Next year marks the end of an era as Daredevil: Born Again enters its third and final season. This season has a lot to juggle, as Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) struggles to survive in prison while the Defenders reunite. And of course, the question remains whether the seemingly eternal rivalry between Murdock and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) has come to an end. However, if Born Again wants to end on the same strong note as the original Daredevil series, it needs to do justice to a key relationship, and one cast member just reminded fans how important it is.

When Deborah Ann Woll joined Perri Nemiroff for an episode of Collider Ladies Night at this year’s Fantastic Fest, the talk eventually turned to Daredevil: Born Again and Karen Page’s dynamic with Matt Murdock. Woll said part of what makes that dynamic work is how she approaches acting: she wants to create a genuine connection between the characters on screen.

“If it’s falling in love, don’t act love — create someone to fall in love with. I can look at Charlie Cox’s face and be like, ‘ There are things I genuinely love about this face,’ and that, combined with the relationship I’ve created to Matt Murdock, means that falling in love is something that happens to you, rather than having to force it or show it or pretend it.”

Woll’s approach has made Matt and Karen’s relationship one to root for. It also means that Born Again cannot afford to cast this relationship aside in its final season, or it’ll risk losing the core emotional dynamic that’s driven the Daredevil saga.

Matt and Karen’s Relationship Is The Emotional Bedrock of ‘Daredevil’

From the very beginning of Daredevil, Karen Page has been a major part of the story. Matt’s first case as a lawyer was proving her innocence when she was found near a co-worker’s dead body; later, he defended her from one of Fisk’s assassins as Daredevil. Karen also worked with Matt and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) when they launched their law practice, and she joined it herself toward the end of the original Daredevil series. Throughout that series, she serves as Matt’s confidant, making it easier to invest in their slow-burn relationship. Even if viewers haven’t read any Daredevil comics, they can tell Matt and Karen are meant to be.

That dynamic continued through Daredevil: Born Again, to the point where showrunner Dario Scardapane literally rewrote the pilot episode to include Karen and Foggy after a massive creative overhaul. Season 2 also finally brought Matt and Karen together as a couple, which felt like the right direction given Woll and Cox’s chemistry, not to mention the characters’ history. Born Again needs to address their relationship, and how it can survive given what they’re going through. Will Karen work to free Matt from his imprisonment? How will Elektra’s presence complicate things? While an official episode count hasn’t been revealed for Born Again Season 3, Scardapane, Cox, and Woll have only so much time to do justice to this important dynamic.