This might be the best episode of Daredevil: Born Again. After a slow start to the season, episode 4 comes in swinging with a fast-paced, action-packed continuation of the show's plot. Fans are treated to plenty of fight scenes and callbacks to the original Netflix show. With such a strong midway episode, Daredevil: Born Again charges forward as it finishes up its latter half of the season.
Bullseye makes a scene at a diner
The episode opens to Dex, A.K.A. Bullseye, starting his morning. He cooks breakfast, makes his bed, and stretches his wrists and arms. As he leaves his apartment, he greets his neighbor and gives her cat an egg for breakfast. At a diner, Dex sits at the bar and orders a banana milkshake from the tired waitress. As she makes his drink, Dex pulls out his phone and calls the police, claiming to have seen Frank Castle enter the diner. He quickly finishes his milkshake as the AVTF agents arrive, waiting patiently for his moment to strike.
Having successfully lured the taskforce to him, Bullseye wastes no time picking them off. In a gruesome fight scene, Bullseye uses forks, knives, and toothpicks at his disposal to take out the agents. With his near-perfect aim, Dex clears the diner with little opposition.
He stops the fight when he notices a diner patron with a dog. He tells the man that dogs in restaurants are unsanitary, to which the man pleads for his life. Bullseye smiles at the man, tells him he's one of the good guys, and uses the man's unfinished lobster to spear the last AVTF agent in the forehead. Before he leaves, Dex leaves a bullseye symbol painted in ketchup on the diner's doors.
Daredevil and Karen receive help from a fugitive
After the prison breakout and ship explosion from episode 3, Daredevil and Karen have taken the captured citizens to a secret hideout. There, Karen records testimonies from the prisoners on their wrongful imprisonment. Angela comes to Karen, saying she wants to pass on the footage to someone who can spread the message further. Karen is hesitant, not wanting to put the young girl in danger, but Angela convinces her. As she's about to set out, Daredevil stops her, sensing something outside.
Daredevil drags a man out of the shadows, ready to take him down, but stops when the man reveals himself to be the first mate of the sunken ship. He had been in hiding this whole time and now wants to help Daredevil take down Fisk. The first mate reveals that Fisk was involved with the ship and had given orders to sink it if it were infiltrated. Daredevil asks Karen to find Kirsten and convince her to help represent the first mate while he goes off to find Bullseye.
In Kirsten's office, a swarm of AVTF agents enter her workplace and trash it. They're looking for Jacque Duquesne, the vigilante known as the Swordsman who was among the prisoners Daredevil and Karen freed. As Kirsten represented him in court, the task force agents believe her to be harboring him, which Kirsten argues isn't true. When they don't find anything, Powell threatens Kirsten to stay in line.
Later, Kirsten and Karen talk, with Karen seeking the lawyer's help. Kirsten asks her where Matt is, and Karen reveals that he's alive and safe, but she can't say where he is. Kirsten wants to know more but doesn't push it. She agrees to help Karen, even though it could put her in danger.
Vanessa meets with the governor
Vanessa and Fisk speak briefly together in their room. They both have important meetings today - Vanessa's meeting with the governor and Fisk's boxing match later that evening. Vanessa says she doesn't want to attend his match. There's a hint of tension between the two, as it's clear Vanessa does not approve of this publicity stunt, but she doesn't stop him. On her way out the door, she wishes him luck.
Fisk and Buck meet with Charles, who laments the fact that Fisk's weapons are sitting in a warehouse and not shipped out to where they need to be. He questions Fisk's hold on the city, threatening him with two armed guards. Buck quickly kills the guards, and Fisk reminds Charles not to get ahead of himself, that Fisk will be able to do good on his promises.
Vanessa sits in the governor's office, and the meeting proves to be more successful than when Marge met with Fisk. Vanessa claims that the two women exist on the same level, that they understand each other. Marge claims her issue with Fisk is how he wields his power as mayor, while Vanessa insists that he has big plans for the city.
The governor says that Vanessa could have made a big change for New York as well but questions why she chooses to stand beside Fisk. Vanessa reveals that she once lived her life without Fisk, and now she can't imagine being without him. She loves her husband, and her husband loves New York, so she will stand beside him. Marge says that she couldn't back Mayor Fisk, but she might be more inclined to back the mayor and Mrs. Fisk. The governor sees that Vanessa plays an important hand in Fisk's life and puts her faith that perhaps New York would be in good hands if it were truly Fisk and Vanessa working together to create change.
Daredevil tracks Bullseye
Thanks to Angela snagging some AVTF gear, Matt's able to go in disguise as a task force agent. He arrives at the diner, orders the police to leave, and goes to work investigating the gruesome scene. Among the carnage and shattered glass, Matt finds a token belonging to Clinton Church, the Catholic church Matt went to as a boy.
In the church, Matt kneels at a pew and prays. The priest from episode 2 approaches him, and Matt shows him the token. The priest says he doesn't know who might have left that at the crime scene, but Matt can tell he's lying and asks again. The priest reveals that he might know that this man had threatened him and that he lives close by to the church. Matt listens for Dex, tuning in to his voice in an apartment across the street, and leaves to find him.
When Dex returns to his apartment, he instantly notices Daredevil lurking in the shadows. The two engage in a chaotic fight. Daredevil still harbors a lot of hatred towards Dex for killing Foggy, and each encounter they have continues to be more violent. They are evenly matched with their quick reflexes and near-perfect aim, but the fight halts when Dex's kindly neighbor comes in. Dex grabs her and holds her at gunpoint, claiming to Matt that he's trying to do one good deed. He wants to kill Fisk to make up for his part in Foggy's death, but Matt doesn't want Fisk to become a martyr. Dex throws the woman to the ground and escapes.
Fisk's boxing match turns violent
Back in the hideout, Karen and Kirsten record the first mate's confession. He reveals that he was under orders to sink the ship if it were infiltrated. Kirsten asks if it was the Coast Guard who boarded the ship, but the first mate reveals that it was only Daredevil, and his presence there was enough to scuttle the ship. She asks who had given the order to sink the ship, to which the first mate confirms that it was Fisk. When the recording finishes, Kirsten tells the first mate that he'll be taken into the protection of the U.S. Marshals.
Angela took the recording of the prisoners and gave it to one of her neighborhood friends. That night when BB and Daniel meet to watch Fisk's boxing match, Angela's friend bumps into BB and discretely hands her the recording. Daniel notices something strange but plays it off, and the two enter the gym to watch the match.
Fisk prepares for the fight, with Powell and Buck informing him that the event is heavily guarded. AVTF agents guard all entrances, surveying the crowd as Fisk steps into the ring. Fisk's opponent is a renowned boxer, but he stands no chance against the Kingpin. Fisk is able to easily overpower the other man, slamming into him with the strength and rage viewers have seen plenty of times before. During the fight, Buck left the gym to take care of the first mate, shooting him and the two U.S. Marshalls. Powell informs Fisk that the first mate had been dealt with.
The boxing match proves to be an unfair fight. Fisk remains untouched while his opponent is bloody and bruised. Fisk beats into the other man, only halting when he sees Vanessa enter the room, sitting front row to watch. Fisk's opponent lands a punch against him, but Fisk slams back, easily knocking the man unconscious. At first, the crowd is shocked at Fisk's brutal strength against the other man, but their horror doesn't last long. The crowd cheers wildly for him as Vanessa enters the ring. The two kiss, and Fisk asks why she decided to come. Vanessa says that she wanted to come and support him, but their sweet moment doesn't last long.
The taskforce agents stand no chance against Bullseye, who quickly overpowers them and charges towards Fisk. Vanessa, who has had nightmares about facing Dex, quickly pulls her gun on him, shooting him in the stomach. Bullseye throws a glass figure of Fisk at Kingpin, but he's able to shatter it with his boxing belt. Daredevil arrives and stops Fisk from shooting Bullseye, throwing himself and Dex out the window. Bullseye escapes with Daredevil quick behind him as AVTF run after them. Fisk turns to Vanessa, who has a shard of the glass figure in the side of her face. As she falls to the ground, Fisk screams for an ambulance, holding his wife as her white dress stains with her blood.
Vanessa's fate is unclear for now, but fans can confidently say that if she doesn't survive, Fisk could lose all semblance of control he had. The fight for New York would be even more challenging if Fisk were no longer in control and out for revenge against the vigilantes who killed his wife.
With Daredevil and Bullseye running from the AVTF, it's likely they'll speak again about dealing with Fisk. It's possible Daredevil will enlist Dex's help against Fisk, even if that means partnering with his best friend's killer. Karen won't be happy about that, but she might allow Dex's help in the fight against Fisk. As the fight for New York grows more desperate, Daredevil might need all the help he can get.