The good news is that Jessica Jones has finally entered the world of Daredevil: Born Again. She was the sole reason behind the little bit of excitement I had for this second season. As a fan of the Netflix series, it was a pleasure to watch Krysten Ritter again as this detective/vigilante. At the same time, I was also struck by the realization that Born Again will never be able to do justice to this superhero, as the three-season Netflix outing did a few years ago.
I am sure even fans of Daredevil must be disappointed by the dip in quality between the Daredevil they saw on Netflix and the one they are seeing on Disney+ now. The problem with the latter is that it has no visual personality. All it has are relevant nods toward current-day politics, which only add a superficial sense of importance to what is otherwise an exercise in monotony.
Scenes that should feel stressful and edgy—like Daniel, under Buck's orders, trying to flush out BB's true nature—feel limp. The clash between the rebels and the AVTF authorities outside City Hall is devoid of any sense of physical vulnerability, so the chaos never makes you uneasy. Moments of violence have not really been Born Again's strength from the beginning. At best, they offer a glimpse of the planning and choreography, but there's no adrenaline rush—nothing that can be called exciting.
The series, probably due to its subject, takes itself so seriously that you almost beg for humor, either intentional or unintentional. Some of it comes from Michael Gandolfini's performance, which is why I've been praising him from the beginning. "That Mayor Fisk, he knows talent," says Daniel's mother to Daniel, who, like a good mama's boy, begins to blush. The creators of the show also know talent, which is why they roped in Gandolfini to inject life into a series that's mostly dull.
Maybe what Born Again needs is to lean more toward an R-rating. In this episode, for instance, there's a scene in which Heather chokes Buck (consensually) to relieve the mental pressure she has been under since the Muse encounter. In a more "adult" version of the show, this moment could have evolved into something more intense if not immediately, then later (rough sex, anyone?). This version, however, remains tame in its handling of both sex and violence. They lack any energizing or erotic charge. The images are bland and impotent—they anesthetize the audience. Daredevil, according to the title, has been born again, but at what cost? From our point of view, he—and by extension, the series—feels lifeless, crushed under the weight of its own solemnity. Born again? No, this Daredevil looks dead.
Final Score- [3/10]