The aftermath of the attack at Fogwell’s Gym drives Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 5, “The Grand Design,” as the fallout spreads across the city and reshapes the stakes for every major player.

With Vanessa Fisk (Ayelet Zurer) in critical condition, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) shifts into damage control while demanding that Benjamin Poindexter (Wilson Bethel) be found alive. At the same time, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is forced into an unexpected alliance, as the episode explores how past choices—especially those involving Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson)—continue to shape the present.

Here’s a full recap of everything that happens in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Episode 5.

Vanessa’s condition and Fisk’s response

The episode opens with Vanessa being rushed into surgery after the events at Fogwell’s Gym. Fisk remains at the hospital, visibly shaken, but is kept at a distance as doctors work to stabilize her.

While waiting for updates, Fisk quickly turns his attention to control and retaliation. When Powell arrives, Fisk makes it clear that Bullseye must be captured, but insists he be brought in alive.

As the surgery continues, doctors later describe Vanessa’s condition as unstable but manageable, offering cautious optimism. Fisk stays by her side throughout, holding onto the expectation that she will recover.

Daredevil Refuses to Abandon Bullseye

After escaping Fogwell’s academy, Bullseye—gravely wounded—attempts to hide in an industrial area. Daredevil finds him and catches up to him just as the Anti-Vigilante Task Force approaches. Despite their troubled past, Matt refuses to abandon him. He disarms Bullseye and forces him to move, guiding him through underground tunnels in search of safety.

During the escape, Bullseye questions whether everything they do truly matters, and frames Vanessa’s condition and Foggy’s death as part of the same “balance,” as if he could reward a bad action—Foggy’s murder—with Vanessa’s possible death. When he mentions Foggy directly, Matt reacts immediately, physically restraining him and warning him not to say his name.

Even so, Matt continues to help him—making it clear that saving him is tied to his own past actions, including the time he tried to kill Bullseye.

Flashbacks connect the past to the present

Intercut with the present-day storyline are flashbacks to an early case handled by Matt and Foggy involving Ray McCoy, the brother of an old childhood friend of Foggy’s. The two discover that a key search warrant contains an incorrect address, which could invalidate the entire case. This creates a moral conflict: allow a dangerous man—who sells drugs and traffics firearms—to walk free due to a legal error, or ignore it and ensure he is punished.

Foggy ultimately chooses to act on principle. Believing in second chances, he gives Ray money to disappear and start over, even knowing the risks. These moments directly influence Matt in the present.

The flashbacks also reveal early moments in Fisk’s rise, including conversations about expanding operations and adapting to new financial systems. These scenes connect to his first meeting with Vanessa at an art gallery, showing how they met—and how the connection between them was always deeply personal.

The Task Force closes in on the church

While Daredevil transports Bullseye, he takes him to the church he used to attend, hoping to find temporary safety. The young seminarian at the church agrees to help, but the situation quickly becomes complicated when the Anti-Vigilante Task Force arrives and begins searching the building.

Faced with the risk of being caught, Matt briefly considers abandoning Bullseye. However, remembering Foggy’s past actions, he changes his mind. Instead, Matt returns, picks Bullseye up, and flees with him before the Task Force finds them—choosing mercy over convenience.

Matt finally brings Bullseye to Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), who is at their hideout. She is visibly shocked to see Bullseye, considering his past actions, and Matt asks for her help.

Vanessa wakes up, but and the situation changes again

After the surgery, the doctors inform Fisk that the procedure was successful, giving hope that Vanessa will recover. She finally regains consciousness, and the two share a quiet moment. Vanessa seems disoriented but calm, asking for pineapple juice before requesting that Fisk tell her the story of how they met, even though she remembers.

However, the moment is short-lived. After a brief moment of silence, Vanessa again asks Fisk to tell her a story, and the Mayor finds it strange. As she tries to speak more, her condition worsens, the monitors begin to malfunction, and Fisk calls the medical team.

In the final moments, doctors attempt to resuscitate and stabilize her while Fisk watches from her side, visibly shaken. The episode cuts out amid the chaos, leaving her fate uncertain—with the possibility that Vanessa may not survive.