The Defenders

[rogueslayer452]

(♡ ♡ ♡)

Having watched the entirety of The Defenders, I hadn't really talked that much about it since, well, there wasn't much to say about it honestly. It didn't necessarily blow me away, and it didn't really add much to anything that interested me aside from getting these characters together. Plus it focused too much on Danny Rand, who I don't really like or care for and found myself fast-forwarding through his scenes, same with most of the scenes with The Hand.

In truth, watching this made me yearn for more Jessica Jones. Just everything involving Jessica in The Defenders was so great and amazing, from her meeting and interacting with other characters, getting invested even when she tried to stay out of being a hero, her level of dry sarcasm and snark and her reactions to everything that was happening around her was much needed, and I didn't realize how much I missed until her very first scene. This was what I was looking forward to the most with The Defenders and it definitely didn't disappoint. I particularly really enjoyed the interaction she had with Matt, because I knew just based off of the trailer and promotional stuff that would be gold. Her mocking his Daredevil suit, being overall snarky towards him, and yet kind of developing a fondness at the same time, it was nicely done. I also really loved seeing Jessica and Luke reconnecting again as well, since the last time they were together things were a bit tense considering what they were going through, and them briefly reconciling and moving forward here makes me want more of them together in the future because I have missed them so much. These three in particular meeting and joining forces together, even if reluctantly at first, was what I was honestly loving and living for. They all have such amazing chemistry with each other, but I honestly wanted more of it. There just wasn't enough of them having bonding time, which given the time frame and everything that was going on is understandable, but to be honest I wanted there to be more moments with them kind of getting to know each other.

Because that's what I care about the most, the character moments. I didn't care about The Hand stuff. The characters, their personal and quiet moments and the connections they have with those in their lives and with each other, those are the things that I am drawn to the most. Those are the things that come first, the plot is secondary to me. So that's why I felt a bit disconnected with the first season because it spent so much time building up everything with The Hand only for it to not really matter in the end. It felt super rushed and things were wasted, like a lot was happening but in the end nothing really came from it. I don't know, I just personally found the season disjointed.

So, overall I would say that The Defenders was merely alright. It could have been better executed, perhaps a bit longer (ten episodes instead of eight), spent less time with The Hand and more time with our main characters and their bonding with each other and the supporting characters associated with them. I did appreciate the moments that we got though, I just wish there was more. Basically, I was only interested in watching this because it got some of these characters together, from the main to supporting, and that was it really. All I got after watching this was wanting for more Jessica Jones. And for Colleen Wing to replace Danny Rand as the fourth Defender, because her story is much more interesting and she fits right in. Also for Elektra to get her own series because she deserves better, dammit.


As a sidenote, it appears that Jessica Jones is the most popular among Netflix's Marvel lineup, which I am pleased with. But it baffles me that we're waiting so long until the next season. The series premiered in 2015, and we have to wait until 2018 before we even get a second season.

Comments

[giallarhorn.livejournal.com]

I think a problem with it is that the overarching plot doesn't fit in with Luke and Jessica's realm of stuff? Mostly Iron Fist, and a little of the weirder stuff from Daredevil, but everyone else is mostly drawn in by proximity rather than invested interest.

That, and it continues to suffer the pacing problem Netflix seems to struggle with. I guess they assume everyone will binge the show so...treat it like a super long movie?

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I think a problem with it is that the overarching plot doesn't fit in with Luke and Jessica's realm of stuff?

Yeah, it seemed a very weird choice for this to be the plot that brought them all together. It was just so weirdly out of place when adding Jessica and Luke into the mix, because their stories are more grounded in realism. Yes, they have superpowers but their abilities are secondary to everything else happening around them. They use these powers when they need to but it doesn't need suspension of belief. While the characters did comment about how ridiculous a lot of what they were ultimately facing was, it still doesn't really mesh.

Had these elements been introduced in all of their shows then maybe it could have worked. But each of their shows have a different tone and different feel to them that bringing them together like this just didn't work as well as it could have. IDK. I think they should have picked a different plot to bring them all together.

That, and it continues to suffer the pacing problem Netflix seems to struggle with. I guess they assume everyone will binge the show so...treat it like a super long movie?

I personally don't mind it, to be honest. I actually like that most of the Netflix stuff is filmed in a way that treats a season like a long movie since I've gotten more used to binge watching most of my shows anyway, so something that doesn't have unnecessary expositions each episode is fine by me. I understand that not many like it, but I personally don't find it a hindrance to my enjoyment. But when it came to The Defenders though, I felt like they didn't really know what they wanted to focus on, which led to everything feeling disjointed and uneven, and kind of unnecessary in the end. Also if you only watched one or two shows of Netflix's Marvel series, you might not feel as invested in certain parts as others. I only cared about Jessica, Luke and Matt, along with some of the other supporting characters, but that's about it. I didn't care for The Hand or Danny Rand, which unfortunately is what the season focused on. So, yeah. IDK.