Matt Murdock and company take a bit of a backseat in this week’s episode of Daredevil: Born Again to put a lot of emphasis on Pointdexter, aka Bullseye. A presence from a distance this season, episode four really brings him out of the background and places him as a very exciting wildcard as we hit the midseason of this season.
The episode starts off really strong, too. Using Frank Castle’s name to bait the AVTF to a diner, Bullseye quickly makes stylish work of Fisk’s goons, all while we get to listen to Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind. I really love how Bullseye isn’t just a straight shot marksman, but seemingly relishes deflecting objects off of walls to reach his targets. What’s also interesting is hearing him spare the innocents and claim that he’s one of the good guys. Is he delusional, or has he turned over a new leaf? I’m leaning towards the former, as he was totally relishing the kills. What is interesting is that Pointdexter does seem to feel a semblance of guilt towards killing Foggy Nelson last season, only doing the job to secure his freedom. But that guilt has been eating away at him, so much so that his mission now is to repay Vanessa Fisk in kind; in a comic book-accurate costume to boot!
And while it may have been building towards it, the show actually seemingly commits to it and has Pointdexter assassinate Vanessa during Fisk’s big boxing exhibition. It’s a testament to Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance as Fisk, and the writing team ever since the show’s debut on Netflix, that I actually felt a bit bad for Fisk, watching his loved one die in front of him. Because, for all his evil faults, Fisk really did love his wife, and she was the one thing keeping him, shall we say, somewhat restrained. Or as the governor tells Vanessa earlier in the episode, keeping his darker impulses in check. Without her, I can only imagine how ruthless and unhinged the Kingpin of Crime will really get. What’s more poetically tragic is that the piece of glass embedded in her temple was a direct cause of Fisk’s own deflection in an attempt to save her.
The action this week was once again solid, and I like that this season feels more in line with the Netflix run. I’ve said that before, but I think it merits repeating that the show has definitely found a good groove. It is sad to see Swordsman go; him being stressed out due to months of incarceration is understandable, but also, this seems like the right moment to step up. Strange time to cut ties with him. I wonder how Fisk will react, if at all, to Matt saving him once again, even if that resulted in the loss of Vanessa. Bring on next week!
