The White Painting In Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, Episode 5 Explained

Contains spoilers for "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2, Episode 5 — "The Grand Design"

The oddly touching love story between Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Vanessa Fisk (Ayelet Zurer) comes to a gut-wrenching close in "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2, Episode 5, titled "The Grand Design." The pair's final moments come with a generous side order of subtext, courtesy of a white painting that gets a ton of screen time.

Though it can be occasionally glimpsed in Kingpin's dungeon during the events of "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 1, it's been a while since the painting in question received any prominent onscreen love — eight years, to be precise. Don't take that to mean that the artwork isn't important, though. "Rabbit in a Snowstorm" is both a symbol for and facilitator of Kingpin's relationship with Vanessa, as well as a representation of his love and loneliness in painting form. 

"Rabbit in a Snowstorm" was already an important part of Netflix's "Daredevil" Season 1 and Season 3. In both the flashbacks and the present timeline of "The Grand Design," the painting's presence is justified; It's what first connected Kingpin and Vanessa, so it's only fitting that it's the last thing they have a coherent discussion about it before Vanessa dies of her injury. It's what might be the most pivotal moment of the refined and confident "Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2. 

"Rabbit in a Snowstorm" dates back to before World War II, when it was stolen by the Nazis. It eventually found its way to Vanessa's art gallery, where Kingpin saw it and became intrigued enough by both the gallerist and the painting to make the purchase. Kingpin himself identified the primary emotion the painting elicits as loneliness, though he also came to see it as a physical extension of his love for Vanessa. 

Apart from representing Kingpin's internal turmoil, "Rabbit in a Snowstorm" also provides an intriguing moral dilemma during "Daredevil" Season 3. Here, a surviving member of the original WWII-era owner family, Esther Falb (Lesley Ann Warren), reacquires the painting after the authorities have confiscated it. Kingpin tries to get it back, but ultimately decides to let Falb keep it after realizing that forcing her hand would just make him the latest villain to take the painting — not a favorable comparison, considering who the last ones were. Of course, this being "Daredevil," the story doesn't end there. Instead, Dex (Wilson Bethel) promptly kills Esther behind Kingpin's back and takes the painting anyway. 

"Daredevil: Born Again" has already resurrected surprising storylines and given us a glimpse of the MCU's most elusive superhero in action. By bringing back "Rabbit in a Snowstorm," the show proves that it also cares about the more thoughtful nuances of the story arcs that came before.

"Daredevil: Born Again" Season 2 is streaming on Disney+.