The Defenders

In a move that is rare to me, I binge watched this entire show in an entire day... a few weeks ago! I had just got back from a long business trip and I took the day off. I was determined to fight off sleep and binge watch this show. I did, so now let me talk about it. I waited a few weeks to say anything because I didn't want to color anyone's opinion on it. I also didn't want to be like, "FIRST!". Let's ignore the fact that I basically just did that.

Anyways, here we have the Defenders. The culmination of all those netflix shows we have endured so far. I was super excited about this and waited with anticipation. I was not disappointed. Like the super critical person that I have become, there were still things I didn't like, but overall, it was very satisfying.

Like any good comic book crossover, you get to see characters interact with each other that normally wouldn't. This includes secondary characters as well, which is where some of the fun can be had.

One thing I want to start off with is this. If Netflix decided to do 8 episode series instead of 13, I would be okay with that. Each of the shows lose some momentum in the middle of their series and you always feel like that is where a lot of fat can be trimmed. Here, the show didn't meander as much. That is a positive.

The action was really good. Finally, Iron Fist looks like a respectable martial artist. I still don't like the actor, Finn Jones in this role. He is still insufferable here, but at least he has better people to play off here. It feels like he has a good chemistry with Mike Colter's Luke Cage. You also get to see how Daredevil just comes off as the best fighter of the group.

It was also nice to check in with all of thesw characters after the end of all their shows. I forget, but it's been a while since we've seen Daredevil and even longer since we've seen Jessica Jones. My hope is that after this mini series, they will all appear in each other's shows, in the true comic book tradition. They have built up a good universe here and I look forward to them playing off each other.

As always, it's great to see Rosario Dawson. Even better, is they don't put her into combat like they did in Iron Fist. That show used her too much and in the wrong ways.

Another thing I like are all the touches for each of the characters. From the music that plays when they are in scenes by themselves to the way they fight, each character has their own voice.

With the exception of Iron Fist's show, we get another great villain in Alexandra Reid, played by the fantastic Sigourney Weaver. Sometimes it is almost unfair. You can see her acting rings around the rest of the cast when they are in scenes together.

On the downside, the problem with the villains that have popped in the last few seasons of shows is that the person that appears as the main villain turns out to be just a stepping stone to someone else. That happens here. Killgrave was the last great villain and that was the second show from Netflix! I would also argue he's the best.

While I'm on villains, let me just say that I hate The Hand in these shows. I know you need faceless ninjas (like foot soldiers) for our heroes to fight, but I hope this is truly the end of them for a while. I also hate that the consequences from Jessica Jones and Luke Cage's series are mostly ignored here. I would have loved to see some of their problems show up instead of throwing them into this Hand nonsense.

I know this is a comic book show and it's all fiction, but these shows try to carry a gritty realism and the Hand under cuts that. They cross a line for me. These are street level heroes. They should not be dealing with mystical elements and that is the crux of my whole problem.

Side note, I'm still not a fan of this iteration of Elektra and she plays a big role here.

To wrap up my critique on a positive note, I really did like this mini series. I think the combined casts have made something truly special and I hope to see more. I know the Punisher is next and we'll see if maybe they at least tone down some of the ridiculous violence he brought to the last season of Daredevil.

I hope Marvel stays with Netflix to continue building what they have started. There is potential for even more greatness that can be built on what they have so far.