The journey of adapting "Daredevil: Born Again" from page to screen was filled with numerous revisions and rewrites. However, amidst all the changes, one episode remained untouched: Episode 5, which, ironically, is star Charlie Cox's least favorite of the season.
In a recent interview with The Playlist, Cox shared, "I dunno if this is of interest, but I will say this amongst all of this, there was one episode we didn’t change at all. It’s the episode in the bank, and that was part of the original [shoot]. We shot that before the strike. That was part of the original [draft], and just for my money, I wasn’t into it."
Cox expressed his dissatisfaction with the episode, which features his character, Matt Murdock, also known as Daredevil, getting entangled in a bank robbery while trying to secure a loan for the law firm he runs with partners Foggy Nelson and Karen Page. He admitted to pushing back against the episode as much as he felt was possible.Cox described the episode as feeling "like a 1970s game," critiquing it for being outdated in an era of advanced technology. He also felt that the device used for the theft in the episode was not sophisticated enough.
Despite Cox's personal reservations, he acknowledged that fans have a different perspective. "I really pushed back on the episode, and yet I hear from so many people that they love that episode. So, it just goes to show you just don’t know. It’s so subjective," Cox noted. "Everyone’s taste is different. And I’ve heard that that episode is one of the highest-rated. Internally, when they do their ratings, it’s one of the highest-rated Disney shows that they’ve had."
Indeed, the response to Episode 5 has been overwhelmingly positive. In our review of "Daredevil: Born Again" Episodes 5 and 6, we praised the episode, stating, "It’s all just so well done. I can’t remember the last time a Marvel show had me wearing such a big smile the entire episode and had me completely captivated from start to finish. This episode also achieves something very important given the lack of Daredevil thus far: it shows what makes Matt Murdock such a unique and amazing hero, even when he’s not in costume."
