Well Happy New Years to all! I have a feeling that 2018 will be quite a memorable year, although 2017 will go down in American history as being very, very memorable so I don't know if 2018 will top 2017, but I'm sure it will surprise everyone. So not too long ago I finished watching Netflix's The Defenders season 1 (and before I watched that I saw Iron Fist season 1 but I didn't think it was worth mentioning considering how much I didn't like it). Aside from the fact that I am getting all comic-booked out, sometimes it is interesting to see where all of these characters are being taken and the direction the stories will go. I didn't care for Luke Cage so I just avoided that show and learned about his storyline as The Defenders unfolded. So this season....or show, culminates in Jessica Jones, the Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil all battling The Hand and its five originating members, two of which audiences are familiar with, the other three are new. Anyways, The Hand wants the Iron Fist, although the reason why isn't mentioned until almost the end, and they also unleash a powerful "weapon" to try and capture him and eliminate the other heroes. So while that is going on the four heroes, reluctant heroes that is, are trying to bond enough so that they can help each other defeat The Hand. This is no easy task, with Jessica Jones being the most resistant of the group of course. I'm going to start with the interesting characters first...as they are few. Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones is perhaps my favorite to watch of the group as she isn't preachy, or overly obnoxious. She's down to earth, no frills, and doesn't abide by some idealistic code of honor or ethics. This is refreshing and hopefully the writers do not end up destroying her character. Charlie Cox as Daredevil can be quite preachy at times and was so in Daredevil season 2, but in this series he seems to have shed that a little thankfully. He like Jessica Jones is a very complex character, which of course makes him very interesting, and somehow the writers miraculously utilized it well in this season of the show. I like his character a lot and I'm hoping as he progresses that he'll have a little bit more Jessica Jones tossed into his character, as well as more polish as a superhero. Scott Glenn as Stick was a genius move whoever decided to cast him in that role. He is rather static, but some of the crap he pulls nobody saw coming. This gives his character great depth and of course makes him fascinating....if only they could explore it more. For me the best part of this entire show was Sigourney Weaver as Alexandra Reid, the leader of The Hand. At first I didn't have a clue who she was, but slowly it was revealed. One of my favorite scenes is her listening to a private concert of a piece of music written by Brahms, and afterwards she and the director are chatting about the music, and she talks as if she personally knew Brahms when he wrote that specific piece. At that moment, for me, you knew she was not a woman to be trifled with. Her elegance, finesses, and power radiated confidently and strongly. It was very, very well done on her part and the writer's part. One of my other favorite characters was Madame Gao, also a prominent member of The Hand. There was something always so powerful and mysterious about her, and she is played by Wai Ching Ho so flawlessly and effortlessly. Her cool calculating and wisdom are profound. The scenes with her and Ms. Weaver were some of my most favorite.
Mike Colter as Luke Cage and Finn Jones as The Iron Fist (Danny Rand) were perhaps some of the most annoying and obnoxious characters in the show. Luke Cage's preachy crusader mentality drove me nuts, and Danny Rand and his neverending crusade against the evil of The Hand and protecting K'un-Lun and humanity just wore on me. The performances of the actors were great, but I just didn't care for their characters. Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing (the Iron Fist's girlfriend and sidekick) was for the most part obnoxious as she is a similar version of the Iron Fist, and she also has this desperate urge to prove that she's a big girl warrior. Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple I go back and forth on; sometimes she's fine, and other times she just gets in the way because despite not being any kind of hero or having any super skills, she was really in the middle and heat of the action. She was better as a supporting character on the sidelines, not in the thick of it. But she did an awesome job, and she's a very talented woman. The rest of the cast was good, but nothing really stand out from the rest of the group. I did leave out one very specific and important character, but I didn't want to spoil anything. This person was quite a pleasant surprise, and worked out pretty well all things considering. Overall the action for the show was okay; there was a lot of punching and kicking en masse, so not a lot of dynamic style, or interesting fight sequences as there could have or should have been. Also, some of the "big bad guys" came off as really weak to me unfortunately rather than as powerful as they should have been. The writing was okay, but I would have gone in a little different of a direction, considering several things didn't make much sense how key plot points were written out. The show was entertaining and gripping enough though, and unlike the Iron Fist I wasn't waiting for the season to finish because I was getting annoyed with it. If there wouldn't have been the Iron Fist or Luke Cage, the show would have been so much better, but what can you do. Music, costume design, and even writing....nothing really stood out. It wasn't bad, and if you enjoy comic book television or film themed shows then this is for you. It should be interesting over the course of the next couple of years to see how Marvel and Disney take all of this, possibly even away from Netflix. God be with us all, and especially now with the brave people protesting the oppressive dictatorial regime in Iran. It takes a lot of guts and bravery to stand up to people who could kill you with impunity.The Defenders scene
Charlie Cox and Finn Jones interview
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms trailer (possibilities, but will probably be atrocious).
