Following last week’s cliffhanger, tonight’s episode picks up with Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) about to head into surgery. She’s alive, but the Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) is distraught about her condition. He has to be held back so the doctors can do their job.
Officer Powell (Hamish Allan-Headley) and the AVTF arrive on the scene to support Fisk. Down the hall, Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini) is trying to downplay the severity of the situation to the press. A short while later, we learn Vanessa has made it out of surgery, although she hasn’t regained consciousness just yet. The Kingpin waits at her bedside and orders Powell that if they find Daredevil (Charlie Cox) or Bullseye (Wilson Bethel), he wants them brought in alive.
There’s a citywide manhunt for the two vigilantes, who have taken up temporary refuge in a restaurant kitchen. The staff is supportive, so Daredevil takes a second to figure out a plan, although Bullseye isn’t particularly helpful. He believes balance has now been restored and is seemingly cool with his fate. However, Daredevil won’t hear it and is keen on keeping Bullseye alive.
Back at the hospital, Blake continues to answer media queries when he gets a text from BB (Genneya Walton). He agrees to meet her down the hall and is upset that she managed to track him down. She insists she’s legally allowed to be there and wants to know whether Vanessa is alive. Blake finally admits she’s in critical condition, and BB leaves after giving Blake a much-needed hug.
The doctor pays Fisk a visit to talk to him about Vanessa, and Fisk says he’ll do anything to help his wife. The doctor tells him that Vanessa is in a precarious position, but he’s going to do everything he can for her. She then heads back into the operating room.
There’s now a flashback. It’s from early in Vanessa’s career when she was working at the art gallery. She likes a piece of art that her boss isn’t fond of; her boss tells her it could attract a potentially high suitor.
Daredevil and Bullseye are now in the tunnels. Bullseye is in really bad shape and argues that he’s earned his death. He asks Daredevil whether he thinks Vanessa is dead, but Daredevil doesn’t know. Bullseye believes if he killed Vanessa, then balance is restored, and he’s ready for judgment. He remembers their fight from the series premiere and says he was supposed to die after Daredevil threw him off the roof, but he survived. Daredevil says Vanessa’s death would be murder, and then Bullseye brings up Foggy, which elicits a reaction from Daredevil, who begins to choke him out. Daredevil then tells him to never say Foggy’s name again.
Now, we get a Matt & Foggy (Elden Henson) flashback! It’s early in their career, before the original series, and their client is a man named Lionel/Ray, whom Foggy knew when he was younger. He’s not the nicest guy, nor was he nice to Foggy when they were younger, but his brother was Foggy’s childhood best friend. Matt and Foggy manage to get him a good plea deal, but Ray insists that if he goes to prison, he’s a dead man.
The next flashback shows Kingpin and James Wesley (Toby Leonard Moore) in a car. Wesley lets Fisk know about an issue with "The Lion," then Fisk begins talking about bitcoin and says they need to start diversifying in this new world. Wesley says he knows someone who runs an art gallery…
Back at the hospital, Fisk watches Vanessa in surgery. She moves her hand!
Daredevil and Bullseye continue their journey. Bullseye’s condition continues to deteriorate and he falls over, but Daredevil keeps trying to help him. Daredevil admits to seeking penance; he wants to save him because he tried to kill him in the past. Daredevil manages to get Bullseye back on his feet and they march on.
In the past, Matt and Foggy discuss opening Murdock and Nelson in a few months. They work late into the night, and Foggy eventually finds the police warrant that was used on the night of Ray’s arrest. It has the wrong address listed—a simple clerical error that means the warrant isn’t valid. It’s basically a "get out of jail free" card for Ray. Matt doesn’t believe Ray deserves to walk just like that, but Foggy disagrees. He tells Matt they’re his attorneys and they have to do right by him. Matt wants Ray to go to jail, but Foggy says he deserves a second chance, not a death sentence.
Elsewhere, Kingpin and Wesley go to meet someone they intend to hire.
Cut to the hospital, where Daniel watches a news report discussing Vanessa’s condition. He immediately gets mad, believing that BB leaked the report. He then runs into Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan) and asks him where he was the night of the fight. Buck lies to him and gives Blake an update on Vanessa’s condition. He then invites him to get a hot dog.
The doctor tells Fisk that Vanessa’s surgery went quite well and he’s optimistic about her recovery. Fisk insists she’s going to be fine.
In the past, Vanessa is seen displaying the art piece she liked. This is intercut with another flashback of Wilson and Vanessa on an island.
Buck and Blake head out for hot dogs, but Buck doesn’t stop at any of the corner stands. Buck tells him they’re actually going to Albany and that the Mayor is aware of their whereabouts. Buck gives Daniel some of her backstory, including his time in Afghanistan and how he was trained to always follow orders. Buck eventually parks at a hardware store and tells Blake to wait. Blake is terrified and contemplates driving off, but decides against it. Buck returns with a shovel and an electric saw.
In flashback, Wesley gets out of Fisk’s car to meet with a young Buck Cashman. He hires him for a job: kill Ray. Meanwhile, Matt and Foggy get Ray out of jail. He doesn’t seem happy about getting out and tells them he’s just going to wait for "them" to find him.
Daredevil brings Bullseye to Clinton Church and tells him they’ll be safe there for now, but both of them know that if Vanessa dies, no place is safe from the Kingpin’s wrath.
In the past, Ray is in his apartment and gets a knock at the door. He’s prepared to meet his maker, but when he opens the door, it’s Foggy! Foggy gives him some cash—the same cash he and Matt were saving to open their own firm—and tells him to get out of town. He wants to give Ray a chance to start over. The two remember their troubled childhood, and Ray tells Foggy to let his brother know not to come back because there’s nothing here for him. Foggy tells him he will, and Ray tells him to leave.
Daredevil tells Bullseye he knows a nurse who could help him. Bullseye has seemingly given up; he doesn’t know what the difference is anymore. He says he and Daredevil are brothers, adding that they’re both doing the same thing—scratching the same itch, thinking they can outrun their issues—but they can’t. It only gets worse and worse. Bullseye says there’s no escaping their fates.
The Seminarian (Bartley Booz) arrives and tells them the church will always provide shelter, but the AVTF are there. He goes to the door to give Daredevil and Bullseye time to escape. He tells Powell that he hasn’t seen any vigilantes, but the AVTF storm the church anyway.
Daredevil and Bullseye work on an exit strategy, and Bullseye finally tells Daredevil to leave him behind. He insists on dying, saying he killed Foggy without thinking twice and deserves to die. Daredevil is conflicted. He can’t accept it, but sensing no other option, he apologizes to God and escapes. We then see him on the street, monitoring the AVTF as they enter the church.
Foggy leaves the apartment and finds Matt waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Matt knows about the money and Foggy apologizes, but Matt understands. They head off to Josie’s and decide to name their firm Nelson & Murdock.
In the present, Daredevil remembers this moment with Foggy and goes back for Bullseye. He shows him the same mercy Foggy would have, and the two make it out of the church alive. Powell later finds Bullseye’s bloodstains and questions the Seminarian about his whereabouts.
Buck and Daniel arrive in the woods, and Blake tries to talk Buck out of killing him. He insists he doesn’t know what he did and tells Buck he can just disappear. Buck tells him to get out of the car. Buck tells Blake that he likes him and that they both work for a man who could change his life, but he’s going to need loyalty first. Buck opens the trunk to reveal three dead bodies. Buck asks him whether he wants to use the shovel or the saw. It looks like Blake’s in the inner circle now.
Flashback to Ray’s apartment, where Buck discreetly enters. However, upon entering, he realizes it’s empty. Ray took Foggy’s advice and fled just in the nick of time!
Daredevil returns to the Punisher’s hideout with Bullseye in tow, catching Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) way off guard.
At the hospital, Vanessa wakes up! She reaches out for Wilson’s hand and asks why he’s acting so strange. He breaks down in tears, telling her he was unsure whether he’d ever see her again. He asks if there’s anything he can do, and she asks for pineapple juice with ice. He tells her she doesn’t like pineapple and she’s confused, but wants to try anyway. Fisk orders the nurse to bring the juice before she is even able to give Vanessa an examination. Fisk is overwhelmed with joy, and Vanessa is confused by his behavior. They share a moment.
Later, after Vanessa finishes her juice, she asks Wilson to tell her the story of how they met. A flashback features Fisk and Wesley arriving at the art gallery. Fisk sees Vanessa from his car and watches her in silence. Vanessa tells Fisk how she must have known he would walk through those doors and change her life. He tells her it was luck, but she calls it the "grand design." She then tells him he vastly overpaid for that art piece—three times the listing price. He laughs loudly and says he would have paid anything; for him, it was the deal of the century.
They take a beat and Vanessa asks Wilson to tell her the story of how they met... again. Suddenly, she can’t finish her sentence and begins gasping for air. Something is seriously wrong. Fisk starts calling for help.
In flashback, we see Wilson looking at Vanessa through the gallery window. Vanessa finally turns toward him, and the screen fades to white.
The doctors tend to Vanessa, but it’s too late. She flatlines. Fisk is heartbroken. Vanessa Fisk is no more.
The final flashback is their very first scene from the original Daredevil series.
Read our other recaps at the following links:
Episode 1: "The Northern Star" Recap
Episode 2: "Shoot the Moon" Recap
Episode 3: "The Scales & The Sword" Recap
Episode 4: "Gloves Off" Recap
Mayor Wilson Fisk crushes New York City underfoot as he hunts down public enemy number one, the Hell’s Kitchen vigilante known as Daredevil. But beneath the horned mask, Matt Murdock will try to fight back from the shadows to tear down the Kingpin’s corrupt empire and redeem his home. Resist. Rebel. Rebuild.
In our season two review, we said, "Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is pure unadulterated mayhem! It is one of the most raw, compelling, and powerful seasons of Marvel television ever produced, with unreal action sequences that truly take things to another level. Charlie Cox delivers the performance of a lifetime and makes every second of this blockbuster season well worth your time. This is the Marvel Cinematic Universe at its finest! The Devil is back!"
Daredevil: Born Again episode three is now streaming!