lasting legacy.
Season 1, Episode 9, titled “Speak of the Devil,” begins with one of several flashforwards to a sequence in whichMatt, in his masked identity as the superhero that will eventually be dubbed Daredevil, battles Nobu Yoshioka(Peter Shinkoda) — a member of The Hand with training in similar mystic ninja arts to those Matt knows who is in league with Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). Other portions of the episode depict events from recent days that led up to the fight, with Matt initially frustrated at how Fisk’s recent public announcement of his supposedly charitable plans for New York City upends all the work Matt and his friends and colleagues have done in the hopes of exposing the crime lord’s illegal acts.
“Speak of the Devil” Is ‘Daredevil’s Best Exploration of Matt’s Morality
The most immediately impressive aspect of the episode isthe battle with Nobu, which is an extraordinary feat of choreography and filmmaking, even byDaredevil’s consistently high standards for action scenes. But “Speak of the Devil” also stands asarguably the series’ finest achievement in thematic and character development. It certainly offers the most compelling exploration of the show’s recurring conundrum over whether Matt should use lethal force against his criminal opponents, particularly Fisk. The flashback portion of the episode begins with one of Matt’s discussions with his priest, Father Lantom (Peter McRobbie), to whom he frequently turns for advice on the morality of his vigilante missions, which he only disguises in the thinnest of ways. He asks Father Lantom if he believes the Devil actually exists, leading the priest to recount a harrowing experience from his time doing missionary work in Rwanda and culminating in, “I saw the Devil. So yes, Matthew, I believe he walks among us, taking many forms.”
Although there are some lighter moments in the episode, the flashforwards and, even more so, this scene, imbue it with a significant amount of dread, and Matt’s angst over whether or not to kill Fisk only increases as it goes on. Hoping to learn more about his enemy, he introduces himself toVanessa Marianna(Ayelet Zurer), an art dealer publicly dating Fisk, at her gallery, pretending to be a prospective buyer, only to have an unexpected encounter with Fisk himself. Personally witnessing Fisk’s relationship with someone who loves him and would mourn his death gives Matt additional pause, but he tells Lantom in a later discussion thathe nonetheless feels that letting Fisk live — which means that his harmful plans could continue — would be immoral in its own way.
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How can anyone not be moved by that quiet scene?
Although Lantom asserts that a righteous person doing something truly immoral is arguably worse than a sinner doing so, as it corrupts a previously good part of the community,Matt continues to feel as if killing Fisk is his moral responsibility, especially after he and his coworkers at his law firm discover that Fisk has orchestrated the murder of their client, Elena Cardenas (Judith Delgado), whose occupancy was preventing Fisk from renovating a building he had just bought. While mourning the loss at a bar, Matt and his office assistant, Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), discuss Matt’s religious faith and Karen’s lack of it, with Matt noting that while his Catholicism sometimes helps him deal with tragedy, it is not doing so in this instance.
As he prepares to leave, Karen says, “If there is a God, and if he really cares at all, about any of us, Fisk will get what he deserves. You have to believe that,” to which Matt replies, “I do.” This adds a unique nuance to Matt’s motivation for crime-fighting, suggesting thathe does so not just to protect his loved ones and community and prevent things like Mrs. Cardenas’ murder, but also to reassure good people likeKaren and his law partner Foggy Nelson(Elden Henson)that there is justice in the world.
‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Should Look to “Speak of the Devil”
Unfortunately, this tragedy briefly convinces him that justice demands he attempt to kill Fisk (though he’ll later admit this was a mistake). A final flashback depicting the beginning of the fight has Nobu reveal that he and Fisk deliberately murdered Mrs. Cardenas in the hopes that such a vicious crime would draw their vigilante opponent to them, just as it did. Although Matt narrowly manages to defeat Nobu,he is thenconfronted directly by Fisk, who viciously beats him. Matt manages to escape the trap but not before being shot by one of his Fisk employees.
The episode’s final scene sees Foggy finding him near death in his apartment, and discovering his secret identity. This, in turn, sets up the interpersonal drama between the partners, and, eventually, Karen, about Matt’s double life that drives much of the narrative for the rest of the series.“Speak of the Devil” is, in many ways, Matt’s darkest hour, but the thoroughness with which it explores his conflict and the various stylistic triumphs throughout, as well as the episode’s extremely eventful nature, make it the strongest installment of the series and the oneBorn Again’s creators should try to emulate most.
