What makes this miniseries so great to me is how it really feels like the shows are coming together and not just the characters. When it starts, we pick back up with each of our characters to see where they are following their last seasons, until their stories slowly bleed into each other and they begin to cross each others paths. A nice touch is that with each character, the screen has a certain tint or color scheme to math their own series; red for Matt, a kind of gray for Jessica, yellow for Luke, and green for Danny. In addition to that, we also have Alexandra, leader of the Hand and played by Sigourney Weaver, whose color theme is white. And while it was a little harder to tell, the scenes where they're all together either don't bother with the color scheme or they're mashed up in some way.
The character interaction between the heroes is great, aided by how in tune with the characters our stars are, not to mention how they play off each other. Along when they're fighting together, the best scenes are when they're all together and just talking, showing how different they are, but also similar. The funny parts of this are when they consider each others' backstory a little far-fetched. A blind ninja? Bulletproof skin? Receiving a magical fist after defeating a dragon? This is part of what makes these characters different from the Marvel characters in the movies. There, whenever they meet someone with spider powers or a size changing suit, any initial surprise quickly subsides. If the Avengers are gods, then the Defenders are but men (with another difference between the two being the police not wanting to work with the 'vigilantes'). As I said way back in my Daredevil season one review, these Netflix series put the MCU under a microscope and focus squarely on New York. These heroes are just doing their part to help their city while dealing with their own problems, still having relatively normal lives.
That said though, having the four finally together does point out the weak link not just of the characters, but the shows. That is of course, Iron Fist. I think many would agree that Iron Fist was the weakest of all the characters' solo seasons, and unfortunately, some of that rubs off here. While he is the youngest of the group and has lived most of his life outside of New York, his naivety is clear when he's with the other heroes, who are definitely more seasoned. There are a lot of moments where I thought to myself "Danny, you idiot".
While all the characters interact, only two pairs have actual extended one on one time together: Luke and Danny, and Matt and Jessica. Luke and Danny's first meeting is one of my favorite (and funniest) parts of the series, with Danny's fighting style not phasing Luke at all until he summons his chi. After that though, the two begin to get to know each other after being forced to by their girlfriends and later on once the whole team is together. They play off each other well and I sense a true friendship building; considering their comic counterparts are the Heroes for Hire, they better have good chemistry. While they're both getting a second season of their own shows, I really wish they would have combined them for a Heroes for Hire series. Then again, I'm really looking forward to Luke getting payback on Mariah and Shades in his second season, so maybe after that. Matt and Jessica's moments aren't as good as Danny and Luke's, but they still have good interaction with each other, which I think is significant because they were the first two series that started all this.
Besides the main heroes, we also have interaction with the supporting casts of each show. While Claire has been a part of each series, we also have Karen, Foggy, Malcolm, Trish, Misty, and Colleen appearing together. This is another element of the shows actually coming together, which is an aspect that puts this above the Avengers. While the Avengers films are great, in terms of a true crossover, it really feels like its own film with very few supporting characters from the solo films appearing or even meeting each other. Much like villain development, supporting character inclusion and interaction appears to be another advantage that the Netflix series' extra time allows compared to the films, where there's definitely little chance of Aunt May meeting Hank Pym.
Our main villains of this miniseries are the Hand, specifically their leaders known as the five fingers. I have mixed feelings about them. Out of the five, the only two that are actually interesting are Alexandra and once again returning Madame Gao. Besides that though, I felt the Hand here were a little too similar to the League of Assassins (or Shadows depending on the source), particularly in the aspect that they've been known to raze cities, with New York planned to go down next. I'll admit that I don't know that much about the Hand in the comics, but a quick glance at Wikipedia makes it appear the two are similar.
But our standout on the villains side is the resurrected Elektra, once again played brilliantly by Elodie Yung. She's very similar to the Winter Soldier, initially having no knowledge of her past life and being a soulless killing machines. Slowly, she begins to remember herself after seeing Matt again (the chemistry between the two still on point from season two of Daredevil). But unlike Bucky, she doesn't take the opportunity to fight her captors or right her wrongs. I won't spoil what she does, but her development and eventual endgame make her one of the best parts of the series.
Overall, while my expectations were a little higher than they should have been, I still found the Defenders satisfying, bringing the four heroes together with the strengths of their own shows, but unfortunately the weaknesses as well. Still, if you were a fan of any of the characters' solo series, you'll enjoy watching one or all of your favorite characters on one screen.
RATING: 9/10
Much like how the films are divided up, this marks the end of Phase One of the Netflix shows. While another Defenders crossover hasn't been announced, I have no it will happen. Building up to that though, I wouldn't be surprised that like the films, the characters will have more crossovers with each other even in the solo series. Not to go into specifics, but I'm really expecting Iron Fist to be a big part of season three of Daredevil.
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