Have you recovered from last week's episode of Daredevil: Born Again season 2? I don't know why I'm asking, I know the answer's no. It was a stunner of an episode that set the bar for Marvel Studios' Disney Plus outings, while also serving as one of the best episodes of the revival series yet. And it understandably sent the internet into a meltdown.
Bullseye's quest to take out Vanessa Fisk produced some very unexpected results, as the former Daredevil villain has now seemingly set his sights on the villains of New York City who wronged him: And the Fisks are right at the top of that list. But with game-changing, tragic consequences for all involved in Born Again's previous episode, what does the next installment hold?
With that in mind, here are all of the events that went down in Daredevil: Born Again season 2 episode 5, titled "The Grand Design".
Take me back to the start
Fresh off the aftermath of last week's episode, Daredevil chases Bullseye down and the two get into it again. Matt is disheartened that his archenemy has once again taken a life despite his best efforts to stop him. Yes, Vanessa Fisk authorized the hit on his best friend Foggy Nelson - the hit that Bullseye carried out - but that's not how Daredevil operates. And he failed to protect Vanessa from harm, meaning that Fisk's Anti-Vigilante Task Force is going to come down even harder on the heroes of New York City due to Bullseye's actions.
As a result of that, Daredevil takes Bullseye through underground tunnels to the church as the villain is bleeding out (he took a gunshot from Vanessa in the previous episode). Although the man also known as Benjamin Poindexter tells him to leave him, Matt won't do that; he sees saving Bullseye's life as his penance. He knows he shouldn't have tried to kill him in the season 1 premiere, so now he's determined to save him - something which is incredibly difficult to do when the Task Force is hunting them.
This episode also takes us on a trip down memory lane, delivering a mini flashback adventure set before the events of the original Netflix Daredevil series. Vanessa Fisk is once again Vanessa Mariano, setting up her art gallery; she has yet to meet Wilson Fisk and the showdown with Bullseye is years away at this point, and it makes for some truly nostalgic visuals - particularly as it plays out parallel to Vanessa's life being in danger in the present.
Vanessa isn't the only one who seemingly returns from the dead in the flashback format. "The Grand Design" also features the return of Elden Henson, who reprises his beloved role as Foggy Nelson. We get to see Matt and Foggy in their early days as Attorneys At Law - or, well, Avocados at Law - and it is truly special to see Henson and Charlie Cox back on-screen together.
Matt and Foggy take on a client with a criminal history, so their intention is to help secure him a deal, which would involve a prison stay of 5-6 years (3-4 with good behavior). It turns out that this guy grew up with Foggy and has no intention of making a deal as he knows his employer would have him killed in prison. It turns out that his employer, of course, is the Kingpin, who has every intention of taking him out.
Wesley, who also makes a surprise return in the flashback narrative, contacts an old friend of his to make it happen. It turns out that Wesley knew Buck, who takes on the task. But before he can pull it off, Matt and Foggy successfully ensure that the accused doesn't have to serve time (due to a clerical error) and Foggy offers him money to escape Hell's Kitchen. In a touching moment, he takes it.
This ended up playing into Matt's present-day narrative this season. When the Anti-Vigilatnte Task Force comes calling at the church, he very nearly leaves Bullseye behind, claiming that he can't save both of them. However, upon remembering how Foggy was willing to help even those who were guilty in the past, he rescued the villain and took him to their hideout - a.k.a. The Punisher's old hideout. Karen Page, who is working out there, is not happy to see Poindexter.
This arc also ended up influencing Buck in the present-day. Vanessa's location and condition leaked out to the press after Daniel Blake had told BB Urich, but it's unclear as to whether she was to the one who leaked that information. Buck has Daniel take him on a drive and it becomes very clear that he has other intentions for the Deputy Mayor, telling him that he needs to make the most of opportunities that Fisk has given him. He then purchases a saw and a shovel and has Daniel drive him into the woods in Albany. Although it looks like the dark fate is for Daniel, Buck actually needs a hand disposing of the body of Christofi Savva - the first-mate of the Northern Star, who Buck killed last week. And with that, he reflects on the fact that he didn't successfully complete his first major opportunity for Fisk, as the person he was hired to kill ultimately got away thanks to Foggy.
It's quite poignant how Daredevil: Born Again was able to use the events of a tale that took place before Netflix's Daredevil, even adopting the same cinematography, lighting, and production values as the original series to bring it all together, in order to further the present-day narrative. A work of genius.
The end of an era
The closing moments of the episode were undoubtedly the most traumatic. Vanessa made it through surgery and actually woke up. A really tender moment between her and Wilson ensues, as he emotionally - desperately - attempts to be there for her. If he wasn't the Kingpin of Crime, they might have had a long, happy life together, for even Vanessa sees a more loving side to him here.
After she drinks pineapple juice, which Fisk reveals she once wasn't a fan of, she asks her husband to tell her a story of how they first met. We get more flashbacks to that night, as Wesley and Fisk contemplate heading into Vanessa's art gallery. It's all new scenes as Fisk looks at the radiant woman in the window. And that was the night that their love story began.
Vanessa and Fisk reflect on their journey together before the former asks him the same question again: Would he tell her a story of the night they met? But with every word, her speech got slower, slurring. And, eventually, he fell unconscious, as the doctors rushed in to help her and Fisk screamed uncontrollably as they attempted to revive her.
Although the closing moments don't outright reveal Vanessa's fate, the storytelling here makes it pretty clear. We flash back to that night one more, seeing her in all her radiance as she disappears into the light. And, back the present, the frantic Fisk watches as the sound drowns out and we hear the waves, see the sand - memories of the island that they will never visit again.
RIP Vanessa. You were a force.
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