The time has finally come! That's right. Marvel Netflix's very own street level Avengers team-up known as "The Defenders" is finally here and the first episode definitely kicked things off on a high note. With several character stories to weave in together and a mostly successful track record to live up to from previous seasons in the franchise, how does the season premiere manage such high expectations? In my opinion, the writers and producers have done so in the most thoughtful and creative way possible by giving the fans exactly what they needed to start things off.
The continuation of individual story arcs is well implimented showing a sense of growth and time for each character since their last season(s). We see characters moving forward in their life after the impactful events that took place just before their individual season finales. We get nice little references and appearances of side characters of the franchise reminding us of the past and the present history of this universe. This was one of the more important components of making this season premiere work that I really appreciated the writers for focusing on. They succeeded in appealing to fans that perhaps may have needed a refresher on where things left off with our heroes.
Memory jogging aside, there's also the incredible use of color in the show's visual direction brilliantly and quite beautifully presenting each "hero's" unique tone from their standalone series by keeping consistent with the artistic style of previous seasons. You know when it's a Daredevil scene just by the red hue of the background or light reflections in the environment or Luke Cage's yellow sheen smothering over the streets of Harlem. The same can be said for the other characters and their specific color pallet and soundtrack style which gives this series on its own a unique and imaginative gloss on the surface. I can happily say that creatively speaking, The Defenders has already been one step further than most shows in its genre which is high praise for any new show.
As far as storytelling goes, the way in which the story paces out in the premiere feels carefully spread out recapping hardcore fans while teasingly ushering in the overarching plot with Sigourney Weaver's character. It's kind of hard to tell whether or not fans who may not have seen one or two of the other shows might feel lost, but I honestly felt like they showed just enough to get everyone up to speed with each hero's current mentality. Even with the weakest link of the bunch arguably being Iron Fist (as far as season runs go), I still never felt like any one character was bringing down the quality of the overall experience. Every hero is focused on in a way to which the audience can fully understand their motivations while being invested in their future and inevitable encounter with the others.
Overall, as slightly nervous as I was for the premiere to possibly start things off on either a dull note or a rushing pace to desperately get to the "Avengers" moment, The Defenders premiere perfectly reminded fans why they've invested their passionate geeky time on these characters. With an earth shaking cliffhanger to get the wheel of speculation and excitement spinning, a villain with an interesting tie to our well established ninja order, and an our beloved ensemble currently placed in interesting positions in their life, I simply cannot wait to fully begin the "binge of all binges". Is it too early to say that Marvel Netflix has done it again?
Personal Highlights
1. Matt's Reaction To The Earthquake
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| Something that I wasn't expecting to see was the brilliant and powerful way in which they showed Matt having the most traumatic reaction to the earthquake due to his condition. Not only was it sensible to the character, but the use of audio was absolutely superb presenting the strong sense of chaos and isolation in Matt's head. |
2. The Redemption of Iron Fist?
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| Yes, it is a bit too early to use words like "redemption" for an entire standalone character series, but I will say that I actually enjoyed Danny Rand's scenes during the premiere. The opening thriller-like sequence with him facing Elektra was miles better than anything offered up in Iron Fist and his character seems more interesting so far. |
Episode Rating: 9/10
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