As Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk consider the men they were, are, and want to be, Daredevil: Born Again‘s fourth episode is easily the closest the series has felt to the original Netflix series – at least, in its most contemplative moments (anyone looking for Born Again to start kicking up the action ala Daredevil season two will be sorely disappointed with this episode). With both men looking to the inspirations of their past (and potentially future) and reflecting on the things they hold dearest, “Sic Semper Systema” is a welcome return to basics for the fledgling superhero reboot, an encouraging sign Born Again‘s heavy rewrites are beginning to bear fruit.
“Sic Semper Systema” benefits most from its ability to find coherent thematic parallels between Matt and Wilson’s resistance to falling into old habits; though previous episodes have tangentially explored these ideas, both stories lock into place following Hector Ayala’s coldblooded murder at the end of “The Hollow of His Hand”. Both men find themselves at the mercy of the systems around them; Matt deals with smirking, arrogant police officers and a pro bono client whose rap sheet has condemned him to a life of poverty and petty crime, while Wilson fights against the bureaucratic and therapeutic paths he finds himself on as mayor and husband (respectively) – and in the process, Born Again find a thematic harmony the first three episodes sorely been missing, a welcome return to the bombastic, reflective hours of the original’s most satisfying internal moments.
There’s a bit of imbalance there, of course; Matt mourning the loss of Hector while still in the throes of post-Foggy depression hits a bit harder than Wilson’s adventures in Red Hook and couples therapy. But how both stories are grounded in Matt and Wilson’s attempts to convince themselves they’re changed people is wickedly satisfying, and helps focus a series that, after three episodes, is still clearly trying to get its footing and find its narrative momentum. There are other signs of unifying story threads (the first appearance of the serial killer Muse bookending this episode, being the most obvious sign) starting to form themselves, but without these critical parallels between the men behind the masks of Daredevil and Kingpi Mayor Wilson Fisk, Born Again‘s stories were bound to feel endlessly pedantic (the couples therapy sessions) or built from a completely different cloth (Matt’s friendless life as a flirty, mostly carefree defense lawyer).
Much like the series itself, it’s only when Matt and Wilson start leaning into the people they really are that Born Again‘s themes of rebirth and existential redemption finally start to coalesce; which, strangely enough, is catalyzed by the appearance of Frank Castle, six years after we last saw the character at the end of “The Whirlwind”, The Punisher‘s violent, uneven second season finale. After discovering the bullet casing from Ayala’s murder scene held a Punisher insignia, Matt makes his way down to the basements of New York to find a scruffier, slightly more unhinged version of Frank Castle awaiting, ready to denigrate every compromising decision he thinks Matt’s made since the death of his friend.
At first, it feels like Frank’s re-emergence is but another empty MCU cameo for a character left in limbo many ‘phases’ ago; but as he continues to angrily berate Matt for not killing Bullseye and standing idle while a cabal of corrupt cops and a crime lord take over the city, Daredevil: Born Again starts to find its footing, grounding itself in Castle’s sweaty existential rage. Though Jon Bernthal’s performance as The Punisher can be a little heavy on its most obvious notes, how he channels that into Born Again is not only fitting for the show’s particular tone – and more importantly, serves as a literal kick to the ass for Matt and the show’s languid pacing to this point, allowing our heavy-hearted protagonist to let out a bit of emotion in front of perhaps the only person in the world who understands Matt’s pain and anger (who is, in turn, incensed at Matt for not letting that properly drive him).
For Wilson, he’s hiding a pair of more obvious secrets; he doesn’t care for the political machine he’s inserted himself into, and Vanessa’s unseen affair with Adam weighs far, far heavier on him than he’s willing to admit, even as he insists he’s “trying” to be someone who can forgive (which he laughably blames on his father, who he watched beat his mother. What a warm story!). Wilson knows only complete control, and hearing about bureaucratic red tape at work, while Heather pries into the Adam situation and how it has formed a wedge in his marriage to Vanessa, only makes his blood boil further – though he talks about how he can’t fathom a life of meaning without her, he’s also still keeping Adam locked away in a cage right next to where Fisk enjoys what I presume is some fancy-ass takeout food… this is a man who only knows control, and his attempts to confuse love with that feeling – or at the very least, try to speak forgiveness into existence, as he wishes to do with his Red Hook development plan – are leading him down a similar path to Matt’s, driven by a loss of one’s sense of self in the face of losing the very fulcrum of their existence (knowing Matt’s already lost his in Foggy, which he points out to Frank, only makes his plight more even more resonant, knowing he’s already been unmoored by the loss of his best friend).
Wilson’s arc is a little less dynamic than Matt’s (given he’s already re-ascended to power, his journey taking place in Hawkeye and Echo‘s miniseries), where these ideas manifest in each character proves to be interesting. Matt finds his frustrations funneled through a particularly unappreciative, frustrated client, while Wilson finds a moment of restraint and mercy when annoying staff member Daniel folds like a chair and immediately admits to being the leak that caused BB Urich’s “union busting” story (which… if Fisk is really the ‘return to the rule of law’ and ‘break the back of political red tape’ mayor, why does he give a shit about unions?… I digress). Though BB Urich (with her blog posts and laughably ‘indie’ video clips interviewing New Yorkers randomly inserted in each episode) remains an underwhelming presence, seeing Wilson embrace the groveling, pathetic Daniel as a creature of courage and bravery is an interesting one. After all, there’s really nothing brave about Daniel’s actions to show no self control and immediately fold under pressure; however, seeing Wilson’s eyes light up at the potential of this man’s undying loyalty to him, is something we haven’t seen since he thought up the fake Daredevil scene in season three. Dex and Daniel are very different personalities, but their fealty to Wilson offers him completely different avenues of exercising his power – which, as we’ve seen in the past, typically leads to nightmarish results.
Though “Sic Semper Systema” is clearly an episode in between the first and second arcs of Daredevil: Born Again‘s first season, what it lacks in neat formal presentation, it certainly makes up for with a strong thematic core, integrating new stories (including the first appearance of Muse, who kidnaps and drains the blood of a teen somewhere underground) and reigniting familiar existential conflicts in much more compelling, patient fashion than its much blunter, less engaging predecessors. With a more consistent tone and application of theme to its main characters, “Sic Semper Systema” is much more than an episode with a flashy cameo and a serial killer tease; it is easily the most satisfying entry so far in Born Again, the first time it truly feels like a series standing on its own two feet again.
Grade: B
Other thoughts/observations:
- Daredevil humor I can get behind: Fisk’s slow sinking sense of horror when he realizes he has to sit through a second acapella rendition of “We Built This City” of the day.
- Matthew’s flirting with Sofija is… a very welcome bit of character to see from Matthew, who spends so much time when he’s not with Foggy and Karen (which is… this entire series) being glum. One instance where a bit of a lighter touch is paying dividends for Born Again.
- “Could it have been a Skrull?” “… No.”
- Vanessa said she was attracted to Adam’s hands and his art: “It was like finding a Klee at a garage sale.” Girl, just say you wanted a little bit of dick! (also, miss me with the whole “triggered by memories of my father” – if there’s one false line in this episode, it’s that nonsense from Vanessa, a character way too strong and arrogant to admit to such cliche things).
- Really hoping we get a White Tiger arc with Hector’s niece assuming the role at some point.
- “What do I care about Latvian culture?” Wilson Fisk, man of the people.
- Frank notes that the cops and others using his insignia are just “a bunch of bullshit fanboys”. Intrigued to see how this develops over the back half of the season (if it does at all, of course).
- Fisk predicting that Heather asked Vanessa if she felt safe is just goofy enough that it works.
- Though I like that Muse’s introduction is not too heavy in this episode, it almost feels too light in its attempts to create a sense of disturbing horror around the masked character. We shall see!