The Defenders (Netflix - August 18, 2017)

[Alistaire]

Wu-Tang is perfect for that ending fight scene. Haters.

I didn't hate the song; I hated the sudden disjointed lead into it.

[silverdragontyr]

So, I just finished it. It wasn't bad, wasn't great. I'd probably put it below the good ones, above the bad ones. So DDs1 > JJs1 > DDs2 > Defenders. I haven't seen Luke Cage or Iron Fist. Don't really plan too. Thoughts on this...

Spoiler: show

My biggest complain by far is Iron Fist. I'll start this with I was so excited for Iron Fist. Since DD season 1. I love good martial arts and Iron Fist is supposed to basically be Marvel's Magic Bruce Lee. From what I heard and saw from clips though they severely dropped the ball.

Then in this, right from episode one there is just so much wrong and he never gets better. You see him without a shirt in the first or second episode and the dude has literally no muscle definition. Compared to Charlie Cox, who looks like a guy you don't want to fuck with. Then, he spends the whole series getting his ass kicked. I'm not sure he ever actually won a fight. Every fight he was in he never did anything that made me think he had anything more than two lessons at a kids karate center. I seriously mean this legitimate. Maybe I just don't remember but, did Danny Rand do anything of value in this? He spends the whole series fucking up. I almost feel like they knew the actor sucked at martial arts and wrote this specifically to take him out at the end.

Iron Fist ranting aside. Pretty much everything else I liked. I liked the other three defenders. They were done very well. Nothing really felt forced. Loved how much side character interaction we got. The villains were good. Though one minor complaint on that. They got Sigourney Weaver, one of the greatest badass female actresses. They build her up as this powerful, intelligent master. Yet she doesn't really do anything. She talks a bit then gets stabbed in the back. Elektra I thought was fine. I felt her motives were pretty clear by the end without being shoved in your face exposition. She wanted to live forever with Matt. If she couldn't do thatm then die with him.

Kind of wish we had a little better fight scenes but meh, wasn't terrible. Also, why do shows and movies keep having endings like this, but then announced the next season/sequel before this even airs. We already knew about DDs3, which kind of killed a lot of emotional impact of ending.(Not that anyone would actually think he was gone).

So overall I am reasonably satisfied with the events I have seen. Overall I would rate it a C+, OK, not great.

[Kanriel]

I feel like

Spoiler: show

DD S3 will open with Iron Fist acting as DD while Matt is AWOL for the first few episodes

Spoiler: show

Ehh, not sure that would happen. DD was already inactive so it's not like he needs to do that to keep up that appearance. But then I could see him doing that as his way to fight crime, and when DD comes back that's what makes him find his own suit.

[Alistaire]

So, saw a reddit post with a Finn Jones quote from a recent interview:

Now, just gonna let you know, moving into Season 2 of Iron Fist, I’m actually starting my training next week. We’re at least four or five months away from shooting, so this time around, I’m being given a lot more preparation leading up to Season 2, which I think is really gonna have a huge improvement on the quality of the fight scenes in Season 2 of Iron Fist.

IF had other problems of course, but this is at least 1 good sign.

[Deftscythe]

That's good to hear. The better the action, the more I'll be willing to forgive in the other aspects of the show since, after all, sweet kung fu fights should be the focus.

[Gredival]

I mean the action in The Defenders was much better than the action for Iron Fist even without Finn becoming a competent martial artist. As much as people want to cry about how Lewis Tam should have been cast as Danny, the fact is Iron Fist would probably still have sucked even if they didn't need to hide their inability to properly direct Jones.

[Deftscythe]

Make no mistake, I don't necessarily blame Jones for any of this. If all this about having no time to train is true, than that is 100% on the casting director not having found someone who already knew who to do fight choreography. I certainly don't expect Jones to say "I'm going to turn down this great opportunity for my career for the integrity of a project about an obscure comic book character." All my problems with Danny are based around his character. Since he's the main focus of the show the whole thing is dragged down, but if the action was better, that would mitigate how bad the dialogue in general and his in particular is.

The only performer I have a specific issue with is the one playing Bakuto, who is supposed to sound cerebral, but just ends up sounding bored.

[Alvinho]

My thoughts:

I enjoyed the first half more than I did the second. I thought the interaction was spot on; none of it felt forced, and all seemed natural. Buildup was great, ending was more on the "meh" side, imo.

Japanese finger only speaking Nihongo and everyone else interacting like it was no thing was cool.

Gao is a fucking badass.

Danny is angry. All of the time. From my western perception of how western media monks should behave, this guy has lost shit for good.

Jessica Jones really grew on me during Defenders. Coworker said her husband read something somewhere that Kilgrave would be returning for JJS2, but no source to back it up, so probably BS. Maybe.

Needed more LC.

Spoilers, maybe:

Spoiler: show

During Danny's visit to Rend corp, I got all hyped up for Ward action, but alas, he was away on a business trip and never appaeared. Disappoint.

HTF did Elektra not royally fuck up everyone other than LC, when she basically knocked out LC with a kick to the face (I imagine that kick packed as much power as a close range shotgun blast, give or take). Other people she hit should be at least dead-ish.

Before Harlem kid got arrested, LC was taking hits from Danny (sans fist) like he was fighting a 2yo. Anyone else that hit him aftwards was throwing him all over the place. Made no sense.

Also, yes, Colleen is an idiot.

Disclaimer: Watched all the other shows, but never read any of the comics.

[Alistaire]

Not BS.

http://www.vulture.com/2017/08/david...eason-two.html

Entertainment Weekly has announced that Tennant will reprise his role as Kilgrave on Jessica Jones season two.

Most likely similar to Aubrey Plaza in Legion.

[Kanriel]

I imagine Kilgrave will be flashbacks, I think it would be far too cheesy to make him season 2 villain as well.

And The Defenders peaked at episode 6 for me. I think episodes 7 and 8 were meh. 3-6 were the best part, with 1-2 being so quick getting everything setup I have no problems with it. They just couldn't neatly tie it all together in the end. If they had, I might put it up there with DD/JJ seasons.

[macross]

gao = yoda

[Zealot]

I liked all of it. I'd put it below Daredevil and above the rest. Benefited from only going 8 episodes. Only disappointing part for me was I thought they could have gotten more mileage out of Sigorney Weaver's character.

After this though I would scrap all plans for LC/IF season 2 and make Heroes for Hire season 1.

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[TummieGaruda]

Not BS.

http://www.vulture.com/2017/08/david...eason-two.html



Most likely similar to Aubrey Plaza in Legion.

Probably the hand used some of their resources to resurrect Killgrave before Black Sky.

[Kaisha]

I had to binge IF before watching Defenders, and good lord is IF slow as fuck compared to the other three series. Could have easily cut out three episodes from its first season and sped up the pacing.

Spoiler: show

Just a shame Defenders continued on with the blunderous adventures of Danny Fist. I don't know...

I just wasn't too big on the whole mystical part of the story IF brought to the table and all. I was just expecting a good ol' show off against the Hand, not one guy's glowing fist he got from killing a dragon in K'un-L'un being the key to everything, and Elektra's lack of anything until the last minute. Nevermind how short the confrontation in the caves was altogether with the Hand itself. Bakuto already got enough screentime in IF.

At least Jessica was self-aware enough to bring up the kungfu bullshit happening all around her while she and Luke just use their raw strength instead.