While it seems that the MCU’s take on the man without fear seems to be progressing nicely, there does seem to be a sense that the show didn’t really make the most of one of its secondary threats: Muse. Only properly introducing the masked, art-obsessed serial killer in episode 6, we saw Hunter Doohan’s blood draining maniac take an early shower after apparently dying in a hail of bullets last episode. It seemed odd that such a memorable antagonist would be discarded so easily, especially considering that Daredevil doesn’t have the most cherished of rogues galleries and while it hasn’t tarnished the momentum of the show, I personally couldn’t help but be disappointed that Muse wasn’t set up to be a continuing threat.
However, with only two episodes to go and no real immediate threat in sight seeing as Wilson Fisk is well and truly ensconced on his mayoral throne, who will prove to be the climactic thorn in Matt Murdock’s side?
To quote that old, darts obsessed game show: you can’t beat a bit of bully. That’s right people, Bullseye’s back.
While he expected to be rotting in protective custody for the foreseeable future, no one is more surprised that Benjamin Poindexter when he’s suddenly moved into gen pop at Riker’s Island. As a former FBI Agent (even a crazy one), it doesn’t take a blind man to see that this is some sort of attempt on Dex’s life and sure enough, we find that the order was given by Fisk himself, possibly to tie up some dangling loose ends.
Meanwhile, the stress that comes with once again becoming Daredevil is once again hitting Matt with full force. For a start, in the wake of his girlfriend, Heather, shooting her patient Muse in self defence, she’s now taken a fierce, anti-vigilante stand while is something that Wilson Fisk is ready to take advantage of. However, tension is also rising as Heather has noticed that Murdock is repeatedly checking out of their relationship as if something is drawing his attention away and a request from Bullseye for Matt to visit him in prison certainly isn’t helping.
Meanwhile, it seems that Fisk and Vanessa have finally sorted out their relationship differences when the rift between them is healed when the former admits to the latter that he’s had her one-time lover imprisoned and she responds by shooting poor Adam dead. As the couple get back on the same page, they make plans for the extravagant Black and White ball, but little do they know that an unwelcome guest is going to crash it.
Remember when I said that Matt got an invite to visit Dex in prison? Well Murdock’s temper seemed to get the better of him and he promptly assaulted his bitter enemy – however, if you give Bullseye a lose tooth, you’ve also given him the tools he needs to escape and as the tense atmosphere during the ball reaches it’s zenith and multiple revelations start unravelling everywhere, Dex lines up a fatal shot that’ll change the game forever…
Okay, so Muse was rather wasted, but if you’re going to swap him out with anyone, I’m glad it’s Wilson Bethal’s Poindexter, whose multi-series transformation into his comic book counterpart continues at a fascinating rate. Yes, there’s still no sign of that blue combat suit with the bullseye marked on the forehead, but Dex continues to have one of the most riveting, extended arcs in MCU history as we edge ever closer to the final result. In fact, Bullseye fans are exceptionally well served by this episode which goes out of its way to build on the carnage he wrought all the way back in episode one when he murdered Foggy Nelson and take it into jaw dropping arenas. Not only do we now see his mental illness visualised by having the screen suddenly shift into a deep shade of blue (the colour he wears on the comics), but we also get a rare face to face with Charlie Cox that doesn’t involve them trying to stab each other to death. It’s not quite the interrogation room scene from The Dark Night, but it’s close as the two hated enemies try to have a civilised discussion that unsurprisingly ends in violence. However, that leads on to yet another classic Bullseye visual as Murdock unwittingly gave his enemy to ammo he needs to violently escape in the form of a loose tooth which he viciously spits through the eye of the poor schmoe guarding him. Classic Dex.
However, with all this Bullseye related stuff whizzing around like a pair of thrown scissors, the rest of the episode also proves to be remarkably tense as a clenched sphincter even if he isn’t on screen. While Fisk and Vanessa put their issues behind them with the murder of Adam, Matt and Heather’s relationship seems to be hurtling toward the rocks when Murdock realises that Wilson has a way to use his girlfriend against him as someone who will speak out against vigilantes. It’s all spiteful, petty stuff on Fisk’s part and it’s pretty juicy too, although it does tend to shift Heather into the column of “annoying girlfriend role who doesn’t listen to good advice” – however, in her defence, she doesn’t actually know that she’s dating Daredevil so it makes begrudging sense that she won’t listen to a word Matt says.
One part of Daredevil: Born Again that’s been feeling a little anaemic is the subplot that’s been building between Blake and BB but seemed to be going nowhere; however, during the ball scene we finally find out that this online reporter who posts endless puff pieces has a hidden agenda going on and reveals that she’s well aware that Fisk was the prime suspect of her uncle’s murder. Obviously this will all be season 2 stuff, but I’m glad it’s finally going somewhere, but this isn’t the only bit of melodramatic tea that’s being spilt as the final sequence sees a ton of revelations flying out in all directions before Bullseye’s finger tightens on the trigger. Fully back to his old, Kingpin ways, Wilson (adaciously dressed in an all-white suit) is once again throwing his considerable weight around, strong-arming and leveraging the rich of the city to help him out with his docks project, such as threatening to out Jack Duquesne as the vigilante known as the Swordsman and generally getting his way. If this isn’t enough, during a moment when he gets to dance with Heather, he seems like he’s going to tell her that Matt is Daredevil and completely torpedo his rival for the audacity of returning to his superhero life. However, unbeknownst to the mayor, Murdock has finally figured out that Foggy’s murder at the hands of Bullseye wasn’t the revenge killing we all thought it was and it was in fact Vanessa who ordered the lawyer’s death as he was on the verge of winning a case that would have damaged her empire.
As reveals go, this is an absolute fucking doozy that ties everything from that harrowing first episode together into something that proves to be ridiculously tense and opens up and entire shit storm that will envelop everyone involved. Did Fisk manage to tell Heather Matt’s secret before Dex fires his fateful bullet? Did Fisk know that Vanessa put a hit on Foggy and used Bullseye to do it? Whatever the answers may be, the fact that Murdock deliberately takes the bullet meant for Fisk is something will also have gargantuan repercussions as we head into next week’s grand finale. But with a bunch of tangled secrets left to unravel, a critically wounded Murdock to contend with and a return of the Punisher due, here’s hoping the last episode doesn’t treat Bullseye as callously as it treated Muse.
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