1. Hype?
We'll see how it goes. At this point I'm far less excited about The Defenders than I would have been a year ago. Since the first season of Daredevil it's been a barrage of hallway fights, dudes walking down alleyways, and boardroom confrontations. I'm not really looking to this series for any kind of resolution because a) at this point any kind of satisfactory resolution would be impossible, and b) you know they already have more shows planned, right? Why would they kill the golden goose?
But maybe, just maybe I'll have the chance to watch Jessica Henwick jump around in yoga pants again. Damn, girl...
Episode 1
2. Off to a good start.
Danny and Colleen fight a mystery assailant in Cambodia. Matt Murdock tries to put his career as Daredevil behind him. Luke Cage gets out of prison and tries to help his community. Jessica Jones tracks down a missing husband. The transitions between the various characters are handled well, and this episode goes by quickly.
Sigourney Weaver really elevates this series. She's already a far more interesting villain than her boring henchwoman, Madame Gao. I'm only hoping the next episode has more action.
Pause for lunch!
Episode 2
3. Stick!
Charlie Cox/Daredevil continues to be the most interesting actor/character in the Marvel Netflix series, and Finn Jones/Iron Fist continues to be the least interesting. This episode is good, and it was nice to see Luke Cage and Iron Fist finally face off.
And hey there's Stick talking with Alexandra. Hopefully Scott Glenn pops up again later.
Episode 3
4. So that's what this "Black Sky" thing is. Kind of a letdown after all that buildup in Daredevil.
The conversation between Luke Cage and Danny Rand in this episode is ridiculous. Bringing the "Black Lives Matter" vibe into this show feels forced. Danny and Luke would have had to interact more to have that conversation. As it is they're in way too much of a hurry to resort to racial stereotypes.
The part of this show when Danny goes to "confront" The Hand is very silly, but it leads to a good fight scene.
5. Iron Fist?
It's been a season already. Couldn't they have thought of some way to make the Iron Fist look cooler? I mean it's just a glowing hand. Not particularly threatening. Fire? Smoke? I think this show probably had the budget.
The conversation between Luke Cage and Danny Rand in this episode is ridiculous. Bringing the "Black Lives Matter" vibe into this show feels forced. Danny and Luke would have had to interact more to have that conversation. As it is they're in way too much of a hurry to resort to racial stereotypes.
The part of this show when Danny goes to "confront" The Hand is very silly, but it leads to a good fight scene.
5. Iron Fist?
It's been a season already. Couldn't they have thought of some way to make the Iron Fist look cooler? I mean it's just a glowing hand. Not particularly threatening. Fire? Smoke? I think this show probably had the budget.
Episode 4
6. Yawn.
Talky and boring. Stick shows up in the Chinese restaurant and does a really shitty job of explaining everything, then three of the four Defenders basically take his word for it.
And why, exactly, does Jessica feel the need to crash the car through the window?
7. Why is it that characters in movies and TV series never think that people who've lost their memories won't recover them? Don't they watch movies and TV series?
8. ???
So... instead of bringing Colleen to the emergency room they bring her to the... police station?
Colleen is, by the way, a really difficult character to sympathize with. She spends a lot of time mourning the loss of her cult. I get that she's having an identity crisis, but when ninjas are involved her "issues" just make her look like a crybaby.
This thing where the Japanese member of The Hand conducts monologues in Japanese while the others comment in English is getting really, really irritating.
9. Finally some real violence.
That beheading near the end there was not bad. You'd think that with all the people carrying swords we would have seen a dismemberment much earlier in the series?
10. The Marvel Syndrome?
Alexandra and her inner circle are becoming increasingly generic villains. This series would have been a lot better if they had been either genuinely threatening, sympathetic in some manner, or both.
And that twist at the end? Weak. However this plays out, I'm starting to feel like the writers of this show failed to understand Elektra as a character. I'm not trying to be one of those "just like the comics" guys, but there's a point beyond which a character becomes unrecognizable as that character. Elektra in this series is a case in point.
11. Double yawn.
So she's the bad guy now? Uh... ok. That sure came outta nowhere.
I tell ya, I'm really looking forward to the last episode. So much talking and so little fighting. Who are these people? And why are they doing what they're doing?
12. Fight!
So much fighting. Matt fights Elektra. Luke and Jessica fight ninjas. Danny fights Madame Gao. Colleen fights that teacher guy from The Hand. Kicking, and punching, and throwing, and slashing. But most of the fighting is in a very dark place, and most of the fighting doesn't feel very exciting.
I'm really not buying Luke Cage's acceptance of their "plan." Based on what we've seen so far, I'm really not buying him being cool with SO MUCH death and destruction. For that matter, I'm not seeing Jessica buying into their plan, either. That's vigilantism on a whole other level, and their rationale for doing what they do sounds like it might have come from the Al-Qaeda handbook.
And why in the fuck did XXXX have to sacrifice XXXXself in the end? Why not just have Luke, Jessica, or Danny knock XXXX out?
Pretty boring this one. Instead of a grand finale, it feels more like a retread of things that were better in earlier series. The characterization is a mess, and the fight scenes are only slightly better than those seen in Luke Cage and Iron Fist. All in all better than the previous two Netflix series, but not by much.
This, and no Jessica Henwick in yoga pants. LAME.
As for me, I think I'll wait to read the reviews before I watch any of the future Marvel Netflix shows. The Punisher interests me, but if I hear that it's a watered down version of that character I might just give it a pass.
Other Entries on the Marvel Netflix Shows:
Thoughts on Marvel's Iron Fist
Marvel, DC, and Live-Action TV
Marvel's Jessica Jones
Thoughts on Daredevil Season 2
Thoughts on Marvel's Luke Cage
Talky and boring. Stick shows up in the Chinese restaurant and does a really shitty job of explaining everything, then three of the four Defenders basically take his word for it.
And why, exactly, does Jessica feel the need to crash the car through the window?
Episode 5
7. Why is it that characters in movies and TV series never think that people who've lost their memories won't recover them? Don't they watch movies and TV series?
8. ???
So... instead of bringing Colleen to the emergency room they bring her to the... police station?
Colleen is, by the way, a really difficult character to sympathize with. She spends a lot of time mourning the loss of her cult. I get that she's having an identity crisis, but when ninjas are involved her "issues" just make her look like a crybaby.
This thing where the Japanese member of The Hand conducts monologues in Japanese while the others comment in English is getting really, really irritating.
9. Finally some real violence.
That beheading near the end there was not bad. You'd think that with all the people carrying swords we would have seen a dismemberment much earlier in the series?
Pause for dinner!
Episode 6
10. The Marvel Syndrome?
Alexandra and her inner circle are becoming increasingly generic villains. This series would have been a lot better if they had been either genuinely threatening, sympathetic in some manner, or both.
And that twist at the end? Weak. However this plays out, I'm starting to feel like the writers of this show failed to understand Elektra as a character. I'm not trying to be one of those "just like the comics" guys, but there's a point beyond which a character becomes unrecognizable as that character. Elektra in this series is a case in point.
Episode 7
11. Double yawn.
So she's the bad guy now? Uh... ok. That sure came outta nowhere.
I tell ya, I'm really looking forward to the last episode. So much talking and so little fighting. Who are these people? And why are they doing what they're doing?
Episode 8
12. Fight!
So much fighting. Matt fights Elektra. Luke and Jessica fight ninjas. Danny fights Madame Gao. Colleen fights that teacher guy from The Hand. Kicking, and punching, and throwing, and slashing. But most of the fighting is in a very dark place, and most of the fighting doesn't feel very exciting.
I'm really not buying Luke Cage's acceptance of their "plan." Based on what we've seen so far, I'm really not buying him being cool with SO MUCH death and destruction. For that matter, I'm not seeing Jessica buying into their plan, either. That's vigilantism on a whole other level, and their rationale for doing what they do sounds like it might have come from the Al-Qaeda handbook.
And why in the fuck did XXXX have to sacrifice XXXXself in the end? Why not just have Luke, Jessica, or Danny knock XXXX out?
The Final Verdict:
Pretty boring this one. Instead of a grand finale, it feels more like a retread of things that were better in earlier series. The characterization is a mess, and the fight scenes are only slightly better than those seen in Luke Cage and Iron Fist. All in all better than the previous two Netflix series, but not by much.
This, and no Jessica Henwick in yoga pants. LAME.
As for me, I think I'll wait to read the reviews before I watch any of the future Marvel Netflix shows. The Punisher interests me, but if I hear that it's a watered down version of that character I might just give it a pass.
Other Entries on the Marvel Netflix Shows:
Thoughts on Marvel's Iron Fist
Marvel, DC, and Live-Action TV
Marvel's Jessica Jones
Thoughts on Daredevil Season 2
Thoughts on Marvel's Luke Cage
