A cold rainy day heralded the release of Marvel and Netflix's latest foray, The Defenders and as such this was surely a sign that it was suitable to binge all in one day. So that I did.
As a mini series we are greeted with eight episodes which are roughly set over the course of a couple days. We see that events in respective series set the ball rolling, finally culminating into them all meeting and facing, head first The Hand. Overall the pacing in this series is, surprisingly, slow yet it makes for an easy 6 and a half hours of binge-watching.
The Defenders deftly dealt with the situation that was left when the Iron Fist series was poor in comparison to the other series. As a friend has said, there are no plot points solved with M&Ms, much to the relief of many I am sure.
Much was said about the addition of Sigourney Weaver into the cast and she does a great job of playing a villain who has it all to lose should the plan not work. She is confident, possibly over so in her ability to out maneuver not only The Defenders but also her cohorts. Weaver as a member of the cast adds a little sprinkle of star power that could potentially bring in viewers who may be unable to sit through the five previous series yet enjoy what this has to offer.
As for the fearsome four themselves they are each individually introduced with plot points that link to the last scenes from their series. Jessica (Krysten Ritter)is still a struggling with who she is, Matt (Charlie Cox) is staving off Devil fever, Luke (Mike Colter) is being released and Danny (Finn Jones) is following the breadcrumbs. Each character is realised throughout the series with the theme appearing to be a self discovery of sorts. This follows true for many of their friends and significant others, otherwise known as sidekicks. Colleen (Jessica Henwick) and Claire (Rosario Dawson) are the main benefactors of this.
The candor between them all is nice to behold with their differences being what binds them together, whether making new friends or patching up old relationships.
The music is atmospheric and brings a depth to many scenes that may otherwise have been just dark and flat. I do feel that the song chosen in the final fight scene was somewhat out of place but knowing the lyrics makes the choice somewhat understandable.
Overall this is a series that is worth a watch whether you have watched all the previous series or are new to the franchise. Don't expect the Hollywood budget seen in the MCU but appreciate the stunt work that goes into many of the (chaotic) fight scenes.
Talia
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