None of this makes the story, with its simplistic dynamics of criminal violation and righteous retribution, come alive, though; for that, some of the straightforward comic-book energy of the original would have helped. The best that “Born Again” can do is to deploy familiar characters and plot points in the standard Marvel fashion, revealing them or alluding to them like surprise gifts. In this season we’re given the homicidal Dex Poindexter (Wilson Bethel); Fisk’s ruthless wife, Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer); and the particularly brutal vigilante the Punisher (Jon Bernthal).
The show’s long, stuttering development process also needs to be taken into account. Matt Corman and Chris Ord, creators of the lightweight USA spy series “Covert Affairs,” took the first crack at “Born Again” in 2022; their version, reportedly episodic in structure, was well into production when they were dismissed and replaced by Dario Scardapane (“The Punisher”).
That could explain the season’s herky-jerky nature, with a stand-alone bank-heist episode and a pair of short, flat arcs involving a minor costumed hero and a serial killer. The lack of narrative shaping takes away any force the themes of vigilantism might have had, reducing them to limp excuses for the sometimes stomach-turning violence.
Among the cast, Bernthal is about the only performer who demonstrates a real pulse; his handful of appearances as the ultra-cynical, ultraviolent Punisher snap the show to life. Nikki M. James, as a colleague of Murdock’s, and Michael Gandolfini, as Fisk’s chief lackey, also make an impression. Other accomplished performers don’t have enough to do. Cox has always been a mild, slightly dull Daredevil; D’Onofrio’s hulking, stentorian presence as Fisk was entertaining in the early seasons but has settled into a rut.
There is one noticeable thing that “Born Again” has picked up from the final season of the Netflix “Daredevil”: the propensity of its main characters, particularly Murdock, to indulge in primal screams. In the context of the story, it’s an irritating affectation, but in the context of the current moment, it may be the only thing that makes sense.
