Daredevil: Born Again Episodic Coverage: “Isle of Joy”

“Isle of Joy” Continues To Expand This Deep Story

“Isle of Joy” is a fantastic episode. I am consistently enjoying the constant use of parallels between Fisk and Daredevil, and this time, it’s about love lives. It’s about interpersonal drama. How much of their “real” selves do they let through? How do others deal with them when they do?

But there’s also enough action—and intrigue—that I’m not craving a fight scene. I’m not waiting for the superhero moments. Because it’s all superhero and supervillain moments—just without any cartoony suits. It’s multiple battles, but mostly ones of information and controlled by public appearance. We may have everyone in civilian (or very fancy) wear, but so much is happening in the background.

This Is Such An Enthralling Plotline For A TV Show

And, of course, that affects how people interact with their loved ones. Murdock is playing out the time-tested (and honestly a favorite of mine) trope of hiding his identity from his partner because his girlfriend doesn’t like Daredevil. You can tell how many times Matt wants to tell people in his life what he’s doing—but doesn’t for all sorts of reasons. And being stretched so far is eating him alive. He’s become so short with people. The amount of times he gives direct orders in “Isle of Joy” is actually startling.

But where Matt is being punished by the narrative for his violent or angry decisions—Kingpin is being rewarded. He shows his wife his prison dungeon, and she murders a man, and it helps repair their marriage. Vanessa actually seems happier now. And his blackmailing methods keep being almost unopposed. He’s managed to create a power structure that lets him do whatever he wants, as long as no one outside his circles is too aware of it.

The Show Has Some Of The Best Uses Of Parallels

Honestly, if this plotline had continued the way it was going, I think Daredevil would’ve been killed. It was so dangerous for him to go to that party. There were no easy escape options. We saw someone get pulled right out of the main hall without partygoers caring. Daredevil is not immune to bullets, as the ending so effectively highlights.

But the plot of “Isle of Joy” has a wildcard to mix things up. Daredevil is saved, but not in a way that makes things easier. An active, open supervillain is attacking again. And while I liked Muse as an antagonist—the suit design was super creepy—Poindexter is a perfect choice. I have said since my first review of this season that Daredevil: Born Again is about rage, and Daredevil likely hates no person more in the world than Poindexter. The finale is going to have to explode into multiple battles as everyone fights everyone, and I have no idea how they could possibly wrap it up in one episode. Perhaps they won’t. Perhaps this is the new paradigm for the next season. A three-part war.  

And if that’s the case, I’ll be disappointed about the wait, but excited nonetheless for the outcome. “Isle of Joy” is, in hindsight, very much the first part of a two-part finale, but it’s structured and paced so well that I didn’t notice. I was just engaged in the episode’s plot. And that’s how you know it’s some good television.

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