After an intense 2-episode premiere event, Daredevil: Born Again dishes out a single episode in its second week with an episode that sees Matt Murdock taking to the courtroom to defend Hector aka White Tiger allowing us to really see Matt’s legal prowess in a way we’ve not seen before in the series.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Daredevil: Born Again season 1, episode 3 ahead!
The episode opens with Matt going to visit Hector in jail and assuring him he’s going to do everything he can to make sure that Hector is proven innocent and released from prison to be reunited with his family. As Matt is heading out, he bumps into Powell who is quick to confront Matt as he threatens to go to the judge and tell him Matt’s impeeding an investigation to which Matt reminds him witness tampering is illegal as he brushes past.
As the trial begins, Powell takes to the stand and he paints a very different picture of the events of the night of New Year’s Eve. After telling the jury that he volunteered for the New Year’s Eve shift to help those with families enjoy the night, Powell claims it was a quiet night until he arrived at the subway platform where Hector attacked him and his partner. Powell claims they flashed their badges and Hector started attacking them before pushing his partner in front of the train like it was nothing.
On cross, Matt tells Powell he’s been told he has a black eye to get under his skin before getting into the thick of his argument, pointing out Powell has testified that it was a ghost town and that he was alone on the platform. Powell continues to say no one else was present which is when Matt inquires as to whether there was no confidential informant Powell was roughing up and then asks about Nicky Torres. Powell denies knowing who Nicky is and Matt points out that Nicky was one of his informants and asks if Powell and his partner had an arranged meeting that night. Powell again says he doesn’t know him as Matt hears a cop in the courtroom saying Nicky cannot testify, hinting at a plan to take him out before he can take to the stand.
We cut to Cherry putting Nicky in a van to transport for testimony. Cherry is driving as a cop pulls in front of the van blocking him. It’s Powell, who orders Cherry out of the van and orders him to open the van. Cherry complies and to Powell’s shock, the van is empty as we learn Cherry was the decoy and that Nicky has made it safely to the courthouse.
With Nicky safely transported to the courthouse, he takes to the stand to begin his testimony. All is going well at first as Nicky explains that 18 months ago he was pinched for dealing and agreed to become an informant for the police to avoid jail time. However, things take an unexpected turn, when Matt asks Nicky if he was meeting with the officers that night and he lies on the stand by telling the jury he was home all night.
After Nicky blows up their case, Matt, Kirsten, and Cherry try to come up with another plan which leaves them with but one move: put Hector on the stand and let him tell his story.
Matt outs Hector as White Tiger
Hector takes the stand and walks the jury through the events of the night and how he only jumped into action after he heard yelling and saw a man, Nicky, being beaten by two men. Hector points out how the cops never said they were police and that he was simply trying to break up the fight which was when one of the officers tripped and fell onto the tracks. Matt comments about how Hector has put himself in harm's way before many times as he then outed Hector as the vigilante known as White Tiger.
After the courthouse broke into chaos, Matt and the D.A. headed into the judge’s chambers which is when Matt assures the judge that after his star witness was tampered with he had no choice but to use Hector’s White Tiger persona to show his character. The D.A. tries to get the information thrown out but the judge informs him there’s no putting the genie back in the bottle and allows Matt to proceed with the line of defense.
Before returning to court, Hector confronts Matt for telling a secret that wasn’t his to tell and Matt doubles down that it was the only choice they had as he then points out that he won’t be able to suit up as White Tiger again if acquitted. Hector reasons that it’s more than putting in a suit, it’s who he is and a calling. Matt says there are other ways to contribute that don’t require him to wear a mask and that he might be surprised by how much he won’t miss being him, alluding to the inner struggle Matt is battling with his own vigilante persona.
As the case continues, Matt calls a number of individuals to the stand who Hector helped to save as White Tiger. Kirsten then reads a police report about White Tiger helping to save a cop and arrest the man, which is followed by Matt presenting multiple police files with similar accounts of White Tiger helping the police. Hector takes to the stand again and Matt asks why he helped everyone and his answer is simple: it’s the right thing to do.
Daredevil Born: Again season 1 episode 3 ending explained: Did Punisher kill Hector?
During closing arguments, Matt asks the jury to ask themselves why would Hector attack the cops without without cause and without his White Tiger amulet, as he implores them really consider whether Hector is the type of man who would murder a man in cold blood. Matt reminds the jury that the mask doesn’t make the man and whether Hector is wearing the suit or not, he’s a hero.
The D.A. then gives his closing remarks which are quite pointed as he reminds the jury that good people can do bad things and then details the pain that someone feels when they’re run over by a train. His closing line is a line that is sure to be a throughline of the season: cops show up to serve the city without a mask and real heroes don’t need to hide.
After deliberation, the jury reaches a verdict and everyone is called back to court to hear the verdict won. In what looked like an unwinnable case, Matt and Kirsten pulled out a win in court with Hector being found not guilty on all charges and being released from jail. Fisk watches as Matt and Hector walk out of the court and Matt tells the swarm of reporters around him that justice won today when asked about Fisk calling White Tiger a cop killer.
Following the win, Matt and Heather enjoy some dinner at his place and Matt mentions the verdict proving to him that justice can be served which gives him the space to finally open up a little about Foggy as Heather toasts in Foggy’s honor. Elsewhere across town at the mayor’s office, Fisk meets with BB about the verdict which he calls a misjustice noting that a masked vigilante and murderer is allowed to walk the streets while a member of the NYPD lies dead.
As Fisk delivers his speech to BB, we see Hector suiting up as White Tiger as Fisk goes on to say that vigilantes are a threat to societies and that a man who wears a mask to cover his face is a coward. Fisk reminds her that he ran on a promise and the acquittal of Hector demands he keep it making it clear Fisk plans to use Hector’s death to push his anti-vigilante agenda.
The camera cuts back to White Tiger who is shot in the head by an unknown figure who seems to be wearing The Punisher’s logo as the episode fades to black.
The moment is one which is sure to leave fans wondering whether The Punisher was to blame for White Tiger’s death and it’s a question we should get an answer to in the episodes ahead. We know that Jon Bernthal will be back as Frank Castle sometime this season, but would The Punisher really kill White Tiget and for Fisk? We really don’t think so, but crazier things have happened so we’ll have to keep tuning in to see just who pulled the trigger and killed White Tiger!
Tensions continue to grow between Fisk and Vanessa over Adam
Speaking of Fisk, while Matt spends the episode defending Hector in court as the primary story of the episode, Fisk takes a bit of a backseat this episode but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some notable updates that come about for him throughout the episode.
Our first glimpse of Fisk comes early in the episode as he and Vanessa talk over dinner. It’s clear Vanessa is missing her place at the head of their former business and Fisk reminds her they have bigger goals. The five families are starting to turn on one another without someone seated at the head of the table and Vanessa points this very fact out to Fisk. He’s unbothered by their disputes telling her they should simply let them kill each other as they’re bottom of the barrel, to which she points out that whoever is left standing will come for him but he again assures her that petty blood feuds are none of their concern.
Following their conversation over dinner, Buck goes to speak with the families in an attempt to smooth things over and we later learn that it was Vanessa who sent him.
Fisk isn’t exactly thrilled when he learns of the attempt Vanessa made to ease the tensions and informs her what she’s trying to do won’t work. She says she sent Buck to help ease the tensions with the family and notes she doesn’t like seeing things fall apart. Fisk reminds her that sometimes chaos must rein to build a stronger order, but for Vanessa, it simply feels that he’s punishing him for Adam.
While we continue to dance around who Adam is, it’s clear that the man Vanessa found comfort in while Fisk was away is the biggest wedge that has been driven between the pair. Given his name continues to be dropped, we imagine we should be meeting him sometime this season and it’s going to be interesting to see just how much information is shared about Vanessa and Adam’s time together… and to learn what comes of him.