Disney+Daredevil: Born Again Episode 2 introduces one of the show’s most important subplots: White Tiger and his case against the NYPD.
Daredevil has finally returned – and the first episode was traumatic. For once, there was peace in Hell’s Kitchen; Fisk was still locked up and Matt, Foggy, and Karen were happy running their law firm together.
In an instant, their lives were shattered: Bullseye murdered Foggy and 10 other people in Josie’s bar, Matt tried to kill him, and in his grief, he ditched the Daredevil mantle for good.
One year later, things have taken a dramatic turn for the worse: not only is Wilson Fisk back on the streets, but he’s the Mayor of New York and he’s cracking down on vigilantes… such as White Tiger.
No good deed goes unpunished with White Tiger in Episode 2
The episode briefly opens on Fisk addressing the people of New York, announcing a “new era for the greatest city in the world” as a mixture of boos and cheers flood Times Square.
“This city is in shambles… crime, poverty, a feeling of uneasiness as if any moment things could explode. But New Yorkers are tough, we know how to take care of ourselves,” he says.
“We don’t need a gun-toting vigilante who wears a skull on his chest, or a man who dresses in a spider outfit or a guy who wears devil horns to save us… the rule of law will return to this city.”
Elsewhere, Hector Alaya walks down the stairs into 168 Street Station and finds two men beating up a guy. “You’re beating on a guy who can’t defend himself, it concerns me,” he tells them, and a fight breaks out – but in the scuffle, one of the men trips onto the tracks and gets hit (no, obliterated) by an oncoming train.
There’s a shocking reveal: the men he confronted were police officers, and the remaining cop puts Hector under arrest (even though he didn’t do anything wrong).
Fisk has a Vanessa problem
Disney+Sheila sets out Fisk’s day as mayor: he needs to meet with New York’s firehouse chief, and they need to contact NYPD Commissioner Gallo (who hasn’t been returning their calls).
Fisk tells Sheila about Fiorella La Guardia (a real NYC mayor who served between 1934 and 1946), and how he was a hero of his father’s. As Fisk looks at the scars on his knuckles, he explains how his father didn’t respect any men – except La Guardia. “His tenacity, him standing up to Tammany Hall… he built this city,” he says.
It’s clear that Fisk isn’t interested in a long list of meet-and-greets, but as Sheila says, a lot of these people hate him – he must get them on his side. There’s another problem: Vanessa’s distance from Fisk’s campaign narrative is hurting him with traditional voters.
“The timing on this is not ideal, but my wife and I… we have work to do. Could you grant us a little leeway?” he asks, and Sheila tells him, “Absolutely.” It’s a surprisingly measured response from Fisk, given his usual temper when it comes to Vanessa; maybe he’s changed (I doubt it).
Matt meets Hector
Disney+While helping another client, Matt overhears the officers punching a “cop killer” and trying to get him to sign a confession in one of the interrogation rooms. When Matt walks in, Hector explains that he was just trying to break up a beating and the officer tripped. “I wasn’t trying to kill anybody, I swear,” he says.
Matt uses his super-senses, and he can detect Hector isn’t telling him the whole truth – perhaps the fact he’s White Tiger.
Matt takes the case to Kirsten and Cherry, but they aren’t convinced he’s innocent – and even if he is, it still looks like their firm is going against the NYPD. “Impossible odds work is what we do here,” he says, and Kirsten agrees to pursue Hector’s defense. Matt asks Cherry to talk to Hector’s wife and find the witness he saved on the platform that night.
“And do some digging on Hector for me, there’s something about his story that doesn’t track,” Matt adds.
Elsewhere, Fisk gets stuck in traffic on his way to another meet-and-greet. He’s getting impatient and doesn’t care about putting a target on his back, because targets draw attention to problems. Sheila says he needs to maintain the status quo for a little while, but that doesn’t work for him.
Fisk gets out of the car to see why they’re held up. A nearby foreman says they’re waiting on permit approval to fill a hole in the road – but Fisk doesn’t care about red tape. “Consider it approved,” he tells him, but addressing the crowd: “It’s not rocket science… here I am, getting things done.”
Hector’s arraignment doesn’t go to plan
Matt and Kirsten arrive at court for Hector’s arraignment. The room is filled with cops, all muttering under their breaths about Hector, and they realize they’re up against Benjamin Hochberg, New York’s District Attorney.
Hochberg asks that Hector be kept in custody and denied bail – and before Matt can argue against this request, the judge grants it and refuses to budge.
BB Urich meets Fisk
Disney+Over at Fisk’s office, Daniel Blake gets BB Urich – his new “friend with political benefits” – into a meeting with Fisk. “Play softball in there, okay, I’m calling in a favor,” he says.
Fisk asks if BB is short for something, but she says she chose the name to honor her uncle, Ben Urich… who Fisk murdered in the original Netflix series. “He was a good journalist,” he says, and tension takes hold of the room.
BB tells Fisk that she’s tried to speak to Commissioner Gallo three times about Fisk, and she’s got nothing every time. He’s also reportedly planning to resign after Fisk’s victory, with the NYPD’s rank and file planning to stand behind him in protest of the new mayor. “If you lose the cops, you lose the city,” she tells him.
She tries to ask a question about Vanessa, but she’s abruptly (but not aggressively) escorted out. Daniel apologizes to Fisk, but he isn’t angry. “I have a feeling that this young woman is used to being underestimated. We’ll use that,” he says.
Later, Heather speaks to a crowd at a book signing. A mysterious, troubled young man tells her how much he loves her work and asks for her help. “I can always move things around,” he says, and he leaves. Who was he? Perhaps we’ll find out later.
Buck also shows up to get a copy signed, but it’s unclear why; maybe it has something to do with Fisk and Vanessa.
Fisk confronts Commissioner Gallo
Fisk pulls up at Officer Shanahan’s funeral to speak to Commissioner Gallo, who asks if he’s even capable of guilt or remorse. Fisk says he didn’t kill the cop, and Gallo says: “Maybe not him, but plenty of others.”
Gallo doesn’t understand why Fisk would want to be mayor, but Fisk just wants to fix this conflict between them. Gallo tells him about Samuel Vance, who served as mayor for one month in 1874.
“It is my personal mission to make sure that your term is shorter than his… I see right through you, Fisk. You’re not a mayor who loves his city. You’re a whiny kid who wants everyone to love him, a monster trying to rewrite his legacy. Well, guess what? It’s too late; once a thug, always a thug. See ya around, Kingpin,” Gallo says as he walks away.
Hector’s true identity comes to light
Disney+Cherry and Kirsten visit Hector’s wife Soledad to try to convince her to come to court for his trial. While Kirsten speaks to her, Cherry snoops in their bedroom and finds Hector’s White Tiger outfit and amulet.
Later that night, Matt goes on another date with Heather, but he’s interrupted by a call from Cherry.
Matt goes straight to jail to confront Hector about his secret life as a vigilante. Hector doesn’t think it’s relevant, but Matt disagrees. “You hide your identity and go out and solve things the way you see fit. We’re trying to position this as a one-off event,” Matt explains.
As Hector says, Daredevil isn’t around anymore, so the people need a hero. Unfortunately, his wife doesn’t see things the same way. Matt tells him he needs to know everything he’s going to win the case, and Hector apologizes.
Elsewhere, Gallo shows up at Fisk’s office to resign, but Fisk has no intention of letting him go that easy. It turns out that Gallo has a secret child with another woman, and as soon as the commissioner realizes he’s being blackmailed, he backs down.
“The concept of compromise, it’s been on my mind a lot. So I have some compromises to propose. As far as a pay raise for your police force… zero. When it comes to overtime minimums… none,” he says, also rejecting a request for an expanded cadet class. Gallo agrees to stay, but he leaves the room on a tense note: “Be careful what you wish for.”
Matt gets a big win in Hector’s case
Matt and Hochberg meet with the judge to discuss Hector’s activities and White Tiger and their bearing on his case. Matt argues that he wasn’t in possession of his mystical amulet, nor was he in costume – so it’s not relevant and the jury has to deliberate on the events of that evening, not everything else.
The judge grants the motion, prohibiting Hochberg from discussing or introducing any evidence regarding Hector’s life as White Tiger or any acts of vigilantism.
Matt tracks down the witness… and unleashes the Devil
Disney PlusMatt follows Officer Powell (the other cop on the platform) back to an apartment. As he waits outside, Heather calls him to say she’ll be late because she’s taking on a new client – little does Matt know, it’s Fisk and Vanessa for couples therapy.
Vanessa resents Fisk for leaving and coming back. She took control of the business and made it more profitable than ever, but she still missed him, and now he’s back, she doesn’t know how to feel. “I’m here because I don’t want to lose my wife,” Fisk says.
Right, back to the good stuff. Matt hears Officer Powell telling his colleague they’ve found the missing witness at a nearby apartment, so Matt gets there before them.
The witness’ name is Nicky Torres, and he’s terrified the cops are going to kill him. Matt says he can help him if he helps Hector, but they don’t have time. As the cops run up the stairs, he tells Nicky to climb out of the fire escape, leaving Matt against the cops alone.
Powell pins Matt against a wall, revealing a Punisher tattoo on his wrist (I really doubt they’re working with Frank Castle). The two cops put a hell of a beating on Matt, and he can’t hold it in any longer.
“You don’t want to do this,” Matt tells them, but they don’t heed his warning – something they will definitely regret. He beats them both up ruthlessly, breaking one of their arms and smashing one of their heads against a fridge. Matt screams; the Devil is back.
Make sure you know when the next episode drops with our Daredevil: Born Again release schedule, find out more about when Born Again takes place in the MCU timeline, and check out our ranking of every Marvel TV show. Also, if you want to know what to watch before Born Again, we’ve got you covered.
