The Defenders (Season 1) - Review: Despite rough patches, this is a team worth rooting for
Release date (US): August 18th, 2017
Starring: Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, Elodie Yung, Sigourney Weaver, Deborah Ann Woll, Simone Missick, Rachael Taylor, Rosario Dawson, Eldon Henson, Scott Glenn,
**DISCLAIMER**: This is a subjective, opinionated article that does not have, nor should have any affect on your opinion. As such, my opinion is entitled to change over time and whatever is written here at this point in time may not and should not be held to me in the future. You are not meant to agree with me 100 percent of the time, because the nature of subjectivity is we see everything differently. If there is something you happen to disagree with, I absolutely respect your point of view if you will respect mine. Please keep this in mind.
**DISCLAIMER**: This is a subjective, opinionated article that does not have, nor should have any affect on your opinion. As such, my opinion is entitled to change over time and whatever is written here at this point in time may not and should not be held to me in the future. You are not meant to agree with me 100 percent of the time, because the nature of subjectivity is we see everything differently. If there is something you happen to disagree with, I absolutely respect your point of view if you will respect mine. Please keep this in mind.
The Review
This is it - the Netflix Avengers, if you will. The culmination of five seasons of television, beginning with Daredevil and ending with Iron Fist. This is essentially Marvel's Phase 1, except on Netflix television, but with the same basic premise. Four heroes, each in their own separate corners of New York, are fighting the good fight. But when a force that they've all been tracking down, knowingly or not, enters Hell's Kitchen, the four are forced together to take down their mutual enemy.
Let me start by saying this; I can say this from personal experience that it is not necessary AT ALL to watch every single season of all the shows preceding The Defenders. I will say that watching Daredevil season 1 and 2 is practically essential, because, and as it should, The Defenders spends a majority of time focusing on Matt Murdock and his arc. I began watching the first episode of Jessica Jones, and while many have said that they think it to be almost as good, if not better than Daredevil, I found I couldn't get past the first episode. And unlike a bad movie, in which you can slog through and grind your teeth for two hours, this is about 13 hours worth of programming that didn't seem worth it to me. Having heard mixed things about Luke Cage and negative reviews for Iron Fist, I headed straight for The Defenders. My only advice would be to at least read some light plot summaries of each of the shows you've missed, or at least have a general understanding of who the characters are and where they come from. This will go a long way to establishing their motivations and why they all come together.
As aforementioned, Matt Murdock is back, and he has a large amount of screen time devoted to him and his character arc. This is why watching his show is so critical; not only do we get to see his character develop and struggle, but the characters from his show, one in particular, plays a hugely important role in The Defenders. I won't spoil who it is in case you haven't seen it, but this character is the center point of the second half, and becomes extremely important, which is why it's important to understand what connection Matt has with this character.
And once again, Charlie Cox brings it as Daredevil. This time around, he's not fighting alone, and so he has more characters to bounce off, which adds a new dynamic. His serious, "let's get it done" attitude is directly contrasted with the likes of Jessica Jones, the sarcastic "let's get this over with" character, and Finn Jones's Iron Fist, as well as Mike Colter's Luke Cage.
Now, again, I did not take the time to watch the other shows that led up to this series. BUT, what I thought was superb about this show was it take time to fill you in on each character. The advantage of a long format series such as this one is that you have time to explain where each character stands before jumping right into the action. So perhaps I wasn't as invested in Jessica Jones or Danny Rand as others would be, but I can say that I completely understood where each one was coming form.
As for first impressions and performances, it took me an episode or two to get used to Krysten Ritter. Her sardonic, cynical sense of humor and attitude were definitely unique and bounced off characters like Daredevil extremely well. Luke Cage is the morally straight compass out of the group. He wants to do what's right. And while Mike Colter indeed does play up to the physicality of the role, there is a heart to the character that I found endearing to an extent. You can see how hardened he's become, but also how much he loves doing good for others, which is what really drives him.
But then we get to Danny Rand, or the Iron Fist. Here's what I think about him. I think the writers horribly misunderstood his tone and humor in the context of the larger ensemble. There's a recurring joke that he keeps saying "I am the Immortal Iron Fist" and other characters brush him off, and while it's funny at first, it gets old extremely quickly when you realize Jones is taking a character that should have been the light-hearted, fun one of the group, way too seriously. The expression on his face is always way too serious in the context of a joke or a fun scene, or just in general. I felt that if they made Iron Fist the voice of humor, Finn Jones would have shined in the role. As it stands, I completely understand why people did not connect with him as the main character for an entire season, and I don't fish to see any more of him than I need to.
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However, on a more positive note, the supporting cast members from each show that the show runners decided to focus on were excellent. There could have been a temptation to give each and every supporting cast member of the shows their due, but for the most part, the show focused on a few important ones. For example, Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, who has been in a majority of the shows, has more to do than most. Colleen Wing, from Iron Fist, also plays a significant role, and although I didn't see Iron Fist, I can instantly see why she would be so important to the show. Foggy gets a little bit to do, but not enough to be annoying, and thankfully, Karen Page has minimal screen time. Not that I dislike Page or Woll's performance at all, but I think that her place in this kind of a show should have been minimal. The one character I thought should not have received nearly as much screen time as she did was Misty Knight. I think that while the character might have worked in Luke Cage, in this show, she comes off as pretentious and annoying. But aside from that, the supporting cast do their jobs and play an important role in the grand scheme of things.
Now, I only have Daredevil to compare this show to in terms of quality in the Netflix MCU, but I think I can say that the action in The Defenders was not quite up to par with that of the rest of the Netflix shows. Granted, there were a few action setpieces that were excellent, and they mainly consisted of the four Defenders teaming up and fighting, but the other action scenes seemed a little weak and chaotic. The action scenes, like one in Episode 4, where all four of them are using their combined abilities to fight is when the show really has a chance to shine.
And to the show's credit, it takes its time. There could have been a temptation to throw all of the characters together from episode one and have them fight for the rest of the season, but Netflix took their time, establishing where each character is in their walks of life, and then slowly bringing them together. And it wasn't even like they all came together at once; I loved how different pairs of characters would slowly meet up in twos and then they slowly began to connect until they all met during an action scene. You see Matt Murdock interacting with Jessica Jones, and then Luke Cage and Iron Fist, and then Jones and Cage, before finally seeing the team together, and that makes it that much more exciting when they finally are able to set their differences aside and work together as a team.
As for the villains of the series, we are once again dealing with the Hand. What I particularly enjoyed about the idea of facing the Hand was that they have been teased for the longest time in almost all of the individual series from what I know. The Hand has been an important presence in Daredevil, especially in season 2, as well as Iron Fist. So it would only make sense that the unifying force would be this villainous organization. But this time around, they are led by Alexandra played by Sigourney Weaver.
Here's what I think about Weaver and Alexandra. I think that in a feature length film, about two hours long, Weaver would have been terrifying as a villain. She was intimidating, she was strong, but not in a physical sense. She was able to make her presence known immediately when she walked into a room of four super powered heroes without lifting a fighter. Even Stick was scared of her to a certain degree. Weaver plays that character so well to begin with, that by the time episode 6 rolls around, she's been playing the character the same exact way for 3/4 of the series. It actually becomes a little mundane. But, the season does some really interesting things at the very last minute with her character that work wonders to give the audience a completely different idea of what kind of a character she is.
There is also a villain that contains heavy spoilers. For the most part, I enjoyed their inclusion in the show. It was warranted, there was a logical (somewhat) explanation of why they would be there, and overall, their arc was fleshed out nicely. I just wish that the show had done a couple things differently with this character that I don't want to dive into during a non-spoiler review.
My one final comment and critique to the show; and this is opposite to most of the other shows that I've seen from Netflix; I actually felt that this show might be a little short. The first season is 8 episodes as opposed to the convention 13, and while 13 may be a bit much, 8 is the perfect amount to give us just enough of a series to feel satisfied. Yet, I feel like there could have been one or two more episodes fleshing out relationships with characters, giving us some more motivations behind Alexandra, and just giving us a little more than we already had.
In Conclusion: The Defenders is not on the same level as either season of Daredevil. I think that there are enough flaws to be pointed out and there is still something to be missed from the show that I can say it didn't quite live up to its maximum potential. THAT BEING SAID, The Defenders is so much fun when you see how these four disparate characters fit together. They are each so different, which is what makes their teamwork work so well. This is a team that I would gladly see more seasons with, and even though Netflix has canceled the shows, I would love to see this team, with this cast, again onscreen in some form or another. The transition may not have been entirely seamless, but they got very, very close.
Let me start by saying this; I can say this from personal experience that it is not necessary AT ALL to watch every single season of all the shows preceding The Defenders. I will say that watching Daredevil season 1 and 2 is practically essential, because, and as it should, The Defenders spends a majority of time focusing on Matt Murdock and his arc. I began watching the first episode of Jessica Jones, and while many have said that they think it to be almost as good, if not better than Daredevil, I found I couldn't get past the first episode. And unlike a bad movie, in which you can slog through and grind your teeth for two hours, this is about 13 hours worth of programming that didn't seem worth it to me. Having heard mixed things about Luke Cage and negative reviews for Iron Fist, I headed straight for The Defenders. My only advice would be to at least read some light plot summaries of each of the shows you've missed, or at least have a general understanding of who the characters are and where they come from. This will go a long way to establishing their motivations and why they all come together.
As aforementioned, Matt Murdock is back, and he has a large amount of screen time devoted to him and his character arc. This is why watching his show is so critical; not only do we get to see his character develop and struggle, but the characters from his show, one in particular, plays a hugely important role in The Defenders. I won't spoil who it is in case you haven't seen it, but this character is the center point of the second half, and becomes extremely important, which is why it's important to understand what connection Matt has with this character.
And once again, Charlie Cox brings it as Daredevil. This time around, he's not fighting alone, and so he has more characters to bounce off, which adds a new dynamic. His serious, "let's get it done" attitude is directly contrasted with the likes of Jessica Jones, the sarcastic "let's get this over with" character, and Finn Jones's Iron Fist, as well as Mike Colter's Luke Cage.
Now, again, I did not take the time to watch the other shows that led up to this series. BUT, what I thought was superb about this show was it take time to fill you in on each character. The advantage of a long format series such as this one is that you have time to explain where each character stands before jumping right into the action. So perhaps I wasn't as invested in Jessica Jones or Danny Rand as others would be, but I can say that I completely understood where each one was coming form.
As for first impressions and performances, it took me an episode or two to get used to Krysten Ritter. Her sardonic, cynical sense of humor and attitude were definitely unique and bounced off characters like Daredevil extremely well. Luke Cage is the morally straight compass out of the group. He wants to do what's right. And while Mike Colter indeed does play up to the physicality of the role, there is a heart to the character that I found endearing to an extent. You can see how hardened he's become, but also how much he loves doing good for others, which is what really drives him.
But then we get to Danny Rand, or the Iron Fist. Here's what I think about him. I think the writers horribly misunderstood his tone and humor in the context of the larger ensemble. There's a recurring joke that he keeps saying "I am the Immortal Iron Fist" and other characters brush him off, and while it's funny at first, it gets old extremely quickly when you realize Jones is taking a character that should have been the light-hearted, fun one of the group, way too seriously. The expression on his face is always way too serious in the context of a joke or a fun scene, or just in general. I felt that if they made Iron Fist the voice of humor, Finn Jones would have shined in the role. As it stands, I completely understand why people did not connect with him as the main character for an entire season, and I don't fish to see any more of him than I need to.
However, on a more positive note, the supporting cast members from each show that the show runners decided to focus on were excellent. There could have been a temptation to give each and every supporting cast member of the shows their due, but for the most part, the show focused on a few important ones. For example, Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, who has been in a majority of the shows, has more to do than most. Colleen Wing, from Iron Fist, also plays a significant role, and although I didn't see Iron Fist, I can instantly see why she would be so important to the show. Foggy gets a little bit to do, but not enough to be annoying, and thankfully, Karen Page has minimal screen time. Not that I dislike Page or Woll's performance at all, but I think that her place in this kind of a show should have been minimal. The one character I thought should not have received nearly as much screen time as she did was Misty Knight. I think that while the character might have worked in Luke Cage, in this show, she comes off as pretentious and annoying. But aside from that, the supporting cast do their jobs and play an important role in the grand scheme of things.
Now, I only have Daredevil to compare this show to in terms of quality in the Netflix MCU, but I think I can say that the action in The Defenders was not quite up to par with that of the rest of the Netflix shows. Granted, there were a few action setpieces that were excellent, and they mainly consisted of the four Defenders teaming up and fighting, but the other action scenes seemed a little weak and chaotic. The action scenes, like one in Episode 4, where all four of them are using their combined abilities to fight is when the show really has a chance to shine.
And to the show's credit, it takes its time. There could have been a temptation to throw all of the characters together from episode one and have them fight for the rest of the season, but Netflix took their time, establishing where each character is in their walks of life, and then slowly bringing them together. And it wasn't even like they all came together at once; I loved how different pairs of characters would slowly meet up in twos and then they slowly began to connect until they all met during an action scene. You see Matt Murdock interacting with Jessica Jones, and then Luke Cage and Iron Fist, and then Jones and Cage, before finally seeing the team together, and that makes it that much more exciting when they finally are able to set their differences aside and work together as a team.
As for the villains of the series, we are once again dealing with the Hand. What I particularly enjoyed about the idea of facing the Hand was that they have been teased for the longest time in almost all of the individual series from what I know. The Hand has been an important presence in Daredevil, especially in season 2, as well as Iron Fist. So it would only make sense that the unifying force would be this villainous organization. But this time around, they are led by Alexandra played by Sigourney Weaver.
Here's what I think about Weaver and Alexandra. I think that in a feature length film, about two hours long, Weaver would have been terrifying as a villain. She was intimidating, she was strong, but not in a physical sense. She was able to make her presence known immediately when she walked into a room of four super powered heroes without lifting a fighter. Even Stick was scared of her to a certain degree. Weaver plays that character so well to begin with, that by the time episode 6 rolls around, she's been playing the character the same exact way for 3/4 of the series. It actually becomes a little mundane. But, the season does some really interesting things at the very last minute with her character that work wonders to give the audience a completely different idea of what kind of a character she is.
There is also a villain that contains heavy spoilers. For the most part, I enjoyed their inclusion in the show. It was warranted, there was a logical (somewhat) explanation of why they would be there, and overall, their arc was fleshed out nicely. I just wish that the show had done a couple things differently with this character that I don't want to dive into during a non-spoiler review.
My one final comment and critique to the show; and this is opposite to most of the other shows that I've seen from Netflix; I actually felt that this show might be a little short. The first season is 8 episodes as opposed to the convention 13, and while 13 may be a bit much, 8 is the perfect amount to give us just enough of a series to feel satisfied. Yet, I feel like there could have been one or two more episodes fleshing out relationships with characters, giving us some more motivations behind Alexandra, and just giving us a little more than we already had.
In Conclusion: The Defenders is not on the same level as either season of Daredevil. I think that there are enough flaws to be pointed out and there is still something to be missed from the show that I can say it didn't quite live up to its maximum potential. THAT BEING SAID, The Defenders is so much fun when you see how these four disparate characters fit together. They are each so different, which is what makes their teamwork work so well. This is a team that I would gladly see more seasons with, and even though Netflix has canceled the shows, I would love to see this team, with this cast, again onscreen in some form or another. The transition may not have been entirely seamless, but they got very, very close.
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