Daredevil: Born Again episode 5 isn't a filler episode, it brings back the magic of old-school episodic TV

The creative process for Daredevil: Born Again was not exactly smooth. Partway through filming season 1, Marvel Studios replaced the original showrunners and overhauled their plans for the series. Their initial vision reportedly skewed too far from the tone of Netflix's Daredevil, and several lead actors weren't convinced by what they’d filmed so far. After considerable rewrites, the version we see on Disney Plus incorporates some of that earlier material, but feels closer to the Daredevil that fans know and love.

Episode 5 is one of the points where we can guess what the previous, now-defunct Born Again might have looked like. Light on angst, it’s a standalone adventure where Matt Murdock never actually dons the Daredevil suit. Channelling an old-fashioned style of episodic storytelling, it sees Matt get taken hostage during a bank heist, using his street smarts and superpowers to outwit the robbers before the clock runs out on a high-stakes deadline.

An entire series in this format might not have gone down well with fans of Netflix’s grim-and-gritty atmosphere. However in its current context, episode 5 is an unexpected highlight, showcasing certain qualities where Born Again actually outshines the Netflix series. Chief among them is pacing.

A standalone adventure

Like many Netflix dramas, Daredevil was purposefully geared toward marathon viewing, structured around overlapping storylines that made episodes blend together. Born Again leans closer to a case-of-the-week format, with snappier pacing that balances short-term subplots with longform arcs like Wilson Fisk’s political career. In the midst of more serious material about police corruption and Matt’s personal struggles, episode 5 provides an emotional reset, delivering an entertaining thriller with a perceptive attitude to Matt’s personality and skillset.

Rather than actively seeking out trouble, Matt finds himself in this scenario by pure coincidence. He’s at the bank to apply for a loan, meeting with a manager who happens to be Ms. Marvel’s dad, Yusuf Khan. It seems like a typical day of civilian life, until Matt leaves the building and overhears a team of armed robbers begin to shut down the bank, holding the remaining customers hostage. Playing up the helpless blind guy schtick, he sneaks back inside and allows the robbers to take him hostage as well. It’s a heroic act, but it’s also a reminder of how Matt lives up to his superhero pseudonym, flinging himself into danger because he is, at heart, an adrenaline junkie.

We soon learn that the thieves are here for something specific, hidden away in a safe deposit box. To complicate matters further, Mr Khan is the assistant bank manager, meaning that he doesn’t have access to the vault. If the robbers discover that he can’t help them break in, his life is forfeit.

In another throwback to old-school episodic TV, this all unfolds as a themed holiday story, taking place during St Patrick’s Day. The thieves are Irish (yes, it’s an unabashedly corny detail), and they scheduled their heist at a time when most of the city’s police are either busy overseeing the parade or out getting drunk.

The man behind the mask

At first, Matt’s strategy involves manipulating the gang into releasing other hostages and letting him stay in the bank. Tapping into his oratorical skills, he keeps the robbers off-balance and positions himself as an unexpected authority figure among the hostages. Exchanging pointed banter with his captors, he’s clearly having fun, exploring the freedom of a quasi-anonymous middle ground between his civilian and superhero identities. Later on, he uses a bathroom break to deploy his combat training, taking out two armed guards and saving Mr Khan’s life in the nick of time. One of the coolest moments comes when it’s time to open the vault itself – something Matt achieves by using his super-senses to crack the combination on the door.

Despite its goofier elements, this episode is as Daredevil as Daredevil can be. It’s abundantly clear that although Matt has hung up the mask, he’s still the same guy he was before. He still runs compulsively toward danger, and lies to his friends and coworkers about what he’s doing. And when confronted with a gun to the head, his immediate instinct is to act like a cocky asshole.

From the setup to the denouement, this self-contained story is a perfect illustration of how so-called "filler episodes" are invariably more important than we think, in this case allowing us to explore Matt’s personal journey between weightier periods of the show’s plot. You get the sense that he’s perversely thrilled to be in the wrong place at the wrong time – not just because he’s uniquely equipped to save the hostages’ lives, but because this gives him an excuse to unleash his Daredevil side without technically breaking his self-imposed retirement. That includes, of course, the scene toward the end when he beats one of the thieves to a pulp. Matt’s desire for violent retribution is still bubbling under the surface, and we know it’s only a matter of time before it breaks free.

For more on Daredevil: Born Again, check out our Daredevil: Born Again season 1 review and our guide to the Daredevil: Born Again release schedule.