The Defenders: The Defenders

New York's finest. And Danny.

"This is what we get, isn’t it? For ever thinking we could make it work."
"Who says we didn’t? We’re together."

I was working the day The Defenders was released and didn't get home until late. After tirelessly struggling to get my internet working (a recurring problem in my area), I decided to only watch two or three episodes and finish off the rest the next day. I ended up devouring the entire series in one night and didn't finish until five in the morning.

The Defenders: Fish in the Jailhouse

"It's been a long week."

My name is Danny Rand. After fifteen years in K'un-Lun, I have come home with only one goal: to be in a good television series. But to do that, I can't be the immature, stupid Iron Fist I once was. I must become something else. I must become -

Oh. Wait. Sorry. I'm mixing up my blonde, billionaire vigilantes that are associated with the color green again. My bad.

The Defenders: Ashes, Ashes

The truth is, you and I, we're not so different. We share the same home. We're both trying to return to it.

The team comes together and explodes in a dynamite episode that shows how the team is growing from working together, but also questions the nature and purpose of leadership. Who's going to lead the team? And who's going to lead the Hand?

The Defenders: Take Shelter

Jessica: “Nice ears.”
Daredevil: “They’re horns.”

We fear fanatics, who fight for ideology and abstractions. But we love heroes, who fight for personal motives that often wind up having political, large-scale consequences. After an episode that brought our group together, we get an episode that shows us the personal connections each Defender is putting at risk and hoping to save.

The Defenders: Royal Dragon

“I’m not looking for superfriends.”

I love a good dinner party scene for the same reason I love bottle episodes: they allow characters to interact and recombine in new and exciting ways while limiting outside interference. Although “Royal Dragon” is not all dinner party, and not a bottle episode properly speaking, it has the magical elements of both. Along with a bear, dumplings, and a whole lot of exposition.

The Defenders: Worst Behavior

"Who? Who?"
"My child, you are everything."

I've been thinking about why The Defenders is such a great watching experience and here is my rather simple take on it: it's a gigantic crossover event. While there have been many awesome crossovers in the past, we are talking here about an entire season of different shows coming together into one single story. It's incredibly satisfying to see all four smaller universes aligning in moments like Misty meeting Jessica in the previous episode or Claire rolling her eyes when she realizes the glowy-fist guy Luke fought is no one other than Danny.

The Defenders: Mean Right Hook

"We’re not alone in this.”

The disparate storytelling of ‘The H Word’ continues into most of ‘Mean Right Hook’, with the stories of the core four continuing to play out in their own respective worlds. But while the preceding episode focused mainly on their own lives and what they’ve being doing since we last saw them, here we see them following different trails of breadcrumbs that all appear to be leading to the same thing. While the action is still pretty light at this point, the meeting of worlds is a lot more noticeable in this episode, as we watch each Defender get one step closer to uncovering the Hand’s mysterious plot, and one step closer to each other. Although, there’s still a sense that certain characters aren’t hugely important yet.

The Defenders: The H Word

"Do not say the H word. I've got enough of a headache as it is."

A good premiere, in an introductory sort of way.

The Defenders

Reviews |
Related Links | Cast |

The Defenders features Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist coming together to fight evil threatening New York City.

Reviews

1.1 The H Word
1.2 Mean Right Hook
1.3 Worst Behavior
1.4 Royal Dragon
1.5 Take Shelter
1.6 Ashes, Ashes
1.7 Fish in the Jailhouse
1.8 The Defenders

Related Links

Our Marvel Index includes links to every Marvel movie and TV review on Doux Reviews.

Cast

Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil)
Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones)
Mike Colter (Luke Cage)
Finn Jones (Danny Rand/Iron Fist)
Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing)
Sigourney Weaver (Alexandra)
Elodie Yung (Elektra Natchios)
Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple)
Babs Olusanmokun (Sowande)
Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson)
Wai Ching Ho (Madame Gao)
Simone Missick (Misty Knight)
Rachael Taylor (Trish Walker)