The Defenders - Season 1

image source

The Defenders is the culmination of seasons 1 and 2 of Daredevil, season 1 of Jessica Jones, season 1 of Iron Fist, and season 1 of Luke Cage. In case you are wondering, the only show you really need to see so you don’t feel lost is Daredevil. I only watched part of the first episode of Iron Fist, and I followed the story here just fine. As I have previously stated, this is the culmination of 5 seasons from three different television shows. Sometimes those tones can clash. Normally, these shows have 13 episodes in a season, The Defenders only has 8 episodes. To me, this rushes it a little bit, and I think just a couple more episodes would have been good for fleshing things out. That said, I really did like The Defenders quite a bit. The four leads have good chemistry with one another, and their very different personalities understandably all clash at times. The Hand has been making plays, dipping their hands into events that all four of the main characters have had to deal with in the past. Finn Jones as Danny Rand seemed to struggle in what little I actually got to see in Iron Fist. With The Defenders, he doesn’t have to carry the whole show on his shoulders, something that really made the actor seem uncomfortable with in his own show. Each of the four main characters had a pretty understandable reaction towards the events that drive them all together. Matt Murdock / Daredevil’s been retired for a little while (but has also seemed to want to get back into the swing of things). Luke Cage has just gotten out prison, and wants to try helping one family, but things spiral out of control. Jessica Jones has just been trying put the events of her own show behind her, and is the most skeptical out of all them. Iron Fist has been led to believe that destroying The Hand is his destiny. Sigourney Weaver portrays Alexandra, the head of The Hand. As a villain, she feels right at home with the rest of the Netflix villain catalog. She’s the antagonist, but in many ways, she genuinely believes what she’s doing is right (and has to be done). When you first see her, it’s actually in a very vulnerable place, making her motivations that much more clear and relatable. Overall, The Defenders has its rocky moments, but it’s still a solid enough watch for those who have already been along for the ride. 

B+