Luke Owen looks at 4 takeaways from the first 4 episodes of The Defenders…
Warning – very, very minor spoilers ahead…
It’s finally here! Marvel’s Netflix heroes are about to crossover for the first time, with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist teaming-up to become The Defenders against Sigourney Weaver and The Hand. Have those trailers gotten you excited? Well, I was very lucky enough to see the first four episodes of the show in advance, and here are four quick takeaways before the show officially launches tomorrow.
Iron Fist is still a problem
After a string of great shows, Iron Fist really did stink up the Netflix joint. It wasn’t as bad as many people claimed it was, but it was a step down from Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and the first two seasons of Daredevil. Colleen Wing was awesome, but Finn Jones’ Danny Rand/Iron Fist came off as a whining manbaby who needed to grow up. We all kept waiting for that vital bit of character development, but it never arrived. When the second season was announced at San Diego Comic Con with a new showrunner, there was a feeling that we could be heading in a much better direction for the character. Maybe that’s all we needed? Someone else steering the ship? I’m sad to say he is still an issue within The Defenders.
Perhaps it’s Finn Jones. Perhaps it’s making him the snarky comedic relief. Maybe it’s the dialogue they give him. Maybe it’s the direction. Whatever it is, Danny Rand does not gel into the show as well as Charlie Cox, Mike Colter and Krysten Ritter do. He is given some awful dialogue to work with, but his delivery isn’t much better. What is interesting, however, is that Jessica Jones is not a fan of Danny Rand’s personality, and Luke Cage has a monologue that highlights many fan’s issues with the casting of Jones and the characterisation of Iron Fist. So perhaps the shows are becoming aware of the issue and are addressing it head on?
But hey, Colleen Wing is still awesome. So there’s still that hope for a Daughters of the Dragon spin-off…
There’s romantic tension between Jessica Jones and Luke Cage
A rather steamy part of Jessica Jones was the relationship between the boozy hero and Luke Cage, which wasn’t really highlighted in his own series to focus on a relationship with Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson). That relationship is very much the front-and-centre part of Cage’s introduction into The Defenders (which skips over all of his time in prison), but the first interaction between him and Jones certainly has sparks. The two are so good together on screen that – even without dialogue – they show there is still some romance between them. Those hoping for a comics-accurate relationship may still get it at some point.
Daredevil has become very protective
When we’re introduced to Matt Murdock in The Defenders, we’re seeing a very different Daredevil to the end of season two. He’s hung up the cowl to focus on being a pro bono lawyer, something he excels at. He hasn’t spoken with Foggy or Karen in some time, which leads to some wonderful scenes between all three characters across a couple of episodes (there’s also a nice connection between Foggy and Luke Cage in episode one). But the loss of Elektra has really cut Matt up. He has become very protective of his secret identity – hence wearing the scarf in those trailer shots – and often warns the rest of the potential Defenders that getting into this line of work and dealing with The Hand can hurt people’s lives.
As a side not based on the first four episodes, The Defenders is doing a great job of laying down the groundwork for each character’s next seasons while never taking focus away from the series at hand. Daredevil in particular – who feels like the real connecting tissue of the whole Netflix Marvel Universe – is getting a lot of character work which will pay off in spades come season three.
That hallway fight sequence? Hopefully there’s another…
A large part of Netflix’s Marvel Universe is the hallway fight scene. Each season has had its own version – and The Defenders is no different. But one would hope there’s more than just this one, because quite frankly it’s a bit of a let down. It doesn’t show off each character’s uniqueness, instead cutting away to a different one-on-one encounter, which seems like a wasted opportunity. It was a great chance to see these four disparate souls come together for the first time, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. It’s still good, but certainly not on par with Daredevil season one, Luke Cage or Jessica Jones. However this is within the first four episodes, so there is a chance we’ll get a bigger – and better – hallway fight at some point.
“Marvel’s The Defenders” follows Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. A quartet of singular heroes with one common goal – to save New York City. This is the story of four solitary figures, burdened with their own personal challenges, who realize they just might be stronger when teamed together.
The Defenders will hit Netflix on August 18th 2017, with Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Finn Jones (Iron Fist), Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), Simone Missick (Misty Knight), Scott Glenn (Stick), Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple), Rachael Taylor (Trish Walker), Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing) and Elodie Yung (Elektra) appearing alongside Sigourney Weaver as the villain, Alexandra.
Originally published August 17, 2017. Updated April 17, 2018.
