The sequel series to the gritty Daredevil may be Marvel Studios’ most frustrating TV show for how close it comes to greatness. Unbound by the strict connectivity of the MCU, Born Again grounds itself in a highly topical tale of what happens when villains take control of government, and law loses its appeal. There’s a high point in the first few episodes, as the show aims to be reflective and political with its comic book characters. However, rather than run with the concept, the show spends most of its nine episodes spinning its wheels on the themes of corruption and justice.

The way the series starts was at least promising for tackling a common problem with Marvel’s TV shows. They often become so focused on a particular story aspect that the superhero angle is shoved in at the last episode, as though the writers realized at the last minute they were supposed to be making a show about superheroes. Born Again starts with Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) hanging up his horns for good after a friend was killed amid a villain’s assassination. He’s not the only one trying to reinvent himself. William “Kingpin” Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) has shifted from organized crime to politics, having won the election for mayor of New York City. The two of them eventually cross paths and have an open discussion about staying in their respective lanes. But, of course, old habits die hard. The whole season is the build-up to Matt becoming Daredevil once more, making the road to superhero antics more progressive than abrupt.

There’s no skating around what’s being referenced here. Fisk’s rise to mayoral status is clearly referencing how Donald Trump weaponized mob mentality to justify cruelty. This hideous paradigm shift is present throughout, as Fisk wields the topic of vigilantism to encourage corruption and police brutality on the streets. Matt learns the hard way that the justice system is unlikely to stop him when it is already riddled with corrupt figures and powerless civil players. In the same way that Fisk can’t stop being a violent criminal, Daredevil can only work within the system for so long, ensuring he’ll eventually put back on the mask. There are some fights along the way as Matt tackles Fisk’s goons, and Matt’s struggles with justice are confronted by the anti-hero Frank “Punisher” Castle (Jon Bernthal). Castle also has a profound moment of facing reality, as the show directly deals with cops who idolize the Punisher brand but never truly understand the Punisher character.

While the premise is immediately fascinating, the season has this vibe of “now what?” Referring to Trump’s exploitation of our justice system is apparent, but the avenues that such a story proceeds down feel more routine than rousing. Even at a mere nine episodes, there’s a meandering nature to how the saga busies itself with Matt handling the court case of White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes) and Fisk tackling his marriage problems. Rarely does it feel like the show is building and merely falls on platitudes for its points. This robs the show of its mildly intriguing subplots, as with Matt’s love interest, Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva), a therapist who happens to be working with Fisk on marriage counseling.

There’s a side story of Matt handling a case of a man facing prison time for his multiple shoplifting attempts. The defendant is rightfully angered by his situation, but his monologue to Matt about the unjust system, while astute, comes across as an aside, reiterating a lesson Matt needs to learn. There’s even one episode reserved for bringing in a Ms. Marvel character, as if to ensure the fans that this show, where Matt frustratingly yells at capitulating co-workers to fuck off, exists in the same universe as the chipper teenage superheroes. The show is in such a rush to center its superhero questioning that the world-building falls back on the diced-up reporting videos of BB Urich (Genneya Walton), where she conducts short interviews on the street, allowing the New York populace to directly convey to the audience the vibe of Kingpin’s New York. The more vocal visual storytelling of the first episodes seems to take a backseat to the simplistic stagings of a city speeding towards martial law.

Born Again is a more reflective Marvel show, but it struggles to make Daredevil more compelling with the relevant subject matter. It’s pleasing that the studio isn’t afraid to tackle its politics head-on, but it also needs to deliver more entertainment value, where fights and speeches feel more obligatory stepping stones or tone-maintaining diversions. All the potential is there, and the feeling of it all being squandered lingers, even in the better moments. There is some promise in the way the series eventually leads to Matt losing faith in the system and Fisk manipulating it for his greedy ends. But a lot is riding on whether or not season two can make the show more intriguing beyond pairing up some vigilante battles with rants about corruption. This is a show that has the potential to be both politically meaningful and faithful to the comics, but seems to be only half-present in a show that has yet to find its groove in both aspects.