Living With B

Episode #: 4

Title: Gloves Off

Director: Solvan Naim

Release Date: April 07, 2026

Runtime: 51minutes

Episode Three Review | Episode Four Review | Episode Five Review

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⚠️ Spoilers ahead for this episode of Daredevil: Born Again ⚠️

Summary

This episode leans hard into chaos and tragedy, with Dex’s shaky “moral shift,” Fisk’s barely-contained rage, and a predictably devastating turn at the charity event. While some character choices feel messy or underdeveloped (looking at Jack’s exit and that awkward Vanessa/McCaffrey scene), the tension and emotional stakes still hit, especially with Vanessa’s likely fate looming.

Full Recap

Something about starting the episode with Pointdexter going through his own little morning routine is just… nice. He makes the bed, has breakfast, then goes into a set of push-ups that I was told are “more difficult than normal ones.” I won’t lie, I think assisted push-ups are just as hard. Nonetheless, the mood shifts fast… As Dex is sipping on his morning milkshake, he calls the AVTF to lure them to their untimely demise… yeah.

At this point, Dex is actively going out of his way not to kill innocent people, which we see when he’s lecturing the man who brought in his dog. “I’m one of the good guys,” he says. Wilson Bethel delivers this perfectly, mixing Dex’s dangerous, unhinged personality with this new approach. Even when his words are comforting, he still feels very… temperamental.

Dex’s change of heart doesn’t feel super well done. It’s messy—but Dex is messy, so it works. He tells Matt that he felt like he had to take Vanessa’s offer to free him and make good on their deal, which included killing Foggy. Now, he wants to balance the scales by killing Fisk for Matt. He’s trying to change himself to only kill those who deserve it, and honestly… I’ll accept it

My favorite, Jack/Swordsman, is leaving… for what? I don’t know. Just when I thought he’d be joining the Daredevil team or we’d get a real storyline with him, he just skedaddles like he didn’t just have an epic fight with Daredevil. There’s no solid explanation for his exit, and it’s heavily implied that he’s not coming back. Matt’s potential ally against Fisk is just… gone. And as much as I’m excited about Angela taking on the White Tiger persona, she’s not interesting enough (yet) to fill the gap Jack is leaving.

The scene with Governor McCaffrey and Vanessa feels unnatural—almost uncomfortable. I found it interesting that Vanessa was dressed entirely in red; it felt like the costume designers were emphasizing her danger and power. But still, the scene itself doesn’t land. I get the purpose, McCaffrey wanting to temper Fisk’s darker impulses and partnering with Vanessa to do it, but it just doesn’t work. And if they were going for a “girl power” moment… yeah, that didn’t hit either.

The charity boxing match really highlights Fisk’s temperament toward his opponent. Vincent D’Onofrio fully embodies Fisk’s animalistic rage, showing just how quickly he loses control when provoked.

Despite Matt trying to stop Dex from going to the charity event, he fails. Bullseye shows up, and chaos follows. It’s predictable to the point that it feels like Sophocles-level tragedy. Whether you want to believe it or not… Vanessa is going to die. Maybe not this episode, maybe not the next, but it feels inevitable. That’s just how the cookie crumbles.

That said, the sequence is still exciting. I actually laughed when the AVTF claimed they had the place surrounded and Bullseye wouldn’t get in… like, be serious. Obviously, they were wrong. Bullseye kills, Matt tries to stop him, and in the end, Bullseye still completes his plan even if it’s not his original target

Vanessa’s injury, a shard of glass to the temple, is, in a way, Fisk’s fault. When Bullseye throws an ornament at her, Fisk tries to block it, which causes it to shatter and send a shard into her temple. Tragic.

If this is the end for her, she’ll definitely be missed. Vanessa, even as part of the villain agenda, is a fantastic character. Ayelet Zurer and D’Onofrio have unmatched chemistry in the Daredevil universe, and it’ll be sad to see her go.

My Takeaways

• Season 2 Born Again is bringing in more elements from the Netflix series, especially with the flashbacks of Matt as a child… love it
• Is Fisk about to go full-on, no-holds-barred villain

Final Verdict

I loved seeing Dex doing full on Dex things this episode! Knowing more about his state or mind and his current plan continues to show how he is a danger to society and himself. It is incredibly frustrating that the Swordsman is leaving… He brings so much joy to the series and after the fight with the AVTF, I thought he was going to stick around. I was wrong. I am sad.