The Defenders, episode eight

Colleen wants to beat the Hand. Luke isn’t having it but Claire thinks its time to end it. Jessica is game. Luke eventually relents. Elektra is stoked that the portal opened. She finds out that Matt and Co. have arrived. She’s not into it.

The team looks over the blueprints and makes a plan. They are going to fight people and blow the building up to rescue Danny. Misty and the captain know the building is locked down. They call the bomb squad.

Trish and Karen look at the evidence board and talk about how serious the situation is. They discuss their good friends too. Foggy and Malcolm come in. They were listening to dispatch. All units to Midland Circle, the epicenter of everything.

Matt, Luke and Claire brace for their battle. Claire and Colleen are making their way through the building when a Hand guy, her sensei almost catches them. They hide for a minute before Colleen confronts him. Claire’s phone rings. It’s Misty who tries to talk reason but its too late for that. Danny and a Hand agent fight. Elektra stops them. Then they see the elevator is moving.

On the elevator, Matt tries to warn the others what’s up. They come up with a plan. It means Jessica goes out to talk and create a diversion. It works. A fight ensues. Misty comes in. They are going to try and escape. The battle rages on. Misty gets hurt. She’s losing a lot of blood. It’s time to roll out but wants to trying to talk to Elektra.

They fight more and then talk. She says she’s just always been like this. He says that he knows there is goodness in her. She doesn’t care. She stops the elevator that the others are on. Some goons try fight them but Jessica saves the day by holding the ropes. The others beat the goons and start climbing.

They make it to the ground floor and the cops move in. Luke steps in the way. Foggy and the others listen on the police scanner at the station. Matt and Elektra have a moment in the cave. The others are outside watching the building as it implodes. They go back to the station. Everyone is reunited. Except Matt. Foggy and Karen are devastated.

Trish is back on the radio. Jessica visits. She’s broken up about Matt. Foggy visits Claire and Luke in a legal capacity. They are clear. Talk turns to Matt as Claire walks Foggy out. She tells him to keep fighting the good fight.

Misty wakes up in the hospital without an arm. Colleen is there with her. They talk about fault. Jessica meets with Luke in a bar. They talk about their past and plan to stay in touch. Danny and Colleen talk about Misty.

Jessica gets home to find that Malcolm cleaned the place up, including a window for the door with Alias Investigations on it. Karen and Foggy talk it out in a church. Danny watches the city from above. A blooded Matt is being watched over by a nurse.

I just don’t understand why this happened. Is next season going to focus on saving Matt? I didn’t like the him and Elektra stuff to begin with. In the beginning this pacing was great but by end it felt rushed. Even without the need for an origin it took them too long to set things up. I liked the eight episode plan though. More would have been dragging it out.

The Defenders, episode seven

Elektra and Stick talk about Matt and recruiting him for the anti-Hand team. She says he’s stubborn. He says he’s changed her. It’s a flashback though. Stick is dead and the cops are on the scene.

Jessica is being interrogated by Misty. It’s a productive chat even if not much is accomplished. Matt startles awake. He’s lost his bearings. Foggy comes in and gives him the rundown. Matt is upset about Stick and wants to go find Danny. Misty wants to talk to him though.

Claire and Colleen have a heart-to-heart about Colleen’s importance. The Hand assembles and tells Elektra what’s what. The police talk to the other three but it gets nowhere. Misty’s captain wants to book them but Matt convinces them to let him have a word with his clients. Before he gets closed in another room, he talks to Karen and tells her that this is his life when she tries to tell him that he can rebuild.

Colleen and Claire see the evidence board. They talk about Danny. Luke and Misty talk about doing the right thing. He wants to protect everyone. The hand is in an elevator heading into the ground. It’s almost time.

Matt uses attorney privilege to talk to the others about what to do next. Foggy interrupts. He wants Matt to know he’s in trouble but Foggy has his back. He brought him the suit. Misty and her captain talk about the case. Alarms go off. The other three escaped.

Elektra brings Danny up to speed. The power of the Fist locked up the cave they are in. He says he won’t join their cause. She tells him that she is free and that he can be too. Misty gets in trouble. Colleen goes through some files and finds something.

Jessica, Matt and Luke are on the run. They don’t have any other options though so they end up taking the subway, where Jessica steals a beer from a sleeping homeless man. Back at the station, Foggy and Karen are freaking out. Claire and Misty compare notes.

They get to the Hand’s hideout and prepare to throw down. Danny fights with Elektra. Everyone else fights too. The bad guys run and the good guys are still there when Misty and Colleeen show up. Danny uses powers to fight. Misty is confronted by her captain while the others go to try and find Danny. Speaking of, he lost to Elektra and now is in some sort of cave alone.

So now there is one episode left and I really don’t know what’s happening anymore. I thought I had a handle but now I don’t know. They want to beat the Hand. The Hand is after Danny to unlock an ancient portal where they can find a substance to make them immortal. Danny went through the portal alone. Now these people with no ancient wisdom will try and breach the portal to bring him back. Good talk.

The Defenders, episode six

Alexandra is listening to music. It doesn’t sound right. She takes the record off and looks at it. The team is listening to Stick theorize about what sort of lock Danny could be the key too. He doesn’t think that’s the case. The others want to hide him but he’s not interested. Matt and Danny resort to violence to settle the dispute. The others get involved and Jessica knocks Danny out.

Jessica and Luke catch up and talk about losing touch as they make their way to a new location. They have to come up with a plan. Stick asks Matt if he’s been back to Midland Circle and he reveals to the other two that he investigated the construction site a year ago. Jessica is pissed that he’s keeping secrets. Luke tells them to go check it out. He’ll watch Danny.

Elektra dreams about Matt and then wakes up stil in his apartment. She snoops around in his stuff, finds her weapons. Stick and Luke have a chat while they watch Danny. Jessica and Matt go to Matt’s place so he can get ready for the visit to widow. He notices something is amiss but doesn’t tell her.

The Hand gets the hostage’s head in a box. They argue about unity. Jessica gives Matt the rundown on the dead architect. They get to the house to find the daughter. The widow isn’t home though. She agrees to talk to them.

Alexandra is in a room alone. The others have reached an agreement. She can still be the leader if they go after Iron Fist without Black Sky/Elektra. Alexandra is having none of it. Danny wakes up and tries to get free of the knot they tied on him. He’s pissed but Luke snarks at him a bit and he calms down.

Matt and Jessica chat with the daughter. She says she doesn’t know anything and thinks her dad was a criminal. Jessica tells her that might not be the case and vaguely mentions Matt’s origin story. Alexandra finds Elektra at her own grave. She tells her to be wary of Matt. Stick and Matt talk about what comes next.

During their chat with the daughter, Matt thinks he has a lead when she talks about the piano. He goes to play it and notices something amiss. They find blueprints in it. Not for Midland Circle but for something built under it.

Luke and Stick talk about his time in prison. Matt and Jessica are making their way back to the others, talking about their own pasts. Stick starts being Stick and whacks Luke. Matt knows something is wrong and starts running. Stick twirls a sword and heads toward Danny. He’s going to kill him. They get interrupted though. By Elektra. She stabs Stick, fights off Matt, Jessica and Luke and then kidnaps Danny.

Alexandra is eating alone. One of the fingers comes in and wants to make amends. Only he really doesn’t. He’s going to argue but Elektra comes in with Danny. Alexandra has him rigged up and is going to use him to unlock the way to an ancient land, the place when the Hand and Iron Fist come from. The others are still fighting. Alexandra doesn’t care. She tells Elektra to kill Jessica, Luke and Matt and then starts yelling about how she is in charge. That doesn’t last long though. Elektra kills her and tells the others they work for her now.

So is Elektra going to free Danny. She’s obviously Team Matt so is she going to stop the Hand? Is she the Hand? Why are there two more episodes if she can just finish this now? I don’t mind this show but I’m trying to figure out why it was made. They have to protect the city. They don’t seem to be trying to do that though. They just argue.

The Defenders, episode five

The fingers of the Hand are assembling. They converge on the restaurant because they want Danny, alive. Stick leads the team against the opposition. Matt goes outside fighting Elektra on his own. He tries to talk sense into her. He’s making progress before they get interrupted.

Luke ends up in a one on one fight of his own and gets hit by a garbarge truck. Jessica watches. Danny gets cornered but Jessica and Stick save him. They find Matt outside and run away in the sewer. Alexandra sees.

Colleen has been training. The team sans Luke barges in. Stick says they are safe but not for long so Danny wants to find a new hideout. Jessica wants to stop running and just fight and be done. Before they can start to argue they hear a noise. Luke is back and he caught a bad guy.

Alexandra and Elektra bond but the former makes sure to warn the latter that loyalty is necessary. Jessica wants to beat up the hostage but he won’t break that way. He talks about their failures and the ones they will fail to protect, Claire, Trish, their loved ones.

Luke goes and gets Claire. He’s taking her on the run. Danny and Colleen talk about not knowing what to do. Then a car drives by. Danny chases it while Colleen doubles around the block. She ends up fighting her sensei, who used to be dead. She’s losing until Luke steps in. She needs a hospital though.

Karen is working when Matt pops in. He warns her that the Hand is back and they argue about him Daredevil-ing again. He tells her they might be after Matt Murdock’s world too and asks her to come lay low for a few days. She agrees out of “self-preservation.”

Next stop on Luke’s tour is Misty’s office. He wants her to help but is light on details. Then they bring an injured Colleen in and Misty relents. Stick talks to the hostage. Matt comes back and Stick talks to him about being a leader. Matt isn’t interested.

Jessica goes to get her plus one for this shindig, Trish, and runs into some trouble. A fully costumed Daredevil comes to the rescue but the guy escapes. Claire patches Colleen up and offers moral support.

Trish and Malcolm talk at the police station about how everything is connected. They watch Karen come in but don’t know what she’s doing there. Foggy comes in too. He and Karen talk about how Matt won’t listen.

Misty comes in and tells everyone that they are “of interest” to some dangerous folks so they have to sit tight. She asks Colleen about the fight but gets no answers. Some of the bad guys talk and then Alexandra comes in and yells at them. Another bad guy comes to warn of Daredevil’s return.

Matt in costume interrogates the hostage. He gets nowhere. The bad guy team talks about Daredevil and Elektra. Then the underlings threaten Alexandra. Matt comes clean about his past with Elektra. The others get pissed. Luke and Jessica get a little hung up on the idea of resurrection.

The hostage gets free while they are distracted and grabs Danny. He declares the war over but Stick chops off his head. Alexandra goes to see Elektra but she is not in her room. She’s in the city alone, first on a rooftop then in Matt’s apartment. She seems to remember.

I want an episode of all the people hanging out at the police station. I want to see them compare notes and then realize Claire knows everything and make her explain it all. Not a whole lot happened here.

The Defenders, episode four

The team heads to a Chinese restaurant where Jessica and Luke compare notes. Danny wants to work together but Jessica and Matt are just looking to get out. Luke asks details and Danny gives them. Then Matt tries to leave and Luke yells at him before Jessica pulls him aside and talks him into sticking around and talking off his mask.

Alexandra talks to Elektra about her death and rebirth and purpose. The others stick around the Chinese restaurant and compare notes. Danny still wants to team up but Matt explains that that would be a bad idea. They are interrupted by Stick. He wants to save the city. Alexandra talks to some guy about business dealings.

Elektra encounters the White Hat. Stick gets preachy with them about all the mystical and that’s where Jessica draws the line. Luke tries to talk her out of it but to no avail. Matt is pissed at Stick and Danny is trying to fill in the blanks. Luke comes back for the debrief.

While getting ready for some fancy shindig, Alexandra starts trembling and takes a pill. She calls someone to tell them she is changing her plans. Jessica goes home, swigs some booze and settles in to work on her case. She does find a lead with a handwriting match.

Stick weaves a tale about the history of the Hand and Danny appreciates the information. Matt just wants to know what Stick wants in return. Jessica goes to visit the widow. She tells her the situation is weird and she wants to set up protection. The woman thought she already had it because someone has been watching the house.

Back at the Chinese restaurant Luke tells Danny he doesn’t want super friends. Matt wants to save Elektra but Stick tells him that she can’t be saved. Jessica beats up the guy watching the widow. She hears someone talking on his walkie talkie but she doesn’t recognize what language it is.

Matt hears something. A van, with people and weapons full loaded, but that’s not the threat. Alexandra has made her way into the restaurant. She waxes poetic about respecting the Iron Fist and how Stick is the problem. Then Elektra attacks but before anything can really happen they are interrupted by a car crashing through the front wall. Jessica has rejoined the team.

I really like that this is such a quick pace and isn’t bogged down with a ton of details. Maybe that’s just because this isn’t an origin story. We already know where these characters came from. I just worry that now at the halfway point I still don’t really know why any of this is happening.

The Defenders, episode three

The sick woman is out to eat alone in a Turkish restaurant. She refers to the city as Constantinople but the waiter corrects her with Istanbul. A man walks in to tell her that they have “The Black Sky.” Turns out they are reviving Elektra.

Elektra is back and the sick woman introduces herself as Alexandra. She can’t talk but she starts training and she’s still got it. Alexandra taunts stick to find out information on the Iron Fist. Stick ends up escaping.

Matt and Jessica chat in interrogation. She’s rude and abrupt and they don’t have anything to hold her on so she leaves. She calls Malcolm and Matt listens. Up in Harlem Luke tells Claire about what he was snooping on. He tells Claire about the guy punching him and she calls someone.

Turns out Claire knows Danny and she introduces Luke to him. They talk about the White Hat and how it could it all be connected. She tells them they are on the same side. Jessica wants to keep investigating so she goes to see the grieving family.

She ducks out and feels like she is being followed. She is. By Matt though it is untentional. So she turns the tables and follows him. She sees him being a ninja and snaps some pictures. Danny and Luke argue about privilege and changing the world. Luke goes to see the kid in prison. Asks about the White Hat and the Hand but he isn’t talking.

Danny tries another approach and uses connections to get some above board information. Jessica poses as a young businesswoman looking to redesign her firm. She gets some dirt on the environment the missing man was working in.

Luke goes to see the kids mom. They talk and he finds some information pointing to Midland Circle. The phone rings. The kid was killed in prison. Colleen is training when she hears something. It’s Stick looking for the Fist.

He’s not there though. Danny has stormed the castle and is yelling at the folks at Midland Circle Financial, including the boss Alexandra. Meanwhile in the lobby, Matt and Jessica are exchanging words. He wants her to walk away from this sinister case.

Time for the wrap-up. Danny and Alexandra are squaring off when Matt hears a silenced gunshot from all the way downstairs. He swipes Jessica’s scarf and takes off. Danny escapes and they all run into each other in the hall. Luke is there too. Matt hears something. It’s Elektra. Several scuffles break out and the good guy team wins, leaving in an elevator together.

I really want Jessica and Matt to snark at one another more. I didn’t know Claire knew Danny so that threw me off for a second. I liked the episodes where they were all on their own so it should be interesting to see them actually team up now.

The Defenders, episode two

The city is in chaos and Matt is sitting on the roof listening. He hears an armed robbery and no police involvement. He intervenes.

Trish talks about the event the next morning on the radio. She reads the party line but a caller corrects her and ends up getting cut off. Apparently upstairs doesn’t think she should be talking about the earthquake.

Misty gets to her latest crime scene. It’s the apartment being rented by the missing guy and it was called in by none other than Jessica Jones. She wanted to report the explosives. On her way out she swipes some evidence.

Danny and Colleen fight about having allies in the fight against the hand. They need to trust people. Matt gets home and gets cleaned up. He’s angry. He opens the chest his suit is in. Then Foggy calls and he walks away from it.

Claire and Luke are helping with the cleanup. They talk about him helping the NYPD and the kids in Harlem. She basically tells him to be careful. The sick lady watches the philharmonic play. She find sout there is a complication in her plans. She is not happy.

Jessica is doing her due diligence for her next case. She’s looking into a company and finds they’ve been transferring assests since the 1800s. She asks the librarian for advice and then Hogarth shows up.

Matt and Foggy meet up in a bar to ostensibly catch up. Matt is touchy about the Daredevil thing and Foggy seems to just be trying to help. Hogarth and Jessica argue about cases. She tells Jessica to lay off because the feds are involved. Jessica doesn’t play like that though.

Luke goes to see a guy he knows to find out about the Harlem kids being recruited by goons. Danny and Colleen are doing recon and find a giant sword. Luke is doing recon of his own and sees the kid he offered condoloenseces too in some sketchy businesses.

Hogarth recruits Foggy to keep an eye on Jessica. Speaking of, she’s on the phone with Trish who is concerned about sweeping the tremor stuff under the rug. Jessica can’t chat though. The missing man is in her apartment with a gun to Malcolm’s head.

Danny and Colleen are being angsty. Jessica and Malcolm try to talk him down but a lady comes in and fisticuffs ensue. Instead of letting her have “this” he says, while gesturing to his head, he kills himself. The lady takes off and Jessica follows but its no use.

She loses the lady and ends up running into Misty outside. She’s forced to put her hands up. Danny confronts a bunch of guys that are cleaning up a bunch of bodies. The guy he corners? The same guy Luke was following. Luke intervenes and he and Danny end up fighting.

The police come and the guy gets caught. Danny and Luke get away. The sick woman has Stick as a hostage. Misty is trying to get Jessica to talk. She’s being difficult. When she finally starts to maybe acknowledge something they get interrupted by her attorney. Matt Murdock.

I like the way they are bringing everyone together piece by piece. I also like that Matt and Jessica are paired because we’ve already seen her with Luke and I have no use for Danny. I like the pacing. I don’t feel like its overwhelming us with tons of details right away and I like that the supporting characters, Trish, Claire, Foggy, are relevant but not taking up huge chunks of time. I would like to see them tied in a bit more though, namely Claire and Trish because I like them best.

The Defenders, episode one

In Cambodia, there is a sword fight underground. It comes to an end and then Danny Rand intervenes. The guy he was protecting is killed and the girl gets away. He gives chase but it’s too late. He loses her in the tunnels. Danny is told to go to New York.

Jessica Jones wakes up in a bar. Her bff Trish tells her that she’s a media darling and folks are eager to hear her side of the story. Jessica isn’t hearing it though. She’s just drinking and not working.

Luke Cage is getting out of prison. He had a lot of help obtaining his release from one Foggy Nelson. He’s not interested in chatting. He has a bus to catch. He’s moving forward.

Matt Murdock is winning cases and giving life advice. Karen turns up because she needs a statement. She suggests a meal and Matt is game.

Danny washes his face. He hears something and goes investigate. He’s hallucinating dead people. Turns out its a nightmare. Colleen just wants him to talk to her.

A woman goes to the doctor. It’s not her first visit. She’s dying and she knows it. The doctors run more tests.

Finally turning up at her office, Jessica finds a woman and her teenage daughter waiting for her. The woman’s husband in missing. He’s been acting strange lately. Jessica tells her he’s cheating. They leave and she goes inside. The phone rings. It’s someone telling her not to look for the missing man.

Luke makes it back to his block to find Claire waiting for him. They have some pretty arobic sex and then talk about Harlem and him being a hero. Misty turns up to talk to Luke.

In a diner, Matt and Karen talk about how they’ve been and the things they do and don’t regret. She thinks the Daredevil made the city safer and he thinks that city is better off without him.

After the call telling her not take the case, Jessica is interested. She looks into the guy. Malcolm turns up. He lurks while she finds out the call came from a payphone in a sketch neighborhood. She heads out.

Misty and Luke discuss the state of Harlem and the need for a hero like Luke. She wants him to be a role model. Matt goes to confession and talks about lying and Elektra. The sick woman holds a meeting in Central Park. She’s got a plan in motion that now must be sped up.

After his talk with Misty, Luke goes to see a kid that lost his brother and his sister to the scheming on the block. Luke offers his condolensces and they chat until Luke tries to offer help. Then he gets kicked out.

Now on the case, Jessica tries to track down the missing man. She just finds more trouble. The sick woman’s plan is in motion. Danny makes it to the city. An earthquake strikes. The sick lady is responsible. Matt is overwhelmed listening to it.

So I didn’t watch Iron Fist. I’m not going to either so I will just remain at zero context for anything he says or does. This was set up well. I’m interested in seeing how the characters interact but I get that the individual stories are probably more important at this point.