In Review: Daredevil: Born Again (S1 – EP5 & 6) With Interest & Excessive Force

Synopsis: In With Interest, Matt Murdock finds himself caught in a tense situation on St. Patrick’s Day, testing his ability to balance law and vigilante justice. Excessive Force sees him navigating increasing tensions in Hell’s Kitchen as a dangerous new threat emerges, pushing him closer to reclaiming his Daredevil identity.

The Story

We were treated to two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again this week, and at last, we see Matt Murdock re-embrace his vigilante side. The journey begins with Matt visiting a bank to apply for a loan for his legal practice. Unfortunately, the assistant manager, Yusuf Khan—who happens to be a relative of Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel—is unable to approve it. As Matt leaves, a group of armed robbers storm the bank, taking hostages while trying to access the vault. Hearing the chaos unfold, Matt decides to step back inside and do what he can to help. With a little assistance from Yusuf, he manages to thwart the robbers without seriously harming anyone.

The second episode, Excessive Force, sees Matt learning about Muse from Angela del Toro, niece of the late Hector Ayala. Worried for her safety, he warns her to stay out of it. However, later in the episode, Matt discovers that Muse has already killed 60 people. Shortly after, he receives a call from Angela’s mother, frantic with worry over her daughter’s disappearance. This prompts Matt to suit up as Daredevil for the first time, setting out to find Angela and confront Muse.

Elsewhere, Fisk, who has been keeping Adam locked in a cage for sleeping with Vanessa, finally decides to take out his frustrations on the artist. Handing Adam an axe, Fisk invites him to fight back—only to then deliver the mother of all beatdowns.

Acting

With Interest delivers a mix of light comedy-drama and action before Excessive Force serves up the main course. Mohan Kapur is fantastic as Yusuf Khan, sharing some great scenes with Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock. His introduction even includes a fun little callback to Ms. Marvel, which is a nice touch. Excessive Force has its share of entertaining moments as Matt wrestles with the idea of returning to his vigilante life, including an amusing early scene where his new girlfriend, Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), questions him about his connections to other vigilantes.

Overall

A fun double bill of episodes where we finally get to see Matt Murdock suit up again as Daredevil. The fight sequences that follow are fantastic. I especially loved how the showdown between Daredevil and Muse was juxtaposed with Fisk’s brutal beatdown of Adam. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, leaving us all wondering whether the villain is alive or dead, as it seems Daredevil may have gotten the better of him.