Defenders: The Defenders

The Defenders wrap up their first season with a lot of things going on. There’s no announcement as yet about a second season, but it was months before they confirmed season two of Iron Fist, so that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. The basis for some friendships are formed, among both the heroes and at least some of the supporting cast. And at least one character takes a major step towards their comic book incarnation.

Defenders: Fish In A Jailhouse

The episodes for the Defenders have mostly had titles that made sense. Episode seven, “Fish In A Jailhouse,” I’m not sure does. When I first saw that, I was wondering if Bobby Fish, one of Luke Cage’s many supporting characters who hasn’t been seen yet, might finally turn up. But he didn’t, and the best explanation I have is the title is a variation on the old saying about shooting fish in a barrel, and the fact that so much of the episode takes place in the police precinct where Misty works, which I guess could be considered a “jailhouse.” That or the writers got clever about something that I just didn’t catch at all.

Defenders: Ashes, Ashes

The Defenders start hurtling towards their finale in “Ashes, Ashes,” episode six out of eight. The fight with the Hand is looking ugly, and that’s not the only ugly thing this time around. The pieces are falling into place for a big confrontation, and there are a lot of changes coming. It’ll be very interesting to see how this all spins out.

Defenders: Take Shelter

“Royal Dragon” had a lot of talking in it. It seems like they’re trying to make up for that in “Take Shelter.” The Hand is on the move and has a lot of good organization behind them. Our heroes have barely met and aren’t getting along as well as you’d hope for the good guys. Talk about going in with a handicap.

Defenders: Royal Dragon

Finally brought together in “Worst Behavior,” the four heroes spend most of “Royal Dragon” together. The title refers to a Chinese restaurant they hide out in, despite the workers’ various protests. The four of them storming in ignoring the poor workers is a good bit of the beginning of the episode, and makes for some good comic relief.

Defenders: Worst Behavior

The Defenders finally work on actually getting together in episode 3, “Worst Behavior.” Unlike last episode, I don’t see a direct tie in for the title, aside from the fact that many of them are not exactly doing everything they should be. But there were some great scenes that made a comic book geek’s heart…

Defenders: Mean Right Hook

After the set up and surprise earthquake in episode 1, the Defenders leap into their second episode, “Mean Right Hook.” After seeing as many trailers as I had, I was pretty sure I knew what the title referred to, and it looks like I was right. They’re continuing their slow build as the characters’ stories are being drawn together.

Defenders: The H Word

Netflix and Marvel Studios have been collaborating for a while now, giving us some great shows. We’ve seen two seasons of Daredevil, and one each of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Now, just as the solo heroes came together to form the Avengers in the Marvel movies, the Netflix characters are uniting as the Defenders. Also along for the ride are much of the supporting cast from the individual shows, and the enigmatic Madame Gao, as well as Claire Temple, the only character to appear in all four series so far. I’m presuming that if you’re watching/interested in Defenders, you’ve seen the shows that came before it, so I’m not explaining every reference.

The State of Hero TV, Summer 2017

It’s a great time to be a hero-geek. There are more and more shows, and most of them are pretty damn good. I keep hearing a few people fretting about “hero fatigue,” but I certainly don’t have it, and, judging from the box office for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, a lot of other people don’t, either. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is fantastic, with Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok coming this year. I’m a lot less impressed with the DC Expanded Universe (although I’m one of the few that apparently enjoyed Suicide Squad), but I was pleasantly surprised by Wonder Woman.