The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
HEROES UNITE & DEFEND
‘Marvel’s The Defenders’ — which brings together Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fish — a Neflix show that delivers if you don’t expect too much
Don’t overthink this. “Marvel’s The Defenders” brings the paths of four New York City-based comic-book superheroes together so they can fight a common enemy. The eight-part Netflix series wastes no time getting into the action, but is somewhat slow picking up steam. The streaming giant has already introduced the characters in the series “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” “Daredevil” and “Iron Fist.” If you’ve seen them, then you know they each include complicated mythologies. If you’re not familiar with them, then watching their stories get pieced together in “The Defenders” can be a bit of a slog. There are already 60 episodes of the four series available on Netflix, so fans of these superheroes are likely to be more patient.
To varying degrees, I’m among the latter. So bringing together the band of misfits — played by Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Charlie Cox, Finn Jones — already piqued my interest, but it was the presence of Sigourney Weaver as the primary villain that really makes this series.
We first meet her character, Alexandra, a wealthy woman, getting the news she has a terminal illness
and only has a short time to live.
It gives her a degree of sympathy, but we soon learn she heads a powerful criminal organization. Still, Weaver’s character never comes across as simply evil. Alexandra is sophisticated, even sensitive, appreciates the arts and, as we see, a survivor.
In a way, the character is the linchpin that keeps the early episodes together as it cuts between the four superheroes’ stories, which includes many of the secondary characters in the series such as Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple and Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing.
In the early episodes, Alexandra’s ultimate aim is murky. Apparently, her organization is capable of causing massive devastation in NYC — there is a taste of that early on — but to what end? She’s clearly not about destruction, and while Alexandra is an intriguing shadowy figure, articulating what she was after would have given more focus and urgency to the plot.
Otherwise, it seems like the four superheroes are mostly doing their own thing in the early episodes. As we meet them, we’re reintroduced to their quirky natures. Ritter’s grumpy but nearly invincible Jessica Jones is a favorite, and the actress is able to convey a lot with just a look.
Now that she is free of her nemesis from the first season — the mind-control villain Kilgrave (David Tennant) — “The Defenders” gives us a hint where she might be in Season 2, expected next year. (A little less rage and beginning to see past him.)
The others superheroes remain pretty true to form. Daredevil (Cox) is the blind lawyer Matt Murdock, who has deadly martial-arts skills but a prickly personality. The impenetrable Luke Cage (Colter) is the quiet, determined type, and Iron Fist (Jones) is billionaire Danny Rand whose special power is in the name.
Of course, when they meet up they won’t get along. That is practically a plot pre-requisite in these stories. These are types who don’t work well with others. Only Danny wants to. It’s amusing that some fans of this Marvel quartet find Iron Fist irritating, seeing him as not strong enough of a personality or picking on Jones’ performance, which is quite solid.
The character is excitable at times, but that makes sense. Danny has been raised by mystical monks most of his life. So the nearly 30-year-old superhero is emotionally a teen at times. It’s an interesting twist, especially when he is with three stoic types.
(By the way, “Iron Fist” has been renewed for a second season.)
So his character doesn’t hit the usual superhero marks. The problem with many superhero stories is that is all they do.
Like the other shows, “The Defenders” inserts a bit of welcome grit into its story. The showrunners of the individual series have also been smart enough to bring in strong actors such as Tennant and Vincent D’Onofrio as villains.
Having Weaver on board is a superplus for “The Defenders,” and Ritter is always on fire.
Undoubtedly, fans will analyze the series to death, but don’t sweat it. It’s a fine superhero adventure even if you don’t know all the characters. Just go with it. It may not be super, but it gets in its hits.