#219 – Daredevil: Born Again (S2,Ep1) The Northern Star

Welcome back to Marvel Maniac and MCU after show. This is your host, Eric Cicada. And we're back. Not just Daredevil, this kind of Marvel storytelling. Because this premiere. Well, this is exactly what the season opener is supposed to do. It moves fast. It hits hard. And more importantly, Daredevil isn't just fighting criminals anymore. He's fighting a New York that's been rebuilt against him. We open on the Northern Star Star, this massive freight ship just off the New York harbor. And immediately, no waiting, no slow burn. Matt is already in motion. Daredevil boards the ship, and we get exactly what we wanted. Tight combat, brutal takedowns, full control of the space. This is everything I could have wanted. Honestly, when I see Matt in that suit, especially the one he's in now, it gives me the jitters and the good kind of, like, chills. I. I'm talk. I'm talking about. This is Daredevil back in his element. And visually, I gotta say, right now, that black suit with the red emblem, he looks insane. Maybe the best he has ever looked. But what really matters in this scene isn't just the action. It's what's on the ship. Weapons, contraband, fist operation, and a lot of it. A lot of evidence. And the moment things go wrong, well, the order is given. Sink the ship. The sailors, slash ship commanders, whatever you like to call them, they do it because that was their order on what to do if someone boarded the ship. But here's the key. They're too close to the harbor. This thing doesn't disappear. This wasn't boarded in the middle of the ocean. It was boarded. It was boarded, like, right inside a New York harbor. It collapses in plain sight, half sunken, visible public for days at a time. Everyone sees it. And just like that, fist operation isn't hidden anymore. It's floating in the middle of New York. I did not dare skip the title song because talk about classic Daredevil anthem. I put all my lights in my room on red, every single possible light, and watched it in the dark on the PC. I got to say, I was in full movie theater mode. I was very immersed in this episode. After that chaos, we get our title, of course. And this is where the episode really gets interesting. Matt and Karen are wanted and in hiding, living behind Josie's and off the grid. And it changes everything about the tone because now Matt can't move freely as himself and Karen's in disguise. And that means Daredevil becomes less of a choice and more of a necessity. And I love this Detail that Karen is training. She's hitting the dummy, she's getting sharper. I mean, she's not just like girl punching, as you would call it. She is kicking it. Kicking some ass against this dummy. She's not just surviving, she's preparing. And Matt. Matt's smiling. Like actually smiling. And it's subtle, but it matters because last season, Matt was drowning. And it. You're. It hurt my heart to see the guy so down. So now there's still pain, there's still foggy. But with Karen, there's light again. And that balance, well, that's what gives this version of Matt weight. Now we zoom out. Because the real story of this episode isn't just the ship. It's what Fisk does after. He flips the narrative, instantly calls it a terrorist attack, blames Daredevil, controls the message. And the scary part? People believe him. The city believes him. They love him as mayor. He has totally got everybody eating off out the palm of his hand. Even when the evidence is literally sitting in the harbor. And then it gets worse. Government agents show up and immediately fold after one call. The task force is openly violent, corrupt unchecked. The legal system is being manipulated. Even psychiatry is being weaponized. Every system that's supposed to protect people is bending toward Fisk. And that's the shift. Fisk isn't just running crime anymore. He's running New York. There's a lot being set up here too. And it all feeds into that same idea. BB Urich is continuing Ben's legacy. Swordsman being manipulated and buried. Heather fully turning into a Fisk pawn. Mr. Charles showing up a mysterious, connected and not afraid of Fisk type of guy. And then we get the name drops. Jessica Joan. Valentina. Valentina. Allegra de Fontaine. Val. The board is expanding. Even if they're just off the off screen phone calls or on screen phone calls. This isn't just a street level story anymore. Something bigger is moving. And then we get the ending. Cherry gets targeted by the task force. Brutal scene. No hesitation, no limits. Matt shows up as Daredevil and just clears the room. But then it happens. He hears Cherry's heart. And it's not just sound. It's memory. It's foggy. And it's that same helpless moment all over again. And that's what really gets Matt. And he freezes while fighting these guys just long enough. And they get him. They beat him down. They rip his mask off. And for a second, it honestly feels like this is it. If the show weren't called Daredevil I'd be a little bit more worried about him. And then, out of nowhere, they drop one by one. We don't even see it happen. It just happens so fast. Just precision control and the blade that hits the floor after it all says, you're welcome on it, Bullseye. And that's how this episode ends. Not with victory, not with control, but with chaos and questions. Because if Daredevil needs Bullseye to survive, what kind of war is he walking into? This premiere doesn't just bring Daredevil back. It shows us that the city he protects has already been turned against him. And that's just what makes this season already feel different. So, before we wrap up, I want to go do something I used to do back in the early days of this show. Check in with the fans. And over on R Marvel Studios, the energy is exactly where you'd expect. So, scrolling through the first few comments, obviously I just watched it as it came out, so it doesn't have all the top responses sorted out or anything. We just get the nice, raw interpretation of what people are saying. The ending scene. You're welcome. Yes, absolutely. It's exciting. I love this already. Me too. Me, too. Joshua Da Boss. The intro was insane, Velocity Reaper says. And honestly, I couldn't agree more. I love that intro. I love seeing Deep DD in action, kicking some major kingpin ass. Although it seems to be spiraling now. Netleo says he's going to write this down live, tweet style, and I want to read what he has to say. Netleo thinks the suit looks fantastic, and she thinks Karen was Danny Rand, the Iron Fist when she was beating up that dummy. And he questions, is Fist doing. Is BB doing propaganda for Fisk now? Is she even running the report? I don't know. A little talk of Ms. Day Fontaine. If we get Val back into the mix. Yeah, we are all for it. Brings out The Muse haunting Dr. Glenn, which is pretty gnarly. I like seeing him back. I thought Muse shouldn't have been killed. I liked him as kind of another side villain, but they went for the shock value last season, and that's just what it was. Voice recording is gonna bite him in the ass, probably. There was a voice recording of this interview with the Swordsman, and she had to change an answer for him, which she was pressured to do. And honestly, if there's a recording in any situation like that, it's like Checkoff's gun. It's probably going to be brought back up and the weight is going to actually fall on her even though she was made to do it scrolling through. People love Karen's wig. It disguises her very well. I don't notice her at all from afar along like who's this? Oh, it's Karen. So very good wig work Karen. Well done. Matthew Lillard is going to be a lot of fun this season. 11815 says I was so surprised to see Shaggy from Scooby Doo in Daredevil. I had to quadruple check and to go to IMDb and make sure that was him. And yes it is. And he's kind of a badass. I honestly am certainly excited to see where his story is going, who he's working with and or for. Very, very very interesting. Another on even another comment says I'm loving sassy Matthew Lillard. Yeah, this is a good part for him. Just finished. I like this episode a lot. A great ending. Couldn't agree more. So are Charles and Valentina working together? That would make sense. But what is their game? Getting the D A on fist side. What is Charles? What game is Charles playing? That's a good question. We are probably soon to find out. I hope they don't leave that thread hanging. I doubt they will now. Another good question pointed out by Justin's dad is who do we think is making the fake Fisk news videos? That is curious because it seems someone who wants to stir up the controversy a little bit. He does a pretty damn good fist compression. He wears the mask. It's kind of creepy. Gives me some jigsaw from Saw vibes. I think he's probably another villain in the fold, or maybe it even just be someone we know that works for Fisk himself. It's interesting and I'm excited to see where that goes too. There's so many plot threads being planted in this first episode. Citizen Citizens, Nips says. I've been waiting over a decade to see him using the Bully Club in this way. Yeah, the Daredevil action was top tier this episode. He was ripping guys apart and if it weren't for Cherry's heart, I don't know if he had the heart attack or he was gonna, but his heart attack moment is what stopped Matt. He would have won the fight hands down. He was in full control up until that happened and overall the response is very positive. Great first episode. Nice seeing the Watchtower. Heather is such a tool. Space Caboose says. Love the aspect ratio changing on the boat as Daredevil is widening then narrowing his listening. I love when they do those scenes where you can kind of hear him sorting through all the sounds to find what he needs to hear. That's very cool. The Val shout out. Interesting. I mean, we're seeing a lot of that. Someone actually referring to Matt Lillard is Shaggy, which, I mean, I'm sorry, you can't. I can't forget. I can't forget Shaggy and Bullseye. What is going on with Bullseye? There's a lot about him in here. Everyone's very excited about this episode. If they kill Cherry man. I know. Adorable. Air 6901 is having some PTSD with cherry. We do not want to see that man go is in retirement. He deserves more time in this show and to be alive even if it's in Kingpin New York. And that's all about it from our Reddit insta take. I like I said, I'm getting these the second people are posting them. These are all comments that came in with the last in the last 30 to 40 minutes. So we're getting real time MCU fan reactions. Do you like this section of the episode? Email us marvelmaniacpod Gmail.com we'll read your reply on the show. I'm curious to what you think about getting Reddit's opinion and the Internet's opinion. I haven't done this since Fantastic Four, but in reality there hasn't been much new MCU stuff for me to cover. In this sense, we're going to be here every week and I'm going to be posting the episodes when they're finished. So be looking on the lookout for them. Like tonight they're going to be up the night of because I want people to have access to them as soon as possible. And I love doing this show direct after show. Like this is the reason Marvel Maniac was built. It's where we thrive and it's my favorite thing to do is to talk about episodes as they come and then make predictions and see if they come true. Make sure you rate the show five stars or give it a thumbs up or a little comment. It means the world and it does us a lot of good and getting out there. Be sure to join our discord. It is in the notes of this show. We are going to start talking Daredevil in there. There's a Harry Potter section for my other podcast, Magic Muggle, a Harry Potter after show. Go check it out. And yeah, I am. I'm looking forward to see you next week. I'm totally, totally hyped about this season, where it could go, what it can mean for the greater MCU what the cameos are going to be? Is Matt gonna have another hallway fight scene? I think it would be a crime if he didn't. And I hope it's with another hero. Will the Defenders reunite? We are all soon to find out on Marvel Maniac and MCU after show. Again, I'm Eric Cicada, your host. We'll see you next week. And until then, Avengers disassemble.