Daredevil: “I’m glad we found each other.” Luke Cage: “I’m not hugging you.”
(Fear not, folks, as there will be no major spoilers in the following post!)
In 2012, Marvel Studios produced a film that would end up becoming one of the landmark entries of the superhero film genre. That film, of course, was The Avengers, and the reason why it was such a landmark is simple, as it officially cemented the studio’s risky venture of developing a full-on cinematic universe as a success. Prior to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the idea of major superheroes interacting with each other onscreen in a live-action film had never really been done before. There had been some potential projects over the years (e.g. a Batman/Superman crossover that was in the works years before Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice ever saw the light of day) but for the most part, none of them were ever fully realized. Then came the MCU, which flourished thanks to Marvel Studios’ well, thought-out plan of producing an effective amount of build-up for its big crossover via a series of solo-oriented films. Films like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger helped the audience to connect with each of the main characters that would later be tied to the larger-scaled team efforts. Thus, when The Avengers finally came out, we were already emotionally attached to each of the main protagonists, therefore making the sight of them teaming up even more epic. Now, sure, if you look back at it now, you’ll probably notice quite a few of its narrative shortcomings (e.g. at the end of the day, it’s mostly just a simple ‘invasion’ plot). And yet, because of what it accomplished, I still consider it to be one of the greatest superhero films of all-time. It is, after all, the film that basically confirmed Marvel Studios’ status as the kings of the superhero film genre. On the big-screen, they’ve yet to make a ‘bad’ film at around 16 films in. Sure, some are more ‘forgettable’ than others, like Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World, but I think it’s safe to say that Marvel Studios hasn’t made anything along the lines of the 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four yet.
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Marvel Studios’ success on the big-screen has also translated well to their endeavors with the streaming service Netflix. Through them, the studio has produced a collection of critically-acclaimed TV series that have been well-regarded for their layered characters, deep and intricate storylines, and for having the clout to do action sequences that go far beyond the limits of a PG-13 rated MCU film. And these shows have gone the same path as the MCU films, starting off with multiple solo series that were building up to a big crossover event. It all started with Daredevil, which gave the fans who were disappointed with the character’s 2003 feature film adaptation a far more satisfying take on the ‘Man Without Fear’. Then, there was Jessica Jones, which took the darker elements of its predecessor one step further to produce a noir-style story that many consider the best Marvel Studios project to date. Daredevil then returned for a second season, which introduced fan favorites like Elektra and the Punisher, the latter of whom will be getting his own series later this year. After that, there was Luke Cage, which featured the titular character who had first appeared in Jessica Jones and was the first big Marvel Studios project centered around an African-American protagonist. Finally, the group that made up Marvel Netflix’s line of main protagonists was completed with Iron Fist. However, as many of us know, the show, despite having its fans, ended up being Marvel Studios’ first big critical dud. But, here we are now with the TV equivalent of The Avengers that brings these four ‘vigilantes’ together in an eight-episode miniseries event, The Defenders. Is this show able to live up to all the hype that has been surrounding it since April 2015? Well, for the most part, I’d say it does.
As the series begins, we are reacquainted with our favorite street-level heroes as they continue to go about their daily lives. Blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), despite having walked away from being the vigilante known as Daredevil at the end of his show’s second season, finds himself yearning for his old life of crime-fighting. Hard-edged, drinking private investigator Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) takes on yet another case that ends up delving into a deeper conspiracy. Good-natured ex-convict Luke Cage (Mike Colter), after returning home from his most recent stint in prison, continues to try and be a role model to the people of his hometown of Harlem. And finally, billionaire Danny Rand (Finn Jones) AKA the mystical warrior known as the ‘Iron Fist’, along with dojo owner Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick), continue their quest to take down the criminal organization known as the Hand. Soon enough, though, the four heroes find themselves crossing paths in their efforts to defeat the Hand before they’re capable of destroying New York. For, as it turns out, the five main leaders of the Hand, led by a mysterious woman named Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver), plan on using Danny’s ‘Iron Fist’ powers to open the gateway to the mystical realm of K’un-Lun, where they can collect more of the substance that has granted them immortality all these years. And if that wasn’t enough, they have also unleashed their greatest weapon, the Black Sky… who just so happens to be Matt’s resurrected lover Elektra Natchios (Elodie Yung).
I’ve heard some people say that this season starts out slow; however, if that’s the case, then I think that this is a far better handled ‘slow start’ compared to the previous Marvel Netflix season, Iron Fist Season 1. As I noted in my review for that show a few days back, it initially suffered from its opening plotline being stretched out far beyond the length of what it should’ve been. But as for The Defenders, it takes its time to set up the overall conflict and, more importantly, get the four main protagonists in a room together, which it does in a very smart manner. Instead of just cramming them all together in just a few minutes, the first episode of the season, ‘The H Word’, simply shows each of the four off on their own accord. This works quite effectively when it comes to reintroducing them all, especially considering that two of them, Matt and Jessica, haven’t been seen onscreen in almost two years (Daredevil Season 2 premiered in March 2016 and Jessica Jones hasn’t appeared since her show’s first season debuted back in November 2015). The four of them finally start to come together in Episode 2, ‘Mean Right Hook’, which sees Luke and Danny crossing paths with each other and Matt coming to Jessica’s aid when she finds herself in police custody. They’re then finally integrated fully by the end of Episode 3, ‘Worst Behavior’, which features one of the best fight scenes of the entire season which, as is only fitting with these shows, takes place in a long hallway. Just seeing these characters interact with each other is enough to make this worthwhile viewing, even in Episode 4, ‘Royal Dragon’, where they mainly just sit around and talk while having dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Thus, while the initial build-up may have been a slow one, the overall story arc of the season is handled excellently with the same great strong character moments and awesome action sequences that we’ve come to expect from these shows.
Just like their film counterparts, the returning main leads are all just as great as they were before. Like The Avengers, this series does an excellent job of balancing their roles in the story so that one doesn’t overshadow the other, and each of them are given solid arcs that are tied perfectly to the overarching narrative. Matt, of course, finds himself torn between his normal life and his life of fighting crime as the ‘Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’. This, in turn, is paired with the fact that he’s been haunted by the loss of his love, Elektra, which obviously becomes more of a problem when she suddenly ends up returning into his life albeit now working with the Hand. As for Jessica, she’s once again the not very sociable but still all-around devoted anti-hero that we all know and love who, despite often trying to stay out of the larger conflict, still comes through, in the end, to help save the day. And Luke is still the charismatic and noble warrior who doesn’t want to sink to the same level as those who oppose him. But what about Danny? Despite what I just said earlier about the main leads being just as great as they were in their respective solo shows, Danny and his actor, Finn Jones, have gotten tons of flak because of Season 1 of Iron Fist. And, to be perfectly blunt, if you really weren’t a fan of Danny because of that, there’s a good possibility that this show probably won’t change your mind about him. Oftentimes, he’s still very impulsive, which obviously causes problems for the main protagonists from time to time, and he also happens to have an integral role in this season’s main plot. Still, as I had assumed in my review of Iron Fist, he does, thankfully, work better when paired with Cox, Ritter, and Colter (especially Colter; Luke and Danny get some great moments together). And at the end of the day, if you’re still not a fan of Danny, the series gives you plenty of time with the other three as a form of compensation.
As for this series’ supporting cast, it’s made up of several of the main supporting roles from each of the 4 previous shows. Among others, Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) return from Daredevil, Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) and Malcolm (Eka Darville) return from Jessica Jones, Misty Knight (Simone Missick) returns from Luke Cage, and Colleen Wing returns from Iron Fist. And, of course, there’s also Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple who, prior to this series, was the only primary recurring cast member to appear in all four shows. However, this leads to what is easily my biggest disappointment with this show; a limited amount of screen-time for the supporting characters. Almost half of the eight episodes see them sidelined while a good chunk of the episodes that do feature them have them camped out in the local police station to avoid the Hand. Now, granted, because this is only an eight-episode season, it’s understandable as to why it can be hard to give these characters something to do in a show centered around its four super-powered heroes. Plus, given that some of these characters aren’t exactly trained in combat, it makes sense as to why some (e.g. Misty, Colleen, and even Claire) get more involved in the action than others (e.g. Karen, Foggy, and Trish). Still, it’s a little disappointing given how vital these characters are to their respective shows. But, when they are on-screen, it’s fun to see them interact with characters from other shows, from Foggy providing legal support for Luke to Misty interacting with Colleen, the latter of which is a big deal considering that the two are a team in the comics known as the ‘Daughters of the Dragon’. And considering that Misty will appear in Season 2 of Iron Fist, I bet that we’ll be seeing this come together real soon.
But what about the villains, headlined by the legendary Sigourney Weaver in the role of Hand leader Alexandra? Well, I’m going to warn you now; temper your expectations of her as the series’ main antagonist going into this. Why? Because she isn’t the main antagonist as we were led to believe. Sure, she is controlling things behind the scenes, but she’s ultimately a supporting role to the ‘main antagonist’ of the season, Elektra (more on her in a bit). Thus, some may argue that Weaver isn’t given much to do in this series; however, I think that there’s more to the character than what some give her credit for. Yes, she doesn’t do anything major in the action department, but she is a solidly effective manipulator, as shown through her efforts to sway Elektra to her side and to also maintain her leadership amongst the other members of the Hand, including returning players like Gao (Wai Ching Ho) and Bakuto (Ramon Rodriguez). Plus, her character is steeped heavily in tragedy, as the first episode establishes that she’s dying from organ failure. There’s also the mention that she used to have a daughter, which then translates into her relationship with Elektra, which has a lot of ‘mother-daughter’ vibes to it. Yes, I’ll admit that this ultimately wasn’t the kind of villain that we were expecting from this series, especially given that she was being played by Sigourney Weaver. However, I do think that Weaver ends up giving one of the best performances of any MCU villain to date, even if it is a secondary antagonist. Meanwhile, Elektra is back again, now more of an antagonist this time around but still conflicted over her struggle to remember her past life. Elodie Yung is brilliant once again, especially in one of the most effective ‘silent’ scenes ever for a show like this, which occurs at the end of Episode 5, ‘Take Shelter’.
All in all, I was incredibly satisfied with this first season of The Defenders. Is it perfect? No, it does have a few narrative shortcomings here and there. But just like what Marvel Studios’ film output has been doing for the past decade, this was an effectively handled culmination of everything that we’ve seen so far from these Marvel Netflix shows. Through the solo shows, we connected with each of the main protagonists (your mileage may vary on some of them, but that’s beside the point). Therefore, by the time that this series starts, they are all well-established already, allowing for strong character moments for all four of them either on their own or in a group. And for fans of each of their respective shows (yes, there are, indeed, fans of Iron Fist out there), this show will give you plenty of great moments involving your favorite heroes. At just eight episodes long, this first season was well-paced and full of everything that we’ve come to love from these shows. The characters are well-written and the action sequences are terrific. At the end of the day, this didn’t need to be a 13-episode long story arc like the other shows. This was truly an ‘event’ series just like the Avengers films are the MCU’s big ‘event’ films and, in my opinion, it delivers on almost all accounts. And by the time that it’s over, we’re left eagerly awaiting the further adventures of Marvel’s street-level heroes. With that said, though, like I said before in my review of Iron Fist, hopefully, future seasons of the solo shows will have more crossovers featuring the main protagonists. Because at this point, I think it’s high time that we start seeing more appearances from the likes of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist in shows where they’re not the titular protagonist.
The Defenders Season 1 Rating: 4.5/5
And that concludes my review of Marvel’s The Defenders. If you want to check out my previous reviews for the other seasons of Marvel Netflix, click the links below.
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