Crime
Daredevil: Born Again
Wilson Fisk says he’s changed. But Daredevil: Born Again? It feels much the same as its Netflix predecessor—if not bloodier.
‘Til death do us part.
So end many wedding vows. But regardless of whether those who take such vows are faithful to that commitment, “until death” is a long time to promise to another.
Rachel isn’t as interested in marriage as her fiancé, Nicky, is. She’s got a whole lot of baggage with the idea—considering her mom died not long after getting married to her dad, and her dad became something of an agoraphobic hermit.
But Rachel truly loves Nicky, and she wants to make him happy. So she said “yes” when he proposed. That’s why they’re driving back to Nicky’s family’s cabin (well, mansion, really) in the woods—so Rachel can meet the family and marry Nicky five days from now.
But as they drive, Rachel can’t shake this terrible feeling that’s been growing in her stomach. It doesn’t help when an old man questions whether she’s sure Nicky is the one she wants to dedicate her life to. And Nicky’s family is, as nicely as she can say it, off-putting.
And then Rachel gets a letter in the mail. It’s her own wedding invitation. And on the back are three scrawled words:
Don’t marry him.
It’s a rare event when we get a TV show whose name summarizes the content review for us, so I’d be a fool to pass it up.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. And it’ll happen onscreen.
Well, it’s more like somethings rather than one singular thing—all in the form of serious content concerns. Gore is the first of those things, including dismemberment and lots of blood. Onscreen sex is another of those things that’ll occur. Rituals, curses and possession are more very bad things. And heavy crude language? That happens too.
On the bright side (pun intended), you won’t see all of it, since the whole thing takes place in what is apparently the worst-lit home this side of the Mississippi.
As for the plot? Well, it’s not very bad. There’s a little something here, in a twisted way, about the sanctity of marriage and the importance of taking marital vows seriously. But the whole thing comes across like finding the beginning or end of a wedding ring—there isn’t one, so it’s a pointless endeavor. (There’s also a rather glaring plot hole that would spoil the show for me to discuss, but I digress.)
But hey, with a title like that, you can’t say the show didn’t warn you.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
As Nicky and Rachel drive to Nicky’s family home, they encounter a number of disconcerting things along the way.
We see the floor and walls of a room soaked in blood. Rachel picks at skin on her thumb, peeling it off. She also stabs a man through the hand with her car keys. A woman recounts how a man attempted to slit her throat. We see the bodies of a couple of dead foxes—one is stuffed in a toilet with its entrails hanging out. Someone leaves a baby in a frozen car, but the infant is allegedly rescued offscreen. There’s a reference to a monster that cuts open women and pulls out their entrails. Rachel suffers a nosebleed.
Rachel picks out a crude bumper sticker that references oral sex. A woman wears an outfit that exposes cleavage. Nicky and Rachel passionately kiss, and then Rachel climbs into a wooden trunk to masturbate. We also see the couple having sex; while critical anatomy is hidden, we see lots of movement and hear plenty of noises. As Rachel urinates, she discovers a man watching her from above her stall.
Rachel worries giving birth will result in vaginal tearing. When talking about a spooky story containing a monster, a woman says that the monster only awakens by the smell of blood, and then she asks if Rachel is on her period.
There’s a passing reference to reincarnation. Someone mentions the belief that children can “exist in a third dimension.” A woman jokes that she can summon things.
A girl asks Rachel if she is “stoned,” and Rachel admits that she is. People drink wine.
We hear 25 uses of the f-word and six of the s-word. “D–n” is used once. God’s name is used in vain around 15 times.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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