Brief schedule alert: Geekly will cover the first of the Daredevil: Born Again two-episode finale today and the second episode on Friday. Kyra, who covers Daredevil: Born Again, has a family issue on Wednesday morning and will need another day or two to cover the second episode. With that said, let’s discuss the first of Daredevil: Born Again’s finale, “With Interest.”

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Daredevil: Born Again nears the close of its first season break. I’m still unsure how the program plans to continue after this. The last I heard, Daredevil: Born Again will have another four or six episodes next year, hopefully near the beginning of next year. Will this be the second half of season one? Since there’s a year gap in release, wouldn’t that make those next four or six episodes season two? Anyway, “With Interest” serves as a divergence if you’re charitable. It’s a filler episode if you’re less charitable. I lean more towards the former, but I was left wanting. “With Interest” shows Matt Murdock continuing down the crime-fighter path, and weaves his story into the greater MCU, and it’s the weaving of Daredevil: Born Again into the greater MCU that chafes.

Yusuf Khan, Kamala Khan’s (Ms. Marvel’s) father, makes a guest appearance in “With Interest.” This episode’s story revolves around Khan and the bank where he works. Bank robbers begin a heist immediately after Khan denies Murdock a loan for Murdock & McDuffie (Matt’s new law firm). Convenient. Before then, Khan talks about his daughter Kamala, Jersey City, and Jersey City’s own superhero Ms. Marvel. He spills the tea about what Kamala is up to (visiting friends in California, which could be Kamala recruiting Kate Bishop in San Francisco), and I half-expected him to brag that his daughter and Ms. Marvel were one and the same when he dug out his Ms. Marvel Funko Pop.

Matt chuckles at Khan’s antics. He gives him an annoyed chuckle that mirrors my own. Don’t get me wrong. I like Mohan Japur’s portrayal of Yusuf. He does a good job of conveying a doting father. My issue is with Khan’s inclusion. It felt forced. While a solidly written, acted, and directed episode, “With Interest” isn’t needed. One could’ve omitted “With Interest,” and season one of Daredevil: Born Again would’ve remained the same. It felt like a bottle episode that didn’t need to happen. I felt the showrunner marking time for the final episode.

The only two things I can say that “With Interest” adds to this season’s story are that Murdock’s law firm matches his (eventual) crimefighting, and Daredevil: Born Again exists within the MCU. Thank you for making it abundantly clear that Daredevil: Born Again exists within the MCU. Other nods occurred earlier this season to suggest that, but perhaps some viewers in the back row needed to be force-fed that information. As Yusuf says in this episode, Murdock takes on a lot of cases that don’t make enough money to sustain his business. That reinforces the idea that Matt does things because they’re the right things to do, kind of like his crimefighting. From a storytelling standpoint, the latter has more merit.

But I could’ve seen this played out in a smaller or different scene. I know it sounds like I didn’t care for “With Interest.” The opposite is true. Taken by itself, “With Interest” is a fun romp. Matt Murdock thwarts a group of bank robbers and saves the hostages within the bank. There may be something I didn’t catch with the bank robbers themselves. The one who orchestrated the heist gets away. I hope she plays a bigger role later. My opinion of “With Interest” could change slightly if that’s the case. But until that happens, I’m viewing “With Interest” as a fun diversion before the main meal.

That main meal will have to wait. I won’t be reviewing the second episode of Daredevil: Born Again’s finale until Friday, March 28th. Until then, feed me some fake or real spoilers for the final episode. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.