Ryan Kirksey
The following recap contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again S2E1, “The Northern Star” (written by Dario Scardapane and directed by Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson). Spoilers also include information from Daredevil: Born Again Season 1.
Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again ended with Daredevil (Charlie Cox) mobilizing a small band of honest cops, a couple of good friends, and a few Good Samaritan citizens ready to fight back against the new world order Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) established in New York City as mayor. Daredevil urges them to “Resist. Rebel. Rebuild. Because we are the city without fear.”
Daredevil certainly seems to be following his own advice as Season 2 kicked off on March 24th, but many of our other characters seem to be stuck in the sand as they navigate martial law and a new Anti-Vigilante Task Force deployed by Fisk.
The series premiere, “The Northern Star,” picks up at some point in the future of the aftermath of the Season 1 finale. Wilson Fisk has a stranglehold on New York City by declaring martial law and imposing a “Safer Streets” initiative after surviving an assassination attempt by Bullseye (Wilson Bethel).
The new season begins with Matt fully embracing his Daredevil side, having finally accepted that the corrupt legal system he once championed cannot be fixed from the inside, while the Kingpin is the mayor. Matt Murdock tried to avoid taking up the costume in Season 1, but here he finally knows he has no other choice.
Daredevil infiltrates a cargo ship named Northern Star. His goal is to find proof of Fisk’s illegal activities to present to the government and a court of law. Onboard, he discovers the ship is carrying military weapons intended for Fisk’s Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF). The captain of the ship and his first mate realize they’ve been boarded, and, following Fisk’s orders, they activate a self-destruct sequence to sink the ship and its evidence. Matt narrowly escapes the sinking vessel as it plunges into the river, but the evidence he sought to acquire is gone.
As the fallout from the ship makes its way to the Mayor’s office, Fisk is confronted by the state Attorney General. The episode then introduces “Mr. Charles,” (Matthew Lillard), a mysterious CIA operative. Mr. Charles arrives at City Hall not to arrest Fisk, but to work with him. It is revealed that Fisk has been smuggling weapons through the Red Hook free port for Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (played by Julia-Louis Dreyfus in the MCU), making him a possible asset to the CIA. This connection protects Fisk from state interference, and Mr. Charles is able to send them away.
Meanwhile, Heather (Margarita Levieva) is tasked with evaluating Jack Duquesne (the Swordsman, Tony Dalton), who was captured at the end of the previous season by Fisk. Suffering from PTSD following her encounter with Muse last season, Heather is pressured by District Attorney Hochberg to modify her psychiatric reports. She ultimately does so and describes Duquesne as a dangerous sociopath to ensure he remains in prison as the Vigilante Trials get closer.
Back at Josie’s Bar, Matt Murdock and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Wolf) continue to operate their resistance in the shadows. And also do some other, more personal things in the shadows to entertain themselves. Karen has taken on a mentor role for B.B. Urich (Genneya Walton), the niece of the late Ben Urich. While B.B. works within the Fisk administration’s propaganda department, she is secretly funneling information to Karen. She knows that Fisk was responsible for her uncle’s death and is prompted to try to destroy them from the inside.
We see some of BB’s signature video work throughout this episode, but there is also counter-programming that is anti-Fisk. This person is masked, but they are small in stature, and clearly know how to act to a camera. Could this also be BB? She would make sense as a person who wants to sow chaos for the Fisk name.
While working on a lead for Matt, the AVTF targets private investigator Cherry (Clark Johnson) at his home, suspecting him of aiding the vigilantes. Matt (as Daredevil) arrives just in time to intervene, but the encounter takes an unexpected and tragic turn. During the fight, the elderly Cherry suffers a heart attack. The rhythmic thumping of Cherry’s heart triggers Matt, starting a flashback to the moment Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) died. This momentary lapse in focus allows the task force agents to gain the upper hand in the fight. The officers pin Matt down and forcibly remove his mask, finally confirming his identity as Matt Murdock with many witnesses present to see.
Just as the AVTF officers prepare to execute the unmasked Murdock, a series of lethal projectiles thrown from a distance eliminates the entire squad in seconds. A single throwing knife is flung into the floor next to Matt, etched with a small bullseye and the words “You’re Welcome.” Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter (Bullseye) has returned. Bullseye is one of several confirmed characters who will appear this season, including Jessica Jones (Krystin Ritter).
We will not have to wait long for the resolution of this cliffhanger and to figure out what Bullseye is up to and why he would intervene and save Daredevil. Does he now want revenge against Vanessa and Wilson Fisk? Is it possible that Bullseye switches sides? There is a lot to answer in the upcoming episodes.
We will check back next week after a two-episode week. Disney+ has confirmed a special double-episode drop for next week, where Episodes 2 and 3 will both release on the same day.
