I used to complain about the lack of
connection between Marvel’s movies and tv, not anymore. I don’t want the
movies, as fun as they are, to ever touch the empire Netflix built with The
Defenders. The most anticipated superhero show of the year is here, and it
delivers everything it promised and more.
It’s starts off predictably slow, but
not boring. Despite the Defenders not crossing path in their own series, all it
takes is two episodes to build up a well written story to unite the four. And
what’s even more impressive is the fact the none of the minor character were
ignored, and none of them felt forced in the plot. Everyone had a purpose, and
the ones that didn’t like Ward and Joy in Iron Fist were written out with a believable
excuse. Defenders breaks all superhero film and shows stereotypes, especially
when it comes to their female characters. They don’t shy away from emotional
women, and it wasn’t written as a weakness. The show’s diversity is impressive
and very well done.
The plot relies heavily on Iron Fist’s, and while his own
show wasn’t up to standard with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Daredevil, the
defenders knew exactly how to use his weak points like childish anger and inflated
ego to drive the plot forward. In only eight episodes we’ve seen more character
development for Iron Fist than we’ve seen on his own show. However, and without
a doubt, Jessica Jones was the real show stealer. Always there to deliver a
witty comeback and kickass when necessary. Physically Jessica Jones is the
strongest of the defenders, however her lack of martial arts knowledge like the
others is an obstacle for her in fights. I was crossing my fingers to see her
fly like she does in the comics, or even a “controlled landing” but that didn’t
happen. It’s good to see Luke Cage back in action, trying to find his place in
the world after prison, but I didn’t appreciate the flirty tone with Jessica
for two reasons. One, he and Claire have too much chemistry on screen. Two, it’s
totally not intentional on the showrunner’s part but Matt and Jessica had the
best relationship on the show. Which brings us to Matt, who was acting a lot
like Jessica at the beginning of the series, refusing to be a hero. But then he
realizes that being Daredevil isn’t a job, it’s who he is. It will be interesting
to see his story going further in the upcoming season of Daredevil, especially
after the big ending of the Defenders.
Sigourney Weaver’s character Alexandra
leaves us with a lot of questions regarding her long past, but the Defenders
does a good job of killing the villain at the peak of the audience interest in
them. What’s makes it a good twist is that it was not written for shock value.
The Death of Alexandra is a vital point for Elektra’s story.
The production
design was more than remarkable for tv show of its genre, and the color scheme for
each Defender following them from their own series is a lovely touch to the murky
tone of the show. Netflix’s Marvel does dark and gritty and it’s glorious.
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