The Defenders

[Dev7on]

After watching the show I think it had a slow start on the first 2 episodes then, it started to pick up on the 3rd episode. The show is interesting and kind of surprising. I still think the writers could've done more on Iron Fist's character. I loved the ending. My favorite character is Jessica Jones. I wonder what Daredevil Season 3 would be like... The series IS better than Iron Fist.

[Tenzhi]

I'm only three episodes in so far, and that was my impression of the start.  The first two episodes involve a lot of build-up.

Danny's fighting in the third episode seemed markedly improved, too.

[Castegyre]

I liked it for the most part. I always find myself wishing Elektra was brutally slaughtered in any medium I come across her in since I find her very annoying, but whatever. No story is perfect. I did like Iron Fist a bit more here, though I still saw him as the weakest link. Support characters were more interesting than he was. I don't think that's the actor's fault, though.

[eabrace]

Finn Jones looks like he got some more fight training in after Iron Fist.  That or the choreography is just better.  Or both.

I like the use of color in the first few episodes.  It reminds me of Crouching Tiger and Hero (not that it uses it as well as either of those movies.)

[Mandu]

Danny still doesn't fight well enough for being the living weapon and worlds greatest martial artist.  He's like Fezzik.  He's fought large groups for so long he's forgotten how to just fight one person.I think Ralph Macchio could beat him one on one. 

But yes the fight choreography is miles beyond what they did in Iron Fist.  And several times I started to believe I was watching Power Man and Iron Fist becoming the team and friends they were in the comics.

[Dev7on]

Danny still doesn't fight well enough for being the living weapon and worlds greatest martial artist.  He's like Fezzik.  He's fought large groups for so long he's forgotten how to just fight one person. I think Ralph Macchio could beat him one on one.

Hahahahahahaha!

[Tenzhi]

That was a pretty epic ending, though I started wondering if it would ever stop denouement-ing.  This series might be my favourite of the MNOs so far.

[Mandu]

Hopefully in the connected series upcoming seasons we will get the birth of bionic Misty, and Hellcat.  That way they can be full fledged Defenders by the time season 2 rolls around. And I pray we are done with The Hand. At least for a while. 

Seeing this also made me realize just how much I have zero interest in Jessica Jones.  Kristin Ritter and her character are just dull and pointless to me.  I really enjoyed her series but it was her partners and villain that made it good.  Watching Danny Rand be a dimwit annoys me but at least that lets me know I have some interest in the show/character.  Watching Jessica is like watching paint dry. Beige paint. In an empty closet.

[Dev7on]

Spoiler for Hidden:

I hate to say this but, I think Madam Gao is still alive. The show didn't show her death like the other fingers of the Hand did unfortunately..... I think the writers need her for Iron Fist Season 2.

[CG]

I liked the series generally and didn't find that the early episodes were slow at all.   I didn't watch Iron Fist or Jessica Jones, so maybe it was that the intro wasn't a duplicate for me? 

Generally I liked the moments where the heroes were all together and having some personal interactions.  I really liked the Luke Cage/Iron Fist bits.

I know they're working on heroes in the early days of their crime fighting, but man is Danny ever a dumbass.  What's the one thing that the Iron Fist can do that nobody else can?  What's the one thing you shouldn't do near the ancient warded wall?  The rest of the team was right to tie him up, but the character shouldn't have put them in that place to begin with.  Did they teach him nothing of wisdom or restraint in Kun Lun?

I'm also a little concerned about Danny's level of kung fu.  Daredevil was kicking his ass and that shouldn't happen.  Perhaps they might be a good match, but Danny shouldn't be losing flat out.  Then again, against mooks, sometimes they go down in one punch and sometimes they pop back up.  I would like more consistency.

The ending was too dark to see what was going on.  Needed more light so we could see the action better.

I liked all the extras showing up and getting little moments in the limelight.  It was nice continuity from the other series'.

Spoiler for Hidden:

I wonder if they're going to actually give Misty a cybernetic arm?

[Tenzhi]

I could see the action in the final fights just fine...

[Arcana]

I just binged this over the weekend and still digesting it.  But here are my thoughts so far:

Overall, I liked the series, but I don't think it was the strongest of the Netflix series so far.  I really liked the pacing at the start but I believe that a lot of that initial energy got dissipated towards the end, and I found that the series felt rushed at the end in a less than satisfying way.

I think they did very well with the main characters and captured their essence from their respective series.  Matt Murdock is conflicted.  Luke Cage is earnest.  Jessica Jones could give a damn.  And Danny is an idiot.  They were all fairly predictable and in an ensemble series like this that predictability isn't bad: it anchors the characters.  And I think the series did a good job of allowing the characters to interact with each other in interesting ways.

I don't think they did well with the villains.  Gao was still inscrutable and my favorite.  Murakami and Sowande were okay.  I really didn't connect well with Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver).  She didn't work for me as a person who could dominate the Hand like she did.  And I think the series really, really needed to give Elektra a stronger arc.  I think the series doesn't work right without either a dominant Alexandra or a compelling Elektra and I don't think I got either.

The supporting cast are a mixed bag.  I think they are there for atmosphere but there just wasn't enough time for them to do much except Colleen, Misty, and maybe Foggy?

The Defenders are interesting.  The way they interact is interesting.  But in my opinion they were not given a worthy threat to defend against.  Marvel's The Defenders does a very good job with the little picture.  The heroes get their moments to shine.  The individual interactions make sense to me.  Most of the time even when they make mistakes they are understandable mistakes.  But I think the series falters on the big picture.


Fridge thought: wouldn't it have been interesting if the Kingpin worked his way into the Defenders somehow.  If you think about it, Fisk should have been the Hand's biggest enemy.  Imagine if he had figured out what Gao and the Hand were really up to.

[Dev7on]

I agree with the inconsistency in the series. Like on the last episode, how in the world Elektra was able to fight all four of the Defenders one on one and Luke Cage is stronger than her?! Did he got nerfed?

[Arcana]

I agree with the inconsistency in the series. Like on the last episode, how in the world Elektra was able to fight all four of the Defenders one on one and Luke Cage is stronger than her?! Did he got nerfed?

Short non-spoiler answer: Luke Cage wasn't nerfed, Elektra got buffed.  From the Daredevil series, remember she is the Black Sky.  That's why the Hand was so interested in her, and why she was ultimately resurrected.

Slightly spoilery answer:

Spoiler for Hidden:

It is revealed that the Black Sky when resurrected was able to be imbued with multiple lifetimes of fighting skill.  When you consider what the original members of the Hand were able to learn during their multiple lifetimes, it isn't out of the realm of possibility that Elektra had various subsets of their power.  Murakami, for example, was able to fight multiple Defenders simultaneously and Gao is practically a Jedi.

[Night-Hawk07]

I'm doing things out if order cause I watched both Daredevil seasons, Iron Fist, then this. Now I'm on Jessica Jones. The one overarching question I have (aside from why people think a blind superhero the guy who's bulletproof, and a rich kid with a glowing hand is nuts in a city that was almost wiped out by aliens) is what the heck is with everyone having collapsible batons? Knives and swords would be so much more intimidating. And as someone who carries a collapsible baton at his day job, I can tell you about the only thing they're good for is scratching your back and picking up things you don't want to pick up with your hands.

[Tenzhi]

Get a better baton.  A good one can crack skulls.

https://youtu.be/sjPW9n3H8nI