Episode Review: Daredevil: Born Again 1x3 - "The Hollow of His Hand"

Welcome back to the blog readers. If you did not know this by now, I never watched the original Daredevil (2015-18) series when it was on Netflix (and even since it has been on Disney+), but that did not change my anticipation level for this show, or how much I would end up enjoying the first two episodes that aired last week. Great character work, great story (especially the death of Foggy Nelson), and great action made for a hell of a viewing experience. Would we get the same thing here with this episode, titled "The Hollow of His Hand," written by Jill Blankenship, and directed by Michael Cuesta? Stick around to find out.

NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, do DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.

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We started the process of getting a bit of courtroom drama in the previous episode we got where we were introduced to Hector Ayala, and I was hoping we would get a bit of that in this episode, especially because the stuff we got in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) was lackluster at best. Suffice to say but I think we have an episode of the year contender on our hands, and we haven't seen a single frame of The Last of Us (2023-) yet. The performance (again) of Kamar de los Reyes was heartbreaking and beautiful, and the courtroom drama pales in comparison to She-Hulk. I also love the hints of what is to come with the story.

First things first, I have to get Kamar de los Reyes and his beautiful performance as White Tiger out of the way. I previously spoke about how this man was the voice of my childhood and gave a series-best performance as Raul Menendez in Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012), but now seeing his performance in this episode really broke my heart, knowing he passed away in real life. There is a calmness and an honesty to his performance that really makes you feel for not just the man behind the character, but the character himself. You celebrate when something good happens to the character and you weep when something bad happens. I have not felt this emotionally connected to a character of television in a long time, and the late great Kamar de los Reyes brought Hector Ayala to life beautifully. I will eternally miss you Kamar, and thank you for bringing me joy with another one of your characters.

Now I want to mention the story of this episode really in depth because I think it tells a bigger story that we are not talking about. I want to start with what happens outside of the courthouse because while it may not be important for this episode, it definitely is for the future of this series. Since Wilson Fisks's absence from the criminal underworld of New York City, a gang war has broken out where the crime leaders do not trust Fisk as the mayor of New York. This gang war has been headed by Fisk's old business associates. Vanessa sends Wilson' right-hand man Buck Carlson to ease tensions but Wilson believes the gangs should all just kill each other. They are continuing to go to therapy hosted by Heather. I think this is going to lead to something down the line that will lead to the crime bosses falling back in line and it not being good for them.

Now we go to the real meat of this episode, which is what happens in the trial of Hector Ayala (who was accused last episode of intentionally killing a police officer but that is not the case). Before the trial begins, Matt is talking with Hector as he reminisces about home and how much he misses it. He discusses the song of frogs that he would always hear and how much value it brought to him. The trial begins and it seems as if Hector is doomed to lose this case, but Matt is waiting for the arrival of Nicky Torres, who agreed to testify on behalf of Hector. Cherry distracts the corrupt cops that are trying to prevent Torres from making it to the courthouse, but he commits perjury by lying that he was never assaulted when he looks at the cops. Out of options, Matt decides to pull the only card left in his deck by pulling out Hector's White Tiger mask while questioning him.

That decision leaves everybody stunned, including the prosecution that Matt told he would not reference. He admits it was his only option and Hector is upset for exposing him like that. Matt tells Hector he is ready for the blowback and the door that has been opened, as the trial shifts to the character of Hector and how he is only trying to help people. He says that being the White Tiger is like breathing for him amid Matt's plea to give it up upon being acquitted. Later on, he is acquitted of all charges and is extremely grateful for what Hector was able to do. Matt and Heather celebrate his trial win and reminisce about Foggy while Wilson condemns the acquittal, calling it a mishandling of justice. Later on, while Hector is on patrol, he is basically executed by someone wearing the symbol of the Punisher. As the credits roll, we hear the song of the frogs that Hector alluded to at the beginning of the episode.

I think the ending of this episode was absolutely heartbreaking because we were really rooting for Hector, and I visibly raised my arms in victory like I just got acquitted of criminal charges when he was acquitted. This character was brought to life beautifully by Kamar de los Reyes (as I have discussed) and I cannot believe how emotionally invested in this character I was. Now it is speculation time: who pulled the trigger to kill Hector? Was it Frank or a copycat? Time will tell, but I want answers NOW!

Daredevil: Born Again submits an early episode of the year contender with a lot of heart, emotion, and an ending that left me shattered and heartbroken. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.