Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, Episode 5 Review: A Masterclass in Character and Flashbacks

Full spoilers follow for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, Episode 5, titled "The Grand Design," which is streaming on Disney+ now. While the action scenes are definitely a highlight of Daredevil: Born Again, it’s a testament to the core characters that this episode—one where we got no actual Daredevil fight scenes—still works so well. The focus here was mainly on whether Vanessa would survive or not, but the scenes set in the past both upped the poignancy already present in the Fisk and Vanessa relationship, as twisted as those two are, while also spotlighting a key character in DD history, Foggy Nelson, and underlining his significance.

This episode served as a critical pivot point for the series, proving that even without the titular hero swinging into action, the emotional stakes of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 remain sky-high. The narrative masterfully wove together present-day desperation with nostalgic flashbacks to explore themes of guilt, redemption, and the inescapable nature of one's identity.

The Weight of Guilt and the Power of Friendship

Written by Jesse Wigutow and directed by Angela Barnes (Ironheart), this episode did a great job of investing you enough in Foggy’s history with their client Ray for this all to come together. The flashbacks allowed us to revisit a core dynamic for Matt that is missed, as we saw he and Foggy working together in their early days before they’ve started Nelson and Murdock. Yes, the parallels weren’t subtle; we saw Foggy push for the idea of a second chance, while in the present, Matt was trying to help the guy who had murdered Foggy.

The episode highlighted several crucial character beats that defined this chapter of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2:

  • Matt and Dex: The scenes between Matt and Dex were profound, balancing Matt’s core belief in saving Dex’s life—powered by his guilt over nearly killing him himself in Season 1—with the reality that Bullseye is freaking Bullseye.
  • The Foggy Connection: When Dex mentioned Foggy, it triggered a visceral reaction from Matt, who grabbed and choked the guy he was trying to save, showcasing the depth of his trauma.
  • Ray’s Redemption: Guest star Nathan Wallace sold the broken kid inside Ray as he told Foggy he’d never had the kind of genuine friendship he saw Foggy and his brother have.

Matt ultimately let Foggy’s way guide him, not Dex’s, as he went back to save this guy who’s caused him so much pain. It was a beautiful counterpart with Dex talking to Matt about not being able to outrun your nature! Just wonderful acting from all involved here, with Wilson Bethel and Charlie Cox getting to share a scene together in a quiet, contemplative way they never have before.

Vanessa’s Fate and Kingpin’s Descent

The episode hit hard when Dex tried to weaponize Matt’s anger over Foggy by bringing it up again so that Matt would leave him behind. However, the emotional core of the story revolved around Vanessa, with a ticking time bomb element to the quest to save her in the present. It felt very unlikely Vanessa would survive, simply because the idea of Fisk unleashed is too enticing to not explore.

Despite the grim outlook, Vincent D'Onofrio and Ayelet Zurer made the most of their final scenes together here. Their nostalgic discussion of how they met put them in their most relatable and genuinely sweet light. The episode featured:

  • Wesley’s Return: It was great to see Toby Leonard Moore return as Fisk’s right-hand man, James Wesley, reprising his role for the first time since his character was killed off 11 years ago in Daredevil’s first season.
  • Fisk’s Humanity: Vincent D'Onofrio and Moore slipped right back into their old dynamic as Fisk, with Wesley standing out as one of the few characters Fisk seemed to genuinely care for, though of course he cares for no one as much as Vanessa.

The final montage, with Fisk in so much pain, was notably powerful, featuring one last actual Daredevil Season 1 flashback seeing her walk up to him for the first time. But now that she’s gone? Kingpin’s gonna do some absolutely awful things now that Vanessa is dead. This raises a terrifying question: will this be his breaking point or the start of his most dangerous era yet?

The Netflix Aesthetic and Hidden Details

In scenes set in the build-up to the original series, not only was that 1.78:1 aspect ratio revisited—filling the whole screen versus Born Again’s 2.39:1 look—but the lighting also felt very much in line with the darker look of the Netflix days. While I can mostly overlook the pretty goofy looking wig on Charlie Cox, the technical execution was superb. It was amusing to see the aspect ratio change when we got some clips from the Netflix series, but the newly filmed flashbacks here had a very cool touch of maintaining that old look.

The episode also dropped several subtle clues for fans:

  • BB’s Recklessness: Is BB really being so direct and obvious as to immediately leak info Daniel gives her, like Vanessa being in critical condition? I don’t really buy she’d be that reckless.
  • Karen’s Reaction: I loved the pissed look on Karen’s face when Matt brought Dex in. He may have specific reasons to help Dex, but she sure doesn’t.
  • Claire Temple Hope: It was wise to keep the flashbacks pretty focused on just a few key characters from the Netflix days, but it was a fun touch to have one Born Again-era specific face pop up, as we saw Wesley hire Buck to kill Ray.
  • The Nurse Connection: I’m sure I’m not the only one whose ears perked up hearing Matt mention he knew a nurse, hoping we were about to see Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple return.

Ultimately, this episode of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 balanced its high-stakes present-day drama with a loving homage to the past, proving that the heart of the franchise remains intact even as it evolves.