Daredevil: Born Again Episodic Coverage: “With Interest”

“With Interest” Goes For A Classic Action Scenario

“With Interest” finally gives us a superhero episode. I said last review that I wanted the pot to boil over, and it basically did. Daredevil locks in, even if the mask hasn’t come on. I hadn’t expected the episode to break the seal being a very trope-heavy, classic superhero scenario, but, hey, it was a ton of fun.

It was also fun having a crossover. This didn’t seem like the show to have little Marvel mixing moments, but I was happy to see characters from Ms. Marvel. The parents have been a delight in literally everything I’ve seen them in, even in other continuities like Marvel Rising, and considering the intense self-hatred underlying “Sic Semper Systema,” I can imagine some audience members needed the break.

This Was An Unexpected But Delightful Crossover

What I’m learning is that the writers/producers/actors/etc. of this show knows how to make old ideas fresh. “The Hollow of His Hand” is a fairly standard courtroom drama, but the specific moments make it engaging. And the same is true here. The bank robbers have just enough personality—and the actors have so much charisma—to carry almost perfunctory scenes. The script uses just enough little swerves. It’s not special for someone to break off from a group by claiming to need to use the bathroom to knock someone out, but it is different where they need to mind how much sound it takes to knock that person out.

“With Interest” is also just full of small, excellent, emotional moments. The series continues to use rage and anger in potent new ways. This time, the bank robber and Daredevil get progressively more pissed. You can tell how much Matt wants to just fully kick in their teeth. And you can see how the bank robbers get closer and closer to just killing someone out of frustration. Even the build-up of the SWAT team invading the building mirrors this continuous thematic framework.

“With Interest” Continues All Of The Usual Themes

My only complaint is actually related, though. Because the issue here is one of continuity. “With Interest” barely touches on existing plotlines. It could be anywhere in the season, really. I would use this one as a jumping-off point for new viewers. You don’t even need much context, backstory, or even character knowledge to get the story here. And while that can be fun, Daredevil: Born Again never struck me as an episodic adventure show.

Still, those complaints contain very little energy. “With Interest” delivered well on all it set out to do, and entertained on the back of good pacing, excellent acting, and engaging action scenarios. It’s a good episode of TV, and sometimes that’s all you need.

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